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To spread the word, Appalachian Voices and Restoring Eden have partnered to bring an exciting line-up of concerts stretching the Southeast and mid-Atlantic to raise awareness about the devastating impacts of mountaintop removal on Appalachia. Dewi Sant will headline the tour, joined by many other amazing bands along the way.
Check out the line up below, stay plugged in for new show announcements, and come out for an amazing evening of music, friends, and activism.
Date: Thursday, January 27, 2011
Location: Charleston, SC
Venue: Eye Level Art
Bands: Wylie, Dewi Sant, and Older Brother
Times: 8pm doors, 8.30pm show
Ticket: $8 (advanced), $12 (door)
Date: Saturday, January 29, 2011
Location: Charlotte, NC
Venue: The Evening Muse
Bands: Wylie, Dewi Sant, Older Brother, Uncle Mountain
Times: 7pm doors, 8pm show
Tickets: $10 (advanced), $12 (door)
Date: Sunday, January 30, 2011
Location: Asheville, NC
Venue: Pisgah Brewing Co.
Bands: Efren, Jon Ammons @ the Electric Ghost, Dewi Sant, Matrimony
Times: 6pm doors, 7pm show
Tickets: $8 advanced, $10 door
Date: Monday, January 31, 2011
Location: Boone, NC
Venue: The Boone Saloon
Bands: Songs of Water, Matrimony, Dewi Sant
Times: 9pm doors, 10pm stage
Tickets: $10
Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Venue: Local 506
Bands: Matrimony, Dewi Sant, Big Fat Gap
Times: 7pm doors, 8pm show
Tickets: $8
Date: Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Venue: The Southern
Bands: Matrimony, Dewi Sant, Honey Dewdrops
Times: 7pm doors, 8pm show
Tickets: $10
Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Venue: Cameo Gallery, 93 N 6th St
Bands: The Snails, Dewi Sant, Matrimony, Morgan O'Kane, 2/3 Goat
Times: 7pm doors, 8pm show
Tickets: $8
Date: Friday, February 4, 2011
Location: Washington, DC
Venue: SOVA, 1359 H St NE
Bands: Matrimony, Dewi Sant
Times: 8pm show
Tickets: $10 suggested donation
Date: Saturday, February 5, 2011
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Venue: The Dining Commons @ Eastern University
Bands: Matrimony, Dewi Sant
Times: 8pm show
Tickets: $3
Check back soon for more show announcements!
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On Monday evening, Restoring Eden lost a great friend and ally in the passing of renowned activist and environmental justice leader, Judy Bonds. We cannot adequately express how grateful we are for her brave spirit and heroic efforts to end the tragedy of mountaintop removal. Her body succumbed to cancer on this day, but her spirit lives on, encouraging us to stand against injustice with courage, righteous anger, and a quick smile.
“The Appalachians are among the oldest mountains on earth and the first mountains God created. A picture from a fly-over of these mountains shows the fingerprints of God’s creative hands, ” wrote Judy Bonds in a touching essay entitled “In Care of Creation.” A tireless advocate and lifelong Christian, Judy was a 6th generation Appalachian, the daughter and granddaughter of coal miners. While impartial to coal mining for some time, she quickly realized the importance of taking action when a mountaintop removal mine moved in above her home destroying the local stream, her childhood watering hole, and poisoning the community’s air with toxic dust. She noted something was very wrong when her grandson contracted asthma and then, standing knee high in the local stream, inquired what was wrong with the fish, who were floating dead all around him. Refusing to move for a long time (this was her ancestral homeplace, after all) Judy decided it was time to go when her grandson started concocting escape plans in case the mine dam (holding back millions of gallons of toxic waste associated with mountaintop removal mining) burst. Not an irrational fear, as it had happened several times before in nearby communities, killing dozens of people.
A former Pizza Hut waitress and self-proclaimed “hillbilly,” Judy started volunteering with Coal River Mountain Watch (CRMW), a local grassroots organization dedicated to ending mountaintop removal. Recognizing she had a knack for community organizing and advocacy, Judy was later promoted to Executive Director of CRMW. With her great passion and brilliant oratory skills, Judy quickly became a key leader in the grassroots fight against mountaintop removal.
