Thank you to Alicia Carter and Lucas Pruitt, two UNC Chapel Hill students, for creating this short documentary What Remains.
What Remains looks at the Walnut Cove Community's fight against coal ash pollution and Duke Energy through the lens of activist Caroline Armijo and her grief process after the loss of her close friend in November 2019 to cancer, Danielle Bailey-Lash. Coal ash, a hazardous waste product, has impacted the community for over a decade as they have tirelessly led campaigns, rallies, and environmental clean ups to take ahold of the issue and influence policy. Danielle Bailey-Lash was one of the group's fiercest leaders, and her loss showed just how big her impact was.
A monumental date in history, on January 2nd, 2020 Duke Energy agreed to dig up nearly 80 million tons of ash in North Carolina and move it to lined storage – it will be the largest coal ash cleanup in U.S. history. Armijo wonders what's ahead after and motivates the community to keep fighting, ensuring Duke Energy fulfills their promise.