‘Fuel’ drives home important message

By Marie Rodriguez

Many people have heard of the veggie van that ran on used vegetable oil in 1997 and ‘98. Josh Tickell, the creator of this van, has spent his career spreading knowledge of alternative fuels.

He travels the nation showing the many ways that people are implementing healthier biodiesel fuel in their lives, and how we can do the same.

His new movie “Fuel,” which will be released to DVD on June 22, is dedicated to informing audiences about the dangers of “America’s addiction to fuel.”

In the film, Tickell highlights the downfalls of oil, the impact it has on the earth and what we can do to make eco-friendly changes.

He emphasizes truck stops with only biodiesel fuel, cars created for use with alternative energy sources and shows how Germany and Sweden are changing laws and policies.

The film points out that the United States counts for about five percent of the world’s population but creates the most pollution.

“The diesel engine is by far the dominant engine of the world,” Tickell says in the film. “Every one of them can run on biodiesel today without any modification.”

The vast majority of American school buses use diesel fuel. While most people are aware that bus emissions are highly toxic, Tickell says few know that emission levels are actually four times higher inside the buses.

Tickell and many others ask in the film if this is the world we want to leave for our children. They speak of our dependence on a fuel source that is quickly running out and has been the cause of global turmoil such as the invasion of Iraq.

The film stresses that we can create our own fuel in a way that will clean up the earth while reducing dependence on foreign sources.

Tickell proposes growing algae from wastewater on land where no other crops can grow. Algae pulls carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and can be grown quickly in high quantities for use as clean-emission fuel.

“Fuel” is a movie every human being should see. It’s an entertaining yet hard-hitting look at how wastefully we treat the earth. The incredibly informative film promotes proactive voters and citizens.

Tickell is no preaching hippie. What he proposes would create a sustainable world. His ideas would create high-paying jobs, clean up the air, make use of wastewater and much more.

He’s telling us how to save the world. Maybe we should listen.