Biblical/Theological Considerations on Resource Exploitation As a barebones starting point, we offer the following considerations on industrial exploitation of coal and gas in Appalachia. 1. “The earth and all that it contains belongs to God” (Psalm 24:1) is a key scripture regarding the use of the creation. This and other similar scriptures show clearly that the …
When I first read this document 18 years ago, it infuriated me. Starting on page 13, the essay includes points that amount to a depopulation plan for southern West Virginia. I think it infuriates me even more now, after everything that’s happened since then that has continued to run our people out of their ancestral home places. We truly …
This essay from 2000 amounts to a depopulation plan for southern West Virginia Read More »
Our team and our community members have participated in scientific studies that have given us reports on the devastating effects of mountaintop removal on human health. The Health Impacts of Mountaintop Removal Mining PDF Birth defects study: More inconvenient facts about the impact of mountaintop removal coal mining LINK New study details strip mining air pollution …
Resources: Health Disparities were shown to be connected to Mountaintop Removal Read More »
Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, also known as black lung disease or black lung, is caused by long-term exposure to coal dust. It is common in coal miners and others who work with coal. It is similar to both silicosis from inhaling silica dust and asbestosis from inhaling asbestos dust. Inhaled coal dust progressively builds up in …
Mountaintop removal coal mining, often described as “strip mining on steroids,” is an extremely destructive form of mining that is devastating Appalachia. In the past few decades, over 2,500 miles of headwater streams that provide drinking water for millions of people have been destroyed permanently. An area the size of Delaware has been flattened. Local communities routinely face devastating floods and adverse …
Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She helped coordinate major strikes and co-founded the Industrial Workers of the World. In 1871 Jones, the widow of an iron-moulder who had died in …
The Appalachians The Appalachians is a three hour film on the history of the Appalachians and its people told in story and song. The Appalachian mountains have been called America’s “first frontier”. The story of the brave pioneers who settled this great wilderness is the story of America: immigration, settlement, the Revolution and Civil wars, …