Excitement is in the air here at GRN’s office as we gear up our seventh year as the official non-profit partner of the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience. We’re especially excited about seeing Pearl Jam play on Friday night! In the wake of the BP disaster, Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy Foundation was a big supporter of GRN’s efforts to document and share the truth about the ongoing impacts from BP’s oil and toxic dispersants. Over three years later, the oil is still here, and still affecting our communities, wildlife, and environment. And the members of Pearl Jam are still helping us tell that story. In fact, Eddie Vedder was on Jimmy Fallon last Friday talking about the BP disaster and Gulf Restoration Network.At Voodoo, we’ll be working hard to make sure BP is held accountable for the restoration of the Gulf. I hope you can come by our booth and help out! On we built up our “coastal lines of defense” display to demonstrate to festivalgoers how barrier islands, marshes, and cypress forests help protect New Orleans and other communities from storm surge. BP fines from the disaster are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jumpstart the restoration of our coastal lines of defense. We’ll also have a movie tent, screening some great short films about Gulf restoration, some of which you can check out on our YouTube page. Finally, we’ll have a booth where people can take a photo petition with signs calling on the Justice Department to hold BP accountable.As the trial over the BP disaster continues, this is a key time for the restoration of the Gulf. We’re thankful for this amazing partnership with the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience that provides the opportunities to let thousands of people know more about what’s happening here in the Gulf. See you at the festival!Raleigh Hoke is GRN’s Communications Director.
