For Immediate Release: May 12th, 2014
Contacts:
Dave Rauschkolb, Founder, (850) 865-1061; pressinfo@handsacrossthesand.org
Pete Stauffer, Surfrider Foundation, (503) 887-0514; pstauffer@surfrider.org
Nancy Pyne, Oceana, (202) 486-6406; npyne@oceana.org
Chris Carnevale, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, (843)-225-2371; chris@cleanenergy.org
Virginia Cramer, Sierra Club, (804) 225-9113 x 102; Virginia.cramer@sierraclub.org
Cathy Harrelson, Gulf Restoration Network, (727) 415-8805; cathy@healthygulf.org
Across the nation, from Florida to Alaska, and in eight countries around the world, events will be held on Saturday, May 17, for the fifth annual “Hands Across the Sand and Land” event, to say no to dirty fossil fuel projects that endanger our local communities, and accelerate the shift to clean, renewable energy such as wind, solar and energy efficiency. The events are a strong show of support for clean energy at a time when a host of new dirty fuel proposals are under consideration.
A complete list of events can be found here: www.handsacrossthesand.org.
Across the country communities are facing threats from coastal and offshore drilling, seismic blasting, the Keystone XL pipeline, tar sands mining and transporting crude by rail, hydraulic fracturing and LNG export terminals, and mountain top removal coal mining. In addition to damaging our water, air and wildlife these projects also threaten to worsen climate disruption, which is already leading to rising sea levels, drought, forest fires, ocean acidification, crop loss and flooding.
To counter these threats, Hands Across the Sand/Land participants, groups, and communities across the country will show leaders like President Obama the breadth of opposition to new fossil fuel exploitation and support for a clean energy economy rooted in energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy solutions, such as wind, solar and geothermal.
Hands Across the Sand/Land is sponsored by Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Gulf Restoration Network, Sierra Club,Center for a Sustainable Coast, Chart 411, Tar Sands Coalition, Urban Paradise Guild, and All things Healing.
Group Quotes:
“Offshore drilling will never be safe. Expanding offshore oil drilling is not the answer; embracing clean energy is,”said Dave Rauschkolb, a Florida restaurateur who founded Hands Across the Sand in 2010. “We’re here to say NO to offshore drilling and dirty fuels, and YES to clean energy.”
“The massive participation in Hands Across the Sand shows that people oppose the risky practice of offshore drilling and understand that we need to seek real solutions to our energy crisis including increased efficiency, conservation and renewable alternatives,” said Pete Stauffer, Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Program Manager
“Dirty fuels should be kept in the ground,” said Dan Chu, Senior Director for Sierra Club’s Our Wild America Campaign. “We should be investing in clean energy solutions, like wind and solar, and expanding smart transportation choices, not moving ahead with destructive projects like Keystone XL, or opening up special places off our coasts, on public lands or in the Arctic to destructive mining, fracking or drilling.”
“Offshore drilling is dirty and dangerous, and events like Hands Across the Sand are crucial reminders to our decision makers that the time for clean energy is now,” said Nancy Pyne, Grassroots Manager for Oceana’s Climate and Energy Campaign.
“In the Southeast, the economics of offshore drilling just don’t make sense. Coastal tourism and fishing generate billions of dollars every year and employ hundreds of thousands of people in our region. Jeopardizing those industries for high-risk offshore drilling would be a grave mistake. Offshore wind energy, on the other hand, could create thousands of jobs without the huge risks of drilling,” said Chris Carnevale, Coastal Climate and Energy Coordinator for Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
“Our coastal and marine environments continue to be threatened by the exploration and drilling for fossil fuels. Four years after the BP disaster, the effects of oil and dispersant are taking a toll on marine life and on the health and economy of coastal communities. This is why we join hands – to hold the line against dirty fuels and call for clean energy now”, said Cathy Harrelson, Florida Organizer for the Gulf Restoration Network.
Photos from the events are available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/handsacrossthesand/
For more information about the events and organizer contact information please visit http://www.handsacrossthesand.org. Special thanks to Richard Charter.