Hands Across The Sand At Santa Monica Beach

Senior Director Ron Silverman exhorted the crowd to break the oil habit, stating emphatically, We cannot continue our dependence on oil anymore. This has to stop here. This has to stop now. Photo by Jennifer Robinson

On Saturday, June 26, the Angeles Chapter and local environmental groups held a Hands Across the Sand day of action at Santa Monica Beach. Over 500 local residents participated in the event to signify their opposition to offshore drilling and their support of clean energy, joining the largest nationwide gathering against offshore drilling ever.

Hands Across the Sand was founded by Floridian Dave Rauschkolb in October of 2009. Following the Gulf oil disaster, he brought the movement nationwide to united thousands of Americans across the country for the largest gathering against offshore drilling. Participants dressed in black clothing to signify the tar balls washing up on beaches along the Gulf Coast and joined hands at noon to encourage steering America's energy policy away from its dependence on fossil fuels and towards clean energy. Senior Director Ron Silverman exhorted the crowd to break the oil habit, stating emphatically, We cannot continue our dependence on oil anymore. This has to stop here. This has to stop now.

A press conference kicked off the day's events. Surrounded by a large crowd holding signs, California Coastal Commissioner Sara Wan began with a rousing speech about the perils of offshore oil drilling. Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, whose district abuts the ocean, enlivened the crowd by calling for more clean energy solutions.

Callie Hurd, field representative for State Senator Fran Pavley, read a letter from the Senator to President Obama. Calling the disaster in the Gulf a 'wake-up call,' Senator Pavley encouraged the President to 'seize this opportunity to harness public support for new, green sources of energy.'

Joining other environmental groups during the press conference, Angeles Chapter Senior Chapter Director, Ron Silverman stated, 'Now is the time to utilize our country's considerable potential for innovation. We need to dedicate resources to developing the clean energy technologies that will reduce our demand for petroleum.'

Following the press conference, the participants joined hands in a large circle on the beach, north of the iconic Santa Monica Pier. The crowd slowly fanned out into a long line that stretched nearly a quarter mile down the beach. Activists were joined by beachgoers and lifeguards, as well as professional surfer Laird Hamilton and actresses Rosario Dawson and Amy Smart.

Conservation Coordinators Jennifer Robinson and Maddalena Serra organized the event as part of the Sierra Club's Beyond Oil campaign. Surfrider Foundation, Environment California, Heal the Bay, Santa Monica Baykeeper, Greenpeace, Iemanya Oceanica and KPFK radio station collaborated with the Angeles Chapter to host this successful event.