Dirty Water is the riveting story of how Howard Bennett, a Los Angeles schoolteacher with a gift for outrageous rhetoric, fought pollution in Santa Monica Bay--and won. The story begins in 1985, when many scientists considered the bay to be one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world. The insecticide DDT covered portions of the sea floor. Los Angeles discharged partially treated sewage into its waters. Lifeguards came down with mysterious illnesses. And Howard Bennett happily swam in it every morning. By accident, Bennett learned that Los Angeles had applied for a waiver from the Clean Water Act to continue discharging sewage into the bay. Incensed that he had been swimming in dirty water, Bennett organized oddball coalition to orchestrate stunts such as wrapping brown ribbon around LA's city hall and issuing Dirty Toilet Awards to chastise the city's administration. This is the fast-paced story of how this unusual cast of characters created an environmental movement in Los Angeles that continues to this day with the nationally recognized Heal the Bay. Character-driven, compelling, and uplifting, Dirty Water tells how even the most polluted water can be cleaned up-by ordinary people.
"[Sharpsteen] deserves some props. Not only does he meticulously lay out the story of efforts to clean up Santa Monica Bay . . . but he does it in a compelling style."--California Lawyer
Product Details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (January 5, 2010)
Bill Sharpsteen is a freelance writer and photographer. He has just completed his first book project, called "Dirty Water," which tells the story of how one of the world's most polluted bodies of water, Santa Monica Bay, was rescued by ordinary citizens. His articles have appeared in Los Angeles Times Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, The Washington Post, TV Guide, Entrepreneur, Photo Techniques, Outdoor Photographer, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Westways, Washington Journey, Emmy, Buzzworm, Seattle Weekly, Visio and Transpacific. Preferring to cover a wide variety of subjects, Sharpsteen has written about such topics as business, television, the environment, personalities, travel and entertainment. Sharpsteen has shown his art photography at more than 20 exhibitions throughout the Northwest and Southwest. His popular moonlit landscapes have been published in Los Angeles Times, Westways (the article won the 1996 Lowell Thomas Award, Society of American Travel Writers, for best illustrated article), Outdoor Photographer and Photo Techniques. The New York Times currently offers his moonlit photography on their website devoted to artwork. His editorial photographs have appeared in The Washington Post, Entrepreneur, Emmy, Transpacific, Westways, Washington Journey and Buzzworn.
Sharpsteen also worked during the early 1980s as an award-winning documentary producer for PBS, covering Alaska Natives and the social issues facing them. Those shows garnered such awards as a silver medal in the 1983 International Film & TV Festival of New York, the Lincoln Unity Award and Alaska Press Club awards for best documentary and best video photography. Sharpsteen received his BA in Communications (summa cum laude) from Washington State University in 1980. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife, Gloria.
This review is from: Dirty Water: One Man's Fight to Clean Up One of the World's Most Polluted Bays (Hardcover)
I usually don't read nonfiction books, but I read this one. Bill has brought the topic of water pollution in Santa Monica Bay to life with the colorful stories of real people. He's analyzed all the data and facts for us and gives us the bottom-line of what they mean and why they matter, skillfully weaving them into the story so they're interesting. I had never paid that much attention to the news stories in the '80s of all the sewage spills into the Bay, thinking they were just another bureaucratic failing we had to live with. But this book shows us the power of grass-roots involvement and how just one person can make a difference.
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This review is from: Dirty Water: One Man's Fight to Clean Up One of the World's Most Polluted Bays (Hardcover)
Dirty Water helped me understand how Santa Monica Bay had become so polluted and how a few brave souls helped to clean it up. In many cases it was at a considerable personal cost. The interviews helped to see all those involved as decent people with different points of few. The often surprising interviews made the book hard to put down.
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This review is from: Dirty Water: One Man's Fight to Clean Up One of the World's Most Polluted Bays (Hardcover)
As sad as this may sound, I knew living in Los Angeles county there is pollution but I never really thought much about the ocean getting partially treated sewage dumped backed into the Santa Monica Bay! I would have to say this book, honestly, that I thought it would be boring but not so at all!!!
Bill Sharpsteen brings the people to life, like you almost know them. I read through each chapter with ease and ready for the next chapter. The people that were involved throughout this while process like the man who started it all, Howard Bennett. Bill Sharpsteen interviewed these people about 25 years after it happened! To interview people I must say is difficult and some may not want to be interviewed or want to give the information you are asking of them. I had the opportunity to do a study on the same people for years and I must say it was a challenge! Memories, willingness, truthfulness are some of the issues I faced with interviewing people.
I recall hearing about this when I was a teenager but unfortunately I had other interests back then, but this book gave me information about what I didn't pay attention to 25 years ago. I was impressed with the dedication, hard work, preserverance by people in this book and by the author himself!
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