A month ago Mikey wrote this honest and heartfelt post on the Yellowstone River oil spill of this past July. It made me think: what would it take to stop more oil spills like this from happening in the future? What would that type of action required to stop the catastrophic damage to our environment look like?

It looks like this: hundreds of people of almost every demographic gathered in front of the White House risking arrest (over 1,000 have already been arrested to date) to carry a petition of over 600,000 names to President Obama. In one of the largest acts of environmental civil disobedience to take place, protesters have gathered for the past two-weeks to push President Obama to oppose the Tar Sands Oil Keystone XL Pipeline.

This proposed pipeline would transport tar sands oil from Canada 1,700 miles across the United States to be refined in Texas, risking many more large oil spills and severely threatening habitats, farms, livelihoods, and drinking water.  Emitting three times the amount of Carbon into the air than traditional oil, tar sands oil is one of the most dirty and carbon-intensive fuels out there. In a time when more and more people are realizing the need for cleaner energy alternatives and more responsible actions for the environment, the reality of this pipeline would be devestating to the progress being made on this front.

To learn more about the Keystone XL Pipeline and stay up-to-date on the action taking place, check out the Tar Sands Action website. The amazing work that they are doing to organize this movement and hold our government accountable is unmatched. We send major props & much love to the inspirational activists who have risked arrest to stand firm for our communities, our environment, and our planet as we stand in solidarity with them.

Photo by Josh Lopez.