Middle Schoolers meet with “Fuel” Director Josh Tickell

Last Wednesday at our Middle School meeting, we had the unique opportunity to screen the Sundance award winning film “Fuel” and to speak with the director Josh Tickell.

FUEL is an insightful portrait of America’s addiction to oil and an uplifting testament to the immediacy of new energy solutions. Director, Josh Tickell, a young activist, shuttles us on a whirlwind journey to track the rising domination of the petrochemical industry—from Rockefeller’s strategy to halt Ford’s first ethanol cars to Vice President Cheney’s petrochemical company sponsored energy legislation — and reveals a gamut of available solutions to “repower America” —from vertical farms that occupy skyscrapers to algae facilities that turn wastewater into fuel. Tickell and a surprising array of environmentalists, policy makers, and entertainment notables take us through America’s complicated, often ignominious energy past and illuminate a hopeful, achievable future, where decentralized, sustainable living is not only possible, it’s imperative.

Josh’s story provided us with a profound example of the power of activism and made clear the powerful intersection of issues related to sustainability and social justice. While both personal narrative and persuasive essay, “Fuel” challenged each of us to wrestle with where we stand on the issues. We will continue to explore the issued raised by the film and the power of film as a communication medium in classes and in advisory. I encourage you to see the film.