July E-Letter
In this E-Letter:
HTO is TURNING 25!
Andrew V of Earthcomb Pulls off Difficult Hillside Homeless Cleanup
Fiesta is Around the Corner – Ditch the Confetti!
Come Join Us at the Plastic Free July Expo!
Heal the Ocean is Turning 25!
Watch your mailbox for HTO’s invitation to participate in our Imaginary Gala 2023 celebrating our 25th Silver Anniversary! With our stellar Julia Louis-Dreyfus as our Honorary Chair, this year’s event follows the format of our hugely successful annual Imaginary Galas. This year the Imaginary Gala will be followed by a Thank You Happy Hour Party for our fundraiser Sponsors and Supporters at the Santa Barbara FisHouse on Cabrillo Blvd., generously donated by HTO Board Member, Tom White, and Santa Barbara Shellfish Company CEO, Adam White.
Look for your invitation in early September and also our GoFundMe page in upcoming E-letters. You won’t want to miss this!
Difficult Terrain… Hillside Homeless Camp Gets Cleaned Up
Aerial View of the Earthcomb Team Cleaning the Debris. Photo by Harry Rabin.
With funding help from Heal the Ocean, Earthcomb and its amazing founder, Andrew Velikanje, tackled a 3-day cleanup of an abandoned homeless encampment from a Summerland hillside, stretching from the Union Pacific railroad tracks to the top of a beach wall in Summerland.
The Summerland Citizens Association (SCA) contracted Earthcomb and gathered a dedicated team together. Despite the difficult terrain and working on the site for three days, the Earthcomb team successfully hauled out the trash and debris from an abandoned homeless camp. Nobody had tackled it for years because of the difficulty of the terrain, but nothing is too difficult for Earthcomb!
Maneuvering along the railroad tracks, the team removed large and heavy pieces of pipes from a challenging cliffside location. Meticulously cutting up discarded quarter-inch pipes, the workers made sure there were no harmful materials left behind. We thank the SCA for its Beach Watch Committee, which keeps an eye on Summerland Beach, and for directing their attention to this long-standing hazard. Earthcomb works in association with Heal the Ocean, so if you see a mess that needs cleanup, contact us!
Let’s Reduce Confetti This Fiesta!
Old Spanish Days celebrations are right around the corner in Santa Barbara, and Heal the Oceans urges everybody to celebrate responsibly when it comes to confetti. While the tradition of cracking confetti eggs (cascarones)over someone’s head during Fiesta has long been a Santa Barbara tradition, HTO has noticed a significant increase in mylar, plastic, and glitter confetti. The shiny metallic confetti, sequins, and glitter are made of plastic, which is not biodegradable and can persist in our environment for years. These materials inevitably wash into the storm drains (despite HTO working with the City of Santa Barbara to cover the storm drains), and the confetti gets washed to sea. Moreover, it’s lethal to marine life because the confetti is often mistaken for food.
Heal the Ocean encourages everyone to opt for paper confetti and, even then, use it sparingly. Please remember that throwing confetti and leaving it behind is a form of littering.
Joe (left) and Andrew (right) of Earthcomb Cleaning up After Fiesta 2022
Heal the Ocean also encourages everyone to be mindful of their trash during Fiesta. Each year single-use plastics, paper plates, bottles, etc., litter State Street and nearby cross streets. In previous years, HTO has engaged Earthcomb to clean up the cross streets during Fiesta, as well as after the celebration is over.
Let’s Reduce Confetti This Fiesta!
Heal the Ocean is pleased to announce our participation in the international Plastic Free July movement once again! Plastic Free July serves as an annual reminder that individuals have the power to make a significant impact on the issue of plastic pollution. This year, the Community Environmental Council (CEC) is hosting a Plastic Free July Expo aimed at raising awareness about the impact of plastic pollution and empowering everyone to take steps in reducing reliance on single-use plastics.
We invite you to join us on Thursday, July 27 at 5:00 p.m. held at CEC's brand-new Environmental Hub located at 1219 State Street for the second annual Plastic Free July Expo. The hosts of this event are CEC and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.
This in-person expo will feature various local partners, including Heal the Ocean, City of Santa Barbara Recycling, City of Goleta, and MarBorg Industries. Together, we will share insights and practical tips on reducing plastic waste and making sustainable choices. By joining forces with like-minded individuals and organizations, we can make a real difference with plastic pollution.
Thank you for your dedication and support. We look forward to seeing you at the event!
It's warm out there, please take care!
From all of us at HTO to all of you, thank you.
Hillary Hauser, Executive Director
HTO thanks the Poehler-Stremel Charitable Trust
for providing funds to publish our newsletters and e-letters!