ELMORE, MN - There's a movement that's picking up momentum as the call to make a switch to ethanol gets louder. Some local ethanol producers are hoping a new documentary will provide more information and garner more support for the biofuel.
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill prompted Lousianna native Josh Tickell and his wife Rebecca to produce a documentary that explores a variety of green solutions and aims tange the way people live.
On Monday there was a screening of the film in Elmore in an effort to get the word out
It's called the freedom film. It's a documentary that investigates alternatives to fossil fuels. Filmmakers say one thing they tried to do is dispell some of the myths surrounding ethanol.
"A lot of people think about ethanol in general, they think it's food versus fuel, they talk about the indirect land use, they want to talk about the subsidies that the industry gets, which are really not all true," said Jim Stark.
Stark is Vice President of Media Relations for Green Plains renewable energy, North America's fourth largest ethanol producer. He said it's important for folks to understand the role that ethanol plays in the world today.
"It is about ten percent of the U.S. fuel supply today. So we are importing ten percent less oil from countries that don't like us very much," said Stark.
He also said it's essential for the farming communities.
"It also helps to boost rural economies. When you think about where prices are for corn these days, it has helped put a lot of income into the rural communities, back in the farmers pockets," said Stark.
And he believes the Freedom Film is a good way to get the word out about an issue that affects all different areas of society.
"When you think about environmentalists, when you think about farming communities, and it's really been focused on our congressmen and senators, to help them get better educated about what the issues are and what the topics are," Stark said.
Green Plains Renewable Energy became involved with the Freedom Film because the company'sCEO is featured in the documentary. It also features interviews with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former NATO commander Wesley Clark and several well known musicians and actors.
http://thefreedomfilm.com/
