My name is Andrew Hernandez and I participated in the Heal the Bay event in Santa Monica on September 17th, 2016. I'd always been aware of the environmental catastrophe the Pacific Ocean and the rest of the world is undergoing, but the documentaries and articles we studied in class taught me so much more about the problem a disposeable society presents. The part that disturbed me the most, was the information on the toxins that plastic harbors like BPA. I'll never look at receipt paper the same way again.
   
     All this came even further into perspective when I came out to Bay St. Beach to participate in Heal the Bay. I always considered Santa Monica to be one of the cleaner beaches around Los Angeles but when truly picked through, the ammount of waste found is just as shocking as the documentaries and articles would have you believe. We found 100's of cigarette butts and the smallest most harmful pieces of plastic were almost impossible to pick up. They were there, but so small and widespread you could enjoy a whole day there at the beach without noticing the disaster beneath your feet.
   
     Doing my part to help be the solution was amazing and I will definitely be returning for future Heal the Bay events.