Cindy Parker, who runs Healing Heart Herbals, is my generous Ohio host and community liaison. Previous post.
I met up with Elisa Young a few times last summer. Her family has a long history in the region, and Elisa lives on a farm inherited from them. Noticing patterns of disease and environmental degradation, she quickly became the figurehead for the local (and very small) resistance to the coal-burning industry.
We started off one of our tours with a visit to an old family cemetary which sits on land previously mined. The path there:
The soil is slowly eroding away as the earth settles from previous mining.
We then drove around Meigs County a bit and talked about potential new coal-fired power plants threatening the already toxic air, the local complacency or mild acceptance of the industry, and the mental wear being one of the only activists in the region has caused.
An Interview with Elisa Young
Meig’s Citizens Action Now
Previous post on Digressions
Video of Elisa
Comments 4
i’m enjoying these moments.
Posted 15 Jul 2010 at 3:46 pm ¶nice post and pictures. the lighting on the first picture of Cindy is incredible.
Posted 15 Jul 2010 at 6:06 pm ¶Hello Daniel,
First, I want to say I love your project and it is a really important story to tell. I worked on a piece about Elisa my senior year at Ohio University, hers is a sad story but she is a wonderful woman who never gives up hope and I admire that very much. Wonderful photographs and I am excited to see the finished project.
Dustin
Posted 10 Aug 2010 at 10:59 pm ¶Dustin,
Just catching up with blog comments now – thanks for looking. Post a link to your Elisa work, I’d love to see it!
D
Posted 29 Aug 2010 at 8:33 pm ¶Post a Comment