Join Hands Across the Sand in Coney Island
When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded two months ago, the future of the American environmental movement was looking grim. In March, Gallup reported that 48 percent of Americans believe that the severity of climate change was seriously exaggerated. Then came the Deepwater disaster, creating a massive amount of self-inflicted environmental damage caused by America's addiction to oil.
"Those of us who have worked on global warming for decades just can't believe that here we are in a society that really has made almost no change based on the warnings that have come out," the former executive director of Greenpeace USA told New York Magazine. "The deep feelings of hurt and failure triggered by the spill are just overwhelming."
But environmental activists like Dave Rauschkolb know that sometimes it takes a catastrophe to mobilize people. In February, months before raw crude was spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, Rauschkolb organized "Hands Across the Sand," a protest against the offshore-oil-drilling bill that was going through Florida's state legislature. Ten thousand people joined hands on 90 beaches across the Sunshine State. Then President Obama announced he would open new waters for drilling, the spill happened, and Hands Across the Sand became national movement to steer America's energy policy toward clean energy, instead of depending on fossil fuels.
This Saturday, June 26, 2010, people across the nation will gather in beaches, parks, and cities to join hands as part of the largest protest ever against off-shore drilling. To be a part of Hands Across the Sand, head to Coney Island (near the aquarium) tomorrow to join hands with your fellow New Yorkers. Get the details and RSVP here.
Photo credit: Walton Outdoors
