Typically, Giving Tuesday takes place on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as a way to encourage people to support local nonprofits during the biggest shopping season of the year. This year, for the first time, the founders of Giving Tuesday have launched #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of giving and unity set to take place Tuesday (tomorrow), May 5, 2020, as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. The day is designed to rally caring people around the world, like you, to tap into the power of human connection to strengthen communities at a grassroots level in a time when many are experiencing fear, separation, and the burden of the unknown. #GivingTuesdayNow reminds us that we still have each other, and we still have our local nonprofits working to keep people, animals, and the environment safe during this turbulent time.

While Heal the Ocean cannot organize group beach cleanups, conduct gatherings, or meet with you to discuss ocean problems, we remain committed to working to protect our big blue backyard from environmental harm. This #GivingTuesdayNow, we are grateful for your support that allows us to continue full speed ahead on work that keeps our ocean and beaches safe and clean. While the COVID-19 virus has shut down a lot of our world, beach and ocean pollution, unfortunately, continues, but with your help, we can move forward together, bigger and stronger, to protect our coastline.

You can participate in #GivingTuesdayNow in many non-financial ways too, like picking up litter on your social-distancing walking route, and packing out what you might have taken to the beach instead of overloading trash cans. Mainly, please continue to recycle - especially plastics - which are again OK because of the pandemic; reuse the single use bags as long as you can. As always, MarBorg continues our HTO/MarBorg program of recycling Styrofoam at 20 David Love Place in Goleta.

The bottom left shows the San Gabriel Mountains on April 14, 2020.

The right images show the India Gate war memorial in New Delhi, India, is pictured on October 17, 2019 (above) and on April 8, 2020 after a 21-day nationwide lockdown (below).

Accessed through Bored Panda.

Source: Sentinel-5P satellite data processed by Descartes Labs, showing reduction in NO2 gas. Accessed through The New York Times March 22, 2020, "Traffic and Pollution Plummet as U.S. Cities Shut Down for Coronavirus"

We are proud to share that MarBorg is recycling textiles: clothing, cleaning rags & scrap cloth, backpacks & purses, fabric, shoes (matching pairs only). These can be dropped off, bundled, at 20 David Love Place, Goleta, and also at the MarBorg transfer station on 4430 Calle Real (near County Dump Road/Santa Barbara Sheriff’s station). Many of us, as we shelter at home, are cleaning out closets (especially as we realize we haven’t needed so many clothes). Thrift stores are closed during the lockdown, so you can save clothes, purses, and shoes to donate when they open again – but as for items that are too far gone for thrift stores or community shelters, you can take them today, to the MarBorg recycling facilities at the addresses above.

All this, and our daily work, too...your generosity helps us to continue with our current projects, including:

Overseeing capping of leaking oil wells in Summerland in June/July 2020 (to be done by State Lands Commission contractors);
Lining up next project(s) for septic system removal from coastal areas in South Santa Barbara County;
Updating our reports on shallow ocean outfalls and recycled water production in the state of California;
Providing County and City parks, trails, and beaches with biodegradable dog waste bags to keep pet waste out of the ocean
And more!

Thank you for your support and encouragement, we are grateful to work with a great community of people like you!