Doing Good
Heal the Bay
Beach cleanups are just the beginning. Heal the Bay works to mobilize L.A.’s many diverse communities to protect our coastline, revitalize waterways, and teach smart water policy.
Heal the Bay was founded in 1985 by Dorothy Green and a group of Los Angeles residents who were fed up with pollution in the Santa Monica Bay. Together they successfully brought an end to Hyperion Sewage Treatment Plant’s dumping of semi-treated wastewater into the Bay, and their grassroots legacy lives on.
Heal the Bay is Southern California’s water watchdog. Their staff scientists, policy analysts, community organizers, and educators are experts in their fields, working on reducing water pollution, protecting fragile coastal and watershed habitats, and improving water infrastructure throughout Los Angeles.
The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is somewhere we can see what Heal the Bay’s work is all about: protecting the animals that call the Bay home. With over 100 local species on exhibit, hands-on activities for kids, and daily educational programs, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is the perfect place to immerse yourself in marine science without getting your feet wet.
Buying the right sunscreen is also an important step in helping our coral reefs!
Some of the more notable brands are Thinksport, All Good, Babo, Suntegrity, and Raw Elements.
What you can do now to help protect the coral reefs:
https://www.epa.gov/coral-reefs/what-you-can-do-help-protect-coral-reefs
Volunteer for beach cleanups or be a citizen scientist in LA County with Heal the Bay:
https://healthebay.org/
Find out what communities are doing around the world to protect coral reefs with the Coral Reef Alliance and how you can help:
https://coral.org/