News and Events

Phillips Exeter Academy, Conservation Law Foundation Host The Last Mountain in 2012 Sustainability Film Series

Friday, May 4, 2012

Exeter, NH—Phillips Exeter Academy and the Conservation Law Foundation will co-host PEA's final documentary of its spring 2012 Sustainability Film Series entitled, The Last Mountain, on Friday, May 4, 2012, at 7 p.m.

The film is a critically acclaimed documentary exploring the impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining on communities in Appalachia. The film depicts the protracted battles between local residents of West Virginia and coal executives over the devastating ecological fallout from the coal-mining practice of mountaintop removal. The film will be shown in the Phelps Academy Center's Forum, located on the third floor. The Phelps Academy Center is on Tan Lane. This viewing is free and open to the public.

CLF Staff Attorney Christophe Courchesne, a 1998 graduate of PEA, will join The Last Mountain producer Eric Grunebaum following the film for a discussion with the audience.

The mining and burning of coal is at the epicenter of America's struggle to balance its energy needs with environmental concerns. Nowhere is that concern greater than in Coal River Valley, WV, where a small but passionate group of ordinary citizens are trying to stop Big Coal corporations, like Massey Energy, from continuing the devastating practice of mountain top removal.

Residents argue the practice of dynamiting the mountain's top off to mine the coal within pollutes the air and water, is responsible for numerous deaths, and spreads pollution to neighboring states. But coal corporations continue these practices to yield large profits despite the harm to humanity and the environment.

A passionate and personal tale that honors the extraordinary power of ordinary Americans when they fight for what they believe in, The Last Mountain shines a light on America's energy needs and how those needs are being supplied. It is a fight for our future that affects us all.

For further information about the film series, call PEA Science Instructor Elizabeth Stevens at 603-777-4055. A complete list of upcoming sustainable events can be found on the PEA Sustainability webpage and on the PEA Community Calendar. Events are also available on the Phillips Exeter Academy public events line at 603-777-4309 and on our website at PEA. For directions to Phillips Exeter Academy, call 603-777-4330.

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) protects New England's environment for the benefit of all people. Using the law, science and the market, CLF creates solutions that preserve natural resources, build healthy communities, and sustain a vibrant economy regionwide. Founded in 1966, CLF is a nonprofit, member-supported organization with offices in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

—Famebridge Witherspoon