For surfer and Hands Across the Sand founder Dave Rauschkolb, the line has officially been drawn.
And that line stretched around the world yesterday.
A line drawn in the sand by tens of thousands of people to symbolize a solid wall against offshore drilling with a simple message:
“No to offshore drilling, and yes to clean energy.”
In Rauschkolb’s hometown of Seaside, Florida, currently ground zero for tar balls and dying marine life, more than 400 people joined hands with the restaurant owner who is witnessing his surfing paradise, not to mention his livelihood, “scattered to the wind.”
Yesterday, at the Florida surfer’s urging, more that 900 hand-joining events in 37 countries took place around the world. Thousands of others lent support with messages to the Hands Across the Sand facebook page, and more than 60 videos were uploaded to YouTube.
Yes, the line has been drawn, now what?
“The oil industry has way too much influence in this country,” says Rauschkolb. “I think Americans need to stand together and take our energy future back from the grip of the oil industry.”
Yesterday’s movement by HANDS was intended to send a powerful message to President Obama and Congress, but Dave is encouraging the thousands of supporters will take the next step.
“We want to keep the ban in place on offshore drilling in the waters of the nation,” says Rauschkolb. “Any American today can go to handsacrossthesand.org, there’s a button they can click on and send a letter to Congress and the President. And in Florida, they can do the same to get a permanent ban put on the ballot this November.”
Confronted by CNN reporter T.J. Holmes as to how a ban on offshore drilling would affect the thousands of people who make their own livelihood in the oil industry, Rauschkolb put things in perspective.
“Do I think for a minute they’re going to stop drilling in the Gulf of Mexico? No,” says Rauschkolb. “There are 4000 rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and those jobs are going to probably continue, for certain. It’s the deepwater drilling that’s dangerous. There’s a problem here, Houston. There’s an issue here, and they shouldn’t be drilling in deep water any longer.”
And all that Rauschkolb asks for is a simple button push.
For more information: handsacrossthesand.org.
Sources: Dave Rauschkolb – Founder, Hands Across the Sand
