Biodiesel: No war required

“Make fuel, not war” is the four-word synopsis of Josh Tickell’s documentary Fields of Fuel, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Tickell spent 10 years traveling the country in his “veggie van” learning how to turn America’s 3 billion gallons of used cooking oil into a viable alternative to petroleum. This 90-minute tour de force traces the history of fuel production from the mysterious death of inventor Rudolph Diesel to cancer-ridden areas surrounding oil refineries in Tickell’s native Louisiana and modern innovations using algae-based fuels that grow 10,000 times faster than soybeans. Pointing to successful political implementation in Sweden and Germany, Tickell argues that biodiesel is a solution that’s ready to go today. Check out www.fieldsoffuel.com.