Coal Free IU to screen ‘Coal Country’

Coal Free IU will screen “Coal Country” today to inform students about the harmful effects of mountaintop-removal coal mining.

Coal Free IU began in September when the Sierra Club, the nation’s oldest and largest environmental group, launched its Beyond Coal Campaign.

The purpose of the campaign is to shut down more than 60 coal plants on campuses across the country and to transition them to 100 percent clean, renewable energy, Sierra Club Coordinator Monica Embrey said.

IU’s on-site coal plant is located on the corner of 10th Street and Fee Lane and provides energy for heating and air conditioning on campus, Embrey said. In 2006 alone, the plant burned 68,000 tons of coal.

The film “Coal Country” follows Appalachian residents who are directly threatened by mountaintop removal, the mining practice where mountaintops are blasted away to gain better access to coal. The waste is then dumped into valleys and waterways of nearby communities.

“This issue of mountaintop removal practices is very applicable to students because some of the coal used at IU for electricity from Duke Energy is mountaintop removal coal,” Embrey said.

Novella Shuck, academic events coordinator for Coal Free IU, planned the “Coal Country” screening to raise awareness about the harmful effects of coal not only as an energy source but also in the environment while it is mined.

“I really hope that students understand the entire life cycle of coal,” Shuck said.

The “Coal Country” screening is part of a national event coordinated by the Sierra Club to spread awareness about mountaintop-removal process. Between 800 and 900 screenings will take place across the country this week, Embrey said.

Musician Jason Wilber, who worked on the “Coal Country” soundtrack, will be at the screening to say a few words before the film begins.

Coal Free IU will also feature an art installation Wednesday made from 100 percent recycled materials as a way to get a visibility on campus and raise awareness about the harmful effects of coal.

The installation will be located by the clock tower at Woodburn Hall.

Desiree Branaman, visual arts events coordinator for Coal Free IU, said that the installation will include an interactive board for students to voice their opinions about IU’s on-site coal plant.

“I want people to see that we are a positive group on campus,” Branaman said. “We want to provide facts and figures about coal in fun and creative way.”