The Environmental Defense Center (EDC) will present its 2024 Environmental Hero award to Hillary Hauser at EDC’s annual fundraiser, Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration, 2-5:30 p.m Sunday, June 9 at Stow House in Goleta.
Hauser is the founder and executive director of Santa Barbara nonprofit Heal the Ocean (HTO), which focuses on wastewater infrastructure (sewers and septic systems), and on protecting the marine environment from dumping and other forms of pollution.
“Hillary has been a force for protection and appreciation of the ocean throughout many different roles in her distinguished career, having a significant impact on our local communities and marine environment,” said Betsy Weber, EDC assistant director.
“As a writer, photojournalist, diver, adventurer, environmental activist, and leader of Heal the Ocean, she has been on the front lines of this fight for more than five decades,” Weber said. “We are thrilled to honor her as a longstanding partner and environmental hero here on the Central Coast.”
During nearly three decades at the helm of Heal the Ocean, Hauser has led the organization to numerous victories: Removing miles of septic systems from the Santa Barbara coast; upgrading wastewater treatment plants; protecting wildlife from Styrofoam pollution; and organizing countless beach cleanups.
More recently, HTO has been leading the effort to cap the leaking oil wells off the coast of Summerland.
“In the 28 years Heal the Ocean has been wrangling with environmental issues in Santa Barbara County, the Environmental Defense Center has remained a guiding star,” Hauser said of EDC, which is one of the nation’s longest-running nonprofit law firms working to protect California’s coast and the earth’s climate.
“The help and advice we’ve received over the years from this great group of clear-headed thinkers has cleared many paths of action for us,” Hauser said. “Special thanks to Linda Krop for being there, on the other end of the line, when I needed her special advice.”
Hauser has published six books and numerous articles about the sea and underwater exploration, including in National Geographic, Geo, Islands, The Surfer’s Journal, Reader’s Digest and the Los Angeles Times.
From 1969-1977 she was West Coast stringer for Ocean Science News, Washington, D.C.; and from 1981-86 was ocean/marine reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press. She is also a long-time classical pianist.
In 1988, in her watershed piece “Another Day at the Beach?” Hauser wrote about local beaches closing due to pollution. The article ignited a storm of public protest, as well as a demonstration at the Santa Barbara County Administration Building.
At the protest, Hauser and Jeff Young, a Santa Barbara oyster grower-now-attorney, announced they were founding Heal the Ocean.
Tickets and sponsorships are available for the Green & Blue: A Coastal Celebration to be held in gardens at Rancho La Patera and Stow House in Goleta.
The event, which is expected to draw 500 guests, raises critical funds for EDC to continue its work protecting the region’s clean air and water, open space and agricultural lands, marine resources and wildlife, and climate for generations.
The afternoon will include silent and live auctions, food and beverages, and a short program honoring Hauser.
For tickets, sponsorship opportunities and more information visit https://www.environmentaldefensecenter.org/gb/.
Learn more about EDC at www.EnvironmentalDefenseCenter.org.