As the holiday season approaches, the spirit of giving is ready to shine. Giving Tuesday, celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, unites people worldwide in a powerful movement of generosity.
This year, Noozhawk invites you to make a difference right here in our community. With our Giving Guide, you can easily explore local organizations that need your support, empowering you to create a meaningful impact as we close out the year.
Visit our Good for Santa Barbara Nonprofit Section to find opportunities to donate and spread kindness throughout the community this holiday season!
In this interview Noozhawk spoke with Jasmin Tupy, Communications and Operations Manager at Heal the Ocean, to learn more about their efforts in ocean conservation.
Question: What is the name of your nonprofit, and what is its mission?
Answer: Heal the Ocean (HTO), a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Santa Barbara, is dedicated to wastewater infrastructure improvement and the prevention of ocean pollution. The organization’s programs include capping leaking oil wells, removing derelict boats that wash ashore, cleaning up abandoned homeless encampments in environmentally sensitive areas, fostering collaborative Styrofoam recycling initiatives, providing dog waste bags for the city and county, and more. We are focused on Santa Barbara County, but our methods are now serving as a model for other coastal communities across the country.
Q: How long has your organization been serving the community, and who founded it?
A: HTO was formed in August 1998 in Santa Barbara, California, in response to the closing of local beaches due to bacterial contamination. It was founded by Hillary Hauser, a journalist who covered marine topics – both internationally and in Santa Barbara – for over 40 years, and Jeff Young, a practicing attorney in Santa Barbara who once owned an oyster farm that was forced out of business due to pollution in the late 1980s. HTO is a citizens’ action group that began with Hauser’s newspaper editorial, published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on August 9, 1998, titled “Another Day at the Beach?”
The article, which sharply criticized water quality regulators, sparked a tremendous outpouring of emotional support and calls for action within the community. In response, a public demonstration was held at the Santa Barbara County administration building on August 27, 1998, in support of clean waters and clean beaches, and this community outcry gave rise to HTO.
Q: What motivated the creation of your nonprofit?
A: When Rincon Point Beach, a world-renowned surfing destination in Santa Barbara County, was closed to the public due to pollution, surfers reached out to Heal the Ocean (HTO) for help in raising awareness and advocating before the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. Diving into the issue, HTO began investigating the source of the pollution, which was traced to the septic systems in use at Rincon Point.
To confirm this, HTO enlisted a DNA lab to sample the Rincon Lagoon, becoming the first environmental organization in the U.S. to use DNA testing in the environment to identify sources of contamination. This DNA study provided clarity in the face of bureaucratic debates about the pollution’s origins. The results showed that 20% of the fecal bacteria in the lagoon was human in origin, prompting further action.
Following the DNA study, HTO raised funds for sewer engineering studies, not only for Rincon but for neighboring communities up the coast. The project, known as the South Coast Beach Communities Septic-to-Sewer Project, took 15 years to complete and ultimately eliminated septic systems from 7 miles of the Santa Barbara south coast, including Rincon Point. HTO received numerous commendations for this transformative work.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded, and what are its biggest needs right now?
A: HTO is currently engaged in several critical initiatives to address environmental issues in our community. These include:
-Working with the State Lands Commission to cap and monitor leaking oil wells in Summerland;
-Leading a geological study of the Summerland oil field (SOMS) to determine the best approaches for abandoning leaking wellheads;
-Partnering with MarBorg Industries to repurpose Styrofoam, helping to divert this material from Santa Barbara’s landfill;
-Using GIS mapping to clear and document homeless encampments that impact sensitive environmental areas;
-Securing state and federal funding to expand recycled water production in Santa Barbara County and beyond;
-Protecting groundwater from septic systems and other pollutants;
-Conducting research and providing updates on sea level rise (SLR), creating a “Scope the Coast” GIS map that shows how rising seas could push long-buried toxins to coastal areas;
-Supplying dog waste bags at local parks, beaches, and trails to reduce the environmental impacts of pet waste.
Our biggest current needs include funding for these ongoing initiatives, particularly for the geological studies on oil well abandonment, Styrofoam diversion efforts, and projects related to sea level rise and recycled water infrastructure. These initiatives represent our commitment to environmental sustainability and community health.
Q: What sets your nonprofit apart from similar organizations?
A: “What you seek to change, find the money to do it.” That is HTO’s motto, which means that instead of complaining and demanding change, we raise the funds to pay for it – engineering studies, geological studies and other necessary road maps – then partner with local, county and regional agencies to initiate projects. It is a formula widely hailed by Santa Barbara County and state agencies.
This model has led to significant accomplishments, such as the removal of septic tanks from seven miles along Santa Barbara’s south coastline. Through strategic advocacy, we also secured the passage of state legislation, resulting in $14 million for the California State Lands Commission to begin capping leaking oil wells off the Summerland coast. Our fundraising efforts support a countywide Styrofoam recycling program that has successfully diverted over 40,000 pounds of Styrofoam from the Tajiguas Landfill and the surrounding environment.
Q: Could you share a story or two about individuals whose lives have been positively impacted by your organization?
A: Andrew Velikanje, a formerly homeless individual was “discovered” by Heal the Ocean – and he now works on our homeless camp cleanup campaign through his business, EarthComb. Andrew was discovered by HTO during our cleanup of one of his camps. At that instant, he turned around to help us with the cleanup. With the support of HTO, Andrew was able to obtain his business license, and he now employs homeless individuals to assist in cleaning up abandoned camps. EarthComb, under Andrew’s leadership, has successfully removed 112,600 pounds of litter from local areas, including East Beach, Rincon Beach, Montecito, and more.
In addition, there isn’t a resident in one of the homes along the 7 miles of south Santa Barbara coastline North of Rincon that doesn’t thank us every day for the fact they no longer have sewage backup into their homes because of failing septic systems. Now hooked to municipal sewer service, they can take showers, do the dishes, have guests, etc., without worrying about the weather outside flooding their overloaded leach fields and backing the wastewater into their homes.
Q: How do you share your nonprofit’s impact and updates with the public?
A: HTO effectively communicates its work to the public through a variety of channels and strategies. These strategies include maintaining an informative website (healtheocean.org) and a dynamic social media presence (Instagram: @healtheoceansb), distributing regular email newsletters, issuing press releases, hosting public events and educational programs, and collaborating with other environmental organizations and government agencies to amplify their reach.
Q: Is there anything important or unique about your nonprofit that we haven’t covered yet?
A: As surfers, swimmers, divers, boaters, beachgoers, and all-around ocean lovers, HTO and its team of supporters believe we can no longer misuse the ocean. When things are not right in the ocean, it is in each and every one of our natures to do something about it. We are focused on Santa Barbara County, but our methods now serve as a model for other coastal communities across the country. The ocean connects us all and it’s simple: the ocean can no longer be used as a dump.
Click here to support Heal the Ocean’s mission to wastewater infrastructure improvement and the prevention of ocean pollution.
Check out Noozhawk’s Guide to Giving for a full list of nonprofits to donate to this giving season.
If you would like to include your nonprofit in our Good for Santa Barbara section and Giving Guide click HERE.