Project Drawdown 233d ago

Laura Rink is the Associate Director of Operations at the Heal the Bay Aquarium in Santa Monica, a nonprofit focused on protecting the ocean and local watersheds in the Los Angeles area through science, advocacy, education, and community action. Through her work, Laura is advancing climate solutions by supporting sustainable aquaculture. This includes raising fish, marine wildlife, and plants in controlled environments for food production, habitat restoration, and species conservation. The aquarium’s catchphrase, “you protect what you love,” means that to protect the nature and animals in your own backyard, you first need to know and care about them. Heal the Bay is making a big impact by mobilizing volunteers and visitors from Los Angeles’s diverse communities to learn about the importance of oceans and to advocate for solutions that support ocean health and address climate change. Among other focus areas, the aquarium's work includes advocating for policies to reduce single-use plastics. Most plastics are made from fossil fuels, and both their production and disposal release greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. When plastics end up in the ocean, they slowly break down into microplastics, which can further harm marine life and human health. In addition to policy work, Heal the Bay runs hands-on programs like testing water quality, organizing community beach cleanups to remove trash, and running educational programs at the aquarium, where people can explore and learn how to protect our watery planet. For more on Heal the Bay: https://healthebay.org/ *** Want to discover your role in stopping the climate crisis? Drawdown's Neighborhood, presented by Project Drawdown, is a series of short documentaries featuring the stories of climate solutions heroes, city by city. Join host and Project Drawdown storyteller Matt Scott on a journey to "pass the mic" to climate heroes whose stories often go unheard and elevate climate action. Drawdown's Neighborhood showcases the diverse community of leaders working to advance climate solutions. This edition takes place in the Los Angeles area, known as the entertainment capital of the world and home to Hollywood, it is a vibrant hub for arts and culture. But LA is also home to a rich and diverse natural ecosystem. Its varied landscapes include mountains, wetlands, beaches, deserts, and more, supporting a wide range of plant and animal life. As one of the largest urban regions in the United States, the greater Los Angeles area has a population of over 18 million people. It is also one of the most racially and culturally diverse cities in the nation. The combination of creative energy, ecological richness, and community power makes LA’s growing leadership on climate solutions especially impactful. The Los Angeles Area is a model for how cities, residents, organizations, and businesses can work together to respond to the intensifying impacts of climate change on the region, including wildfire, heat waves, flooding, rising sea levels, mudslides, and poor air quality. The land known as Los Angeles is the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Native homelands of the Tongva People. Drawdown's Neighborhood: Los Angeles features the stories of seven change-makers who demonstrate resilience, and are building momentum to stop climate change and create a healthier, more just future for all. Watch and share this short documentary series, created by the Drawdown Stories team in collaboration with adventure filmmaker Erik Douds. Interested in leveling up your climate journey? We encourage you to discover solutions and characteristics of your climate story using the discussion questions and resources accompanying each film, developed in collaboration with Jothsna Harris of Change Narrative. Project Drawdown is the world's leading resource for climate solutions. To learn more, please visit www.drawdown.org. Twitter: www.twitter.com/projectdrawdown Instagram: www.instagram.com/projectdrawdown Facebook: www.facebook.com.com/projectdrawdown Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/projectdrawdown LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/project-drawdown #climatesolutions #climatejustice #climateaction #climatechange #passthemic #DrawdownsNeighborhood