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65 days. Somewhere between 80 and 255 million gallons of oil. Over 1,000
animals dead. Countless Gulf Coast residents out of work. Untold acres of marsh
and wetlands fouled. Four states, the ninth largest body of water in the world,
and a entire region brought to the brink of environmental destruction.
A familiar cry rings out: “What can I do to help?” Volunteer information
is all over the Internet; fundraisers are going down each weekend, everywhere
from South Padre Island to Naples. But this Saturday, June 26th, regular folks
— Republicans, Democrats, Tea Partiers, toddlers, adults, senior
citizens, ocean lovers, and energy freaks alike — finally get the chance
to have their voices heard and their numbers counted when Hands Across The Sand
unites against the dangers offshore oil drilling presents to our oceans, marine
wildlife, fishing industries, and coastal economies.
Hands Across The Sand founder Dave Rauschkolb originally formulated his
idea in 2009, and the first organized protest occurred on February 13th across
the state of Florida. But after the Deepwater Horizon explosion on April 20th
and subsequent BP oil spill, the focus has broadened and focused all at once.
“The image is powerful, the message simple,” Rauschkolb said. “No to offshore
oil energy, yes to clean energy. We are drawing a line in the sand against
offshore oil drilling along America’s beaches and in solidarity events across
America and around the world. No one industry should be able to place entire
coastal economies and marine environments at risk with dangerous, dirty
mistakes.”
Hands Across The Sand participants
will join hands to form symbolic barriers against spilling oil at events taking
place on beaches, near waterways, and in landlocked towns. The events will represent
the largest outpouring yet of grassroots activism in response to the disastrous
rig explosion and subsequent devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. All
Hands Across the Sand events will begin on June 26th at 11:00 a.m. local time, with
participants joining hands at noon. Locations of protests and contact
information for organizers of all 600+ events can be found via the Hands Across
The Sand website, www.handsacrossthesand.org.
With a federal judge overturning the Obama administration’s six-month
deepwater drilling moratorium on June 22nd and BP’s containment cap failing
once again on June 23rd, the stakes are high. Our coastal waters, wildlife, and
citizens can’t take much more of this unprecedented disaster, so no matter what
your political stance or thoughts on activism, this is one protest you can’t
afford to miss.
Hands Across The
Sand is endorsed by national environmental organizations like Sierra Club,
Audubon, Surfrider, Oceana, Greenpeace, Defenders of Wildlife, Alaska
Wilderness League, Ocean Conservancy, Friends of the Earth, Environment
America, 350, MoveOn.org, Center for
Biological Diversity, and CleanEnergy.org.
Visit www.handsacrossthesand.org today so you know where to be on Saturday, June 26th at 11:00 a.m.
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