At today’s weekly luncheon, members of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club heard about efforts by Heal-the-Bay to clean up Santa Monica Bay. The group has been in the forefront of successful efforts to protect the local environment since its founding in 1985 when residents banded together to bring an end to the dumping of raw sewage into Santa Monica Bay.
Today’s speaker, Jim La Vally, a volunteer spokesman with Heal-the-Bay, said the major problem in the Bay is “urban runoff and trash. Pollution has 
a big impact in our Bay.” He said that plastic is the biggest problem, noting further that 60% to 80% of the marine debris worldwide is plastic, and that 90% of the debris floating in the ocean is plastic.” He added, “70% of the oxygen we breath every day is produced by seaweed and phytoplankton.”
a big impact in our Bay.” He said that plastic is the biggest problem, noting further that 60% to 80% of the marine debris worldwide is plastic, and that 90% of the debris floating in the ocean is plastic.” He added, “70% of the oxygen we breath every day is produced by seaweed and phytoplankton.”Due to advocacy efforts by the organization, and other environmentalists in the region, “We no longer find plastic in the Bay beaches.” Heal-the-Bay is supporting a single-use plastics reduction ordinance that the City of Redondo Beach is currently considering. The City has also banned various balloons because when they burst and fall into the ocean they look like foods that fish would eat.
The organization sponsors what it calls Nothing But Sand beach cleanups along the Bay. The next one for Redondo Beach is scheduled for February 15th at 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at Torrance Beach.
“People in the L.A. region are very aware of this problem,” he said. Contact Heal the Bay at healthebay.org.