Tracy Shawn, Noozhawk Contributor
“Ten years ago, Hillary Hauser became outraged when Santa Barbara beaches started closing. In response, she wrote a newspaper commentary that sparked a public protest over polluted waters.
On Aug. 19, 1998, while the demonstration was in full form in front of the County Administration Building, Hauser and Santa Barbara attorney Jeffrey Young (now chairman of the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board), co-founded Heal the Ocean. Under the umbrella of the Jean-Michel Cousteau Institute, Heal the Ocean became a nonprofit organization with Hauser as its executive director.
Heal the Ocean’s primary philosophy is that the ocean no longer can be used as a dump. Armed with this simple, yet profound, premise, the group has been diligently working to make this a reality. . .”