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April- May 201: ON COAL RIVER "Do Something Reel" Screenings

Screenings of Dirty Business
(with OVEC organizer Maria Gunnoe)

Screenings of
On Coal River

Screenings of
Burning the Future

Upcoming screenings of
Rise Up! West Virginia

Mountaintop Removal Roadshow Calendar

Upcoming Showings of Black Diamonds: The Fight for Coalfield Justice

WVDEP Calendar of Events
Monday - Friday, 7:06 - 10 p.m. Tune In to Bob Kincaid's Radio Program for Progressive West Virginians - Call in to let others know your thoughts! Click here to listen online. The call-in numbers are (304) 658-3333 and (877) 443-2366.
January 11, 2012: The West Virginia 2012 Legislative Session begins.

February 6: West Virginia Energy Efficiency Call-in Day!  This Monday February 6, Energy Efficient West Virginia (EEWV) is holding a statewide call-in day. We're asking everyone to take a few minutes to let their legislators know they support an Energy Efficiency Resource Standard (H.B. 4363) and Least Cost Planning (S.B. 162) legislation.  More info here.
February 6: 7:00 -8:30 p.m. Join KFTC on February 6 at 7:00 p.m. eastern time for a webinar about the purpose and plans of this year's I Love Mountains Day and the health impacts of mountaintop removal mining. The purpose of this webinar is to provide an opportunity for the largest possible set of people to become familiar with current research and messaging about the health risks facing people living in mining communities - a key theme we will lift up on I Love Mountains Day 2012.

In order to participate, you must register in advance for the webinar. The webinar will be open to all.
February 6: Under These Hills. A one-man performance of the life and work of a coal miner presented by Fred Powers. Fred Powers worked over 20 years as a coal miner in MacDowell County. This dramatic presentation tells of the work of an underground coal miner. There will be a short intermission and then Fred will do a shorter program about coal miners in the Civil War. Part of the 2012 Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series. All presentations are held in Room E10 of the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center on Airport Road In Beckley, WV and are free and open to the public. The Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series is a part of an academic class at the Beckley Center of Concord University entitled Coal Culture in West Virginia. The instructor is Karen Vuranch, Appalachian storyteller and historian. For more information about any of these lectures (including time) or the class, please contact Karen at karen@wventerprises.com or kvuranch@concord.edu 
February 8, 2012: WVEC's Annual E-Day! At the Capitol. From 10 AM - 3 PM. Located in the Upper rotunda area, the House of Delegates hallway and the Senate hallway. Features Citizen Lobby Day, Environmental and Sustainable Business displays, and much more (this is also in conjunction with several other progressive organizations scheduled in the lower rotunda this year). For more information and to make reservations to participate: deniseap@earthlink.net.
February 8, 2012: E-Day Benefit Dinner and Award Ceremony. 6PM - 9PM. Join us for our annual E-Day benefit after a full day at the capitol! Enjoy dinner, music and honor our 2012 Award recipients. Cost: $15 per person. Exact location to be announced.
February 9 - February 15: Lexington Loves Mountains Events from KFTC. A week-long celebration of the Appalachian mountains and the people, crafts and culture at risk. Come to an event to help foster an conversation of what is at risk and how we can create a new power economy in east Kentucky. Learn more here.
Feb. 16: 4:30 to 7 p.m. Mingo Central High School: Notice of Public Scoping Meeting - King Coal Highway Delbarton to Belo Project and Buffalo Mountain Surface Mine - UTs of Pigeon Creek and Miller Creek - Mingo County, West Virginia.
More information here.

February 19, 2012 (3 p.m. - 5 p.m.) “Hawks Nest:  Blood Beneath Our Feet”  Join us at a special Black History Month free event at The West Virginia Culture Center, Charleston WV.

Award winning filmmaker Mari-Lynn Evans will present the PBS documentary project “Hawks Nest: Blood Beneath Our Feet” on February 19, 2012. Speakers will include the Rev. Ron English, Rev. Mathew Watts and Pastor Paul Dunn.

Additional speakers and musical guests will be announced on our web site www.hawksnestfilm.com where you may also preview the Movie Trailer. Call 304-521-7444 for information.
February 25: Our plans for an event on this day are changing. Please check this space for updates.  More details to come.

40 years ago on February 26, a sludge dam in Buffalo Creek, Logan County, burst, killing 125, injuring 1,121, and leaving 4,000 homeless. On Saturday February 25, we will memorialize those lost to the catastrophe in Buffalo Creek. We will also examine the contamination of Rawl and Prenter's groundwater, and hear from other families impacted by sludge. We will share stories, music, images, and prayer to memorialize those lost, and look to a sludge-free future.

