MSU Hillel’s Teva program decided to head down to Harlan County to understand the growing issue of mountain top removal. The name says it all. Coal companies take explosives to mountains in order to extract coal in the fastest and easiest way. Like anything else, there is a price to pay when human beings are exploiting nature’s finest resources. Not only are mountains left bare, all the rich soil is unusable, forests are clear-cut and animals are left without their habitat. Even the vast rivers that flow throughout the Appalachian region are contaminated due to the metals that have now consumed the water.
As a student/leader on this trip I expected that the environmental degradation of mountain top removal site would be this extreme, however, I was completely speechless when I came to the area. The community and people have built their lives around the coal industry and now only 11% of the people are working within the field. I was shocked to hear that there are places in our country where the resources are not being protected. Coming from Michigan I have a strong familiarity with our will to protect the Great Lakes. Learning that dangerous mountain top sites are only a hike away from people’s homes left me with the feeling that not only are the resources exploited but the people as well. The air the people breathe is polluted. Their homes are left with a layer of coal filth and worst of all they are in a range were boulders could come crashing down upon their homes. This industry has always been seen as wicked, but now more then ever it seems to have pushed one step too far.
The ten of us from MSU Hillel worked with an advocacy group, Mountain Justice, to fight against coal mining in the area. During this weeklong trip we went to old coal sites and planted 50 trees apiece. We traveled to people’s homes so we could help them in preparation for cold weather. Harlan County is one of the poorest county’s in America and people do not have the means to work on their homes. During these projects we insulated, calked, painted, changed light bulbs and created connections with these people. Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, one step at a time.
Apart from the hands-on learning, we gained understanding of what the people of Harlan County are like. We listened and danced to mountain folk music. Tasted the cuisine of classic fried dishes, hiked in the Appalachian area and watched a number of videos to familiarize ourselves with the atmosphere we were in. Not to mention learned how to drive along the sides of mountains, as wildlife was quickly passing us!
As a representative from this trip, I can account to this life-changing experience. I realize that “life-changing” often gets thrown around but this trip sincerely gave each of us an adventure that we will never forget.
-Nina Patchak
Chair of Teva
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