Knowledge can be challenging. Striving toward change—even more so.
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The Problem with Environmental Activism in Appalachia
June 5, 2025: I wrote this not longer after defending my undergraduate thesis on negative environmentalist stereotypes in Appalachia. I later continued this course of study at Virginia…
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Christmas at the Mines
Right after Thanksgiving, everyone at the mines would start getting into the Christmas spirit. Even though we knew it was a month away, we couldn’t wait for the…
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Obama Has Killed Coal
When it comes to money and power, nothing is cut and dry, and it never seems to be in the interest of the working people. After seeing more…
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The Modern Day Company Town
Most Appalachians raised in coal country can easily describe what a “company town” is. They are littered throughout Appalachia, rows of identically built houses with a few larger…
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Everything They’ve Taken, Everything They’ve Left
There are many days I think about all that has happened in our mountains, all that we’ve sacrificed, and I can’t help but have a cathartic release. This…
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The Truth About Coal Ash
When I was a kid, they told us about acid rain in school. I even remember seeing a news broadcast in which the reporter, standing in the middle of…
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Friend of Coal? Read this…
A while ago I decided to do some investigating on who or what “Friends of Coal” was. What I found surprised me (well… not really). Friends of Coal…
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National Miner’s Day
Today, coal companies across the nation are “honoring” coal miners. Alpha Natural Resources put up an image of three women coal miners on their Facebook page supporting…
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Laid Off
Over the past few years, we have witnessed an amazing downturn in the coal industry. Mines all throughout Appalachia have closed, leaving thousands of coal miners and their…
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The Religion of Coal
I usually avoid religion in my posts, but I can no longer ignore how some people apply their Christianity to coal and coal mining. Specifically… “If God didn’t…