Board Highlight: Jason Sandoval

Save the Harbor board member Jason Sandoval lives in the small city of Melrose, Massachusetts with his wife and two kids. He spends most of his free time with his family, attending local events, helping out at his children’s school and taking day trips to nearby cities. But at his core, he loves a great party. “I love to plan a good time for people,” he said. 

With a party planner personality, it's no surprise Sandoval found himself working in the live entertainment industry. Sandoval is currently General Manager at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, and has served as General Manager at four different venues.

His love for music and event planning drives his work. "The underlying goal is to provide a great experience for people to connect with music,” Sandoval said.

Prior to the Xfinity Center, Sandoval worked as General Manager at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston’s Seaport, where Save the Harbor’s All Access Boston Harbor program kicks off each week in the summer. His predecessor, James Jensen, had been on Save the Harbor’s Board of Directors and initially provided access to the Leader Bank Pavilion for Save the Harbor’s youth programs. 

“The venue is open, accessible, and at a great location for the youth program to meet up with a wonderful backdrop of the harbor,” Sandoval said. “I was happy to toe the line.”

The ability to use such a landmark as the Leader Bank Pavilion is incredibly valuable to our youth programs, as hundreds of young people navigate their way down to the waterfront each week to take part in our free community group cruise program. The pavilion is the perfect venue for our daily orientation to Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands. 

When Sandoval took over as General Manager of the Leader Bank Pavilion, he was recommended by Jensen to be on Save the Harbor's Board of Directors. Sandoval was immediately interested. He has always been passionate about the beach, stemming from his childhood growing up in Southern California.

“I grew up always having access to beaches. Being in California, although there are certain areas that are not as diverse, the beach was pretty diverse. That's kind of one of the basic principles to Save the Harbor’s work.”

Sandoval enjoys working with Save the Harbor because he understands the value of experiencing the water, having grown up regularly visiting the beach. “I think it's a great organization, because it continues to bring people to the water and the beaches in New England. I think that's a cool thing to work with the youth, especially youth that may not necessarily be coming to the water and trying to encourage that.”

When Sandoval moved to the Mansfield Xfinity Center, he was sure to pass on the important partnership between Save the Harbor and Leader Bank Pavilion onto his successor so that thousands of children are able to experience the accessible waterfront spaces that the Seaport has to offer.

Save the Harbor attends the 2022 Earthshot Prize Awards

On December 2nd, four Save the Harbor/Save the Bay staff members attended the second annual Earshot Prize Awards at the MGM Music Hall in Boston. Founded in 2020 by Prince William and the Royal Foundation, the prize honors startups, entrepreneurs, and businesses who have solutions to the climate crisis. 

The Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition (BHWOCC), founded by Save the Harbor staff members Joye Williams and Maya Smith, was part of the host committee for Friday's event. 

"The Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition was absolutely honored to join the Earthshot Host Committee," said Joye Williams, Director of Operations at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and Co-founder of BHWOCC. "It was gratifying and awe-inspiring to witness the global innovative work being done to repair our planet. Their work makes us optimistic about the future and has reenergized our own commitment to our shared environment."

"It was such an honor to attend The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony,” said María Rodriguez Ortega, Public Policy Coordinator at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. “My experience attending this event felt inspiring and hopeful for a climate-resilient Earth. The innovative work being done by the finalists and winners in the 5 different categories is crucial to making a global impact toward reducing our carbon emissions by 2030." 

Prince William and Princess Kate were on-site, hosting the event. Other notable celebrity appearances were from Rami Malek, Catherine O'Hara, Shailene Woodley and David Beckham, with live performances by Annie Lennox, Chloe x Halle, and Ellie Goulding.

The winners of the Earthshot prize were Mukuru Clean Stoves, for bringing clean stoves to Kenya to reduce air pollution, Kheyti, for creating modular greenhouses for farmers in India, The Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network, for training women in modern conservation techniques in Austrailia, Notpla, for creating biodegradable seaweed-based packaging in the U.K., and The 44.01 Project, for turning Co2 emissions into igneous rock in Oman. 

