Voices from the Flats – A Vigil for the Gulf
~photo by James Holleman
By Marybeth Holleman
Tuesday marked day 50 of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It also marked World Oceans Day. Think of it: BP’s massive oil spill started on Earth Day and still gushes forth from the hole in the ocean 50 days later, on World Oceans Day.
Those of us who experienced the Exxon Valdez oil spill had hoped that spill would mark a turning point in our nation’s energy policy. It did not, and here we are 21 years later, even deeper in the oil pit.
It seems the only ones who learned anything from the Exxon Valdez oil spill were the oil corporations – they learned how to hide the truth, how to dodge regulations, how to lie about the amount of oil spewing from the hole, how to use dispersants to keep it out of sight and out of mind, how to keep reporters from photographing it and us from seeing all the dead and dying wildlife.
Enough is enough. Michelle Wilson Nordhoff and I decided to do something.
So, on Tuesday evening at high tide, about 50 Alaskans—ranging in age from 3 to 93—gathered for a Gulf Oil Spill Vigil. This was one of hundreds of vigils and meetups around the country coordinated by moveon.org and 350.org. We met just below the Lynn Ary baseball fields and, standing in a circle to the sound of a water drum, took turns reading facts and stories from the Gulf coast.
~photo by James Holleman
It all sounded eerily familiar, like a 21-year echo. The numbers of dead and threatened pelicans, sperm whales, sea turtles. The billions BP spends on marketing, and lobbyists (of which 71 percent came from federal positions.)
The native elder saying, “We need the truth because our very lives, our very livelihood, entire culture depends on getting the truth, knowing what we have to deal with, what is the duration of what we have to deal with. Without the truth we’re sunk. But it’s not happening because it’s all about profit…profit for today and you suffer for generations afterwards. Enough of that.”
The fisherman saying, “We’re working twice as hard to do about 25 percent as much. And it grates on you after a while. And just seeing the images of that thing spewing poison into our beautiful Gulf, it just sucks it out of you. It sucks the life out of you.”
Even more eerie, or perhaps heartening, was discovering that the young man who read this quote was from Lousiana, had been an oysterman, and was spending the summer interning at an Alaska conservation organization.
~photo by Chip Nordhoff
~photo by Jim Diehl
After the readings, we gathered bouquets of Alaska flowers, from purple scented lilacs to wild roses to tiny Canadian dogwoods to handsful of dandelions, and walked down to the receding tide. There, with mud between our toes, we released flowers into Cook Inlet’s waters, symbolizing the purifying powers of water, the connection of our oceans, the beauty of a world on clean energy, and our commitment to preventing any more such tragedies.
~photo by James Holleman
Afterwards we met in the playground. As the Chevak Dancers drummed and danced near us, with Cook Inlet and Denali as backdrop, we talked about what to do next. One woman thanked us for organizing the event, telling me, “I’ve been so upset and angry by this spill, and have been wondering why there weren’t any protests, especially here in Alaska.”
~photo by James Holleman
Indeed. It’s time for us all to wake up. The message from our vigil is simple: enough is enough. No more oil spills, no more offshore drilling, no more polluting the planet with oil and greenhouse gases. No more oil addiction. Our oceans are too precious. It’s way past time for our government to break free from the corporate stranglehold and turn its full and undivided attention to clean energy. Clean energy is no longer the “alternative;” it’s the only way we are going to survive.
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- Marybeth Holleman is author of a memoir about the Exxon Valdez oil spill, The Heart of the Sound. www.marybethholleman.com.
Thanks to all who keep the vigil.
Thanks also to those who choose to live the vigil by minimizing their consumption of products that lead to situations such as these.
I agree wholeheartedly that “It’s way past time for our government to break free from the corporate stranglehold and turn its full and undivided attention to clean energy. Clean energy is no longer the “alternative;” it’s the only way we are going to survive.”
But the reason that the oil companies go after oil in such risky places–and make obscene profits doing so–is because the demand is there. The entire American lifestyle is predicated on cheap, plentiful fossil fuels. Every time we drive down the street, flip a light switch, or buy something made from or packaged in plastic, we are using oil. The very food we eat–especially meat–takes huge amounts of petroleum-based fertilizer and energy to produce.
It’s disingenuous to hold a vigil, then hop into your enormous SUV, drive to the fast-food restaurant to pick up your meal, stop to do some shopping, then go home and use all your electronic gadgets. We won’t have any meaningful effect on fossil fuel consumption unless each of us is willing to make some lifestyle changes to reduce our own use of energy.
I whole heartedly agree with you. After 2 years of unemployment and now my craptacular under-employment, I have become very aware of my previous wasteful life style. Not as wasteful as many but still, I have found that there are many things I really don’t need. I started a vegatable garden some what out of financial necessity and have been reminded of the healthier aspects of living a life less focused on convenience.
Now, maybe we need to start a “core charge” system for big ticket electronics so that people will turn in their old ones for recycling and reuse all that plastic and metal. We do it with some automotive parts, why not electronics?
Oh! And too also, menopause has had it’s benefits around here. Hot flashes for the past 2 winters has me keeping the thermostat at 64 in the winter. I wait much longer to turn the heat on and turn it off a month earlier in the spring. Reduced my natural gas consumption for the year by ONE THIRD! Ha ha ha.
