Ways you can get involved:

Join a tour

MCC's two- to five-day environmental learning tours includes sites of beauty such as Bad Branch Falls and Lilley Cornett Woods and areas of devastation, such as strip mining sites. Participants see properties that have been reclaimed and talk to local residents. To find out more, e-mail ; or call Sharman Chapman-Crane or Duane Beachey, 606-633-5065.

Learn more about Appalachia and environmental issues

One of MCC's partners in Appalachia is Kentuckians for the Commonwealth. Go to www.kftc.org/ to see how the grassroots organization is working on environmental issues. Or check out the work of Appalshop, a multi-disciplinary arts and education center producing original works including films, music and spoken-word recordings, radio, photography and books. MCC Environmental Learning Tour groups watch Appalshop videos, including "Sludge," about a flood of millions of gallons of sludge in Martin County, Ky.

Conserve energy, including by using fluorescent light bulbs

On the tour, participants learned about how compact fluorescent bulbs can help conserve energy and help households save on their electrical bills. Use them in your home. Sharman Chapman-Crane, tour leader, suggests donating them to local churches. See if a local food pantry can distribute them to families, helping lower families' electric bills while also conserving electricity.