If you live in Hermosa Beach, you are the envy of people all over this planet. It’s easy to get jaded and take it for granted if you’re a local, or to lose sight of 99 percent of the world’s population who would gladly swap places with you if given the chance. The beach, the ocean, the weather, the fresh coastal air blowing in, the Hermosa Beach culture and lifestyle–they all combine to build an image of a SoCal paradise. If it really is all about “location, location, location,” then Hermosa Beach has got it made.
Or does it?
If you look at a list of California’s six worst greenhouse gas emitters (as compiled by the California Air Resources Board), you’ll notice that three of them are pretty close to Hermosa Beach. The El Segundo Chevron refinery is just four miles away, the Torrance Exxon Mobil Refinery is four miles away (in the other direction), and the always-popular BP/Arco Refinery is just 12 miles away in Carson.
Creative Greenius 