But she didn’t stop there. Judy spoke out against all kinds of injustice, in the United States and around the world. She inspired countless people - young and old - to stand up and speak out against overwhelming odds and to fight for justice, dignity, heritage, family, and a healthy earth to live on. Her spitfire approach mobilized thousands and enraged opponents. She accepted her calling with incredible gumption and grace, enduring serious threats to her life and family by coal company sympathizers who felt threatened by her outspoken stance against mountaintop removal. Judy never backed down.
“My faith in God keeps me sane and moving in the right direction for our children and grandchildren. Our children and our souls depend upon what we decide to do today. From my backyard, I can feel the energy of the Appalachian Mountains. The energy in these mountains from God restores my soul,” wrote Judy. “The Apostle Paul says that the creation shows us God’s creativity, beauty, and power. The Appalachian Mountains are the perfect example of this. The mountains cause us to lift up our eyes to God.”
Heartbreakingly, many believe Judy’s cancer was caused by exposure to poisoned water and contaminated air while living below the mountaintop removal site. As we mourn Judy’s untimely death and offer gratitude for her great courage and steadfast friendship, we also honor her life by carrying on her call to end the tragedy of mountaintop removal mining.
Judy was too sick to make it to Appalachia Rising, a gathering of thousands of mountaintop removal activists in DC this past September. But she sent a message. Judy asked everyone to “Fight Harder.” At a youth conference, she once stated, “I want you to notice nature, how geese are in flight and they form a V in a leadership role…The lead goose, when he gets tired of flapping his wings, he drops to the back and the next goose comes up front. Without stopping, without fussing, without whining. He becomes that next leader, he or she, that’s what we have to do.” That’s what she would want us to do. Step up and carry on. To fight harder. May God grant us the grace to do so.
From the old spiritual, ‘Go, Tell It on the Mountain’, we hear of going up to the mountaintop and proclaiming far and wide the birth of Jesus Christ.
In this spirit, the tour will travel across the country from Pennsylvania to Minnesota in order to bring the same song of hope and liberation, but this time to the mountains and people who reside in their valleys.
We are thrilled to announce that this autumn Restoring Eden will be embarking on an exciting college tour to bring attention to the practice of mountaintop removal mining and its devastating impact on communities and the environment of central Appalachia.
The "Go, Tell it on the Mountain" Tour will be a multimedia presentation including film, photography, and music telling the stories of coalfield residents in affected areas. Singer/songwriter Aaron Lee Martin (www.myspace.com/aaronleemartin) will be accompanying us, infusing the presentation with soulful folk and bluegrass melodies.
Alongside our desire to shed light on the tragedy of mountain top removal itself, the tour will explore ways students and participants can get involved and help to protect the mountains, streams, and people affected by this violation of God‘s creation.
For those who aren’t aware Mountaintop Removal is a devastating mining practice in which coal companies literally blow up mountains, nearly 500 so far, to get to small, underlying seams of coal. They then dump the "overburden”—what was once the mountaintop—including topsoil, rocks, minerals, trees, and other wildlife into nearby valleys. This practice not only destroys the mountains themselves but also thousands of miles of streams and untold acres of richly bio-diverse forests and wildlife habitat. Furthermore, communities near these sites suffer from devastated watersheds, drinking water poisoned with toxic minerals, flooding, damaged buildings from blasting, and the disappearing Appalachian mountains they hold dear.
We believe that the desecration of the Appalachian Mountains is a tragedy that blatantly disregards God's majestic handiwork. Mountaintop removal affects the lives, health, culture, economy, and future of our brothers and sisters in Appalachia.
My name is Abbey. I am currently in my mid-twenties and the outreach coordinator at Restoring Eden.
I believe that my faith is the matrix within which everything else about me finds its place. My disclaimer is that I'm not entirely sure how that happens or what it looks like.
Often I hear and use terms like "stewardship" and "environmentalism," as well as phrases such as "caring for the least of these" and "protecting God's creation." But the over-use of these phrases and the lack of creative and engaging explanations and examples of what they mean sometimes fails to capture my attention and inspire me to act. I want to get back to the heart of these phrases and how God intended them to play out in our lives.
