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Santa Barbara Channelkeeper

Keeping Watch for Clean Water

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A plastic bag polluting the beaches in Santa Barbara.

Plastic

Our waterways and oceans are literally choking in plastic pollution. Plastic has now been found deep in our oceans, in arctic ice, in rainwater and even in drinking water. Scientists are still conducting research to understand the extent of its impacts on humans, but we already know it has devastating impacts on marine wildlife, who can become entangled in or ingest plastic debris, causing suffocation, starvation, and drowning. Plastics are estimated to take up to hundreds of years to fully decompose, though some of them break down much quicker into tiny microplastics (<5 mm), which in turn end up in the seafood we eat.

Channelkeeper works to stem the tide of plastic pollution to our oceans through broad array of advocacy, monitoring outreach and education initiatives.  We have led the charge, in partnership with the Community Environmental Council, to convince municipalities across our region to adopt ordinances that ban the distribution of plastic grocery bags, Styrofoam takeout containers, and plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery.

Channelkeeper also supports an initiative spearheaded by Ablitt’s Fine Cleaners to recycle film plastic, which Santa Barbara’s waste collection and recycling provider is currently unable to recycle. Ablitt’s offers their business for film plastic collection events for the community. They then bale the film plastic and send it to manufacturers that repurpose it into pellets used for decking and other household materials. Click here to sign up to attend film plastic collection events.

Through our youth and public education and outreach efforts, Channelkeeper educates our community about the impacts of single-use plastics on our oceans, wildlife and human health and the ease and importance of transitioning to reusable alternatives. We also host frequent beach and creek clean-ups to prevent plastic and other trash from escaping to the ocean.

Contact Us

714 Bond Avenue
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
[email protected]
(805) 563-3377

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NAVIGATION
  • About
    • Our Mission & Vision
    • Our Team
    • Our Boat
    • Our History
    • Our Impact
    • About the Santa Barbara Channel
    • About Local Watersheds
    • Strategic Framework
    • Financial Information
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Our Work
    • Education
      • Student Art Show
    • Community Engagement
      • Cruise Ship Advocacy
      • Report Pollution
      • Volunteer
      • Water Conservation
      • Oil Spill Resource Guide
      • Film Plastic Recyling
      • Action Alerts
    • Field Work
      • Beach Water Quality
      • Stream Team
        • Water Quality Indicators
        • Stream Team Data Portal
        • Leydecker Archives
      • MPA Watch
      • Cruise Ship Monitoring
      • Ocean Acidification
    • Advocacy
      • Aquaculture Advocacy
      • Polluted Runoff
      • Agriculture
      • Oil & Gas
        • Protecting the Coast from Sable Offshore’s Pipeline Restart
        • Refugio Oil Spill
        • Oil Spill Resource Guide
        • Platform Decommissioning
        • Legacy Oil Wells
        • Offshore Fracking
      • Ventura River
      • Plastic
        • Film Plastic Recyling
      • Marine Protected Areas
        • MPA Watch
      • Water Supply
        • Desalination
        • Conservation
    • Enforcement
      • Ventura River
      • Offshore Fracking
      • Agriculture
      • Sewage
      • Ojai Quarry
      • Halaco
  • Media
    • Press Releases
    • Blog
    • Newsletter Archive
    • eNews Archive
    • Photo Gallery
    • Video Gallery
  • Take Action
    • Donate
    • Events
    • Volunteer
      • Watershed Brigade
      • MPA Watch
    • Report Pollution
    • Action Alerts
    • Subscribe to eNews
    • Shop
      • Buy Channelkeeper Gear
      • Shop & Support Channelkeeper
  • Donate