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Don't Be Fossil Fooled!
by
Amy Wilson | 04.02.2010
On April 1st, two local environmental and social justice groups teamed up to say don't let PNC Bank fossil fool you. As commuters stepped off the bus at 1600 Market St., they heard new renditions of “where have all the flowers [mountains] gone”, “Go tell it on a mountain”, “She’ll be coming around the mountain” and others. PNC Bank – a bank that calls itself “A Green Bank with Eco-Friendly Service” – has direct and indirect connections to mountaintop removal coal mining.  Ever heard of Fossil Fools Day? It falls on April 1st each year and began in 2004 when environmental groups began making a mockery of the year’s biggest “Fossil Fool”. This year, Philadelphia environmentalists told morning commuters not to be “fossil fooled” by PNC Bank – a bank that calls itself “A Green Bank with Eco-Friendly Service”. PNC Bank has direct and indirect connections to mountaintop removal coal mining. In 2003, there was the $55 million line of credit PNC provided to Massey Energy, the most aggressive mountaintop removal mining company in the coal industry. In 2006, PNC assisted Peabody Energy in establishing a $2.75 billion credit facility. Then, in 2008, PNC held 33% of BlackRock shares. BlackRock is an enormous asset management firm with energy portfolios that focus on coal companies, including companies that practice mountaintop removal. And today, PNC’s CEO, James E. Rohr, is called an “insider” member of BlackRock’s Board of Directors. Morning protesters with Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) and Philly Rising Tide were quick to shine a light on these connections. The group of approximately 30 sang classic folk songs with altered lyrics to reveal the connections and their good-natured prank. As commuters stepped off the bus at 1600 Market St., they heard new renditions of “where have all the flowers [mountains] gone”, “Go tell it on a mountain”, “She’ll be coming around the mountain” and others. While protestors keep the songs and mood playful, some wearing jester hats for the spoof, they raised serious concerns. Several protest participants took to a ‘soap box’ to tell passers-by that they were standing in solidarity with the people of Appalachia whose water and health have been compromised by mountaintop removal. Soap boxers also told the crowd that they are excited to see PNC Bank take a leadership role in Green Building initiatives at their banks. They called on the Bank to do more. Protesters call on PNC to stop doing business with “climate criminals” like mountaintop removal companies and to invest in climate solutions and energy independence. The protesters call was to Bank Like Appalachia Matters (BLAM). Photos of the event are posted on Flickr |
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Submitted by Nathan Rodriguez (not verified) on Mon, 04/05/2010 - 10:58pmI think this event is essential on making general public aware of this kind of connection (coal extracting) from a bank that makes green propaganda.
fool's day
Submitted by chicago bears jersey (not verified) on Wed, 05/26/2010 - 4:02amThe fool’s day is always a day for people to make a fun of others and the jokes are always harmless. But this one is very speical.
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