Dirty Fuel Opponents Joined Hands Across the Sand
Dozens of beach goers gathered at Folly Beach today to express opposition to offshore drilling and support for clean energy at the fourth annual Hands Across the Sand event. The group joined hands as they formed a line in the sand, sending the message that they are standing up for a clean, healthy beach and a thriving coastal economy. Before joining hands, a press conference featured comments from Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin, Captain Anton DuMars, owner of Tideline Tours, professional coastal geologist, and adjunct professor at College of Charleston, and Chris Carnevale, Coastal Climate and Energy Coordinator at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. The Folly Beach gathering was one of over 100 such events worldwide, in 18 states and 10 countries. A complete list of events can be found here: www.handsacrossthesand.org. “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. Dirty fuels industries are pushing for an expansion of offshore drilling in U.S. waters and seismic testing for offshore oil and gas is proposed along the East Coast, including the entirety of South Carolina’s coast. Meanwhile, the same industries are seeking to advance the Keystone XL Pipeline and are destroying whole landscapes through mountain top removal coal mining. To counter these threats and stand up for the places they love, Hands Across the Sand participants showed leaders and public officials 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. “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.” Hands Across The Sand / Land is endorsed by national and regional organizations including Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Oceana, Florida Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, Alaska Wilderness League, Friends of the Earth, Conservation Law Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Gulf Restoration Network, Urban Paradise Guild and All things Healing. 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 # # # Founded in 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible energy choices that create global warming solutions and ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org