That was beautifully and concisly put. I hope many people see this. Thank you. I will have to find out about the vigils.
I am impressed, grateful, and heartened by both the symbolic vigil at the beach and the words of wisdom expressed in the comments regarding the other vigil we need to keep: the everyday, day in, day out conscious decisions we have to make regarding what we do and do not need, what we can and cannot do, and how each of us can make a difference simply by rethinking and then modifying our lifestyles.
Simplifying our lives is not as difficult as we think it is. Being mindful only takes practice.
Blessings be with us as we move towards a simpler, saner life.
Thank you AKM for this post. As an “ocean baby” from way back it helps the sadness in my heart a bit.
I’m in California. I have been one of those horrible “greenies” for all of my life. Back in the early 70′s when it wasn’t trendy to be green, I had the great oppertunity to have a teacher that taught Conservation and Ecology. Certainly changed my life out look. Plus being a certified diver…well some of my best times have been lying on the ocean floor very quietly watching the world go by.
Doesn’t get any better then that.
“Horrible Greenies” are the only decent humans on this planet.
Blessings to all who love our oceans.
Good job! I love the ocean. Five years on Oahu as a child. Skipping class and going to the Jersey shore in high school, while spending Christmas vacations in Tampa. My two week honeymoon on the Texas Gulf Coast, One week vacations snorkeling in Kawai, Maui, Florida Keys, and Cozumel. Trips to the California beaches and last September a week in Hilton Head, SC. I love seafood, too.
I am so sickened by this environmental disaster and the disrespect of nature shown by corporations in their pursuit of profit regardless of consequence. I hate what we’ve done to this planet. I hope we see justice soon.
Maybe now people understand why most Californians say “Oh no you don’t!” when more drilling off our coast is mentioned. We seem to have a long institutional memory when it comes to the 1969 Santa Barbara spill. That was horrible enough. And this is way bigger.
NASA USES THIS PRODUCT!!! STOPS LEAKING in space or water
I have spent days, weeks and long nights, emailing and faxing every branch of the US Government possible, including individual senators, Charlie Melancon [5 fax numbers], Bernie Sanders [2 fax numbers], Nick Rahall, congressmen, Steve Poizner, the White House staff, President Obama [6 emails and 5 faxes], his wife Michelle the First Lady [2 faxes and 2 emails], the Coast Guard head Thad Allen and second in command [2 faxes and 4 emails], CNN’s Anderson Cooper, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews, BP, TV stations in general, the NY Times, Maureen Dowd, Tavis Smiley, Oprah Winfrey, and not one reply! Mind boggling.
There is a Cold Welding product [i.e. no conventional heat welding] used to glue on the Space Shuttle tiles by NASA, that I believe, if pumped into the gusher holes HUNDREDS OF GALLONS AT A TIME, would seal them completely.
It can be used very easily UNDERWATER for repairs of any kind with boats, pool cracks, tank cracks, radiator leaks, anywhere wet or dry and it works under 2500psi, the oil well holes are pumping out at 2000psi, so there is an extra 500psi in the product’s favour.
I have used this product before and as a marine pilot for 29 years I fully endorse this product, it is called Velodur, or Durmetal. I sincerely believe it would work.
And if it works for NASA, why not negligent BP with no plans to clean up disasters, only plans to make money. yeah, cap it and keep harvesting oil, to hell with the environment , birds, turtles, dolphins, fish and other creatures?
IF IF IF they cut pipes that could only be worse, more stupidity like the mud and concrete mess. Do they have any idea how many hours it takes concrete to cure? Gods save us all from big salaried twits and morons…
Cut pipes will all leak together and cause a massive blow-out hole. It may not make things better, the pressure will be spread out over a larger ‘holes’ area and breech with a bigger uumph, for lack of a better word.
And their emergency kit is a must for any yachtsman!
Cold Welding Systems – Durmetal.com
http://www.durmetal.com
VELODUR®/DURMETAL® Coldwelding System is as fast as it is versatile. By mixing Base and Activator on a simple 1:1 ratio by volume, a molecular reaction starts and depending on the type used, the repair is completed in 3-4 minutes or 3-4 hours.
I think with that many emails and faxes it will be looked into, but remember the oil companies will say it won’t work and they will push that as fast forward as they can.If As you say it could and should work it should be looked at and tried.So far nothing else seems to be working. I think PB wants the oil and doesn’t want to lose the money no matter the disaster to our oceans and beaches.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to all involved in this vigil and also those of you praying for our beautiful beaches and wildlife.
I live in Navarre, FL., where the oil sheen is just offshore and a few tar balls have washed up.
We have been lucky, with the tides and winds keeping most of this away from our pristine clear Gulf waters and white squeaky-sand beaches SO FAR.
But the inevitable is right around the corner….
50 days…..despicable.
….the inevitable has arrived. Just heard on our local news the oil sheen has entered into Perdido and Pensacola Pass. (Pensacola Bay) Skimmers are out, booms deployed. Here we go.
All of life depends on healthy oceans.