Gulf Oil Spill Special Edition- June 20, 2010
 |
| Photo Credit Kris Krug / Static Photography. Photo on Flickr. View more photos from TEDxOil Spill Expedition on Flickr. |
Gulf Oil Spill Special Edition Welcome to the second special issue from NOLAlicious, and our first Sunday Edition. With the Gulf Coast still being ravaged by the worst oil spill in history, this special issue is geared towards sharing with you tools, resources and ways you can contribute and give back. A phrase we keep hearing from natives about natural and unnatural disasters that have attacked this region is, "When CNN goes away, the lawyers come out to play." How tragic and deplorable to think that if the national media veers their attention that BP won't hold itself accountable for decimating the livelihood of thousands of families, recreation activities for the entire region and destroying the wildlife and wetlands that the entire country depend on to keep our fragile eco-sysytem in place. It is in this spirit that we implore you to do what you can to keep this topic top of mind. That can mean using your own social networks to tell stories, re-share photos taken, signing petitions to lawmakers, making donations to nonprofits doing direct relief work, create ways for your industry or business to give back and keep pushing forward. We know well the "disaster fatigue" that sets in during enormous devastation and we applaud so many of the subscribers on this list for your work and time in helping those who need it. You are our inspiration. Yours in better times, P.S. We are always looking for more information to share with you. If you know of resources we should add to our growing list, please email us at editor@nolalicious.com or tweet us @NOLAlicious. A full archive of past NOLAlicious newsletters can also be found on our website. News Updates From The New York Times Interactive Map to the Oil Reporter Mobile Application, there are many resources gathering information and sharing photos, videos, blog and news updates from the entire Gulf Region. One site we have bookmarked is WWOZ's BP Oil Disaster Resource and Update page. You can find more information like what we have listed here to help build your own resource guide of information surrounding the disaster. Donate There are many small community groups making an immediate impact in the Gulf Coast region where your donations will be put to use immediately. To help you, follow our new Twitter list of organizations we support. Another great opportunity to give is during Monday night's 2-hour CNN telethon special. You can direct your donations to one of three national nonprofits, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy or the United Way. If you remember, the CNN Haiti telethon raised over $5 million, and these national endeavors are critical fundraising channels for giving back on a national scale. Gatherings for Good Follow @TEDxOilSpill, or attend the event June 28th in Washington DC where leaders around the country and across industries including government agencies, NGOs, and environmental groups are coming together to tackle the tough questions raised by the recent and ongoing environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. Topics will include mitigation of the spill and the impending cleanup efforts; energy alternatives; policy and economics; as well as new technology that can help us build a self-reliant culture. There are 72 Meetups happening around the country that day (including this one in New Orleans) so you can participate where ever you are. Volunteer LA Gulf Response is collecting names for possible upcoming volunteer opportunities around the Gulf Region. Its important to note that the health affects of the oil spill and it's air-borne particles are not known, and most relief agencies are looking for skilled volunteers or to hire those from the local community who need income to help. Much of the area around the oil spill is highly-restricted, follow the agencies supporting this response effort for more information. Purchase Power Most products we've seen supporting Gulf Coast nonprofits have sold out in a heartbeat (including this one from Threadless) but one we're hoping you'll jump on is the collaboration between Fleurty Girl and the Audubon Institute's Louisiana Marine Mammal & Sea Turtle Rescue Program (LMMSTRP). 100% of the net proceeds from the sales of this T-shirt, called "Rescue Me", go towards the Audubon program. Another is from We Add Up, with your custom number on the shirt totaling people making a difference. Lagniappe @BPGlobalPR is NOT actually the BP PR team on Twitter. It's an account started by humorist Leroy Stick. His satire is sharp while raising awareness to the actions of BP and those responding to the spill. The account has over 160,000 followers (versus 12,000 for the real BP Twitter account). It's not a laughing matter, but these tweets will bring a smirk to your face and we all need something light hearted. His "BP CARES" T-shirts can be purchased here and 100% of the proceeds go to the Gulf Restoration Network |
 | Here's how you can support NOLAlicious:
|
