June 17th, 2008 – 
As of today, 16,600 people have watched one or more of the America’s Most Endangered Mountains video series!
In addition, the iLoveMountains.org Blogger’s Challenge is heating up! In the 2 weeks since the launch, 217 bloggers have pledged to help end mountaintop removal coal mining by spreading the word! Oh, and check out the Bloggers’ Impact Map. They’re everywhere!
Contact:
Joel Finkelstein or Kate Geller, (202) 822-5200
Benji Burrell (804) 662-0964
BOONE, NC – 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 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://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://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://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.
June 3rd, 2008 – The following email was sent to the 29,000+ supporters of iLoveMountains.org. To sign up to receive free email alerts, click here.
Mountaintop removal coal mining isn’t an abstract debate. Real places — places with names like Huckleberry Ridge and Black Mountain, Kentucky, Wise County, Virginia, and Walden’s Ridge, Tennessee — are at this very moment under threat.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of America’s Most Endangered Mountains — and given you the tools to help protect them:
http://ilovemountains.org/endangered
For nearly two years, iLoveMountains.org has raised awareness about the massive scale of destruction left behind by mountaintop removal coal mining, which has already destroyed more than 470 mountains and countless communities and streams in Appalachia.
In the process, we’ve helped change the debate about mountaintop removal coal mining. And you’ve helped us build a movement — with nearly 30,000 Americans joining us on iLoveMountains.org, and a record 139 supporters standing with us in Congress.
But even as the tide of public opinion has turned against mountaintop removal coal mining, Big Coal has been moving forward with plans to rip off the tops of some of the most beautiful mountains in Appalachia.
Learn about Big Coal’s plans — and what you can do to stop them — by visiting America’s Most Endangered Mountains:
http://ilovemountains.org/endangered
For too long, Big Coal has benefited from the isolation of the people of Appalachia, relying on the remoteness of Appalachia’s most vibrant and indelible communities to bypass broad public awareness of their destructive plans.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Today, you can stand with the people of Huckleberry Ridge and Black Mountain and other places in Appalachia, and help amplify their voices in opposition to the next wave of mountaintop removal coal mining.
After you’ve visited and heard the stories of America’s Most Endangered Mountains, take just a few moments to spread the word by forwarding a video to a friend or family member, or using the tell-a-friend tool to reach out to your network on the web.
And if you have a blog or website, please, take our Blogger’s Challenge and help us get the word out about America’s Most Endangered Mountains:
http://ilovemountains.org/bloggers-challenge
Over the coming months, we’ll be adding more stories and videos about America’s Most Endangered Mountains, because we want all Americans to know about the people and the places under threat from mountaintop removal coal mining.
Please, help us get the word out. Forward this email to your friends and family, or invite at least 5 friends to join you in stopping mountaintop removal coal mining through our website.
Together, we can protect America’s Most Endangered Mountains — and put an end to Big Coal’s plans to destroy the mountains we all love.
Mary Anne Hitt
iLoveMountains.org
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.. and Mike Papantonio discuss the destructiveness of Mountaintop Removal coal mining on their Air America Radio Show, Ring of Fire. To listen to the show, CLICK HERE
Appalachian Voices • Coal River Mountain Watch • Heartwood • Keeper of the Mountains • Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition • Statewide Organizing for Community eMpowerment • Sierra Club Environmental Justice
Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards • SouthWings • Stay Project • West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
Site produced by Appalachian Voices 589 West King St, Boone, NC 28607 ~ 1-877-APP-VOICE (277-8642) ~ ilm-webmaster@ilovemountains.org
