Coal Industry Busted for Lying to our School Children

Here’s a story with a happy ending.  Apparently, the educational arm of the U.S. coal industry, the American Coal Foundation, hired schoolbook publisher “Scholastic” to create classroom lessons on energy.  Not surprisingly, the material on coal discussed its many “advantages,” but didn’t mention a single disadvantage.  No material on carbon, greenhouse gas emissions or climate change, not a word on pollutants like NOx and SOx, as well as the earth’s deadliest toxins: arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and selenium, and not a syllable on the mountaintop removal mining that has destroyed 500 Appalachian mountains.

But the good news: they got busted.  According to the article, this culminated in a:

New York Times  editorial, “Scholastic’s Big Coal Mistake,” saying that Scholastic had failed to “adhere to high educational standards.” Later that day, Scholastic agreed to sever ties with the coal industry, cease distribution of the energy curriculum, and launch a review of its “In School Marketing” program, in which Scholastic rented its logo and curriculum talents to numerous corporations.

I hope readers will check out the article from which I’ve taken this, linked above.  Not only does it provide more detail, but it concludes by reminding us all of how it’s possible for different groups to come together, fight for the truth, and keep our schools free from the lies of Big Polluters.  Inspiring stuff.  (Photo credit: MountainJustice.org)