Malene Welch, Save the Harbor Board Member and Co-founder of BHWOCC was also present at the event. 

"The Earthshot Prize award finalists are doing vital work protecting and restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world, and fixing our climate," Welch said. "Hearing about their solutions and the stories behind them makes me optimistic about the future of our planet and re-energized to get back to work on local solutions with the Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay."

Save the Harbor wants your ideas for free beach events!

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is dedicating $25,000 to make your dream event happen this summer on the region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket. Your participation is necessary to make this summer the best one yet. Save the Harbor’s participatory budgeting process has already begun, so submit your ideas here.

Save the Harbor will host the five events that receive the most votes from the community. These events will take place on our region’s public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull. The goal of participatory budgeting is to center community voices by asking the public what events they want to see on the region’s beaches. With this process, Save the Harbor hopes to bridge access to the beach by engaging communities that may face significant challenges accessing the beach.

“Community members across the state share ownership of so many incredible beaches, so it is exciting to create programming that empowers people to harness that ownership and entrust the community with directly selecting a variety of events that make people feel genuinely excited to get outside and experience programs that reflects them, said Maya Smith, Partnerships and Program Development Director at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.”

In 2022, Save the Harbor centered community voices by distributing $25,000 of Better Beaches funds through a participatory budgeting process. Over 200 community members submitted ideas for the free events they wanted to see on the beaches this summer. More than 600 people voted on the winners: the Teen Beach Bash in South Boston, the Beats on the Beach Block Party in Dorchester, the Diversity Matters Festival in Lynn, which connected thousands of youth, families and community members to the beach to experience free, fun and accessible summertime activities.

 

“We hope to center the voices of people of color, people with disabilities, and non-native English speakers,” said Maria Rodriguez Ortega, Public Policy Coordinator at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. “These groups face barriers that prevent them from enjoying our region’s beaches due to discrimination and limited access. We strive to make our beautiful natural resources welcoming, safe, and accessible to all.”

Idea collection and voting are open for community members of all ages who live in Massachusetts or use Department of Conservation and Recreation beaches. To have your idea considered for the ballot, please create an idea that can be free and open to the public, can take place in Summer 2023, and complies with DCR beach usage guidelines. We will be prioritizing events that center people of color, people with disabilities, people who do not primarily communicate in English, and other groups that do not currently have equitable access to the waterfront.

To submit your idea for a free beach event, fill out the form here. You can also fill out the form here, translatable into over 100 languages.

Save the Harbor will be collecting ideas until January 27th. These ideas will be used to create a ballot to be voted on by the public. Voting will take place from February 5th to March 6th. The winners will be announced at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Annual Shamrock Splash in partnership with Harpoon Brewery on March 12th.

The work we do at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay would not be possible without the support of our Youth Program funders, including Bay State Cruise Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, The Coca-Cola Company, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, National Grid, Richard M. Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, Alexandria, The Boston Foundation, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Cell Signaling Technology, City of Boston Department of Youth, Engagement & Employment, Comcast Foundation, Cronin Group, LLC, Exelon Generation, Goody Clancy, Hood Business Park, HYM Investment Group, Income Research and Management Charitable Fund, John Hancock Financial Services, Leader Bank Pavilion/Live Nation, Maine Community Foundation, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, National Development, National Grid Foundation.

To view our full list of youth program sponsors, visit blog.savetheharbor.org/2022/07/thanks-to-our-2022-youth-program 

Save the Harbor's Executive Director leads tour of South Bay Harbor Trail

On Tuesday, November 1st, UMass Transportation Center hosted the 2022 Moving Together Conference. The conference featured panels on transportation topics, networking, and interactive, on-site mobile workshops led by engineers and local advocates. Chris Mancini, Executive Director of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, was featured as a local environmental expert and advocate, leading the mobile workshop along the South Bay Harbor trail.

Mancini also appeared in the 2021 Moving Together Conference, which was held virtually. You can experience his 2021 tour of the South Bay Harbor Trail in the video below.

