The mining and burning of coal has been at the epicenter of America’s struggle to balance its energy needs with environmental concerns. Nowhere is that concern greater than in Coal River Valley, West Virginia, where a small but passionate group of ordinary citizens are trying to stop Big Coal corporations, like Massey Energy, from continuing the devastating practice of Mountain Top Removal.

​

THE LAST MOUNTAIN premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and is a winner of the International Documentary Association's  Pare Lorentz Award. This film was a major factor in bringing the issue of mountaintop removal mining to a wider audience, highlighting the personal stories of affected communities and the environmental destruction and influenced regulation to slow down the permits for this type of mining. In 2017, the Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress repealed the Obama-era Stream Protection Rule, which lifted protections for communities affected by the destructive practice of mountaintop removal.  The fight continues. 

 

This toolkit provides a variety of activities to accompany classroom viewing of THE LAST MOUNTAIN. Click on the worksheets and viewing guide to preview the materials.

​

NOTE TO EDUCATORS: Over a decade ago, Uncommon Productions was proud to produce the award-winning documentary THE LAST MOUNTAIN, that shed light on the critical environmental issue of mountaintop removal. To this day, the fight unfortunately continues. Despite political pendulums and allegiances of RFK Jr., who was central to this film, our work has always been about spotlighting important issues that impact public health, humanity and the planet. While we may not agree with many of the opinions expressed by current US Secretary of Health and Human Services, we stand by the important messages within this film. 

​

This film can be streamed for free, or rented in the following places:

​

​

​

​

 

If you would like a digital site license (DSL) for your school library or public performance rights, please send us an email.

 

To receive the answer key, you must be an educator with a school email address. Please fill out the form below to receive the Teacher Guide.