Walk For Appalachia's Future: Richmond, VA
From May 24th-June 6th we will be traveling along the route of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We seek to amplify the voices of frontline Appalachian communities and others in their fight for environmental justice and renewable energy. We will be working to challenge the environmental damages being done by all fossil fuels, and to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the MVP Southgate extension, whose construction has already devastated parts of WV, VA and NC.
Updates on the Walk’s progress are being posted on Facebook and on Twitter with the hashtag #AppalachiaWalk.
Starting points:- 5/24, Noon: 65 Community Drive, Ireland, WV
- 5/25, 9 AM: West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV
- 5/26, 9 AM: National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur, WV
- 5/27, 9 AM: Greenbrier River, WV
- 5/28, 9 AM: Base of Peters Mountain, on the VA/WV border
- 5/29, 9 AM: Newport, VA
- 5/30, 9 AM: Roanoke, VA
- 5/31-6/1: Bent Mountain, VA
- 6/2-6/4: Richmond, VA
If you are trying to find the Walk, call Steve at (828) 777-7816 or Ted at (973) 460-1458 or email [email protected].
All along the pipeline route we will inspect damages to water, air, animals, and the Earth, and the people who depend on them; and we will every morning have ceremonies honoring the heroes in our states who have died during these fights to protect our Appalachia.
Communities affected by the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other destructive/extractive industries are invited to participate in the event in whatever way is best or most advantageous to them. For example, they can join our walk or have the walk come to them.
We plan to use the two-week journey on foot and by vehicle to support frontline communities first and foremost by listening. As appropriate, walkers may be called upon to support local campaigns for economic, racial and climate justice by amplifying their voices in various media, standing alongside them at rallies and protests, participating in and hosting workshops, and honoring the heroes of the struggle who are no longer with us.
Walk organizers consist of dedicated environmental justice workers from West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service, POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, Th!rd Act, NC Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and others.