Hands Across the Sand event planned in Kīhei, May 21

A Hands Across the Sand event is planned in South Maui next weekend as part of a global synchronized effort raise awareness about “the dangers of dirty fuels, and the need to speed the transition to available, affordable clean energy solutions.”

The event is planned on Saturday, May 21 near Maui Canoe Club at Sugar Beach in Kīhei, Maui.

It’s being held in coordination with the Surfrider Maui beach cleanup and May Beach Cleanup sponsor, Hawaiian Paddle Sports.

A crowd will assemble to form a line across the beach “to draw a line in the sand and say no to offshore drilling, yes to clean energy,” organizers said.

Hands Across The Sand was founded in 2009 to oppose offshore drilling and promote a clean energy future.

Participants in the upcoming event will call on federal leaders to permanently ban new offshore drilling in US waters.

“Despite continuing oil spill disasters and the ongoing climate change emergency, US coastlines continue to be vulnerable to new oil and gas development,” event organizers said.

In the coming weeks, the Department of Interior is expected to release a draft Five-Year Offshore Drilling Program.

Saturday’s Hands Across the Sand event at Sugar Beach along with hundreds of events across the US and beyond aims to demonstrate broad and diverse support for ending new oil and gas drilling and “advancing actions needed to combat the climate crisis.”

Hands Across The Sand is endorsed by national environmental organizations including Surfrider Foundation, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Oceana, Sierra Club, Gulf Restoration Network, and Center for a Sustainable Coast. In-kind supporters are Urban Paradise Guild and Blue Frontier Campaign. 

The Maui event runs from 9 a.m. to noon at Sugar Beach, with photos set for 11 a.m.