Group gathers on plaza for demonstration against off-shore drilling & America's energy policy
Written By: Micah Wilkins
A group inspired by the Hands Across the Sand movement gathered Saturday along Brush Creek in the Plaza to demonstrate against off-shore drilling.
The collection of roughly fifty individuals held signs saying “DRIVE ELECTRIC: NO GASOLINE” and “CLEAN ENERGY NOW,” among others.
According to Claus Wawrzinek, chair of the Thomas Hart Benton group of the Sierra Club and an organizer of the event, the group was not demonstrating entirely against the BP oil spill, but rather against America’s dependence on oil as a whole.
“[The BP spill] is just one of the symptoms,” Wawrzinek said. “The question is, Why were we out there in the first place? We’re asking oil companies to drill for oil, but we’re not asking our elected officials for renewable energy sources.”
John Kurmann, another organizer of the event, also stated that the United States’ dependence on oil is the larger issue that should be addressed.
“The disaster was caused by our huge appetite for oil in the world,” Kurmann said. “We can work together to get ourselves off of oil, because this disaster won’t be the last one if we keep doing what we’re doing.”
Hands Across the Sand is a movement that began before the oil spill, in February, to protest and gather against offshore oil drilling. The message of the movement opposes offshore drilling and encourages clean energy and renewables.
June 26 is the national date in which members and activists of the community joined hands along their beaches, and some cities, at exactly 12 p.m.
“[Brush Creek] is our beach,” Wawrzinek said. “Ultimately, it does run into the Gulf.”
The joined hands are to be symbolic of what protesters and participants seek from their efforts:
“America’s leaders to join hands and steer our country’s energy policy away from our dependence on fossil fuels and into the light of clean energy,” according to the movement’s website.
According to Kurmann, he, Wawrzinek and other event organizers began coordinating the event only Monday, June 21.
“So far nothing has been done here in Kansas City,” Kurmann said. “But we wanted to be a part of this (Hands Across the Sand).”
Their promotion of the event, thanks to social networking sites and word of mouth, brought out a fairly large crowd, and even some media, which will further assist the growth of their message.
“The time has come for us to switch away from oil,” Wawrzinek said.
A group inspired by the Hands Across the Sand movement gathered Saturday along Brush Creek in the Plaza to demonstrate against off-shore drilling.
The collection of roughly fifty individuals held signs saying “DRIVE ELECTRIC: NO GASOLINE” and “CLEAN ENERGY NOW,” among others.
According to Claus Wawrzinek, chair of the Thomas Hart Benton group of the Sierra Club and an organizer of the event, the group was not demonstrating entirely against the BP oil spill, but rather against America’s dependence on oil as a whole.
“[The BP spill] is just one of the symptoms,” Wawrzinek said. “The question is, Why were we out there in the first place? We’re asking oil companies to drill for oil, but we’re not asking our elected officials for renewable energy sources.”
John Kurmann, another organizer of the event, also stated that the United States’ dependence on oil is the larger issue that should be addressed.
“The disaster was caused by our huge appetite for oil in the world,” Kurmann said. “We can work together to get ourselves off of oil, because this disaster won’t be the last one if we keep doing what we’re doing.”
Hands Across the Sand is a movement that began before the oil spill, in February, to protest and gather against offshore oil drilling. The message of the movement opposes offshore drilling and encourages clean energy and renewables.
June 26 is the national date in which members and activists of the community joined hands along their beaches, and some cities, at exactly 12 p.m.
“[Brush Creek] is our beach,” Wawrzinek said. “Ultimately, it does run into the Gulf.”
The joined hands are to be symbolic of what protesters and participants seek from their efforts:
“America’s leaders to join hands and steer our country’s energy policy away from our dependence on fossil fuels and into the light of clean energy,” according to the movement’s website.
According to Kurmann, he, Wawrzinek and other event organizers began coordinating the event only Monday, June 21.
“So far nothing has been done here in Kansas City,” Kurmann said. “But we wanted to be a part of this (Hands Across the Sand).”
Their promotion of the event, thanks to social networking sites and word of mouth, brought out a fairly large crowd, and even some media, which will further assist the growth of their message.
“The time has come for us to switch away from oil,” Wawrzinek said.
Posted by Urban Growth KC at 6/28/2010 10:37 AM 
Categories: Local News
Tags: protest energy policy brush creek off-shore drilling
Categories: Local News
Tags: protest energy policy brush creek off-shore drilling
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