Our Urban Ocean: Real Science. Real Stories. Real Connection.

K-12 STEAM education

Long Beach

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Plastic pollution and watershed degradation are pressing environmental issues in Los Angeles County, but they’re also deeply misunderstood. Most youth grow up disconnected from the waterways that surround them, even though their neighborhoods, schools, and homes are all part of a vast urban watershed that drains into the Pacific Ocean. Education about this system often happens in simulated environments or through abstract curriculum, leaving students unaware of how their everyday actions and surroundings connect to ocean health. Without real-world exposure, students, especially those in under-resourced communities, miss the chance to understand and care for the ecosystems they are already a part of. This disconnect reinforces apathy, misinformation, and a lack of access to pathways into environmental leadership, STEM careers, and civic participation. We believe students deserve to learn from their environment, not just about it.

Our Urban Ocean is a place-based watershed education initiative that immerses Los Angeles County youth in real science, real stories, and real connection at the very point where the region’s water flows into the Pacific: Long Beach. With LA2050 funding, we will create and distribute hands-on science kits that include actual water and sand samples collected from the Long Beach coastline at the end of the LA River. These kits spark curiosity and lay the foundation for deeper learning through our Kayak Explorers field program, where students collect and analyze water quality data while kayaking in Alamitos Bay. The experience culminates in our Ocean Action Leadership Camp, where youth lead community science and environmental action projects. By providing authentic, local experiences, especially for under-resourced communities, we're building a generation of young leaders who understand their place in the watershed and are ready to protect it.

If our work is successful, youth across Los Angeles County will gain firsthand understanding of their role in our region’s watershed. They’ll learn not from simulations, but from real samples, real environments, and real experiences rooted in Long Beach, where the LA River meets the Pacific. Teachers will have access to high-quality, place-based kits that bring watershed science to life in any classroom. In the long term, we aim to scale distribution of our kits and field experiences to districts across the county, growing a pipeline of informed, empowered youth who protect what flows through their communities. Our vision is for Long Beach to serve as a model of urban ocean education, where students discover not just science, but their power to shape the future of LA’s environment.