EarthShare of Georgia
1447 Peachtree Street, NE
Suite 214
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 873-3173
www.earthsharega.org
info@earthsharega.org
CONTACT: Elizabeth Patrick

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EarthShare of Georgia Member Groups Working on the Gulf Coast Oil Spill

ATLANTA— (June 28, 2010) On Tuesday, April 20, BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded 52 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers. Since the explosion, the rig has hemorrhaged hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of barrels of oil, endangering wildlife and human health across the Gulf coast. EarthShare of Georgia's member organizations are working hard to garner volunteer and financial support to begin the extensive clean-up and restoration along the Gulf Coast.

EarthShare of Georgia has compiled a handy list of reputable links and resources listed below from our members offering different ways to make this tragedy a little easier for the affected wildlife and coastal communities.

Consider donating to EarthShare of Georgia’s local member groups as they continue the hard work ahead to clean up and preserve the Gulf. You can designate your gift to several organizations online through EarthShare of Georgia.

You can also give to EarthShare’s national Gulf Coast Restoration Fund. There is also more information on the national organizations that are working hard on the Gulf on EarthShare's website.

Atlanta Bicycle Coalition
Atlanta Bicycle Coalition would like to encourage concerned Gulf Coast residents and friends around the country to re-connect with their local resources for sustainable transportation to consider lowering their impact on the environment during this tragedy and moving forward. Among those we support and hope others will too:
Metro Bicycle Coalition New Orleans
Alabama Bicycle Coalition

Audubon Society
National Audubon is very active in what is going on and working to protect and clean up birds in the effected area. Visit their web site to see how to help: www.audubon.org

Georgia Ornithological Society
There are GOS members that work for US Fish and Wildlife (GIS computer support) and private citizens that are assisting in the cleanup of oil contaminated birds. These individuals have completed HAZMAT training as required by the US Coast Guard and US EPA.

The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy has mobilized to address the oil spill, and has set up a website to get up to minute information from Nature Conservancy scientists and others, ways to donate specifically to that area and to volunteer.

Sierra Club-Georgia Chapter
Locally:
Hands Across the Sand – The Georgia Chapter participated in the June 26th events on the beaches of the Atlantic Coast and in Atlanta to build a human chain of people across the Atlantic beaches that will call attention to a No-Drill policy. Our events will promote the message “No to oil, Yes to clean energy”.

The targets of the Hands Across the Sands campaign that events will be targeting will be:
1. Ask the Governors to ask Obama to stop permitting for offshore drilling.
2. Ask Salazar to meet with the Governors regarding wind power. Ask Salazar to promote alternative sources of energy.
3. Use the states Coastal Zone Management Plans to find out whether the offshore drilling activities are consistent with their regulations and policies. Ask the Plans to get involved.
4. Ask the Governors to advocate for the development of the national transmission grid which will be used to transit the wind power to shore. The cost of strengthening the national grid ($1 billion) may be less than construction of many individual local transmission lines.
More information on the events can be found here.

Nationally:
Let’s Move Beyond Coal Campaign - Sierra Club has two websites, http://www.letsmovebeyondoil.org/ and http://action.sierraclub.org/site/PageNavigator/adv_oilspill, running on the Sierra Club National website for the Let's Move Beyond Oil Campaign along with the organized events around the Hands Across the Sand.

Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
SACE has generated a few resources/fact sheets about the oil spill that are available on the SACE website about off-shore drilling page and also a fact sheet.
Learn About info
Factsheet

Also, here are a few links to show some of SACE’s collective work that they are overseeing.
The Florida Climate Alliance
SE Coastal Climate Network

State Botanical Garden of Georgia
The plant conservation program at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, along with the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance will be available to offer resources to help with flora affected by the oil spill. SBG has experience safeguarding threatened and endangered species ex situ when habitats are lost, and a large team of private volunteers that have experience collecting plant material for propagation and safeguarding at secure locations.

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
The Lower Mississippi Riverkeeper and Louisiana Bayoukeeper in Louisiana, our Mobile Baykeeper in Alabama, and our Emerald Coastkeeper and Apalachicola Riverkeeper in Florida are facing what may be the largest environmental and economic disaster in U.S. history. You can help! Follow the links above for each group's website, and please consider making a donation at www.saveourgulf.org.

Waterkeeper Alliance has also issued an urgent call to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), demanding testing and tracking of oil and dispersant contaminants in the Gulf of Mexico, and a demand to all agencies involved in the disaster for more transparency and forthrightness in reporting these findings and information to the public.  Click here for more information.

EarthShare of Georgia is working for the day when our air, land and water are clean abundant and healthy. EarthShare of Georgia is a nonprofit that raises funds through employee giving for more than 60 environmental member organizations all dedicated to conserving and protecting our air, land and water. For more information, call EarthShare of Georgia today at 404-873-3173, or visit www.earthsharega.org.

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