Mission Statement

Bring together individuals and organizations to promote a clean energy future across the world and end our dependence on dirty fuels. Gather thousands of Americans and global citizens at beaches and cities to draw metaphorical and actual lines in the sand; human lines in the sand against fossil fuels that threaten our future. Move local, state, national and world leaders to adopt policies encouraging the growth of clean and renewable energy. An Opportunity of National and Global Importance Now is the time for citizens across the globe to join hands and steer our energy policy away from our dependence on fossil fuels and towards clean energy and renewables.

We invite activists to organize hundreds of events and Join Hands creating a powerful image to send to our elected officials.
We invite activists to call for the President to maintain the Paris Climate Accord, reject offshore drilling, the KXL and other tar sands extraction and pipelines, hydraulic fracking, fossil fuel export terminals, siesmic air gun blasting and call on local and state leaders to protect our communities by rejecting projects that expand the extraction and use of fossil fuels, instead, accelerate the shift to clean, sustainable, renewable energy.

7,654 people joined hands on the beach at Rockaways coastline in New York to enter the Guiness Book of World Records thanks to the great efforts of Lily Corcoran!!

Who We Are

Hands Across the Sand / Land, founded by Dave Rauschkolb, a restaurateur  from Seaside, Florida in 2010 in the same town Hands grew into an international movement after the BP oil disaster in April of that year. People came together to join hands, forming symbolic barriers against spilled oil and to stand against the impacts of other forms of extreme energy.Many years later, as millions begin to understand that President Trump’s Climate Action Plan falls short if it fails to address keeping dirty fuels in the ground, there’s a rising tide of grassroots activism demanding that we choose a clean energy future over the dangerous and dirty fuels of the 20th century.The coalition of organizations, activists and citizens around the world bring the message of clean energy to local and world leaders.

Thank you 2019 ORGANIZERS !! What a total success, 2 people or 1000, it is an event that creates a powerful image! We had 100 events, 17 of them in 5 other countries including Canada, New Zealand, Belize, Australia and Greece. Florida lead the US with 30, North Carolina next with 11. Thank you for ALL your hard work! Until next year on May 15, 2021,  when we will join Hands again, keep fighting for our oceans and lands! You are all heroes!!!

Dede Shelton | Executive Director

Dede Shelton is our Executive Director and oldest sister to Dave Rauschkolb, the founder of Hands Across the Sand. Dede has been the Executive Director of Hands since 2011 from her home in Boise, Idaho! Even though she does not live on the beach, she visits her brother and his family near Seaside, Florida often and lived in Ft. Walton Beach and Tyndall Air Force Base for years. Her passion to protect our oceans and lands from the harmful affects of fossil fuels sustains and drives her to continue to be a true believer in the power of like-minded people joining hands around the world in silent solidarity, to say NO to fossil fuels and YES to clean energy! She could not do this rewarding work without all the passionate people who organize events all over the world AND the hard working people who represent her sponsors! We are truly all in this together! Thank you!

Dede Shelton, Executive Director

Dave Rauschkolb, Founder