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CHARLOTTE -- Every environmental event Debbie Arnason goes to, she and her posters promote clean energy.

She joined hands with dozens of people Saturday in Charlotte for a Hands Across the Sand event, which rallies against offshore drilling. In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, the cause hits even closer to home for her.

“We have a second home in Florida; I don't know what we will find when we go down there,” Arnason said.

The number of people sharing Arnason's sentiment is growing according to a recent Pew Research poll. It shows that since February, the number of Americans in favor of offshore drilling for oil and gas is decreasing

The oil spill has added to an already polarizing debate.

“I understand the concerns of people; environmentally we have to live in a real world,” said Rep. Sue Myrick, R-N.C. “Until we can develop the other fuels, we will have to depend on fossil fuels.”

The three candidates seeking a U.S. Senate seat from North Carolina also touched on the issue in a debate Saturday. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, said she is opposed to drilling off the North Carolina coast. Libertarian Mike Beitler says he’s against a knee-jerk reaction to the spill that would put tens of thousands of people out of work.

The incumbent, Republican Sen. Richard Burr said the decision to drill should be up to the people of North Carolina. Arnason says if she had to decide, she would choose not to explore off the coast, but she knows it will take more than hand holding and poster waving to make that happen.

There were more than dozen Hands across the Sand demonstrations in North Carolina on Saturday. The event in Charlotte was held at Freedom Park.