In the wake of what’s now the largest oil spill in history and with the oil affecting Florida Beaches, bays and economy, Floridians are gathering to Stand against Texas oil wildcatters and their Republican friends like Florida State Senator Mike Haridopolos.Floridians, Americans and the world to join hands in the largest gathering against offshore oil drilling in history. Hands Across the Sand is now international. Any person in any country may plan events on the handsacrossthesand.org website.
This is a peaceful gathering of the people of America and the world. Planning an event is as simple as this:
The image is powerful, the message is simple. NO to Offshore Oil Drilling, YES to Clean Energy
On Saturday, June 26, Americans and the people of the world in solidarity events will join hands on beaches and in parks and cities united against the dangers offshore oil drilling present to our oceans and marine wildlife, fishing industries and coastal economies, in Hands Across The Sand.
Hands Across The Sands mission is to change our energy policy away from its dependence on fossil fuels and into the light of clean energy. The aim is to convince our leaders to abandon expanded offshore oil drilling and adopt policies that encourage clean and renewable energy sources.”The image is powerful, the message simple”, said event founder Dave Rauschkolb. “No to offshore oil drilling, 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 was founded by Dave Rauschkolb in October of 2009. He organized a statewide gathering on February 13, 2010, to send a message to Florida’s legislators and Governor Crist that Floridians did not want them to lift the bans on near and offshore oil drilling of Florida’s beaches.
Thousands of Floridians representing 60 towns and cities and over 90 beaches joined hands to protest the efforts by the Florida Legislature and the US Congress to lift the ban on oil drilling in the near and off shores of Florida. Thousands joined hands from Jacksonville to Miami South Beach and Key West to Pensacola Beach. The lifting of the near shore ban would have brought oil rigs as close as 3 miles from Florida’s shores. Shortly after the event the Florida Legislature tabled the effort.
Hands Across The Sand is endorsed by national and international environmental organizations including 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.orgIt is simple. Any person can go to the handsacrossthesand.org website and sign up to organize a beach or city. Downloadable tools are also available on the website: free posters, T-shirt designs and newspaper ads. Dave Rauschkolb is a surfer and the owner of 3 restaurants on the beach in Seaside, Florida, located on the northern Gulf Coast between Pensacola and Panama City.