On Monday, I toured the coast of Louisiana, talked with media covering the BP oil spill, and met and talked with fishermen who are devastated by the impact. It was a sobering day.
The whole region seems to be holding its breath, waiting for the oil to hit the coast. Volunteers were waiting to help clean the birds and wildlife, but the need was limited to date. That day will come soon enough, and we are already seeing the impact upon the wildlife with turtles and dolphins dying in the last few days due to the spill.Also disturbing were the testaments of media stating they were being prevented from getting to areas where the spill was worst, and documenting the disastrous impact. This should not be happening, and the reporters stated that it was BP officials holding them back.
The fishing community is in shock. Their lives and livelihoods are at risk. As one fishermen told us about watching the spill unfold, "Its like having a knife to your throat, and it is slowly cutting across."We need to create a cleaner future, and invest more urgently in renewable energy like wind and solar, and require higher standards for fuel efficient vehicles and mass transit to reduce our dependency on oil. We need to halt new offshore oil drilling, and ensure we are regulating BP and others more aggressively. We need to hold BP accountable to pay the full cost, and demand they not drag it out for 20 years as Exxon did after the Exxon Valdez disaster. We must demand that our federal government continue efforts now and in the future to ensure this never happens again.But we also need to help the communities on the Gulf Coast now - please help Global Green respond today. This Sunday we are helping mothers and their families by sending volunteers to Grand Isle (one of the impacted fishing communities), and helping host a community cookout for this community of fishermen, mothers, grandmothers, and kids. We will also be delivering healthy food to those who are already in financial crisis due to the spill.If you want to volunteer to go down and help on Sunday, please click here to learn more.We are also helping their voices be heard - we are bearing witness to their struggles, and telling their stories. Watch this short video that tells the story of one fishing community and their fears, and their future. You will hear similar gut wrenching testaments to what I heard over and over on Monday.
Thank you for all you do in your community and for others in need.
Sincerely,
Matt Petersen
President & CEO
The Green Blog Network
Greening Hollywood
Green Blog Network * Greening Vancouver
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