No Coal « It’s Getting Hot In Here

Today, Arthur Coulston of Energy Action and I rushed to the corner of Louisana and D St in Washington DC before heading to the office for work. Today was a good day, a little cold from the night rain before but the sun was shining and of course what was even better- we were on our way to a press conference against the liquidation of coal and mountain top removal. In short: No Coal.

All the speakers stood around the podium and were surrounded by buckets of coal. The messages were all powerful and unique in their own ways, some focusing on the local voice of Appalachia, some purely political, some more movement oriented, and then there was me. I was nervous as I stepped to the podium with my ripped piece of paper and with my scrawling all over it. I felt like some punk kid and wondered a little bit why I was about to speak on behalf of our movement, the youth climate movement. But at that podium, I found my voice and this is what came out…

“In West Virginia, children attend Marsh Fork Elementary, which is 300 feet away from a coal silo.

Let me say that again.

Children, in the United States of America, are attending a school 300 feet away from a toxic coal silo.

But what is our government doing about it? What is being done for these children?

Well, I can’t speak for our government, but I am here representing the youth climate movement, which is leading the way on our campuses and in these communities, to stop using dirty energy which is abusing our future. We are creating clean and just energy solutions. I stand here today, on behalf of all youth concerned for our future, to demand that our elected officials do their jobs and protect their constituents.”

We ended the press conference by rubbing the coal on our hands to show how easily one’s skin is stained with this toxin. As I looked at my hands I wondered how people could ever question how deadly this is. I mean I don’t think anyone wants this on their hands so why are we allowing some children to breathe it?

About Shadia

Shadia began at age seven as an advocate for justice and the environment, in an eight year campaign to pass state legislation that, without it, was responsible for cancer clusters and deaths that existed in her community. In response to her efforts she has received the Yoshiyama Award from the Hitachi Foundation, and the Brower Youth Award from the Earth Island Institute. At age fifteen, She attended the World Summit on Sustainable Development, joining the youth energy caucus' efforts to create the Official Global Youth Energy Policy Statement. Months later, Shadia attended the Second National People of Color Summit and there she helped create the Environmental Justice Youth Platform. She is a member of the Environmental Justice Climate Coalition Youth Committee and is on the Kids Against Pollution National Board of Trustees. Shadia graduated from West Canada Valley High School in 2005, where she then took two years off before entering a career in higher education to work as a leader in the Global Youth Climate Movement. She finished working for the EJCC as the youngest Campus Climate Challenge Coordinator in the Energy Action Coalition, in October 2007. She is currently attending American University of Beirut, studying Arabic and Communications.

1 Helen Rose Jun 15th, 2007 at 12:38 pm

See Shadia in the Washington Post…

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/14/AR2007061401876.html

2 Shadia Wood Jun 15th, 2007 at 4:37 pm

Some other press hits:

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/viewstory.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200706/POL20070615b.html

http://www.upi.com/Energy/Briefing/2007/06/14/environmentalists_ask_congress_to_cut_coal/4288/

3 bowebb Jun 18th, 2007 at 12:31 pm

Thank you Shadia for speaking out about Marsh Fork Elementary School. Americans everywhere should know about MFE and the lack of political will to correct the shocking situation that exist there. I can think of no better example of corporate abuse and arrogance than what has happened and continues to be allowed to happen.