Shoutin' for the Mountain
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There is a secret cost to power the coal-fired electrical energy plants proliferating through-out the country. That cost, though hidden, is real and is being paid for by the long-suffering hill people of Appalachia and by the mountains themselves. Through the destructive practice of mountain top removal coal mining, entire mountaintops are dynamited, bulldozed and pushed into the nearby pristine valley’s and streams – all in the name of short-term jobs and cheap energy. But the true cost of this behavior is severe economic poverty and unprecedented environmental destruction – pollution, deadly floods, toxic water and destroyed ecosystems are just some of the horrors. As one woman said, “Don’t tell me coal is clean or cheap. It is coming at the lives and health of my children.” You have to see the damage and hear the heart wrenching stories to really understand the scope and scale of this form of mining. We are looking for a select group of Christian college students to go on a three-day witness tour followed by a three-day lobby training in Washington DC. We are talking with a film maker about a short documentary. Join Restoring Eden, Christians for the Mountains and Appalachian Voices for this life changing week. But if a picture is worth a thousand words, then seeing it first hand is a life-changing experience. But momentum is on our side and by speaking out now, we can help to reduce the damage being done. We need your help. Space is limited so if you can’t go, would you consider a donation to sponsor a student? And we have video tapes and materials to learn more. If you’re interested, contact Peter at peter_illyn@restoringeden.org |
Appalachian Mountain Top Removal Witness Tour and D.C. Lobby Training April 3 to 8, 2008
- Schedule:
- We will meet up in D.C. on Thursday, April 3 - We will try to get there by early evening then we will carpool to Harrisonburg, VA for the night at Eastern Mennonite University.
- Friday, April 4 - We head into the hills of Appalachia to look at mountains reduced to coal pit mines. We will spend the night in Charleston, WV.
- Saturday, April 5 - We will meet with communities deeply impaceted by the coal mining, attend a region wide prayer meeting on a mountain and then head back to Harrisonburg for the third night.
- Sunday, April 6 - We will receive lobby training at the offices of the World Wildlife Fund for part of the day and take a tour of the national monuments at night.
- Monday, April 7 - We will complete our lobby training in the morning, meet with elected officials in the afternoon, and have a special reception that night.
- Tuesday, April 8 - We will meet with elected officials during the day and have a celebratory dinner that night. The conference is over and people can return home on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.