Event: 2021 Hands Across the Sand Digital Day of Action
Activists Across the Globe Gather Online to Stand Against Offshore Drilling
On May 15th, at 12 PM ET, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) staff and members will partner with conservation groups and community activists from across the nation and the world for the twelfth annual Hands Across the Sand event, which will take place virtually.
WHAT: The live virtual Zoom and Facebook event on Saturday, May 15 launches an international day of action during which participants will urge local, state, and federal elected officials to permanently protect our coasts from offshore drilling and adopt policies that accelerate the transition to clean energy solutions that promote new, well-paying jobs.
WHO: Numerous leading environmental organizations will present a unifying message to say NO to offshore drilling and fossil fuels and YES to clean energy, including SACE, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, and League of Conservation Voters, among others.
Chris Carnevale, Coastal Climate and Energy Manager at SACE, will join the event founder and organizers to talk about what it means to join hands against fossil fuels and promote clean energy. Carnevale said, “Electric vehicles can make offshore drilling obsolete and protect our shores, even while cleaning our air, making us healthier, and saving us money. To ensure a clean, electric transportation future and no more offshore drilling disasters, policymakers must facilitate going electric and Congress should ban new offshore oil leasing.”
WHEN: Saturday, May 15, 12 – 1 PM ET
RSVP: http://bit.ly/hats2021
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/
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Hands Across the Sand 2021 Additional Sponsor Statements:
Randy Sturgill, Senior Southeast Field Representative at Oceana, said, “Citizens participating in Hands Across the Sand have drawn a physical and metaphorical line against offshore drilling and exploration at the beginning of each summer season for the last 12 years. Over those years, the movement to protect our coast has spread like wildfire through coastal communities and empowered thousands of citizens. While we have made astounding strides in the fight to protect our coast, our work isn’t over yet. We thank President Biden for prioritizing science-based policies and taking bold action to temporarily pause new offshore oil and gas leasing. We come together today, for our 12th Hands Across the Sand, to call on the President to make these protections permanent. By permanently protecting U.S. waters from new offshore oil and gas drilling, President Biden would not only slow the climate crisis, but also protect coastal communities for years to come.”
Kelly Martin, Beyond Dirty Fuels Director at Sierra Club, said, “It’s past time to stop selling off America’s coasts to the oil and gas industry and protect our oceans, coastal communities, and the climate. The Sierra Club is proud to stand with Hands Across the Sand in calling on the Biden Administration and Congress to permanently reject offshore drilling and transition to clean, renewable energy. Extracting and burning dirty fuels is contributing to a slew of disastrous climate, health, and environmental impacts including rising sea levels; we need to keep dirty fuels where they should be – in the ground.”
Pete Stauffer, Environmental Director at the Surfrider Foundation, said, “The Surfrider Foundation is proud to join Hands Across the Sand in opposing offshore oil and gas development and promoting renewable energy solutions. Offshore drilling is a damaging practice that pollutes the ocean, harms coastal communities, and exacerbates climate change. We call on the Biden administration and Congress to permanently ban new offshore drilling and support a transition to a clean energy economy.”
Christian Wagley, Healthy Gulf coastal organizer, said, “We are on the cusp of the final decline of fossil fuels as communities reject dirty energy and commit to renewable energy. But fossil fuel companies are fighting to keep on drilling, so we need another strong Hands Across the Sand to help carry us forward to that cleaner, better future.”
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About the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Since 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has worked to promote responsible and equitable energy choices to ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at www.cleanenergy.org.
About Hands Across the Sand/Land
Floridian Dave Rauschkolb founded Hands Across the Sand/Land in October 2009. Hands Across the Sand/Land is sponsored by national environmental organizations and others including; Bud and Alley, Oceana, Surfrider Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, League of Conservation Voters, Earthjustice, SoWal, Healthy Gulf, and Urban Paradise Guild. Learn more at www.handsacrossthesand.org