DULUTH, MINN --- 68 days ago, more than 1,300 miles from the shores of Lake Superior, there was an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.
Northlanders stood together Saturday on those very shores to call on America's leaders to make a change.
"Because of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf," event organizer John Doberstein said, "people are joining hands by the hundreds of thousands to draw a line in the sand against off-shore drilling and promote clean energy solutions."
So, more than 50 Northlanders took each other's hands as part of the worldwide event "Hands Across the Sands." Doberstein hopes the demonstration will lead to cleaner future.
"We as a country are addicted to oil," Doberstein said. "There's no doubt about that, and we've got a lot of momentum around clean energy solutions. It's good for the economy, it's good for the environment, and it's good for national security."
Still, some believe that the catalyst for change needs to come from the people.
"I think that as consumers," Melissa Starr said, "when we demand alternative energy, that's when we'll get it."
Like the gulf is to the south, Lake Superior is a vital part of the Northland's economy, and although the spill happened thousands of miles away, Doberstein can't imagine what could happen if it was in our backyard.
"I think everyone everyday thinks what if this hit home?" Doberstein said. "We can only sympathize for the people that are trying to make a living and trying to raise their families along the Gulf shores."
So, just as these Northlanders came together Saturday, Doberstein said the country must follow suit.
"If we are going to have change," Doberstein said, "Americans have got to come together. Not liberals, not conservatives, but Americans."
Everyone at the protest Saturday was asked to sign a petition, which will be sent to President Obama.
Posted by Zach Schneider
zschneider@northlandsnewscenter.com
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