A treehugger's dilemma...

My Favorite Beach

So...I've been preoccupied with the Gulf Oil Spill. An understatement. I have sent letters to congressmen and signed more petitions than I can remember...so please don't send me any more...I no longer remember which I've put my John Hancock on and fear I would compromise them by signing twice. Really.

On Saturday I am participating with the Sierra Club in the Hands Across The Sand event at Buckroe Beach. If you are knew to the Hands Across The Sand phenomenon, you can check it out on fb or visit  http://www.HandsAcrossTheSand.com/ . From 12 PM to 12:15 people across the globe will come together on beaches and parks and join hands to say no to near and off-shore drilling.

I am excited about being part of this, and it is my first event as a Sierra Club member. It is going to be awesome. But the decision to go came with a treehugger dilemma...I'd be driving an hour each way, using up fuel every mile.  And that's when I came up with one of my great ideas...why not host a gathering right here in Mathews...we have beaches. It seemed at first like a great idea...get more local support...increase some visibility...so I let my fingers do the walking and I signed up to host a Hands Across the Sands gathering at Bethel Beach. I should mention it was late at night. I am a nocturnal genius.

That night I went to sleep full of excitement...and then the dreams started...enter treehugger dilemma #2. Too many people...too many people leaving traces even well-intentioned people leave. And all this on my most favorite beach in whole wide world. I've been to alot of beaches...in Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Fiji, Italy, Greece. There was a time when I could say "Let's go to the beach" in six different languages. But, Bethel Beach has always been my favorite and has captured my heart more than any other...the chattering of the ospreys in their nest, the relentless breeze, the many orange and purple skies, and the way the beach is simply never the same one twice...it is all just heaven to me. So, the Leave No Trace educator in me just couldn't risk heaven. And heck, I had just helped clean up trash there with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation...why do it again.  I woke up early and emailed the Virginia coordinator of Hands... to say I'd reconsidered. I'd be attending the event at Buckroe. If you caught it at the right time you may have seen the Bethel Beach event on the Hands Across The Sand map. It was there for a few minutes. Really.

Bethel Beach saved, I was now back with dilemma #1...which I have solved in my tiny treehugging brain by making a list of all the things I will do across the bridge so that the fuel counts for more than one thing.  Trader Joe's for organic coffee that I can actually afford. Habitat for Humanity Restore Warehouse to look for some used windows and building materials. If you haven't been there it is worth a visit... My kitchen is painted with discarded paint that cost $ 1 a gallon, my back porch glassed with used windows and sliding doors which I never would have managed bought new.

Oh, and I am bringing trash bags...to help clean up the traces even well-intentioned people leave...at Buckroe this time. Saturday, June 26 at Buckroe Beach. Gathering starts at 11. Joining of hands 12-12:15. Come out and say no to near and off-shore drilling. http://HandsAcrossTheSand.com/