Launched by Appalachian Voices in March 2005, the Appalachian Treasures project is a national campaign to end the suffering and devastation that mountaintop removal coal mining has brought to the land and communities of Appalachia. Appalachian Voices has sent a full time field organizer out on the road, along with volunteers from Appalachia’s coalfields, and together they are traveling the country building a national network of people who will work together to end mountaintop removal. At the heart of this effort is “Appalachian Treasures,” a multimedia presentation that features photos that capture the beauty of Appalachia along with disturbing shots of flattened moonscape mining sites, voice recordings of neighbors and friends recounting the daily struggles of life in the coalfields, and traditional music of Appalachia. This amazing presentation leaves a powerful, lasting impression of the beauty and the richness of the culture and heritage of Appalachia, as well as the needless devastation caused by mountaintop removal coal mining. Five ways you can help 1. Please contact us at outreach@appvoices.org or 828-262-1500 to find out which states we will be visiting to spread the word about mountaintop removal. 2. The only way we can stop mountaintop removal is through citizens like you combining your voice with others. Host your own viewing of Appalachian Treasures and help us spread the word. Order our FREE action kit today. To request a kit, contact us at outreach@appvoices.org or 828-262-1500. 3. We are able to keep the Appalachian Treasures project on the road through generous donations from people like you. To make a donation, click here. 4. To join the Appalachian Treasures network, sign up for our for our monthly email alerts, contact us at outreach@appvoices.org or 828-262-1500. You can keep up to date on breaking developments and new ways you can help stop mountaintop removal. 5. Write a letter to your US Representative asking them to co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act, a bill that would protect coalfield communities. For more information and help writing your letter, click here. Where Appalachian Treasures Was Presented in 2006: 1. Citizens for Affordable and Renewable Energy/Sierra Club of Suwannee - Gainesville, FL 2. Eco-Sanibel - Sanibel, FL 3. FGCU University Enviro Group - Ft Myers, FL 4. Florida Intl Univ - Miami, FL 5. Humanists of Northeast Florida (HONEF) - Ormond Beach, FL 6. Miami Beach Rotary Club - FL 7. Orlando Sentinel Ed Board Mtg - FL 8. Palm Beach Post Ed Board Mtg - West Palm Beach, FL 9. U of M - Miami, FL 10. University of Miami - Miami, FL 11. UU Church of Jacksonville - Orange Park, FL 12. UU Congregation of Miami - Miami, FL 13. Ennis Rotary Club - Ennis, TX 14. Sierra Club- Ft Worth - Fort Worth, TX 15. Capitol Hour Radio Show - Houston, TX 16. Sierra Club- Dallas, Dallas Peace Action, Interfaith Enviro Alliance, Sustainable Dallas - Dallas, TX 17. Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center - Bellaire, TX 18. Thoreau Unitarian Universalist Congregation- Adult Discussion Group - Stafford, TX 19. Community Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio - San Antonio, TX 20. Rhizome Collective - Austin , TX 21. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Houston - Houston, TX 22. Grace ELCA - Houston, TX 23. Current Events Discussion Group - Houston, TX 24. Holy Trinity Church - Glenview, IL 25. Radio Interview with WJBC- R.C. McBride - Bloomington, IL 26. Radio Interview for KDHX-FM, St Louis (phone) - , IL 27. Illinois Weslyan University-Bio & Enviro Sci Dept - Bloomington, IL 28. MCKENDREE COLLEGE Brown Bag Lunch Series - Lebanon, IL 29. SIU- Carbondale, Interfaith Ctr, Enviro Resource & Policy Dept- Coal Extraction and Utilization Research Center, Student Enviro Ctr - Carbondale, IL 30. WDBX- Faithfully Subversive Radio Show - Carbondale, IL 31. WSIU Radio Interview - Carbondale, IL 32. Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship - Carbondale, IL 33. Tenative Radio Show - Carbondale, IL 34. Forest Hydrology - Carbondale, IL 35. Environmental Sociology- UIUC - Urbana, IL 36. Citizens & Democratic Process, UIUC - Urbana, IL 37. Dept of Natural Resources and Environment Sciences at UIUC, University YMCA, SECS, Channing-Murray Foundation, University of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Society, Friends Meeting - Urbana, IL 38. Contemporary Social Problem, ISU - Normal, IL 39. Geography/ Geology Consortium, ISU - Normal, IL 40. Bioneer's Conference - Detroit, MI 41. Caesar Room, Muskegon Community College - Muskegon, MI 42. College Democrats, Green Valley State University - Allendale, MI 43. Environmental Issues Group - Holland, MI 44. Extended Grace Lutheran Church - Muskegon, MI 45. First Lutheran Church - Muskegon, MI 46. First Lutheran Church - Muskegon, MI 47. Hope College Environmental Dept - Holland, MI 48. St Elizabeth Catholic Community - Wyandotte, MI 49. Trenton Rotary Club - Wes Mator, MI 50. Trinity Lutheran Church - Battle Creek, MI 51. Wesley Foundation, Green Valley State University - Allendale, MI 52. West Michigan Environmental Action Council - Grand Rapids, MI 53. Zeeland Rotary Club - Zeeland, MI 54. MO Sierra Club, MO Coalition for the Enviro, Earthways Center, MO Forest Alliance - St Louis, MO 55. First UU Church Alton - Alton, MO 56. Rockwell House, Episcopal Campus Ministry- Washington U- St Louis - St. Louis, MO Where Appalachian Treasures Was Presented in 2005: 1. Rotary Club of Utica, NY 2. Rotary Club of Ashtabula, OH 3. Rotary Club of Wyoming, MI 4. Rotary Club of Curwensville, PA 5. Rotary Club of Hatboro, PA 6. Rotary Club of Martinsburg, PA 7. Rotary Club of Huntingdon, PA 8. Rotary Club of Exton-Frazer, PA 