Filmmaker Harry Rabin joins HTO Advisory Board

Filmmaker Harry Rabin joins HTO Advisory Board

Film producer, writer, cinematographer and director Harry Rabin has joined Heal the Ocean's Advisory Board, lending us his invaluable hand with aerial drone work to assist State Lands work on the Summerland Oil Field cleanup. Harry is also beginning to work on a documentary, which includes some of Heal the Oceans success stories, and he helps us in achieving many of our goals to help our environment. . .

James Hawkins takes Associate Directorship at Berkeley Institute for the Future of Young Americans

James Hawkins takes Associate Directorship at Berkeley Institute for the Future of Young Americans

Former HTO Policy Analyst James Hawkins has been appointed Associate Director of Berkeley Institute for the Future of Young Americans at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. The position follows hisreceiving a Masters of Public Policy from UC Berkeley. James' focus at the Institute includes examining public policies designed to expand opportunity for young people in today’s labor market. . .

Get Ready...Here Comes the OCEAN!

Get Ready...Here Comes the OCEAN!

The Santa Barbara Airport flooded. Goleta Beach Park gone. The ocean over Cabrillo Blvd...are these scenarios sensationalism? No. The above scenarios will come to pass by 2100 if nothing is done to prevent such inundation- or at least prepare for it.

Sea Level Rise, directly caused by climate change, is a real deal, and theKing Tides of December 22-23, 2018 & January 20-21, 2019 gave us a hint of what the future looks like for Santa Barbara if we do nothing but talk about it. . .

Next Summerland Oil Cleanup Scheduled For June 2019

Next Summerland Oil Cleanup Scheduled For June 2019

Just in time to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill, Heal the Ocean is happy to announce a few preliminary details of the next phase of the Summerland Oil Field cleanup. The State Lands Commission has hired the contractor (InterAct) to cap the next leaking well - or two, or maybe even three (!), with work estimated to begin by June 2019. On Saturday, January 20, 2019, HTO Executive Director Hillary Hauser met with SLC Petroleum Drilling Engineer Steve Curran. . .

February 2019 E-Letter

February 2019 E-Letter
  • The Next Summerland Oil Cleanup Coming Soon!

  • Get Ready...Here Comes the Ocean (King Tides & Sea Level Rise)

  • James Hawkins appointed Associate Director at Berkeley Institute for the Future of Young Americans

  • EF International Language School Honored for EF/HTO Earth Day Work

  • Filmmaker Harry Rabin Joins HTO Advisory Board

  • Three Simple Things YOU Can Do for the Environment

  • HTO is Hiring a Part-Time Intern!

Charging Into the New Year with HTO

Charging Into the New Year with HTO

In these last few days of 2018, we celebrate all of our supporters who have helped us do wonderful work for the ocean this year, and we are full steam ahead on achieving great victories in 2019!

Including:

  • The capping of another (or two!) leaking oil well(s) off Summerland Beach. After the successful capping of Becker Well in February 2018, State Lands officials have communicated with us their plans to cap the next oil well(s). . .

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a national day to celebrate gratitude and giving back – and Heal the Ocean sends our deep thanks to all those who choose us to support. Your gifts, love, and donations keep us moving forward in our work for a clean ocean and unsoiled groundwater.The coming year will be filled with significant, newsworthy successes. . .

ONE WEEK VACATION FOR 2 ON TAVARUA ISLAND, FIJI!

ONE WEEK VACATION FOR 2 ON TAVARUA ISLAND, FIJI!

Heal the Ocean's 20th Anniversary Celebration 2018 was a sold-out, smashing success! Our Live Auction was Really Alive...and our Auctioneer Rick Werner got some lively bidding going. The great news is that the dear HTO supporters who were the high bidders for the “One Week Vacation on the Beautiful Island of Tavarua, Fiji” auction package have graciously let us keep their $6,000 bid while turning the trip back to us to be resold!

Heal the Ocean's 20th Anniversary In the News

Heal the Ocean's 20th Anniversary In the News

The following is from KEYT-3 by John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The ocean and water watchdog group Heal the Ocean celebrated its 20th anniversary over the weekend.

The event at the El Paseo restaurant featured videos, auction items and tributes. Among those honored were retiring Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Eric Petersen and Retired City Fire Chief Pat McElroy.

Heal the Ocean has spoken out strongly about efforts to clean up and cap leaking oil wells along the Summerland coastline that have polluted the waters there. . .

HEAL THE OCEAN RELEASES STUDY OF COASTAL WASTEWATER DISCHARGES

HEAL THE OCEAN RELEASES STUDY OF COASTAL WASTEWATER DISCHARGES

Heal the Ocean is proud to release The Inventory of Municipal Wastewater Discharges to California Coastal Water Bodies, an online interactive studythat documents the 417 billion gallons of treated municipal wastewater discharged at fifty-seven coastal locations in the 2015 calendar year.

The study, led by project manager James Hawkins, MPP, involved a multiyear effort to collect, review, and analyze publicly available data to determine the total volume of treated municipal effluent discharged to California’s coastal water bodies. . .

August 2018 E-Letter

August 2018 E-Letter

The long-held tradition of smashing someone's head with an empty eggshell filled with confetti (cascarone) has always been a hoot - and a big part of Santa Barbara's annual Fiesta. The tradition was great fun until the confetti became plastic or metallic/mylar - which does not degrade, but instead goes down the storm drain and into the ocean, where fish eat it. Several years ago Heal the Ocean took up the issue with the City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division, and we were successful in getting the city to contract for the covering of storm drains during Fiesta and Summer Solstice. . .

July 2018 E-Letter Special Edition: Heal the Ocean Gets City Styrofoam Ban Tightened at City Council

July 2018 E-Letter Special Edition: Heal the Ocean Gets City Styrofoam Ban Tightened at City Council

IT WAS A GREAT DAY IN CITY COUNCIL ON TUESDAY. The Council voted to restrict plastic straws - after a heart-warming plea from beautiful children as well as heartfelt requests from physically challenged members of the community who told the Council they needed straws to have access to food/drink like everyone else…(the plastic straw regulation includes provisions for physically challenged people to have access to straws). HTO told Council that while we really wanted a total ban, we support the “ask-only” regulation because such regulation is said to reduce straw use by 80% or even 90%. . .