Hands Across The Sand: Protest Offshore Drilling

As oil continues to flood into the Gulf of Mexico, we are reminded more than ever of the perilous consequences of offshore drilling and the pressing need to move toward clean energy. On Saturday, June 26, thousands joined Hands Across The Sand in protest against offshore drilling all across the world. At 12 noon, people joined hands for 15 minutes on beaches and in cities, rain or shine, to show their solidarity against our dirty dependence on oil and bring attention to the urgency with which we must convince our politicians to adopt policies that pursue clean and renewable energy.

Numerous gatherings were scheduled on Gulf beaches in places like Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi, but the protests aren't limited to the Gulf. From New York to California people are letting their opposition to offshore drilling be known -- with over 750 events planned in the US alone! The movement has even gone international, with everywhere from the UK and Canada to India and Australia staging multiple events.

Check out some photos from the June 26th Hands Across The Sand event, and send in your own from Saturday.

 

Are you participating in a Hands Across The Sand event to protest offshore drilling? Send us your photos!

Find a picture, click the participate button, add a title and upload your picture

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PENSACOLA, FL - JUNE 26: Florida Governor Charlie Crist (2nd R) and his wife, Carole Rome Crist, (R) stand with others during a Hands Across The Sand event on June 26, 2010 in Pensacola, Florida. The event was staged across the nation to protest offshore oil drilling as many communities along the gulf coast are dealing with the oil spilling into the water from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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PENSACOLA, FL - JUNE 26: Florida Governor Charlie Crist (2nd R) and his wife, Carole Rome Crist, (R) stand with others during a Hands Across The Sand event on June 26, 2010 in Pensacola, Florida. The event was staged across the nation to protest offshore oil drilling as many communities along the gulf coast are dealing with the oil spilling into the water from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Martin Musetsky said on 28 Monday 2010 pm30 10:21 pm: New video from the Gulf: "Historic Aerial Footage Reveals the Scope of the BP Gulf Oil Disaster" - http://history.the-environmentalist.org/2010/06/shocking-aerial-footage-reveals-scope.html It's the same site that has the feed from twelve cameras on the floor of the Gulf (may load slowly): http://climate.the-environmentalist.org/2010/06/live-video-feeds-of-gulf-oil-disaster.html

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[mrJJ]

01:49 PM on 06/29/2010

Rough seas halt skimming operations off Gulf Coast
June 29, 2010 - 1:06pm

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP and the Coast Guard sent oil-scooping skimming ships in the Gulf of Mexico back to shore Tuesday because nasty weather from Tropical Storm Alex churned up rough seas and powerful winds.

U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Dave French said all efforts had been halted for now off the Louisiana coast. Efforts also had been halted off the coasts of Florida, Alabama and Louisiana.

more: http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=37&sid=1947286

Gulf of Mexico - Water Vapor Loop

http://www.hurricanecenter.com/gulf-of-mexico-satellite-images-and-maps/gulf-of-mexico-view-hurricane-water-vapor.html

http://www.goes.noaa.gov/HURRLOOPS/huwvloop.html

Noaa

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/gtwo_atl.shtml

National Hurricane Center

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

[mrJJ]

10:40 AM on 06/29/2010

BP's Private Police Force

snip

Esman told me that the ACLU had called a meeting on the matter due in large part to Mother Jones' reporting. She says it will consider filing a lawsuit if appropriate.

Louisiana police don't any right to tell you can't walk onto a public beach (even to, as Esman puts it, "roll around in sticky gunky tar that I'll never be able to get off—if I want to, that's my right.") However, they do have the right to mislead you about who they're really working for. In Louisiana, as in many places, it's perfectly legal for police officers to wear their uniforms regardless of whether they're acting in an official capacity or working for a private corporation. Which is why Andrew Wheelan, the environmentalist mentioned above, was unaware that the cop who pressured him to stop filming a BP building and later pulled him over so that a BP official could question him wasn't on duty at the time. The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office told me that the deputy who pulled Wheelan over is just one of 40 in the parish who are working for BP on their own time. And the BP-police collusion goes beyond uniformed deputies moonlighting. In nearby Lafourche Parish, for example, the sheriff's office is filling 57 security positions a week for BP; these shifts are on the clock and BP reimburses the sheriff's office for them.

http://motherjones.com/rights-stuff/2010/06/BP-private-police-force-louisiana

[civilbehavior]

10:08 AM on 06/29/2010

Over and over and over I will repeat.

NOthing will be even slightly changed until we ration

OIL
ELECTRICITY
WATER.

They are all finite resources and we are using them like they are unlimited.

Quota not price. Price only penalizes the little guy while the guy with lots of money keeps flying high.

[DrBlunt]

04:05 AM on 06/29/2010

YES ! YES ! YES !

Y
E
S !

YES ! YES ! YES !


----------------------------------- > G** O G**R**E**E**N !

[Concerned American99]

12:49 AM on 06/29/2010

Why do the progressives keep pushing the oil companies to require them to drill in such deep waters?

[civilbehavior]

10:02 AM on 06/29/2010

As a concerned American you might want to also become an informed American.

Because the availability of cheap easily obtainable but most importantly the most profitable oil is now to be found in deep water. It is not in ANWR, it is not in shallow waters.