I am not the expert by any means, so I hope along the way you will find an opportunity to join in this conversation with your own questions, insights, and ponderings, and by the grace of God we can navigate this together.
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I recently asked Chad, my brother-in-law, why he exchanged his corn and wood pellet stove for one that burns coal, and his initial response was that coal is cheaper. As we continued talking, I became aware of how easily the market can become the sole dictator of the choices we make about how we live. Just in time to remedy my feeling of growing superiority over Chad came the realization that I have no idea where corn, coal, or even the gas that heats my apartment comes from.
Because of an unrelated last-minute decision to trek down to Appalachia, I do know a bit more about coal now. I must admit though that I waiver between being glad for the knowledge and wishing I could regain my ignorance.
A hike overlooking the New River Gorge took us past abandoned deep mines. This set the context—coal mining: formerly manual labor undertaken by thousands of hands—for the next day and a half, during which we spoke to people in the area affected by the new way coal is extracted from the earth: 19 hands ignite dynamite and control machines reaching 22 stories, literally moving mountains. The math is easy; only a fraction of the jobs the industry once required is left. Is it any wonder that West Virginia is the nation’s poorest state?
Big coal companies are destroying the region’s landscape and economic viability. They are also contributing to the destruction of the identity of one the most unique and isolated ancestral cultures in the United States. Up on Kayford Mountain lives Larry Gibson, one of the loudest voices against mountaintop removal. It’s not hard to see why; his mountain used to be the shortest one around. Now it is the tallest, an island amidst a sea of loose dirt half-heartedly covered with a foreign grass capable of growing without top soil.
“See that ridge over there?” he asked us, pointing. “That’s my family’s cemetery. They pushed all but 11 graves into the ravine.” Any remaining sympathies I may have had for the coal company vanished.
How do you answer the casual how-was-your-weekend
question after a weekend like this? I can’t honestly say it was good. “It was
strange and difficult; I felt at once motivated to work to change the course of
history and a desire to give up and fall prostrate, crying ‘Come, Lord Jesus’
for the rest of my life.”
Never has the tension between 'Already' and 'Not-yet' seemed so palpable.
I recently asked Chad, my brother-in-law, why he exchanged his corn and wood pellet stove for one that burns coal, and his initial response was that coal is cheaper. As we continued talking, I became aware of how easily the market can become the sole dictator of the choices we make about how we live. Just in time to remedy my feeling of growing superiority over Chad came the realization that I have no idea where corn, coal, or even the gas that heats my apartment comes from.
Because of an unrelated last-minute decision to trek down to Appalachia, I do know a bit more about coal now. I must admit though that I waiver between being glad for the knowledge and wishing I could regain my ignorance.
A hike overlooking the New River Gorge took us past abandoned deep mines. This set the context—coal mining: formerly manual labor undertaken by thousands of hands—for the next day and a half, during which we spoke to people in the area affected by the new way coal is extracted from the earth: 19 hands ignite dynamite and control machines reaching 22 stories, literally moving mountains. The math is easy; only a fraction of the jobs the industry once required is left. Is it any wonder that West Virginia is the nation’s poorest state?
Big coal companies are destroying the region’s landscape and economic viability. They are also contributing to the destruction of the identity of one the most unique and isolated ancestral cultures in the United States. Up on Kayford Mountain lives Larry Gibson, one of the loudest voices against mountaintop removal. It’s not hard to see why; his mountain used to be the shortest one around. Now it is the tallest, an island amidst a sea of loose dirt half-heartedly covered with a foreign grass capable of growing without top soil.
“See that ridge over there?” he asked us, pointing. “That’s my family’s cemetery. They pushed all but 11 graves into the ravine.” Any remaining sympathies I may have had for the coal company vanished.
How do you answer the casual how-was-your-weekend question after a weekend like this? I can’t honestly say it was good. “It was strange and difficult; I felt at once motivated to work to change the course of history and a desire to give up and fall prostrate, crying ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ for the rest of my life.”
