Earth Fest Phillips Exeter Academy

Phillips Exeter Academy Earth Fest October 11 2008. It was a beautiful fall day, sunny and warm. The event was held outside behind the library. There were tables set up for all sorts of green products, and sustainable living information.  Students visited my booth to make mini healing blankets, and learn about Mountain Top Removal coal mining.  So many students were involved making blankets at the same time that  the tables were full, and we made them in the soft green grass too.

New England Environmental Education Alliance Conference

October 4-6 2008 I was invited to make healing blankets with the teachers attending the NEEEA Conference at Sargent Camp in Peterboro, New Hampshire. Friday night I gave a presentation about Mountain Top Removal coal mining. The power point I used is filled with images I took on a trip to West Virginia. It shows the various stages step by step of how the coal companies destroy a mountain to extract the coal.  Afterwards we made mini healing blankets. The theme of the weekend was building  communities. The next day folks who made blankets Friday night made a blanket with someone who wasn't there. This helped bring people together at the conference, growing our community. On Sunday we joined the mini blankets together with raffia to created a large blanket. I use the blankets to tell the stories of  people whose lives have been impacted by MTR. The blankets act as a bridge bringing our communities together when they are sent to a person, or family to install into a landscape that needs to be healed.