Read. Read how the size of the reserves that produce the most profit are deep. Way way deep. You need to read more about how oil is created from millions of years of pressure and the earthly remnants that it is derived from.

And for heaven's sake stop listening to Rush and Ham for your knowledge. Remember they ar ejust entertainers. Kind of like the clowns at the circus.

[rollingrock]

12:58 PM on 06/29/2010

Who is pushing for offshore drilling? No progressive is doing that. Only Obama and his democrats (along with the GOP) are pushing for offshore drilling and they are not progressive. 80-90% of democrats are center-right or conservative.

[Martin Musetsky]

10:21 PM on 06/28/2010

New video from the Gulf: "Historic Aerial Footage Reveals the Scope of the BP Gulf Oil Disaster" - http://history.the-environmentalist.org/2010/06/shocking-aerial-footage-reveals-scope.html

It's the same site that has the feed from twelve cameras on the floor of the Gulf (may load slowly): http://climate.the-environmentalist.org/2010/06/live-video-feeds-of-gulf-oil-disaster.html

[mrJJ]

09:04 PM on 06/28/2010

BP 'staked future on expanding offshore drilling'

Source: The Guardian

BP staked its future on expanding offshore drilling a month before the catastrophic explosion on the Deepwater Horizon triggered the United States' worst environmental disaster, according to company documents revealed yesterday.

The investigative web site ProPublica published a March 2010 strategy document in which BP named "expanding deepwater" as its number one area for long-term growth.

But even as the document was drawn up, engineers were struggling to control the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico, which had already gained a reputation as a risky operation, according to industry sources.

The strategy paper claimed BP now held a global lead over its competitors in deepwater production – even though its costs were considerably lower. Earlier this month the executives of BP's rivals, including Exxon and Chevron, told a congressional hearing they would have taken more safeguards on the doomed Deepwater Horizon rig.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/28/bp-plans-offshore-drilling-expansion

[cbates]

07:26 PM on 06/28/2010

I bet most rode their oil buggies to protest the spill. If I had to choose between the oil dropping to the ocean floor versus washing up on the beaches I would choose beaches. Sunbathing at the beach is over blown and the oil can be easily scooped and disposed of. On the ocean floor the oil will take years to be consumed by the primary consumers.

[escribacat]

09:40 PM on 06/28/2010

I agree. If it's on the beach at least it can be cleaned up. Getting into the wetland is a different story though.

[mlaiuppa]

06:40 PM on 06/28/2010

Wonder how many of them drove their SUVs to the beach?

What does Crist drive?

[jan4insight]

02:46 AM on 06/29/2010

Gee that was original (not). Did you that that up all by yourself>

[cambo]

06:23 PM on 06/28/2010

We need to round up every tree hugger possible to stage a protest outside DC - nothing less. At least these people were inspired by their emotions and acted out in a sybolic gesture.

[TheSocialistTexan]

06:18 PM on 06/28/2010

This is certainly a nice gesture and while I wouldn't go as far to call it a waste of time, I do have doubts on if the folks in DC are listening. Don't get me wrong... I WANT it to make a difference. Did any politicians show up to any of the local events?

[jan4insight]

02:47 AM on 06/29/2010

The lead photo shows Gov. Christ & his wife as part of the group. At least one other photo had some state-level pols in it.

[walt1944]

06:12 PM on 06/28/2010

And NOT ONE person employed by BIG OIL or politician in Washington LISTENED to or joined them!!!!

[droog1]

06:14 PM on 06/28/2010

How do you know that? I have a good friend who works for a major oil company who went attended one of these protests in California.

[judiNJ]

06:10 PM on 06/28/2010

And I was in one at Liberty State Park, one of many in New Jersey. Three in Manhattan alone.

[droog1]

05:58 PM on 06/28/2010

Good to know that beach-goers were able to take 15 minutes out of the busy sunbathing schedules to protest something before going back to the hard work of reading Us magazine on the beach. I'm sure the oil companies are shaking in their boots at this brief display of convenient defiance.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

06:21 PM on 06/28/2010

When watching the people at the beach complain about oil spill it always invariably leads to a "discussion" of how people are worried that they beach will be ruined and their leisure time will be negatively affected.

yeah, the water is getting polluted, but I need to work on my tan.

[escribacat]

09:40 PM on 06/28/2010

What are YOU doing?

[droog1]

11:16 AM on 06/29/2010

I'm working. I don't waste my time with hollow protests that only serve the purpose of making the protesters feel better about themselves.

[Lorianne]

05:28 PM on 06/28/2010

Weneed to reduce consumption ... drastically.
But realistically we are still going to use a lot of oil.
Producing wind turbines and solar panels takes lots of oil.
Producing cars, even energy efficient ones, takes lots of oil.
Raising crops for ethanol takes lots of oil.
Maintaining and transporting all these things takes a lot of oil

Where should the oil be drilled?
In some far off land where we don't have to experience the environmental impacts?

Should we drill for oil in places where the brown people live ... and where typically there are even more lax safety regulations? Places like Nigeria?

Far From Gulf, a Spill Scourge 5 Decades Old
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/world/africa/17nigeria.html?ref=science