TEDxOilSpill

A group of environmental activists and social innovators will be hosting a TEDxOilSpill event on June 28 in Washington to talk about clean-up solutions to the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Since Monday, a group of photographers and videographers tied to the conference have been in the Gulf gathering visual evidence of the spill's spread (and the anger it is causing among some Louisiana coastal residents). The team's best work will be shared with conferees on the 28th; for the past week, the photographers have been sharing some of their trip observations on Twitter, at @TEDxOilSpill.

According to a group spokesman, the photography team is attempting to cover what mainstream media is not, capturing scenes of ravaged beaches; of BP officials attempting to interfere with news coverage, and of the impact the devastation is having on families. This also is information, TEDxOilSpill organizers say, that is not being shared by local tourism officials and other local authorities.

Some of the images collected so far include aerial photographs shot by TED conference photographer Duncan Davidson, one of the team members on the TEDxOilSpill expedition. Here are a few he posted today on his site:

To see the full set of Davidson's oil spill photos so far, check out his collection on Flickr and on his journal site. For more on Davidson, see his short bio on Wikipedia.

Can't make it to Washington on the 28th? There are, as of today, some 67 TEDxOilSpill Meetup groups organized to watch a live stream of the event as a catalyst for local discussion groups. The TEDxOilSpill speaker roster includes ocean explorer Philippe Cousteau, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, and inventor Saul Griffith.

(Photos by Duncan Davidson for TEDxOilSpill)