“I Ain’t Collateral Damage. I Am Somebody”

This past weekend I went to West Virginia to say goodbye to my friend Larry Gibson. He passed away on September 9th on his home on Kayford Mountain, West Virginia. Hundreds turned out to Charleston’s civic arena to pay homage to this simple man who decided, 25 years ago, to take a stand against one of [...]

Continue reading...

The Best Way To Honor Larry Gibson’s Incredible Life Is To Continue Spreading His Powerful Message

Larry Gibson was a true hero. One of the most important things we can do to honor the incredible life Larry lived is keep fighting: continue fending off King Coal, protecting our air, our mountains, our water, our climate and our communities. You can help by sharing one of these images below. Larry set a [...]

Continue reading...

Remembering Appalachia’s Mountain Keeper, Larry Gibson

“They tell us we’re collateral damage. Well, I ain’t collateral damage. I am somebody. My name is Larry Gibson.” –Larry Gibson Politics in West Virginia always feel more real to me. Energy and economic policies have allowed coal companies to turn the state into a national sacrifice zone. Mountains are flattened by a surface mining [...]

Continue reading...

West Virginia Prepares for Mountain Mobilization; July 25-Aug. 1

“Everything has to get bigger from here. We need to put our backs up against the wall and not back down.” –Larry Gibson, lifelong West Virginian This fight to end mountaintop removal coal mining is not over. And like Larry said, it needs to get bigger and not back off. Mountain fighters from all over [...]

Continue reading...

Larry Gibson: “Stand With Me Against BofA and Coal”

As a native West Virginian, I have experienced the dire impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining firsthand. I used to walk around the forests surrounding my family’s home on Kayford Mountain and feel like I was a part of mother nature. Now all I feel is dynamite exploding and the vibration of heavy machinery. As [...]

Continue reading...

Photo Of The Day: Appalachians Join Texas Landowner In Tar Sands Sit-in At White House

Today another 111 people were arrested sitting in at the White House calling on President Barack Obama to deny the Keystone XL pipeline’s permits. In a powerful example of cross-movement solidarity, a large delegation of Appalachians who have been fighting mountaintop removal coal mining participated in the sit-in. They joined a delegation of pipeline landowners [...]

Continue reading...

The Last Mountain

A new must-see movie is out about the anti-mountaintop removal movement. Featuring Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “The Last Mountain” focuses on the issues of mountaintop removal and hard work of many people inside and outside the coalfields of Appalachia fighting to end it. The film has gotten a lot of attention, to the point where [...]

Continue reading...

Appalachian Journey: A Supporter’s Perspective, by Sue Thompson

I recently went on a trip with two awesome people from Rainforest Action Network, Branden Barber and Debra Erenberg, to visit Appalachia country in West Virginia.  The purpose of the trip was to see first hand what’s happening with mountaintop removal (MTR) due to the affects of coal strip mining.  Its one thing to read [...]

Continue reading...

Ken Lewis – wish u were here

Last Friday found me up Kayford Mountain in West Virginia, gazing at a horrific Mountaintop Removal site and wishing that Ken Lewis, CEO of Bank of America, were by my side. I had just spent all of last week in the area, meeting with friends and allies, drinking in the incredible scenery, dodging coal trucks [...]

Continue reading...