Heal the Bay has weekly beach clean-ups around the shores of Venice and Santa Monica, where there is a significant amount of land pollution. Heal the Bay is a non-profit organization that was started in 1985 to protect the Santa Monica Bay. They now have high school clubs around the city, including one at Venice.

“Our mission is to not only spread awareness regarding the condition of our environment but to actively pursue cleaning the oceans,” said Heal the Bay officer Luke Titan.

The club holds meetings in room 131 on Thursdays at nutrition. The club focuses on beach clean-ups, where members of the club visit the beach and collect litter to be recycled. This year, Heal the Bay plans on attempting to turn bottle caps that they retrieved into art pieces to be displayed around the school. Heal the Bay has a history at Venice, first being introduced in 2008. In previous years the sponsor has been Ms. Eames, but while she has been out on maternity leave, Mr. Gudani has taken over.

“My favorite part about Heal the Bay is just the beach clean-ups in general. It’s a really rewarding experience to actively participate in improving our environment and has expanded my awareness on our impact that we have on the earth,” said Heal the Bay officer Edgar Hernandez.

Heal the Bay also offers community service hours for their beach clean-ups and other events. Heal the Bay accepts all students and you can join simply by showing up to a club meeting. With all the council being seniors, Heal the Bay is looking for committed, passionate, and responsible students from other grades to take over the club next year. With pollution becoming a major problem around the world, Heal the Bay is working to make a difference in the Venice community.