{"product_id":"plundering-appalachia-the-tragedy-of-mountaintop-removal-coal-mining","title":"Plundering Appalachia: The Tragedy of Mountaintop-Removal Coal Mining","description":"\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBrief Description\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPlundering Appalachia is a collection of photographs and essays detailing the grim realities of mountaintop removal mining: the effects of the blasting on the environment and the people and animals in its wake; the irreversible devastation of the natural landscape of Appalachia; how mountaintop removal is or is not regulated; and the true costs of the practice over time. Most people in the United States are connected to mountaintop removal in some way, whether they live in the affected areas, consume products derived from the mining haul, or are dealing with the effects that mining has on their ecosystem. Plundering Appalachia is a clarion call to action, asking Americans to get past the rhetoric of the coal industry and see the real Appalachia. Supported by science and common sense, the book is a plea for a region whose natural beauty deserves to be enjoyed by future generations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eTom Butler\u003c\/b\u003e is the editorial projects director for the Foundation for Deep Ecology, and a long-time conservation activist focused on wilderness and biodiversity. He is a founding board member and current vice president of the Northeast Wilderness Trust, the only land trust in the northeastern United States focused exclusively on protecting forever-wild landscapes. His book \n\u003ci\u003eWild Earth: Wild Ideas for a World Out of Balance\u003c\/i\u003e collected essays from the conservation journal Butler edited from 1997-2005. In his last project \n\u003ci\u003eWildlands Philanthropy\u003c\/i\u003e, Butler immersed himself in the creation stories of parks, refuges, and nature preserves established over the span of a century. With \n\u003ci\u003ePlundering Appalachia\u003c\/i\u003e Butler changes the tone of his work, calling attention to a shocking practice with profound environmental consequences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Appalachian mountain range is the oldest in the world and it's disappearing one mountain top at a time. \u003ci\u003ePlundering Appalachia\u003c\/i\u003e takes a bold look at the out-of-control strip mining in the American heartland and its threat to our environment.\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe Appalachians are the oldest mountains in the world, and they are literally disappearing. The term \"mountaintop removal mining,\" coined to describe the coal-mining process currently at work in much of Appalachia, is in reality, exactly what the name suggests: a mountain, formed over millions of years, is decapitated with explosives--the \"overburden\" scraped into adjacent valleys--and the exposed coal collected. No living thing survives this \"removal,\" and if the land is replanted, its ecosystem will be nothing like that of the ancient mountaintop it previously held. The process is not only destructive and toxic, but ultimately unsustainable: not one of the four hundred plus mountains blasted has yet grown back. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlundering Appalachia\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of photographs and essays presenting the grim realities of mountaintop removal mining: \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe effects of the blasting on the environment and the people and animals in its wake. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe irreversible devastation of the natural landscape of Appalachia. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHow mountaintop removal is or is not regulated \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe true costs of the practice over time. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Most people in the United States are connected to mountaintop removal in some way. Even if they have never visited the Appalachians, they consume products derived from the mining haul or they are affected by the drastic changes the mining has on their ecosystem. The contributors to \n\u003ci\u003ePlundering Appalachia\u003c\/i\u003e clearly wish to empower a nation to action--to get past the rhetoric of the coal industry and see the real Appalachia. It is a plea for a region whose natural beauty deserves to be enjoyed by future generations. \n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eIncludes essays by: \u003c\/b\u003e David W. Orr, Vivian Stockman, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Ross Gelbspan, Richard Heinberg, Carl Pope, Denise Giardina, Lisa Evans, Ken Hechler, Jerry Hardt, Wendell Berry and more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Butler, Tom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Earth Aware Editions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePub Date:\u003c\/b\u003e 2009-09-01\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC:\u003c\/b\u003e Nature|Environmental Conservation \u0026amp; Protection|Technology \u0026amp; Engineering|Mining\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSubjects:\u003c\/b\u003e Mountaintop removal mining|Appalachian Region, Southern|Environmental aspects|Coal mines and mining|Environmental conditions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 2.99 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781601090508\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eASIN:\u003c\/b\u003e -\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSKU:\u003c\/b\u003e SP-9781601090508\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Earth Aware Editions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52148161380633,"sku":"SP-9781601090508","price":49.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0913\/0380\/5209\/files\/0d53ec90-c0d3-451b-a47a-a871f4c40fd9.jpg?v=1784489659","url":"https:\/\/westbindery.com\/products\/plundering-appalachia-the-tragedy-of-mountaintop-removal-coal-mining","provider":"West Bindery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}