Folks from throughout the region came to Appalshop on Oct. 7 to listen to stories about economic renewal in the Welsh coalfields, and to talk together about what it will take to rebuild the Appalachian economy. Education and re-training, environmental reclamation, and increased investment by local and national partners were common themes. Dr. Helen Lewis, who began the Wales-Appalachia exchange in the 1970s, called out the need to take control of the land and water that are our resources, and to demand reinvestment in return for all the contributions the coalfields have made to our nation’s wealth and wellbeing.

You can view the After Coal video clips used as a conversation starter here. And the WMMT Mountain Talk 1-hour special is here.