Register Today for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Free Fall Cruises to the Boston Harbor Islands

More than 5,000 kids set sail to Spectacle and Georges on Bay State Cruise Company's
flagship Provincetown II and Mass Bay Lines Freedom as part ofSave The Harbor/Save the Bay's
free All Access Boston Harbor and Share the Harbor Program expansion.

So far this year more than 5,000 people from 30 communities joined Save the Harbor/Save the Bay on free Marine Mammal Safaris in April, and free trips to Spectacle and Georges Island three days a week this summer as part of their expanded Share the Harbor and All Access Boston Harbor programs.

Though the summer is nearly over, the free fun on Boston Harbor will continue well into the fall.

In September and October, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will host three free day trips to Spectacle Island from 10am - 2:30PM on Sunday September 18th, Sunday September 25th, and Sunday October 2nd. They will also host three free Sunset Cruises towards Boston Light from 5:30pm - 7:30pm on Tuesday September 27th, Wednesday September 28th, and Saturday October 15th.

“Our free island adventures and harbor cruises give kids and families who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience these beautiful natural resources firsthand," said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Executive Director Chris Mancini. “All of us are proud to share our spectacular harbor, beaches and islands with everyone.”

Mancini expects these trips to fill up fast, and urges people to make their reservation today at https://tinyurl.com/sharetheharborcruise2022.

“These free trips to the Boston Harbor Islands are my favorite part of our programs,” said Kristen Barry, Deputy Executive Director at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. “No matter what community they come from or what group they are a part of, people always come back to shore with new experiences and a fresh perspective.”

These free Share the Harbor cruises are made possible with leadership support and partnership from Cronin Development, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Massachusetts Office of Environmental Protection, Bay State Cruise Company, and Mass Bay Lines.

According to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Director of Development Patricia Salic, “The work Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay does would not be possible without the support of our 2022 Youth Program Champions, including the Liberty Mutual Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, The Coca-Cola Company, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., National Grid, Comcast Foundation, Constellation Generation, John Hancock Financial Services and JetBlue.

"We are also grateful to our Youth Program Sponsors the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Alexandria, The Boston Foundation, Boston Consulting Group, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Cell Signaling Technology, City of Boston Department of Youth, Engagement & Employment, Comcast Foundation, Cronin Group, LLC, Exelon Generation, Goody Clancy, Hood Business Park, HYM Investment Group, Income Research and Management Charitable Fund, Leader Bank Pavilion/Live Nation, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Massport, National Development, National Grid Foundation and Vertex."

You can find a full list of Save the Harbor’s 2022 Youth Program Funders at http://blog.savetheharbor.org/2022/07/thanks-to-our-2022-youth-program.html 

To find out more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the work they do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the Harbor Islands and the region’s public beaches, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org or follow savetheharbor on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. 

Malibu Beach’s Beats On The Beach Block Party Can’t Be Beat!

 

LDER, ximena, Leo the Kind and Rilla Force joined Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for the Beats on the Beach  

Block Party on Malibu Beach 

 

On Saturday, August 27th, 300 people celebrated clean water and great music on Malibu Beach in Dorchester for the first annual Beats on the Beach Block Party, a free music festival featuring Boston Music Award-winning artists, over 20 local vendors, pedicab and dragon boat rides, and great food. Leo the Kind, Dephrase, Lightfoot, LDER, Rilla Force, ximena, Beats by Girlz house DJ 1800shortking, and the Hip Hop Transformation performed DJ sets and original songs throughout the day. Topo Chico sponsored the event and handed out free mineral water and Beats on the Beach towels. This event was made possible through a grant from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Program partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation.  

 

Rilla Force and LDER  launched Beats on the Beach in 2020 as a way to connect the community through music during a time of isolation. Starting as an online community music contest, they collected samples from Boston’s beaches and Boston Harbor, recording unique sounds from nature. Local musicians used these samples to create their own personalized tracks inspired by the beach. This year, local producers Dephrase and Lightfoot collected the audio samples from Malibu Beach. The featured producer Leo the Kind, Dorchester native and 2020 Boston Music Award winner, chose the winning track he found the most unique and inspiring, made by Chris Theodat. The contest came full circle as Leo the Kind added vocals to the track live at the Beats on the Beach Block Party on Malibu Beach, where the original samples for the track were collected.  

