On Saturday, September 26, people around the world gathered on beaches and joined hands in solidarity to say NO to offshore oil drilling.
Community members from around SLO County joined us, the SLO Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, and the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club, in a local contribution to the international Hands Across the Sand rally.
We met at Grover Beach to stand together for our coastline and show the strength of our community's commitment to protecting SLO County's oceans, waves, and beaches.
Our chapter chair, Charles Varni, and the Sierra Club's Gianna Patchen shared inspiring words about the importance of protecting our coastline from the threats of expanded offshore drilling and accelerating the transition to clean energy.
As Charles emphasized, the Central Coast has already paid its dues to Big Oil. From the devastating 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill to the 2015 Refugio pipeline rupture that released more than 123,000 gallons of crude oil, our region knows firsthand the environmental and economic consequences of oil spills.
Expanded offshore drilling threatens not only our marine ecosystems and beaches, but also the coastal recreation and tourism industries that support thousands of local jobs.
But the gathering wasn't just about opposing offshore drilling. It was also about advocating for solutions and a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.
As Charles reminded attendees, protecting our coast means standing up for what matters, making our voices heard, and supporting the transition away from fossil fuels.
We're grateful to everyone who joined us on the sand to send a powerful message: Our coast is worth protecting, and our future should be powered by clean energy—not more offshore oil drilling.
Special thanks to Marco from 805 Drone for capturing images of the event and KSBY's Makayla Richardson for covering the gathering.
You can read the KSBY story here.
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