9. Rotary Club of Horsham, PA 10. Rotary Club of Willow Grove, PA 11. Kiwanis Club of Flowood, MS 12. Exchange Club of Biloxi, MS 13. Rotary Club of Maryville, TN 14. Rotary Club of Loudon, TN 15. Knoxville Breakfast Rotary, TN 16. Quad Cities Rotary Club, MN 17. Port of Duluth Kiwanis Club, MN 18. Rotary Club of Passaic, NJ 19. Rotary Club of Washington Township, NJ 20. Rotary Club of Hammonton, NJ 21. Rotary Club of West Orange, NJ 22. Rotary Club of Harrisburg, PA 23. Rotary Club of Bala-Cynwyd-Narberth, PA 24. Rotary Club of Annville, PA 25. Rotary Club of Central Chester County, PA 26. Charlotte West Rotary Club, NC 27. Rotary Club of Southern Pines, NC 28. Ecumenical Advocacy Days, Washington, DC 29. Friends General Conference Gathering (National Quaker Meeting), Blacksburg, VA 30. Second Annual Southeast Student Renewable Energy Conference, Knoxville, TN 31. Appalachian Trail Conservancy Biennial Meeting, Johnson City, TN 32. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY 33. Prof. David Orr, Environmental Studies classes, Oberlin University, Oberlin, OH 34. St. Bonaventure University, Earth Justice Office & Student Earth Corps at the Franciscan Center for Social Concern, & SBU Pax Christi, Olean, NY 35. New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), Buffalo & Syracuse, NY 36. Social Justice Cluster of Area Churches, Cortland, NY 37. Buckeye Forest Council & Appalachian Sierra Club Group, Athens, OH 38. Prof. Nancy Manring, Environmental Politics class, Ohio University, Athens, OH 39. Prof. Linda Taylor, Dept of Geology at Ohio University, Zanesville, OH 40. Ohio Citizen Action, Columbus, OH 41. Public Library, Columbus, OH 42. Wolf Creek Environmental Center, Sharon Center, OH 43. Piasa Palisades Sierra Club Group, Alton, IL 44. Dr. Randy Auxier's Philosophy & Ethics class, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 45. Coal Extraction and Utilization Research Center, SIU, Carbondale, IL 46. Shawnee Greens & The Interfaith Center, Carbondale, IL 47. Students for Environmental Concerns, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL 48. Missouri Forest Alliance, St. Louis, MO 49. First Lutheran Church, Muskegon, MI 50. Environmental Stewardship Coalition at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 51. Pax Christi group at Sisters of St. Joseph Mother House, Kalamazoo, MI 52. Muskegon Community College, Muskegon, MI 53. West Michigan Sierra Club group & Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids, MI 54. Peacemaking unit of Market Square Presbyterian Church, Harrisburg, PA 55. Clean Water Action, Philadelphia, PA 56. Social Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown, PA 57. Fellowship Luncheon at the Senior Center of Pascagoula, MS 58. Our Home Unitarian Universalist Church, Ellisville, MS 59. Gulf Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship & Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church, Gulfport, MS 60. Heartwood Forest Council (2 workshops), Oxford, MS 61. Reception with the Campus Chaplin, Maryville College, Maryville, TN 62. Environmental Concerns Committee, Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, Knoxville, TN 63. St. Scholastica Monastery (Benedictine Sisters), Duluth, MN 64. Peace United Church of Christ, Duluth, MN 65. Audubon Center of the North Woods, Sandstone, MN 66. Blue Ridge Sierra Club Group, Watauga County Public Library, Boone, NC 67. Appalachian State University Sustainable Energy Society, Boone, NC 68. Floyd Public Library, Floyd, VA 69. Prof. Tiffany Trent’s Sustainability class, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 70. CAMEO (Complementary and Alternative Methods for Energized and Optimal Health) Institute, Radford University, Radford, VA 71. Earth Week, Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC 72. Essex Environmental Center, Essex County Sierra Club Group, Roseland, NJ 73. Richard Stockton University, Pomona, NJ 74. Office of New York State Attorney General, Environmental Protection Bureau, NYC 75. National Resources Defense Council, NYC 76. Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Long Island & White Plains, NY 77. Alley Pond Environmental Center, Queens, NY 78. NYC Audubon and NYC Sierra Club Group, NYC 79. Mid-Hudson Progressive Alliance, Beacon, NY 80. Paoli Mennonite Church, Paoli, IN 81. North United Methodist Church, hosted by American Bird Conservancy, Indianapolis, IN 82. Indiana University School of Public & Environmental Affairs, Bloomington, IN 83. Falls of the Ohio State Park, hosted by Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Knob & Valley Audubon, Clarksville, IN 84. Clean Water Action, Philadelphia, PA 85. Olivet United Methodist Church / Appalachian Service Project, Coatesville, PA 86. Bodine High School for International Affairs / World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, PA 87. Cecilian Center for Earth, Arts & Spirit (run by the Sisters of St. Joseph), co-hosted with Interfaith Global Climate Change Campaign, Philadelphia, PA 88. Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley, hosted with Lehigh Valley Sierra Club Group, PA 89. First Unitarian Universalist Church of Indiana, with the Evangelical Lutheran Coalition for Mission in Appalachia PA 90. ForeverGreen, Guilford College, Greensboro, NC 91. Prof. Harvard Ayers, Anthropology class, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 92. North Carolina Sierra Club, Charlotte, NC 93. College of Charleston, SC 94. South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC 95. South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Columbia, SC 96. Furman Student Environmental Action Group, Furman University, Greenville, SC 97. Blessings Project, Winston-Salem, NC

