Penn State is in the midst of some really exciting campaigns leading up to (and continuing much after) POWERSHIFT PA!!! Eco-Action, the hosts of the conference, are doing 3 themselves! The first thing that they are working on is the “Take back the Tap” campaign, to ban water bottles from being sold on campus. They are also working with campus organizers to join in to the “Campuses Beyond Coal” campaign. Members are also volunteering at campus dining halls in order to raise awareness and save the on-campus c
This week, we’ve had an amazing opportunity to not just reach local Pittsburghers- but people all over the world as the International Coal Conference and the G20 descend on our city. We kicked off the week with a screening of Coal Country a powerful film on the full cycle of coal in Appalachia: from Mountain Top Removal, to the processing and burning of coal and ash/waste disposal issues.
On Monday, over 30 young people, students and community members converged near PNC Park intercept a “Just Ducky” tour for attendees of the International Pittsburgh Coal Conference. What ensued was a dance off between a dirty coal smoke stack and a clean energy windturbine.
Dancers fell to the ground as a monster of a smoke stack attacked and two activists unrolled a banner that read, “It’s Time to Move Beyond Coal.” A windmill revived the dancers and took down the smoke stack in a dance-off. Throughout the dance, one of the coal conference attendees shouted at the activists to remind them that he loves coal.
