Hands Across the Sand in DC - by Oceana/Jon Frank

Despite 95 degree heat and insufferable humidity, a crowd of over 100 people gathered in front of the White House on Saturday to call for a renewable energy policy and the end of dangerous offshore drilling. The DC group joined thousands of other groups around the globe that were participating in a grassroots event called Hands Across the Sand. People from Santa Monica to South Korea held hands for 15 minutes as a sign of solidarity in the movement for a renewable energy policy.

Oceana sponsored the event along with other NGOs like Audubon, Greenpeace and Surfrider.  The DC rally was led by Ethan Nuss from the Energy Action Coalition – a group dedicated to catalyzing the youth movement in the fight for clean energy.  With his bull horn in tow, Ethan discussed the pressing need to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.  Additionally, Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, energized the crowd with his call to stop offshore drilling.

When combined with hundreds of other similar gatherings, the DC event reflected an encouraging trend in the face of the oil spill and demonstrated that people are ready to step up their commitment to clean energy and demand a future where wind mills, not oil spills, dot our coasts.

Learn more about the need for clean energy at Oceana.org.