Today marks the two-year anniversary of the worst ecological disaster in American history. No, really, it’s true. Let that sink in for a moment. THE WORST ECOLOGICAL DISASTER IN AMERICAN HISTORY. For an astounding 87 days, BP (burn & pollute) spewed over 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, harming coastal communities, commercial fisheries, tourism destinations and wildlife across the region. I find it fascinating that most people have all but forgotten the BP oil “spill” because it is continuously suppressed in the mainstream media. BP will have you believe that the clean-up is complete and the Gulf has been restored through their PR campaign of television ads and announcements, but scientists have proof that this is not the case.

At the 17th annual Tulane Environmental Law Summit they showed recent photographs depicting alarming deformities in marine life in areas declared as “safe” for fishing and human consumption. In addition coral life is steadily being depleted.

Darla Rooks, a lifelong commercial fisherwoman from Louisiana tells her story in a documentary called Meet The Gulf that profiles communities impacted by the 2010 BP Oil Spill. This is when it starts to hit you. These are real people, with real lives that have been totally shattered, and whose family businesses have been ruined for generations to come.

Having grown up in Florida all of my life, I feel sick and saddened to see this state of affairs that could have so easily been avoided. Just yesterday the news broke about an identical “spill” in the Caspian Sea two years prior to the Deepwater disaster that BP concealed from the American government and the news media.
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So what do we do about it?????

NEVER FORGET

and

ALWAYS REMEMBER

You have the power to change this world.

Begin to lessen your dependence on petroleum in all it’s forms.

It’s not just the gas you use in your car; petroleum is directly or indirectly involved in producing almost everything, so nothing less than overall simplification of our lives and buying less of everything is what’s required. This is where you can employ the “reduce” part of the mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle.”

Begin reducing the amount of petroleum-based energy we use by driving less, carpooling, taking public transportation, turning down our thermostat, turning off lights when not in use, and buying energy-efficient appliances. Also consider growing your own vegetables or buying them at a local farmer’s market to reduce the amount of petrol used for transportation.

Take note of which products in your daily life that are made with petroleum, and do your best to avoid them when you can. Here’s a partial list. Many of these products are available now in more eco-friendly forms, made with glycerin or other vegetable byproducts instead of petroleum byproducts. Because the UPS truck is already coming around your neighborhood, you can reduce individual travel and purchase all of your petroleum-free products online at buygreen.com.

Now if imagine if the delivery truck was bio-fueled… (coming soon)
Watch the film FUEL to see how easy it is to create all-natural, renewable bio-fuels and amend existing vehicles to run on it.

The Green Beacon is hosting a workshop with the Biodiesel Cooperative of Los Angeles in June, so stay tuned for details!

We can no longer sit idly by and witness the pollution of OUR beautiful land, air and seas, hoping that something will change. The call for action is HERE and the time for renewable energy is NOW. Creating a balanced and sustainable planet starts with every single one of us, so in MEMORY of this tragic event, let’s make our collective voices heard, take action and demand a cleaner future, TODAY.

Thank you for caring about our world.

-Julie Solomon
CEO/Founder
Green Beacon Foundation
Los Angeles, CA
greenbeacon.org