Power of the little people

Students seek support of Clean Water Act from Congressman Carney

By SANDY LONG

MILFORD, PA — When Congressman Chris Carney came to town last week on his latest listening tour, he found a gathering of young activists garbed in green T-shirts with “I love mountains!” stickers stuck to their cheeks. A question posed on their shirts inquired, “What is your G.P.A.?” short for Green Power Alliance, the intrepid group’s name.

When their turn came to talk, the children told the congressman about the destructive practice of mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining in Appalachia, where mountains are blasted and lowered by up to 700 feet, burying forested valleys, headwater streams and ecosystems below. Then they asked him—point blank—to co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 2169), a bill that could significantly curtail MTR practices.

Residents of Pennsylvania and New York, the children are students at The Homestead School in Glen Spey, NY. They became concerned about MTR once they understood their own roles as consumers of electricity. “All of us use power, so we are contributing to the problem and the people of Appalachia are paying the price,” said Sophie Lutfy, a student at the school.

Sophie’s 10-year-old sister, Grace, showed the PowerPoint presentation she had prepared, which highlighted impacts of coal extraction in Appalachia: 470 mountains destroyed, 1,200 miles of headwater streams buried, 80 square miles of biologically diverse temperate forest vanished, flooding, landslides and contamination of drinking water and air.

Once the students understood that roughly 50 percent of their electricity comes from coal-fired power plants and that 30 percent of that coal comes from surface mining, they decided they had to act. “If you are part of the problem, then you need to be part of the solution,” said Sophie.

Parent Greg Lutfy has three children enrolled at The Homestead School, Jack, Sophie and Grace. He values the type of active learning tied to real-life issues that the children are exposed to. “I think it’s wonderful. Part of what the school teaches them is that if we don’t take care of the environment, everything else is incidental.” But students are asked to think it through. “Before Grace made her decision, she said, ‘Before I’m against mountaintop removal, what will it cause if we try to stop this?”

Peter Comstock, head of The Homestead School, and other adults associated with the GPA, helped the students research the matter and said, “What we stumbled on is an issue of global and national importance. That’s why we’re doing something about it.

“Beyond the moral imperative of caring for others, the kids understand that our use of MTR is destroying a national treasure—the Appalachian forest and its rich mountain culture. With the flick of a light switch, we are enabling our power plants to belch mercury, sulfur dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere in the name of cheap electricity,” noted Comstock.

Following points made by other students, Grace again approached Carney. “We are kids with an alternate attitude and we believe in the power of one. We also believe in the solution of the Clean Water Act. Will you be a co-sponsor?” she asked.

“What I promise is that we will study the act and my answer will come from that. There’s a lot we have to consider,” responded Carney.

Calmly, Grace replied, “Hopefully, you will consider being a co-sponsor and we will be waiting for your answer.”

Later, Carney commented, “I’m very proud of the children. They knew their stuff and spoke with conviction and confidence. They’re presenting a problem that we, in government, wrestle with. We need to start working on alternative energy and creating more ‘green collar jobs.’”

Comstock hopes that more adults will be inspired by the children’s activism. “The kids’ goal was to make a strong, yet considered, statement,” said Comstock. “In his committee’s hearings next month on the Clean Water Act, Congressman Carney will find it difficult to put aside those quiet little voices speaking simple truth, or to ignore the devastating scenes of mountaintop removal which the students projected for him.”

But the children are not resting on their achievements. The next day, they toured Mirant Corporation’s Bowline power plant on the Hudson River and plied plant manager Bill Metzger with their concerns for the environment and green alternatives, according to Comstock. The first step, they pointed out, was that the fuel feeding the plant should not include coal mined through mountaintop removal.

In April, they will travel to coalfields in West Virginia on a fact-finding mission. They will staff booths at Earth Day events on April 19 at the PPL Environmental Center in Hawley and on April 20 at the Pocono Environmental Education Center in Dingmans Ferry. Then on May 3, they will host a day-long symposium “Your Coal Connection” at PEEC (see below).

For more information contact The Homestead School at info@homesteadschool.org or 845/856-6359.

Your Coal Connection: Energy Expo and Symposium

Saturday, May 3, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC), Dingmans Ferry PA

Learn about the devastating effects of mountaintop removal coal mining and solutions for a greener future at this event, co-sponsored by the Green Power Alliance and PEEC. Award-winning filmmakers, grassroots organizers and teenage activists will speak. An environmental film festival will feature “Kilowatt Ours,” “Mountain Mourning,” “Burning the Future” and “Mountaintop Removal.” Green energy exhibits will be ongoing throughout the day. The event is free and open to the public.