BP or not BP?

On Monday 20th April, we want you to join us and other groups in a simple online action which will shine a spotlight on the impacts of BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, as well as highlighting ongoing struggles against fossil fuel expansion that are unfolding today.

An explosion took place on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform in 2010 which killed 11 rig workers. An estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil flowed into the Gulf of Mexico over the course of 87 days, ruining lives, livelihoods and ecosystems. BP was found “grossly negligent” for its role in the disaster and issued the largest corporate criminal fine in US history.

Even now, companies such as BP are continuing to drill for new oil in the Gulf of Mexico, at even greater depths and with even higher risks. New oil and gas pipelines are still being constructed, both in the Gulf of Mexico and across the world.

“We still have thousands of spills every year. The infrastructure is getting older and we are having more and more problems with it.” – Cyn Sarthou, Executive Director, Healthy Gulf 

What to do – We want you to create a short, close-up film of a glass or jar of water as you gradually add trickle, drip or pour a small amount of dark liquid into it. This could be something like coffee, molasses or vinegar. As the two liquids mingle slowly, take a moment to remember the spill, those it affected and its ongoing impacts.

Watch an example video of what to do, here: https://youtu.be/uM5iQSTE7Jc

• Make sure your video is a close-up of the glass or jar itself, so that the merging of the two liquids is clear to see on camera – we recommend using a slow-motion setting if you have one!
• Make sure the container is in focus, well-lit and that you record in landscape/horizontally.
• As well as tweeting out your film, we’ll then use the footage to put together a short film highlighting those that took part!

(If you’re not able to make a short film, feel free to take part by taking photos of your action instead…)

How to share it – Once you’ve shot your short film, we’re asking people to:

1. Post them on Twitter on Monday and tweet it with one of the following suggested tweets…

I’m taking part in #oilinthewater from [Your location] to mark the 10th anniversary of #DeepwaterHorizon and @BP_plc’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Today, oil firms are drilling even deeper. Hear more from those in the Gulf here: https://bridgethegulfproject.org/key-topics/climate-and-environment #DWH10

Of course, you can write your own tweet too – but we’re encouraging people to highlight the communities actively resisting BP and other companies today, where possible.

(Note: if your film goes over 2 minutes, Twitter will prompt you to trim it down!)

1. Then, email your film to us at info@bp-or-not-bp.org

We will take the footage we receive and weave together our individual actions into a single powerful film to share a few days later.

A quicker alternative tweet option

We strongly encourage you to make your own video or photo following the instructions above. However, if you don’t have time to make a video, you can support our action by simply tweeting the following template tweet – or write your own!

It’s the 10th anniversary of @BP_plc‘s Gulf of Mexico #DeepwaterHorizon oil spill. 11 workers were killed and c 3.19 million barrels of oil spilt into the Gulf of Mexico, ruining lives, livelihoods & ecosystems. Today BP drills on. More at bit.ly/DWhorizon #oilinthewater