We may be enjoying fresh Gulf shrimp while watching the pelicans, dolphin and seagulls play in Sarasota’s beautiful Bay right now, but I can’t help feeling sickened by BP’s recent oil disaster.
Whether or not the slick hits “newsworthy” areas of our shoreline, British Petroleum’s 210,000 gallon-per-day oil eruption — or “underwater volcano” as Florida Governor Charlie Crist calls it — is both a human tragedy and a potential environmental disaster of the greatest proportions. Eleven lives were lost in the explosions. The negative impact on the livelihood of fishermen, tourism, home values, quality of human life, as well as marine life, water and birds may be seen for many years to come. Let’s not bury our heads in the sand — offshore drilling is dangerous, and supporting alternative energy sources, ie wind, solar and other innovative initiatives, is overdue.
Will any lessons be learned? Come voting time, keep in mind the candidates who will be good stewards of our environment.
more @ npr.org
On the state level in Florida, volunteer opportunities may be found @ volunteerFloridaDisaster.org.
For more info on the oil spill and local, state and federal responses to it, visit:
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