Never has the tension between 'Already' and 'Not-yet' seemed so palpable.
On Thursday, December 3, Restoring Eden staff Alexis Illyn and two student representatives were part of an historic youth forum at the White House: The Clean Energy Economy Forum. Over 100 youth leaders gathered, most under the age of 30, from non-profits, faith, business, and community groups across the country. We met with experts from federal agencies, White House officials, and members of the Cabinet, specifically Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. We felt honored to represent the growing voice of Christians speaking out for the protection of God’s earth and all who depend on it.
Ben Stark, a student from Calvin College, and Kate Kirby from Gordon College share their experience of the event:
Ben writes...
This December, I had the opportunity, the privilege, and the honor of attending the Youth Clean Energy Economy Forum at The White House. I made the trip to Washington D.C. representing Restoring Eden. More than that though, I attended the forum as an advocate for Christians that are seeing this as more than a political issue, but rather as a deep concern of stewardship over God's creation and a matter of social justice for all of His children.
During the opening remarks, it was made clear that our movement has caught a lot of attention. In fact, more members of the President's cabinet were present than at any other stakeholder's event thus far. Clearly, our administration recognizes the magnitude of the situation at hand and intends to help us partner with them to achieve a cleaner economy. Nancy Sutley, Chair on the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said that our generation "will be critical to building this."
Also critical is the presence of the Christian voice. The morning of the Forum, the majority of those attending gathered in a hotel conference room to prepare for the event. At one point, the question was asked, "Who here is of a faith background?" To my surprise, only several people raised their hand. It seemed to echo what I was told when meeting with my Michigan Senators. during late October: Christians' voices aren't being heard. From my experience though, Christians are some of the most passionate about these issues. We must keep pressing. We must continue caring. And we must speak up. We are an important ally to this cause and God's creation is counting us.
Nonetheless, the forum was extraordinary. The goals of this movement and Christians are, overall, one in the same. Concerns for Mountain Top Removal, the disproportionate burden on low income communities from coal and nuclear plants, and America's need for a bold vision like an Apollo Project for Clean Energy or a Green New Deal were voiced, as well as many others. And in the end, we made it clear that our movement strongly desires to stay involved and in communication with the Government concerning these issues.
Overall, I can't see this forum as anything less than a success. Our government recognizes our willingness to support strong steps towards a cleaner future, and they wanted to meet with us directly to explore the ways in which we can work together to achieve our goals. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have been given the opportunity to attend this event. Nor can they paint an accurate picture of the excitement and enthusiasm that my spirit felt that day. It continues to pulse with the hope and determination to accomplish our vision.
As I flew home the next day, I was reading a collection of essays by Wendell Berry, and I want to close with a quote that I came across:
"How can we have something better if we do not imagine it? How can we imagine it if we do not hope for it? How can we hope for it if we do not attempt to realize it?"
May we keep attempting to realize Heaven on Earth.
Kate said of her experience...
The invitation arrived via voicemail last Monday, November 30th in New Testament Class. When I saw that Alexis Illyn from Restoring Eden had called, I dropped to the floor in an attempt to discretely listen to her message. Amidst all of the pre-class commotion, I heard the two tip-off words: “White House.”
A day later, I was on a flight to Washington DC to be one of 100 students invited to attend the Youth Clean Energy Economy Forum in the White House. The opportunity to bring the Christian perspective of environmental stewardship to the table is a great example of the power we have to participate in issues deeply rooted in our faith. It felt very liberating to stand up in front of our nation’s future leaders, and in one breath, break down destructive Christian stereotypes.
From what I have experienced, many of those who advocate for environmental protection are wary of advocating from a moral standpoint. As one of only two students representing a faith group at the forum, it is no wonder that Christian students are seen as an unlikely alliance on environmental issues. Many don’t expect us to be advocates for sustainability, but the motivation for my activism, love of God and a desire to protect His Creation, is the catalyst behind my actions.
Seven days later, the political adrenaline high has subsided and I am back in class once again, this time with a thrilling feeling that there’s more where that came from.
Welcome Fall