America’s Mountain Majesty At Risk

New Online Video Series Kicks Off, Shows the Real Cost of Coal to America’s Most Endangered Mountains

Advocates for the mountains and coalfield residents today launched a new series of online videos showing the looming danger to some of America’s most special places: the Appalachian mountains, which are home to a vibrant and indelible culture, stunning biodiversity and enormous economic potential. The videos, at www.ilovemountains.org, tell the stories of individuals and communities facing a future where their natural heritage is at risk of being blown up by mountaintop removal coal mining.

“We can find better ways to generate electricity without destroying communities,” said Mary Anne Hitt, Executive Director of Appalachian Voices, which created the videos. “Though too many mountains have been lost, there are many more that can still be saved – and their stories need to be told. Justice must be served to the communities of Appalachia.”

Mountaintop removal coal mining is an extremely destructive form of strip mining found throughout Appalachia, with some mines as big as the island of Manhattan. Coalfield residents say that it tears apart communities, destroys any chance of economic development, poisons water supplies, pollutes the air and destroys our nation’s natural heritage – while only making the climate crisis worse. Features of this new campaign include:

• America’s Most Endangered Mountains Videos
  http://www.ilovemountains.org/endangered
  The interactive map showcases 10 mountain communities facing a future where their natural heritage is at risk of being blown up by mountaintop removal coal mining. The stories featured in the videos show the reality on the ground in the Appalachian coalfields. Viewers are encouraged to spread the word and support the featured community, with videos that are easily emailed or embedded on any blog or webpage. Like the updated Appalachian Mountaintop Removal Layer in Google Earth, this map incorporates the latests videos, maps, and coal tracking tools from iLoveMountains.org.

• The Blogger’s Challenge
  http://www.ilovemountains.org/bloggers-challenge
  The ultimate resource for bloggers interested in writing about mountaintop removal coal mining which includes embeddable video, coal tracking widgets, news and blog post headline tickers, and customizable “Spread the Word” widgets. These tools will encourage and incubate a community of concerned bloggers who spread the word, collaborate, and take action. The Blogger’s Challenge page also includes a “Blogger’s Impact” map, which shows where the campaign has spread around the country as a result of the challenge.

• Updated “Appalachian Mountaintop Removal” in Google Earth
  http://www.ilovemountains.org/google_earth_tutorial/
  The most advanced content in the Google Earth’s Global Awareness layer now includes the latest videos, mapping, and coal tracking tools available on iLoveMountains.org. In 3-D and with out leaving home, one can take a high resolution tour of a mountaintop removal and see high resolution overlays of mountains before and after mining. The “My Connection” coal tracking tool lets Americans from Maine to California enter their zipcode and see how their electricity is connected to mountaintop removal. With video, stories, and photos, the “Endangered Mountain Videos” and the the “National Memorial for the Mountains” showcase communities threatened or devastated by mountaintop removal mining.

“For too long politicians have written off mountaintop removal coal mining as solely an environmental issue, but these videos show that it is so much more,” said Hitt. “The electricity that comes into your home when you flip your light switch may come at the cost of a community’s health, its economy, and even its culture. And that means it’s up to you to do something about it.”

The effort to end mountaintop removal has been gaining steam over the past year. As of today, the leading Congressional plan to end the practice has 140 co-sponsors - dozens more than in the last Congress, with months still to go.

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These new tools were actually released yesterday but since I have been feeling a little under the weather lately I’m a little late in announcing them on this blog. If you blog and want to help spread the word be sure to pick up a spread the word widget for your blog and then track your impact at ilovemountains.org.

Two of the widgets are in the far sidebar and a spread the word widget will be located there after I resolve some issues with the new widget.