 

 

Lightfoot performs his set on Malibu Beach. Photo by Joakeem Gaston 

 

With great local music as the backdrop, the Pull Up food truck served empanadas, the MWRA water truck provided attendees with cold drinking water, Trike Hub gave attendees free pedicab rides and Ohana New England let beachgoers row their dragon boats on the clean waters of Malibu Beach. Local vendors sold original artwork, clothing, accessories, candles, pottery, crystals, and more. Vendors at the event included TopoChico, Body, Stone and Soul, The Chula Shop, ClothesbyTomo, The Comadress, LonelyBones Skate Collective, Mud Dove Pottery, Ortega Jewelry Designs, Saraphym’s Blessings, Scents For Cents Candles and Giftsets, Sewpreme Seams, Sirena's Secret, Space Place Studios, Uvida Shop, North American Indian Center of Boston, Savvy’s Sea Glass, Project: Leafcare, No Rhyme or Reason, and more. 

 

"Dorchester has some of the region's gems when it comes to public beaches at Malibu and Savin Hill, and it's great to see so many people experiencing these spectacular urban natural resources right here in Boston," said Chris Mancini, Executive Director of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. "Events like the Block Party are a part of Save the Harbor's effort to promote diversity and inclusivity on and around Boston’s public beaches." 

 

The Beats on the Beach block party was chosen by hundreds of community members who wanted to see more music on Boston’s beaches. Out of 200 ideas collected from the community, this event was voted on to receive a larger grant, as an effort to involve local voices more in Save the Harbor’s programing. 

 

“The success of the Beats on the Beach Block Party is a direct result of the collaboration between the local artists who came up with the idea and the community members who voted on it through Participatory Budgeting,” said Maya Smith, Partnerships and Program Development Director at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. “We at Save the Harbor are privileged to be in a position to help make these incredible community collaborations happen through the Better Beaches grant program and cannot wait to hear from more community members and work with more artists and organizations next summer.” 

 

 

 

DJ 1800shortking, LDER and ximena make music in the Beats on the Beach DJ booth at Saturday’s event 

 

Joshua Major-Paschal, aka Rilla Force, is a three time Boston Music Award nominated artist, producer, DJ and project coordinator for Beats on the Beach. “Save the Harbor gave us an opportunity and the tools to help out our community. This helped us start this project in the peak of the pandemic and grow it into what we hope will become an annual in-person event,” said Major-Paschal. “The Better Beaches Program has done so much good for local businesses, individuals, and so many others.”   

 

Ludjy Derisier, aka LDER, is a Haitian-American music producer and project coordinator of Beats on the Beach. “It’s the culmination of three years of hard work,” said Derisier. “I’m glad that we’re putting an event together that is not only for musicians but for the people in the communities that support them.”  

 

According to Save the Harbor/Save the Bays Development Director Patricia Salic, free beach events like this would not be possible without their program partners and event sponsors, including Arctic Chill and Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, FMC Ice Sports, P&G Gillette, National Grid, Coast Cannabis, the Daily Catch, Comcast, Mix 104.1, iZotope, Inc, The Blue Sky Collaborative, Boston & Maine Webcams, BostonHarbor.com, The Boston Foundation, and The Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation. 

 

In addition, Save the Harbor recognized the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn, and Representative Adrian Madaro of East Boston and the legislative and community members of the Commission as well as Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano for their support for their beaches and communities. Save the Harbor also thanked the Baker-Polito Administration, the Massachusetts Legislature, Save the Harbor's partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the YMCA of Greater Boston, and the hundreds of people who took part in the Shamrock Splash for their support. 

 

To learn more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the great work they do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the waterfront, islands, and the region’s public beaches with all Bostonians and the region’s residents, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org and follow @savetheharbor on social media.