Appalachian communities have been deeply impacted by extractive industries, leading to devastating consequences from climate change. In the introductory episode of the Mountain Life Series, community leader, and activist Tiffany Pyette shares her perspective on the impacts of strip mining on the Appalachian community, the need for a Just Transition, listening to community members, and more.
"I know one of my friends who's a wonderful activist, her son, he asked one time, “When are the mountains gonna grow back?” And I remember that being just one of those moments where like, you had to really sit with the fact that like our mountains have been sliced clean off and we can't give this child a good answer," Pyette.
Listen to Pyette on how extractive industries have taken away traditional and ancestral land, the origins and meaning of Two-Spirit identity, and ways of supporting mountain communities.
Full transcript and episode sources are available at livablefuturepodcast.com