Student Groups Protest Environmental and Justice Abuses

Junior Josh Kanagy joins Earthkeepers as they observe mountaintop destruction in West Virginia.
(Photo: James Souder)

Courtney Ryan, Staff Writer

The months of October and November prove busy for clubs such as Peace Fellowship and Earthkeepers. Many EMU students are actively participating in environmental and justice campaigns, attending protests and conferences around the U.S.

Mountaintop Conference: For educational purposes, EMU took several students as well as a recent graduate to the sixth annual Mountain Justice Fall Summit, held on Oct. 28-30. Coal River Mountain Watch and Radical Action for Mountain People’s Survival, two groups protesting mountaintop removal, hosted the conference.

About 100 people from around the country attended this event to learn about mountaintop removal and strip mining. “When you realize that the mountain ridge we stood on used to be hundreds of feet taller, and covered with trees and wildlife rather than a random [manifestation] of invasive grasses, you begin to see it for what it is: devastating,” said Joshua Kanagy, copresident of Earthkeepers.

According to Kanagy, mountaintop removal is both an environmental and social justice issue. “People are being forced into leaving their homes, and the land they were raised on has been polluted, bulldozed, and destroyed,” said Kanagy.

At the conference, protestors viewed a documentary exploring the health, environmental, social, and economic effects of mountaintop removal. According to Katie Jantzen, copresident of Earthkeepers, locals were given the chance to explain the effects on their lives. Students also heard the perspectives of people who live in communities affected by this issue.

Sustainable energy, community organizing, and general information about mountaintop removal were a few of the workshops protesters attended. On the last day of the conference, students visited the home of Larry Gibson, featured in the YERT documentary previously shown on EMU’s campus. Gibson discussed his personal experience with mining companies and the consequences of mountaintop removal.

“It was especially moving for the people who had never seen a site before to behold the extreme devastation this resource extraction leaves behind,” said Jantzen.

Pipeline Protest: On Nov. 6, the Tar Sands Action organization gathered an estimated 12,000 people who linked arms to surround the White House. They protested to prevent construction of the Keystone XL pipeline designed to carry oil from Canada to Texas. If approved by President Obama, the pipeline would run from Canada to the Gulf Coast.

Protestors carried signs with President Obama’s campaign promises for “‘clean energy and a healthier environment,’ as the decision to grant approval for the pipeline projects rests entirely on Obama,” said Jantzen.

The crude oil would be extracted from the Canadian tar sand, then processed and shipped overseas, said protest attendee, Kanagy. “Protestors came from all over the country to express their opposition to the environmental destruction this project would cause if it is approved,” said Jantzen, who was also in attendance.

The pipeline would run through rivers and streams, directly into the Ogallala aquifer, which currently supplies water for around two million people. “If there would be a leak,” said Kanagy, “it could contaminate these precious water resources and make them nearly impossible to reclaim.”

Kanagy said this pipeline would greatly increase the nation’s carbon emissions, and “[sets] us up for an environmental disaster.”

School of the Americas Protest: Held annually, the School of Americas (SOA) protest will take place in Fort Benning, Ga., Nov. 18-19. The SOA is responsible for “training militant [leaders] in Latin America, who have committed countless human rights abuses,” said Kanagy.

EMU’s Peace Fellowship club is organizing a group to attend the protest. The protest will also include seminars, workshops, vigils, and the opportunity to hear testimonials from people affected by SOA graduates.

The SOA provides men with skills to take back to their country and “join forces with unjust movements that destroy rather than construct their society,” said Kiersten Rossetto, copresident of Peace Fellowship.

“The SOA protest is a very important event for me because [it] affects people all over the world,” said Rossetto, who is organizing a group to attend the protest. For more information, contact Kiersten Rossetto at her email: kiersten.rossetto@emu.edu.