On June 26, people will join hands at the Cape Coral Yacht Club beach in opposition to the British Petroleum oil spill still raging out of control in the Gulf of Mexico.
Cape Coral residents will join not only others in Lee County, but people all around the state, and the nation, to send a message as part of the “Hands Across the Sand” event.
The message is simple: Say no to offshore drilling, and yes to clean energy.
“We’re saying we don’t want drilling off the coast of Florida,” said Rose Young, who is organizing the Cape portion of the event. “Our opinion is we don’t want to drill. There are thousands of oil leases on land.”
Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs, Naples and Fort Myers will all be taking part in Hands across the Sand.
Young said people are being encouraged to arrive at 11 am, and will join hands for 15 minutes starting at noon.
Young added that the other part of the event’s message — clean energy — is crucial to ensuring that disasters of the same magnitude of the gulf oil spill are avoided in the future.
In a place like Florida, where the sun shines all year long, solar power would be logical, Young said. The only problem is the price tag.
“Why can’t we go to clean energy, period? This is the sunshine state. What’s the matter with a solar panel on every roof?” Young asked, adding, “But we need some incentive to make it affordable.”
Young and her husband Bill left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, saying they will never return to the city they loved.
She said this new tragedy will certainly hurt the fishing industry.
“Those people are getting a double whammy,” Young said.
For more information on the event, visit handsacrossthesand.org, or call Young at 540-5836.