Rivers are Life has just released a new film in celebration of World Sustainability Day. The film focuses on the efforts of three local environmentalists, John Sabraw, Guy Reifler, and Michelle Shively MacIver, who are working to revive the polluted Sunday Creek in Appalachian Ohio. The creek, which spans 27 miles, is severely polluted due to acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines in the area. The film, titled “Toxic Art,” highlights the use of art and innovative technology to restore streams that have been devastated by coal mining.
John Sabraw, a Professor of Art at Ohio University, is an artist, activist, and environmentalist. When he moved to Ohio, he learned about the environment from his colleagues and was shocked to find that local waterways were polluted with sludge and orange due to acid mine drainage and iron oxide pollutants.
According to Sabraw, more than 6,650 miles of streams in Central Appalachia have been affected by acid mine drainage. The Truetown Discharge, located in the Sunday Creek watershed, is the largest single acid mine drainage discharge in Ohio, with a flow rate of 988 gallons per minute. This results in the dumping of about 2,183,065 pounds of iron oxide into Sunday Creek each year, which has destroyed aquatic habitats along seven miles of the creek.
Sabraw decided to experiment with turning the sludge he collected from the creek into a pigment, using his knowledge of iron oxides as an artist. He collaborated with Guy Riefler, a Professor and Chair of Civil Engineering at Ohio University, and together they created a sustainable and environmentally friendly pigment.
The two then joined forces with Rural Action, a nonprofit regional community development organization, and state and federal agencies to create True Pigments, a social enterprise dedicated to restoring Sunday Creek by cleaning up the heavily-polluted seven miles of stream. True Pigments also aims to create socio-economic opportunities for the local community.
“When we put people together from different disciplines and different backgrounds, that is when this magic happens,” John said. “Humans have exponential potential to solve these crises and to take stewardship over a future that is going to be sustainable and joyous. I believe more than ever that that’s possible, and that’s what we have to do.”
In June of 2023, Rural Action, Ohio University, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the U.S. Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement came together to initiate the construction of a new facility, the True Pigments Acid Mine Drainage Treatment & Pigment Production Facility. The facility aims to intercept 100% of coal mine pollution before it reaches waterways, thereby preventing any harm to the environment. The full feature film, “Toxic Art,” and limited edition prints by Sabraw are available on Rivers are Life’s platform.