I have been working through in my head just how this organization we are trying to build is going to do what it is intended to do, change the world. What does that mean, change the world? I admit this is a highly ambiguous statement.  "Yeah, these guys wanna change the world, ooh their so nice?"

Well yeah, we wanna change the world by bringing all these organizations and everyday people together. How? Why?

I was laying in bed contemplating all this when it occurred to me how something in one part of the world can affect something  in another part. Like something I read in Mother Jones about the price of cashmere. Back in the day (a Wednesday) cashmere was expensive. Now you can get it at Wal-Mart. Well the reason it is affordably is that some one in China started a factory and and bred goats to supply it. And than built another factory and bred more sheep. And more and more and more. Now all these sheep eat an awful lot of grass. "A Rhode Island-sized" amount of grass!  Small price to pay for cheaper cashmere sweaters.

Or look at what happened when America wanted to fuck with the Russians so they helped out some folks in Afghanistan.  Or when Britain helped this one guy named Saddam Hussan come into power. 

Everything that happens in this world affects what happens elsewhere. Power plays in the mid-East affects public opinion America affects what is seen on your television affects power plays in South America affects your child's education affects global warming. Yeah some of this is a stretch, but not by much if you really look at what's happening in the world. It's like the weather. It's called the butterfly effect. Look it up. I'm not informed enough to tell you much about it and it's 2:48 in the morning and I have to get up to make breakfast for my 3 year old.

So let me get to my point (sorry about rambling I'm half asleep): If everything that happens somehow affects everything else that happens than all causes need to work together. People trying to stop child abuse need to help people trying to end world hunger. People trying to stop global warming need to help people who are trying to improve education. They all relate to each other. They all affect each other. What I do, what I teach my daughter, what I buy and make her for breakfast affects how you live your life. I only want the best for my daughter means I only want what's best for you. So help me make a difference, think about what I've written, it will eventually make sense. Together we can cause Change!

 

Hello everyone. The purpose of this profile is to inspire the desire to help one another. We have started profiles and groups on various different online communities to try to bring this message to as many people as possible. We ask you to add us, to invite your friends to add us. Check out our other profiles and join them too:

http://www.myspace.com/change_together

The ultimate goal of this project is to bring all the different groups of social activism together into a community, a movement that will be stronger for its unity, stronger than it's individual elements. Together we can help this world Change!