Heal the Ocean Takes on Styrofoam and Straws

Heal the Ocean Takes on Styrofoam and Straws

On Tuesday, July 17, 2018, the Santa Barbara City Council will vote on two Ordinances (styrofoam and plastic straws) important to all who love the ocean and the creatures that live in the ocean:

  • To ban the sale or use of Styrofoam in the city, and

  • To restrict ("ask only") on single use straws and plastic cutlery.

Heal the Ocean asks you to please come to the City Council meeting, which begins at 2 p.m. to urge the Council to ban Styrofoam and restrict straws. . .

June 2018 E-Letter

June 2018 E-Letter
  • City Ordinance Committee Moves to Ban Styrofoam and Possibly Put a Dent in Plastic Straws

  • State Lands Commission Moving Forward with Next 3 Summerland Wells

  • Regional Board to get Update on HTO/RWQCB Groundwater Assessment

  • HTO’s Alison Thompson Received 2018 McGinnes Environmental Law and Advocacy Scholarship

  • Heal the Ocean’s Trio of Upcoming Events

  • Dogs of the Month: Boss and Maggie!

AT LAST! BECKER WELL IS BEING CAPPED!

AT LAST! BECKER WELL IS BEING CAPPED!

Summerland Beach was a scene of great joy this morning (Monday, February 26, 2018), as the barge from Curtin Maritime, Long Beach, arrived to the coastline and positioned itself to lower the construction equipment to cap the infamous leaking Becker Well. Heal the Ocean was there to confer with State Lands Commission officials, who were watching the operation from Lookout Park, and to discuss future operations to follow on the other offshore/underwater wells. . .

Becker Well Project Going Forward Next Week!

Becker Well Project Going Forward Next Week!

Heal the Ocean just heard from the contractors who are capping the infamous leaking Becker Well on Summerland Beach that the project is going forward! The InterAct barge will arrive off Summerland Beach on Monday, February 26, 2018 - next week - and the operation will begin!


It is estimated that the capping project will take 3 to 4 days to accomplish. Heal the Ocean will be there to cheer on the oil field workers, to celebrate with champagne this very important project to clean the ocean off Summerland, and we thank the State Lands Commission officials for listening to all our pleadings to get this most important work done.

Montecito Mud Study Starts; Becker Well Capping Delayed

Montecito Mud Study Starts; Becker Well Capping Delayed

With considerable frustration, Heal the Ocean has had to inform Summerland residents and beach lovers that InterAct Ventura, the contractors who will cap the notorious leaking Becker Well on Summerland Beach, has sent out a notice that the capping of the of the well is delayed from its planned start date this week due to ocean conditions – namely, poor water quality (no doubt a result of the Montecito Mudslide). InterAct is hoping to start the project on February 26, 2017. . .

Montecito Mud, Take 2; And a Big Oil Cleanup Gets Ready to Roll!

Montecito Mud, Take 2; And a Big Oil Cleanup Gets Ready to Roll!

There have been 57,431 views of Heal the Ocean’s editorial on the Montecito Mudslide, which we published as an E-letter sent to our members, and on our Facebook page. Our commentary was “liked” 710 times, shared 585 times, and commented on 114 times. Most comments were favorable, in that the community has taken comfort in HTO support of the County’s cleanup of this environmental disaster – which includes dumping of mud on Goleta and Carpinteria beaches. . .

ABOUT THE THOMAS FIRE MUD ON THE BEACH

Heal the Ocean has received numerous (some irate) phone calls regarding the mud being deposited on Goleta and Carpinteria beaches. Television media has also called for a response from us. We told them, and everyone else, we were investigating and would let everyone know when we knew the answer. We at HTO don’t believe environmental knee-jerk reactions help anything, least of all the environment. . .

January 2018 E-Letter

January 2018 E-Letter
  • HTO Starts the Year With All-New Website & Online Store

  • Another Good Start For 2018: Becker Well Capping Begins!

  • HTO Seeks Prop 1 Grant for Santa Ynez Septic-to-Sewer Project

  • Los Olivos Voting on Forming its own CSD to Handle Wastewater

  • HTO Welcomes Becky Twohey to Our Staff

  • 2017 Dog Bag Program: A Dog-Gone Success!

  • HTO Support Reaches Historical High in 2017

ABOUT THE FIRES

ABOUT THE FIRES

For more than a week, we have watched aghast at the devastation of the fires that have destroyed home and property across Southern California. We have heard from friends in San Diego who have lost their homes, and from friends and loved ones who remained hunkered down for over a week, ready to evacuate the Skirball Fire in West Los Angeles/Brentwood area at a moment’s notice. . .