Green Graffiti

In downtown Morgantown, in an alleyway that could easily be missed, is a graffiti tag on a building with a stenciled message: "STOP MOUNTAINTOP REMOVAL MINING".

This sentiment is echoed and put into detail in the documentary The Last Mountain. The film shows the flaws and damaging effects of mountaintop removal mining, and tells the story of its opponents, grassroots protestors in the region and some bigger players like Robert Kennedy. I only watched the first half, but I enjoyed this documentary. It was very well made and played at the emotional aspect grippingly.
One aspect of the documentary that lessened the conviction of some in the class was the vaguely criminal "hippy" behavior of some of the protestors. This piece of vandalism shows the same aspect of the environmentalist movement. At times it's the only way to do things, and the West Virginia natives in the film were justified, but there was a group of 20-something protestors who did not appear to be from the region and just came and got arrested. Their hearts were in the right place, but they had the same problem Occupy Wall Street protestors have, seeming slightly misdirected and appearing perhaps a little too interested in the attention.
This is not to criticize the environmentalist movement, I support it. Perfectly legal and effective methods of protest were utilized in the film as well. It's just that certain aspects lessen its integrity for some. I think that the environmentalist movement in Appalachia would be an interesting subject for a semester project next year, if any future students of this class are reading this post.
-Eliana

   This picture comes from the amazing cut in between mountains that is called Greenland Gap. This, I feel, is one of the most untouched parts of appalachia. It does have a blacktop road going through it, but that is the only thing I can see that has been modernized. This is one of my favorite places in appalachia to be.
                                                                                                                        -T.

                Coal mining is a topic that has always been around me. Everyone knows about it; everyone talks about it; everyone has an opinion on it. Some people praise it; some people wish the industry would crash and burn into the ground. It all depends on who you seek out.

                Personally, I’ve never supported or rejected the idea of coal mining. In my mind, it is just some industry in life that people will fight over constantly as to whether or not it is necessary to the economy or not. I’ve always been comfortable with this mindset. Never questioning, just letting it be.

                Recently, I was exposed to the movie, The Last Mountain. It brought to my attention the matter of mountaintop removal, a method to coal mining that I was very unfamiliar with. When the idea of mountaintop removal was presented to me, I found the concept fairly reasonable. I mean, what’s wrong with the idea of peeling away the layers of the mountain to gather the coal instead of sending miners down into the hearts of mountains, where they are at more of a risk of never seeing the light of day again? With that idea alone, I was okay with it.

                Then the documentary progressed. I saw how terrible the effects were. I saw how harmful it was towards the environment. It appeared that for each incision into the mountain, the poisoned blood flooded the operating area and caused an infection to spread. None were safe. Then, the earth is laid back down on the mountain in an attempt to restore it to its former glory. Sure, the illusion may be laid out that this is the same mountain, but upon further inspection, one can clearly see that it is not the same.

                Now, I understand that this documentary was leaning towards supporting the downfall of mountaintop removal. Yet, I find myself unwilling to place all my support into that pool. Those that support mountaintop removal also toss out valid points. Alas, there so begins the battle. Both sides have points that are positive and negative. Before I even attempt to toss in my standing, if at all, I must know more on this.

                                                                                                                ~Chandra

Mountain Top Removal Mining

  Writing about this feels unnatural to me. I intentionally avoid bringing this and other environmental subjects up in conversation because they only lead to argument. I'm allergic to confrontation.
   But I suppose that's not a very good excuse, so here's my opinion: I like the environment, but I also like electricity. Until the government and general public learn to embrace renewable energy, I'm for the harvesting of coal by any means neccessary, because I like using my computer, watching T.V., turning on the lights, and running heat and air conditioning. As for preserving the mountains- and I might just be apathetic- I feel that most West Virginians have accepted and even encouraged the gradual destruction of the state through mining, powerplants, and lumbering over the past hundred years. However,  I'm hopeful that the rest of the country will not emulate West Virginia, and Americans will wake up and start valuing the Earth on which they live.
                                                                                   ~E.

Invasive Mining

The movie, The Last Mountain, was an eye-opener to the works and projects of the major coal companies. This movie was a very one-sided documentary of what the coal companies think are acceptable ways to remove about an inch of coal. The people in the valleys of Coal River Mountain showed what hardships they faced. I was very shocked at the magnitude of the destruction these people had to endure. I have secondhand experience of a form of invasive mining. Directly behind my house is the remains of a previous strip mining site. I found this area very devastating to the surrounding land and the only good thing that has resulted is its growth into woods; there is no devastation to the surrounding area and land. To completely understand this issue with the coal companies I need to hear the coal company’s side of the story. I can see where both sides have their merits and weaknesses. Both sides argue for the livelihood of their cause and I cannot make a concrete decision on my opinion. I can say that the way this movie was created, it pitted the community against the companies and state government. I cannot decide on this matter but from what I have seen, I am starting to side with small towns. They are the ones getting destroyed and suffering the consequences of big businesses.

-Todd

The Last Mountain was an intriguing documentary about mountain top removal. The film provided a lot of interesting points about the environmental downfall caused by blowing up mountains for mining. Considering I had absolutely no opinion on the subject before watching the film, I can say that I am now leaning in the direction that the film wanted me to. I've never really been one of those 'save the environment' types, but I see that it is an important cause that directly affects the area in which I live.

Preserving the environment is important, but I can't help but feel that something is missing from the movie. It was incredibly biased, and it makes me feel that the makers of the movie are afraid of the viewers hearing the other side of the story. I want to hear the coal miners' side. I want to hear Don Blankenship's opinion. It's hard for me to feel strongly in either direction without hearing both sides of the story. After doing more research on the different sides of the argument, and after checking out the statistics provided by the film, I will be able to choose which side of the debate I would like to be on.

- Falyn

Recently, my appalachian class watched "The Last Mountain." This movie popped my eyes wide open to the destruction Massey coal is responsible for throughout coal country. How can Massey's CEO, Don Blankenship, honestly believe that the corporation he is running, although it may employ many miners, is justified with its thousands of safety violations that they in turn have only payed a fifth of the amount for. In an interview about how Massey coal affects the environment, Blankenship was asked his view on global warming, most of us who would agree with the statement that burning coal is the number one leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, in which he goes on to say that he believes that the earth has been continually getting colder and that the whole concept of the "warming earth," is proposterous. Is he insane or just ignorant of the science backing up the reality of a warming earth? I wonder.
                                                                                                                                                 -Leah

The "Last" Mountain

The Last Mountain was probably one of the most emotionally appealing documentatries that I have seen in quite a while. I have long been a supporter of coal mining and the film even made me reconsider some of my views. Obviously the views were heavily biased but just the photos of the mountaintop removal sites was enough to make me think again.

Before making a decision about the documentary after all I would have to see just how true the statistics are that they state. Being so biased, I can only guess some of the figures are somewhat exaggerated. Such as the reports about the wind conditions on Coal River Mountain.

Overall the film was pretty eye opening. There was constant doubt about everything that was discussed in the video but it did successfully convince me to rethink some views and maybe do more reasearch about the subject.