West Virginia University students will get a firsthand look at a controversial issue facing West Virginia when the Society of Environmental Professionals and Sierra Student Coalition present "Coal Country," a documentary about mountaintop removal in Southern West Virginia.
The film will begin at 8 p.m. in Room 1001 in the Agricultural Sciences Building on the Evansdale Campus.
Along with the movie, there will also be speakers, a question and answer session, and free refreshments.
"The Sierra Coalition is an environmental group that tries to promote good environmental practices on campus and around the state. (Junior environmental geological science major and vice president of the Society of Environmental Professionals) Amanda Savage contacted me and asked if I or anyone in SC would like to help present the movie, so I said yes," said Meredith Brown, a senior political science major and member of the coalition.
"Everyone, even the students at WVU (has) a responsibility, and showing ‘Coal Country' would give us a beginning on discussing those issues," Brown said.
Savage agreed.
"‘Coal Country' is a movie about the mountaintop removal that takes place in Southern West Virginia, and the movie actually represents both sides of the story," she said. "There are interviews with people in the movie from a former coal miner who is now against mountaintop removal, to a coal miner who currently works for the coal company, to people who have lobbied against mountaintop removal."
Savage said she believes it's important for students to
become aware of the situation.
"We were interested in showing the movie just to make people aware of the issue," she said. "People everywhere are affected by this."
One of the doctors featured in the movie, Dr. Michael Hendryx, director of West Virginia Rural Health Research Center and an associate professor in the Department of Community Medicine, will also be on hand tomorrow for the question and answer session.
is a member of the 
2 comments