The Spill: A Year Later

There isn't enough time this morning to compose an entry which truly encapsulates the events of this past year; however I could not let the day go without commemoration.
When the Deepwater Horizon Rig exploded last year, eleven men lost their lives and the Gulf of Mexico's habitat became the casualty of lax regulation and our insatiable thirst for oil. What has changed since then? Environmental groups like Audubon and Ocean Conservancy, took on the Herculean task of trying to save as much wildlife as possible, but unfortunately many animals perished and continue to suffer. Thousands of birds died, and many more will continue to feed contaminated food to their young as oil and corexit make their way through the food chain. Attempts to change the oil industry were close to fruition this summer when the spill was finally contained, but are currently at a standstill with the new Congress elected in November. How many oil spills does it take?
On a personal note, my family decided a year ago that this manmade tragedy was unacceptable. Through Olivia's fundraiser, the entire family threw our energy into doing what we could to help the environment. It's taken many forms, but we can only hope that all of them add up to making a difference and encouraging people, including our elected leaders, to have a new way of looking at the world. Are we a country that subsidizes a polluting and dying industry, or do we look to the future by investing in alternative energy sources? Are we a country that squanders its beautiful habitat with shortsighted decisions, or do we look ahead to preserving and restoring what we have?
So I guess you can say that since the spill, I've become a 'one issue' voter. To me, to my family, and to the thousands who have heard Olivia's message, we know the environment is too precious a gamble. Please mark the anniversary of this preventable disaster by using this link and sending a letter to your representatives in Washington DC.