Save The Bay Movement - Free Essay on Environmental Protection

Introduction

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Environmental protection is one of the major fundamental goals of the various organization in the United States. Ideally, Save The Bay is among the most influential groups, which possess excellent track records in the management of different environmental ecosystems. On a wider note, the organization is dedicated to preserving the San Francisco Bay and its related estuarine habits areas. A major driving mission of the organization is to fight for the protection of the bay from the development of the landfills and consequently prevent the redevelopment of the salts flats. In this way, Save The Bay massively supports and encourages the restoration of the bay to its natural state. This paper, therefore, provides an expository assessment of the Save The Bay organization, through analysis of its various aspects such as the history of the movements and activities in an attempt to promote environmental protection.

History of the movement

Save The Bay is known to be the largest regional non-profitable organization that works to protect, restore, and celebrate the San Francisco Bay since its inception. Historically, massive filling of various parts of the site reduced the size of the Bay by about one-third, with an ultimate destruction of close to 95 % the tidal marsh within the bay (Turning the Tide s.n). This incident occurred after the Gold Rush, but after its establishment, objectives to refill the undestroyed, which by that time only summed up to about sixty percent, leaving a small area for the purposes of navigation. Some of the notable personalities who largely participated in the development of the movement were the Sylvia McLaughlin, Esther, and Kay Kerr. With the intent to prevent massive and rampant fillings, they made stimulated different kinds of communication, and mobilized the communities (Aziza 1). These actions enabled them collect one dollar from the residents along the Bay areas; a move which ultimately led to the formation of Save San Francisco Bay Association, and started a successful movement protect the Bay from harmful human practices.

Through the mobilization of a vast number of citizens across the Bay and near regions, the group won a notable victory for the Bay that included a legislation related to Bay fill, and abolition of dumping practices along the shoreline and formation of the Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), which is a permanent state agency that regulates expansion along the shores and increases public access.

Effectiveness of the Save The Bay Movement

As mentioned before, Save The Bay organization massively supports and encourages the restoration of the bay to its natural state. Various reports have shown that the movement has been active especially in achieving its goals, making it different from the earlier organizations that emerged with the aim of promoting environmental management and protection. While it is evident that the primary objective of the organization is to protect the San Francisco Bay from anthropogenic activities, they have been categorized into various missions. These include prevention of pollution, restoration of wetlands, stopping the Bay fill thus achieving the whole goal of waste management along the Bay, and finally educating the public about issues that concern the protection of the environment and different ecosystems (Turning the Tide s.n).

On a wider note, pollution prevention as one of the primary goals of the organization entailed the reduction of the trash that pollutes the Bay and harms wildlife (Green Publishing). Save The Bay was, therefore, determined to secure the local and regional limits on the plastics bags, polystyrene, and the harmful tobacco litter. Notably, the majority of these materials are non-biodegradable and therefore may take many years without being degraded in the sea. The organizations work with the principle that the Trash in the street is the trash in the Bay. Stormwater runoff is nearly the single vast source of Bay pollution. It believes that substances such as the plastics, Styrofoam food containers, and the cigarette butts are not just wastes, but worst kind of pollution. In this way, therefore, stopping the pollution is the only way to go and to make the Bay clean.

Restoration of wetland, as mentioned is another crucial goal of the organization (Green Publishing). Ideally, wetlands are the centre and heart of the San Francisco Bay. From a wider point of view, it improves water quality, provides wildlife habitat, and also invites families, friends, and tourists to enjoy trails and open space. It helps protect the communities and residents along the bay from flooding, which may otherwise occur during heavy rainy seasons or due to changes in the climatic conditions. Presently, most of the Bay wetlands appear as massively destroyed by the previous human activities that involved Bay refill, raw sewage discharge, and trash disposal. Through the activities of the organization, more than 30,000 acres of the wetlands are ready and waiting to be restored (Green Publishing). Ideally, these achievements tremendously offer an indication of the manner in which the Save The Bay is different from other organizations, including its predecessors. In June 2016, the voters in the Bay area passed a historic ballot measure aimed at generating $500 million to start the process of restoration of important wetlands in the Bay, and also ensuring the cleaner, and healthy Bay.

