Mount Union College Students Ponder Destruction and Creation

Spending a beautiful October weekend at Dolly Sods sounds like a terrific way to earn points for your environmental ethics class, doesnt it? Ten students from Mount Union College in Ohio were doing just that the weekend of October 11-12.

Prior to their arrival at Dolly Sods, they stopped at the Bishop Hodges Center to talk with OVEC staffer Carol Warren about West Virginia environmental issues and how various religious groups relate to them.

The students had recently seen Dave Coopers road show about mountaintop removal and had been introduced to the issue. Some of the students had not been aware of mountaintop removal until they took this class, even though a number were from Ohio.

Looking out on the beautiful Tygart River Valley, they questioned the wisdom of destroying such scenic places to mine coal, and asked if tourism dollars were important to the states economy.

There was also good discussion of the nuances of wind power, and why some people in the state oppose large-scale wind projects.

Water issues were discussed, as well as the new wilderness legislation in Congress. Everyone was pleased to hear that additional areas near Dolly Sods were being preserved.

Carol shared with them the evolving position of the West Virginia Council of Churches and other religious groups on the subject of environmental issues in general and mountaintop removal in particular.

She pointed out that a number of religious bodies are beginning to take slightly less anthropocentric views of creation, and emphasizing that our environment and the natural world are works of God to be treasured, not used in any way we wish for whatever reason.