by Catherine Bailey
As a young activist constantly trying to sort out the greenwashing from the good, I admit that I have often found myself confused about biodiesel. On the one hand, we hear it touted as a vital (and happily, relatively simple) step on the path to carbon neutrality. At the same time, we’re warned that it’s far from the rosy solution we wish it could be – that in fact, the production of biodiesel contributes to food insecurity worldwide, among other problems. The idea of keeping our cars while also respecting the environment is tempting, but the ethics of biodiesel seem murky and convoluted. Perplexed by the mixed messages, I began to write biodiesel off as a dead end.
Josh Tickell’s inspiring 2008 documentary, Fuel, cleared up a wealth of the questions I had concerning this complicated, often emotionally-loaded topic. Using accessible narration, stunning footage and eye-catching, elegantly animated transitions, Tickell recounts his journey into activism, then launches into a highly comprehensive explanation for why we might just want to give biodiesel another looking-over.
Having spent his early childhood delighting in the unsullied countryside of Australia, the young Tickell was horrified at what he saw when his family moved to Louisiana, USA. Polluted lakes and streams, clouds of black smoke and nauseating fumes – not to mention toxic “cancer alleys” – greeted him the only way a city consumed by oil refineries could. Tickell became determined to find a solution that would help end oil dependence. After being introduced to biodiesel while farming in Germany, Tickell took it upon himself to spread the news to the U.S. Thus, the “Veggie Van” was born – a cheerfully painted, vegetable-oil powered vehicle in which Tickell cruised around the country, educating the masses as he went.
Tickell’s message: “Change your fuel, change the world.” The film provides us with the important reminder that fuel is burned for much more than just personal transportation, and that it will take a lot more than just switching to plug-ins or bicycles if we’re going to axe our addiction to oil. It’s not just about the environment anymore, and Fuel emphasizes this poignantly.
But primarily, this is a film about finding solutions and overcoming challenges along the way. During the more than 10 years that Tickell devoted himself tirelessly to disseminating awareness about biodiesel, it started to emerge as a viable solution. Major transportation companies, and even the U.S. Navy was kicking the oil habit by switching to alternative fuel. The Veggie Van was trucking right along.
But then, stories began to pop up in the media about the dark side of biodiesel. It was called a “crime against humanity,” and was linked to widespread hunger, social unrest and suffering in the many developing nations that rely on corn and soybeans as a cash crop, and for food. Wanting to promote only what was genuinely fair and good, Tickell was forced to question his entire life’s mission. Fuel consists of the answers he found to those questions, and it is his passionate commitment to exploring every facet of this cause that makes his conclusions all the more worth listening to.
The bottom line is: don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. There are ways to change our fuel that don’t involve robbing anyone of food or economic staples. There are ways to use the progressive, sustainable aspects of biodiesel in conjunction with a myriad of other technologies, attitudes and policies that can feasibly benefit everyone. It's important to acknowledge that we cannot (and probably should not) use biofuels alone to meet our energy needs. In addition, it's important to note that it's not just our fuel we need to change, but the transportation we choose to use, the infrastructure we build and how we develop and relate to the land. We can, however, use this solution in conjunction with other bridge technologies to lead us more gracefully to socially and environmentally responsible future.
The change starts locally, and Tickell wisely advocates both personal responsibility and fierce involvement in the political system. Commentaries from a wide range of concerned celebrities such as Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Woody Harrelson and Neil Young add an element of fun and familiarity to the film, and leaders like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Van Jones make powerful appearances as well. All in all, the film is highly uplifting, though alarming enough that you should not, by any means, expect to leave the theater feeling lulled or complacent. The list of “ten things you can do today” is definitely worth sticking around for as the credits begin to roll. Whatever your feelings on biodiesel may be, this is very likely a film worth seeing, as the humility, honesty and intelligence of director/narrator Josh Tickell will move you at the very least, and at best, may open your mind to a world of new possibilities about changing our world by changing our fuel.
This full length documentary has won more than eight awards at festivals across the globe, including "The Most Compelling Documentary" award from the Sedona Film Festival and the "Audience Award" from the Sundance Film Festival.
A recent graduate of the University of Washington, Catherine Bailey is planning to explore her interest in organic farming in Ireland over the summer. Following that adventure, she hopes to make herself useful in AmeriCorps for a year before pursuing graduate studies that will better equip her to help create a more conscious and just society.
Image credit: The Fuel Film