Following the memorial, we will host a dinner and meeting to prepare for a spring and summer full of organizing and actions to carry on the work of building power and banning coal slurry in West Virginia!
March 5: Violence in the Coal Fields. This academic lecture is presented by Paul Rakes, a former coal miner and currently is on the faculty at WVU-WV Tech. He has recently completed research and published an article about the early coal camps and the violence that was a way of life for coal miners. Part of the 2012 Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series. All presentations are held in Room E10 of the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center on Airport Road In Beckley, WV and are free and open to the public. The Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series is a part of an academic class at the Beckley Center of Concord University entitled Coal Culture in West Virginia. The instructor is Karen Vuranch, Appalachian storyteller and historian. For more information about any of these lectures (including time) or the class, please contact Karen at karen@wventerprises.com or kvuranch@concord.edu 
March 11: Barbara Kingsolver and Kathy Mattea present "A View from the Mountaintop" at the Bijou Theatre, Knxoville, TN. Tickets go on sale Friday, February 3 through KnoxvilleTickets.com, KnoxBijou.com or by calling 684-1200.

Renowned author, Barbara Kingsolver, and Grammy-award winning singer, Kathy Mattea, will combine their talents to present "A View from the Mountaintop," an evening of spoken word and song at the Bijou Theatre that celebrates their shared Appalachian heritage and casts a spotlight on mountaintop removal mining, a controversial practice that has destroyed over 500 mountains across Appalachia and presents a looming threat to Tennessee's mountains on the Cumberland Plateau.  More info www.tnleaf.org.
March 21-28: Mountain Justice Spring Break 2012. This Spring Break - Avoid the hangovers - Learn about and take action against the destructive effects of the dirty life-cycles of coal and natural gas. Stand in solidarity with the communities in Virginia, West Virginia and south west Pennsylvania facing the ongoing destruction of coal mining and hydraulic fracturing. See Mountaintop Removal Mining and Hydraulic Fracturing natural gas extraction, with your own eyes. Learn more and register here.  
April 2: Coal Mine Health and Safety with Ken Hecher. The Hon. Ken Hechler will speak about his work as a former West Virginia Senator in US Congress and his work in passing the most far-reaching coal mine health and saftey legislation in American history. He will address issues concerning the recent UBB disaster as well as other issues in coal mine health and safety. Part of the 2012 Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series. All presentations are held in Room E10 of the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center on Airport Road In Beckley, WV and are free and open to the public. The Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series is a part of an academic class at the Beckley Center of Concord University entitled Coal Culture in West Virginia. The instructor is Karen Vuranch, Appalachian storyteller and historian. For more information about any of these lectures (including time) or the class, please contact Karen at karen@wventerprises.com or kvuranch@concord.edu 
April 21: Save the Date ~ OVEC's Victory Celebration Dance on the Eve of Earth Day. Join us at the Charleston Women's Club. More details to come.
May 7: Music of the Coalfields. Music has always been important in the Appalachian mountains. Traditional musicians Tom and Michelle Warner will present a concert of Appalachian music of the coal fields. Part of the 2012 Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series. All presentations are held in Room E10 of the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center on Airport Road In Beckley, WV and are free and open to the public. The Coal Heritage Public Lecture Series is a part of an academic class at the Beckley Center of Concord University entitled Coal Culture in West Virginia. The instructor is Karen Vuranch, Appalachian storyteller and historian. For more information about any of these lectures (including time) or the class, please contact Karen at karen@wventerprises.com or kvuranch@concord.edu 
May 22, 2012: Save the date. Geothermal energy in WV conference in Flatwoods, WV. More info to come.
May 28: (Memorial Day) Noon -3 p.m., West Virginia State Capitol steps facing the Kanawa River. Peaceful protest started by Marilyn Mullens in Cool Ridge, WV. Women unite by meeting at the State's Capitol wearing white and shaving our heads to represent the stripping of our heritage, our homes, our water and our land. Her words: "me shaving my head will represent that I stand in solidarity with our mountains that have been stripped of their trees, plants and top soil." What greater sacrifice and profound statement than giving up your adorned feminine to represent what has been taken from us. Please join us in this peaceful and silent protest to bring attention to the fight to end mountaintop removal. Facebook page here.
September 8: Save the Date! A conference on the health impacts of fossil fuel energy to be held in Morgantown, WV. More details later.
October 27: Save the date! OVEC turns 25 years old in 2012. Our big celebration takes place Oct. 27, In Charleston, WV. Please be there! Details to come.

 

 

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