Additionally, stopping the Bay fill is also a primary activity of the organization. Considering this mission, Save The Bay works to prevent bay fill and uncontrolled development of the shoreline, more so in high priority restoration regions (Dont Pave My Bay s.n). Upon its establishment in 1961, the urban development and agricultural activities along the San Francisco had tremendously decreased the Bay by nearly a third and destroyed close to 90 percent of the Bays original tidal marsh. Through the assistance of thousands of supporters, the organization has succeeded in reversing the decline. Some people still try to fill the Bay even after the era of filling had stopped a long time back. Notably, stopping such destruction has remained the priority of the organization. Finally, education of the both the aspiring conservationists, stewards of nature, environmentalists and ecosystem managers. Since its inception, Save The Bay has emerged as an inspiration to more than 20,000 middle and high school students are inspired to become citizen scientists and next generation of Bay stewards through the restoration Education program initiated by the organization. A deeper scrutiny of these programs reveals that the movements programs are aligned with Californias Core Standards for math and science.

Movement and Social Media

Benefits

Social media refers to sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. About Save The Bay movement, the social media have created shared spaces where people can search, finds and share the information across the time, space, social and cultural boundaries. Because social media has increased the perceived social and public equity, the users have the opportunity to engage in active participation. Save The Bay massively supports and encourages the restoration of the bay to its natural state. In this way, it has been effective especially in achieving its goals, making it different from the earlier organizations that emerged with the aim of promoting environmental management and protection. To reach a large number of local people, the Californians and the Americans at large, the movement has a Facebook page which allows other users to like and share various issues initiated by the movement. Its Twitter page has also played the crucial role in improving the movements campaign in pollution management, wetland restoration, stopping Bay landfills, and provision of education to thousands of young people who are willing to become environmental stewards, conservationists, and managers.

The Drawbacks

While it is evident that the use of social media has played an important role in improving the campaigns initiated by the Save The Bay movement, the social media has lowered its capacity to reach a particular group of people. Notably, some people are unable to use the social media sites but may be willing to participate in activities initiated by the movement.

Ways in which the movement seeks to create change

The organization is dedicated to preserving the San Francisco Bay and its related estuarine habits areas. A major driving mission of the organization is to fight for the protection of the bay from the development of the landfills and consequently prevent the redevelopment of the salts flats. As part of its activities, Save The Bay seeks to create the change of perception and attitudes through the volunteer program and education (Aziza 1). The organization believes that different group of people can protect and restore the Bay through volunteer programs. To restore the shoreline, the movement engages community volunteer, schools, and businesses in planting and accurate monitoring. Individuals are required to sign up on the movements website to participate.

On the hand, through the fellowship program, diverse group of people gains hands-on experience behind the scene. The students, recent graduates and anyone looking to take more actions for the movement will operate in collaboration with the staff mentors and teams to help Save The Bay with its requirements (Dont Pave My Bay s.n). Members have fun outdoors, learn about the Bay and consequently do their parts to protect through joining one of the movements shoreline restoration programs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this paper has offered an expository assessment of the Save The Bay movement, which to be the largest regional non-profitable organization that works to protect, restore, and celebrate the San Francisco Bay since 1961. The mission of the organization is to fight for the protection of the bay from the development of the landfills and consequently prevent the redevelopment of the salts flats. Presently, the movement massively supports and encourages the restoration of the bay to its natural state. It is, therefore, important for people to care about this movement based on its roles such as enhancing the restoration of wetlands, pollution prevention, and stopping the Bay fill practices. The change brought or advocated by the movement plays a crucial role in stimulating the accomplishments of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Work Cited

Aziza, Jackson (2016): GivingTuesday message from Jaime Redford

Dont Pave My Bay: History Retrieved from http://www.dontpavemybay.org/dont-pave-my-bay/history

Green Publishing: WATCH: The Scourge of Plastic Bags: Save the Bay Campaign Turning the Tide.