Thoughts on Fuel

Not fuel, like the petroleum we put in our cars, Fuel like the documentary on biofuel.

It meanders through the environmental issues, and sort of has a focus (on fuel) but it's broader than fuel alone, if you're thinking only gas. It's more about sustaining our way of life using alternative means of energy production. Overall I liked the presentation of information, although it is a bit emotional and I call into question a few facts. At times there are considerations not taken into account. The conclusion takes an eternity.

But, because it does wander along, you get a clear idea of the documentarists' dream for the future. With this, he claims, all of our energy needs can be met without the use of non-renewable resources (I think he's forgetting that metals are non-renewable resources, but that's an argument for later).

Biofuel
Biomass
Hybrids/Plug-ins
Wind
Solar
Public Transportation
Energy efficiency

And how should this happen? First, he says, change your light bulb. Next, he claims that we should pester our politicians, even when it seems like it's not getting anywhere. But he's optimistic that we can change the world into a sustainable future.

I'm not sure I'm so sure it can be done at this point. Isn't it too late? Should it already be happening? Isn't the world in the clutches of a greedy group of bloodsuckers?

The knowledge that it CAN be done doesn't really alleviate my concern that it WILL be done. I alternate between deciding to drop out of mainstream society, running the risk that the world will be falling apart around me, or attempting to change society.

Honestly, I think it's a bit of both. Obviously we should try to change the system we're in. Creating a new system includes chaos. Still, there are those out there that think (somewhat justifiably) that once the current system falls, those that live on the outskirts of society will be around to watch the dust settle.

Fuel's creator paints a picture of New York City with green roofs and vertical farms, of public transportation becoming the stable of daily traffic, of green energy jobs reinvigorating the economy. It's a beautiful picture, no doubt. But when does a utopia become a distopia?

Perhaps we'll get there someday. We'll need to make changes someday, it's inevitable. But even if we look at the dream, or hope for the future, we need to consider that the evil bloodsuckers are still out there. And they still have more secured power and control in the current system. I don't expect them to go down without a fight. Perhaps they won't go down at all, just fund our new ventures.

I get very afraid when I consider bloodsuckers running green technology. Bloodsuckers, by nature, aren't about building a sustainable model of money making. They're about getting that little bit more, and that little bit more comes from somewhere.

Fuel for all of it's optimism and hope doesn't offer a realistic means to combat the bloodsuckers. Maybe Fuel's author knows just as well as I do that the mighty fall on their own accord, under their own weight, just as well as they do when they're cut down. It's the average man (or woman, speaking neutral here) that must maneuver around the giant, and stay out of the way when the giant trips and falls.