Surfrider chapters and clubs across the U.S. are gearing up for Hands Across the Sand on May 21, 2022. To find an event near you, scroll to the bottom of the page! Founded by Surfrider member Dave Rauschkolb and our Florida chapters over a decade ago, the event brings people together to oppose new offshore drilling and other fossil fuel development, and to promote a clean energy future. In light of COVID-19, participants will not join hands, but rather stand a minimum of 6 feet apart.
The Surfrider Foundation is an official sponsor of Hands Across the Sand and our participation is a cornerstone of our Stop New Offshore Drilling campaign. Our focus this year is calling on federal leaders to prohibit offshore drilling in U.S. waters and pass the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act to address the climate changes crisis.
Despite continuing oil spill disasters and the ongoing climate change emergency, U.S. coastlines continue to be vulnerable to new oil and gas development. In the coming weeks, the Department of Interior is expected to release a draft 5-Year Offshore Drilling Program, which may include new oil and gas lease sales off U.S. coastlines. That is why Surfrider and our partners are demanding that Congress pass a package of legislation to permanently protect our coasts from this harmful practice (take action).
Our call to end offshore drilling is particuarly timely as April 20th marks the memorial of BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the worst environmental disasters in history. In 2010, the BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 workers and triggering an oil spill of over 200 million gallons. Twelve years later, offshore oil drilling continues to threaten our coasts and our climate. We must ensure that the Biden administration honors its promise to end new leasing for offshore drilling.
Surfrider is also pushing Congress to pass the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, a comprehensive bill that harnesses the power of the ocean to drive solutions to the climate crisis. Extreme weather events, sea level rise, and ocean acidification are disrupting everything from community infrastructure to ocean recreation, fisheries, and ecosystem health. The Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act will proactively address these threats through increasing coastal resilience, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, advancing climate justice, and protecting ocean habitat and blue carbon ecosystems (take action).
Hands Across the Sand is a powerful way to amplify these messages with events scheduled across the country and throughout the world! The event premise is simple: on May 21 at 12 p.m. local time, people will form human lines on beaches and parks around the world to demonstrate support for the protection of our coasts from oil and gas development and the need to transition to clean energy solutions. All events are organized locally by volunteers and the event website provides most of the resources that you will need.
Visit the Hands Across the Sand website today and sign up to organize or participate in a local event! With U.S. coastlines vulnerable to oil and gas development off our coasts, now is the time to join the grassroots movement to protect our coastlines from risky drilling practices!
Surfrider Hands Across the Sand Events: