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Ever wonder where the electricity in your home comes from? Go to this website, type in your zipcode, and within seconds you can see the power plants on your grid. They’ll also tell you if they use any coal taken from mountaintop removal mines, and show you where those mines are.
We have some pictures to go along with the show, because this is something you have to see to fully grasp, courtesy of photographer Antrim Caskey. She took the picture above, and you can click here for more of her pictures from West Virginia.
Many of the guests who’ll be on this program will also be at The Charles Theater tonight (Tuesday) for a screening of Black Diamonds at 7pm. The documentary, directed by Catherine Pancake, "charts the escalating drama in Appalachian states surrounding the increase in massive mountaintop removal coal mines that supply cheap coal to the US and Europe. The film documents one of the most radical, environmental grassroots movements in the US today as impoverished local citizens fight to end the destruction of their mountain vistas, communities, and culture." It’s a fundraiser for Coal River Mountain Watch, and there’s more info here.
Here’s the rundown on the guests:
- Jack Spadaro – former Superintendent of the National Mine Health and Safety Academy
- Bill Rainey – President of the West Virginia Coal Association
- Patty Sebok – from Coal River Mountain Watch
- Lorelei Scarbro – from Coal River Mountain Watch
- Maria Gunnoe – organizer for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition
-Justin
Democracy in Crises: The Fire and The Fury
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