Growing up in California, I didn't really experience the effects of coal first-hand. It wasn't until after I became interested in environmental issues while studying in Sweden that I began to learn more about this devastatingly dirty energy.As the autumn 2011 Online Organizing Intern at Greenpeace USA, I had the opportunity to research coal in more depth. What I found out about coal's effects on climate, human health, water and air quality, and local communities has made it seem incredible that we still continue to use this outdated and damaging energy source, especially when there are abundant renewable alternatives available if we just open our eyes. Coal is fundamentally unsustainable and the sooner we recognize that, the better. The Big Energy 1% wants us to ignore the external costs of using coal as a primary energy source because it will preserve their profits at our expense. But they need to know that we are waking up and as our cause gains momentum, there will be no...
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