Skyler LaFemina
9/28/15
Word Count:
Environment and Politics, Fall
Film Annotation #6
1.Title, author/director and release year?
“The Future of Energy” is presented by Planetary Advocates. The documentary was produced by
Maximilian Dearmon and Missy Lahren, written by Maximilian Dearmon and Directed by Brett
Mazurek. The documentary was released in 2015.1
2. What is the central argument or narrative of the film?
Energy is at the heart of our global society. Fossil fuels threaten safety, the economy and
life itself. They are also finite; as more fossil fuels are consumed and used, the higher the price
becomes. Green technology empowers people to democratize energy and global communication
allows this source of cost effective and renewable energy to be distributed. Zero Net Energy and
Social Benefit Corporations are two specific methods that businesses and homes can adopt to
dramatically lower our overall carbon emissions while creating several green jobs. It is becoming
far easier to install environmentally friendly energy systems and the efficiency of these
technologies has greatly increased. Now, it is time to overcome political and social hindrances
preventing investment into these modern technologies and the divestment from fossil fuel based
companies. Communities and cities around the globe have accepted this challenge and are
showing that renewable energy sources cannot only replace fossil fuels, but they can be cheaper
as well.
3. How is the argument or narrative made and sustained? How much scientific information is
provided, for example? Does the film have emotional appeal?
To illustrate the economic problems associated with fossil fuels, the film used the 2008
recession as an example and explained how as oil prices increased, the cost of consumer goods
dramatically increased and contributed to the crash of financial markets. To highlight global
progress against fossil fuels, several graphs map cities like Oak Park, Illinois, Ithaca, New York
and Greensburg, Kansas that have achieved 100% renewable electricity generation, with other
cities such as San Francisco planning on meeting this goal. Individuals who have embraced
environmentally friendly technology for their homes and businesses have seen dramatic
reductions in energy costs. Environmental activist Joanna Macy provides and emotional
perspective on the physiological and philosophical implications of our actions. She emphasizes
the fact that doubts will always linger, and challenges will always question our purpose in our
quest to achieve sustainability, but we must keep going in order to realize the full potential of our
visions.
4. What stakeholders are described or portrayed in the film, what were their experiences, what
expertise did they have, and what were their stakes?
Several stakeholders ranging from individual home owners, business leaders,
communities as well as entire cities and countries all have stakes in this ongoing effort. I’ve
1
"The Future of Energy."
detailed two individuals and one business model that have all greatly impacted our world with
regards to going green.
Erica Mackie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Grid Alternatives, a non-profit organization
dedicated to retrofitting underserved communities with renewable energy technology. Grid
Alternatives currently has 7 offices in California and 1 in Colorado, but is expanding nationally.
The organization has installed nearly 4,000 photovoltaic systems on the homes of low income
families and have trained over 14,000 people to aid in the process. As a result, the organization
has redirected over $100 million back into the hands of low income families.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago signed the city’s first aggregated contract. Mayor
Emmanuel saw the value in reducing Chicago’s large dependence on coal and signed a contract
that omitted coal and nuclear power and introduced increased funding for wind power for the
city. This is a major step in the progression of all cities in that Chicago lies in the heart of coal
country and relies heavily on coal for energy production.
Social Benefit Corporations, or B-Crops, including Ben & Jerry’s, Sunrise Banks, Etsy,
Mosaic and Cooperative Home Care Associates are committed to use the power of business to
solve social and environmental problems. As an emerging business model for socially
conscientious companies, Social Benefit Corporations seek to make profits while serving people
and protecting the planet. Sungevity, a solar panel based B-Corp recently won an award for job
creation in Oakland, California. The corporation employs over 250 people in green-related jobs.
5. What parts of the film did you find most persuasive and compelling? Why?
I was particularly inspired by the movement to divest all funds from fossil fuel
companies. The movement has spread to over 300 universities nationwide, more than 100 cities
and states, dozens of religious institutions and is quickly spreading across the globe. The
movement demands the divestment from the top 200 companies owning the majority of the
world’s carbon reserves in an effort to take larger strides against carbon emissions and climate
change. The money that is withdrawn can be reinvested into more beneficial areas like projects
to improve college campuses. Targeting the largest sources of carbon emissions is a very direct
and necessary step in reducing global emissions and more importantly decreasing dependency on
such companies.
6. What parts of the film were you not compelled or convinced by? Why?
Achieving 100% renewable energy is a daunting task, but not something we cannot
achieve. Reaching this state by 2050 as the video states, accelerates the challenge, but it is
nevertheless theoretically attainable. However, it is very difficult to imagine all companies, all
forms of transportation, all consumer goods, all residences, all infrastructure and all humans to
unconditionally replace fossil fuels and existing structures with renewable sources along with
their accommodating infrastructure. Transportation, oil and goods are all integral to our economy
and life, and removing any of these components would have dramatic effects. I acknowledge the
fact that slowly replacing these components over time will be necessary to have sustainable
energy sources. The challenge is overcoming political barriers and developing strategies that
would limit the damages and maximize the gains from alternative energy in as little time as
possible. Historically, nations like the United States have failed to deliver. However, with a
greater global effort, the future will certainly focus more on addressing this increasingly pivotal
topic.
7. What audiences does the film best address? Why?
Anyone can take initiatives towards reducing both local and global carbon emissions, so
in a way, the film addresses everyone. Any person can have an impact on pollution and carbon
emissions either positively or negatively, but as more ecosystems and environments are failing, it
is becoming more of our responsibility to take action. The film shows the people of the world
that have initiated this process on a larger scale by involving communities in sustainability
projects, passing legislation to combat cities’ pollution and both creating and adopting cleaner
technology like electric cars. The film also challenges larger scale operations such as businesses
and corporations to become Zero Net Energy and B-Corps.
8. What could have been added to this film to enhance its educational value?
The film swiftly denounced nuclear power as a viable source of energy without providing
scientific information. The film simply mentioned the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
disaster and correspondingly labeled all other nuclear power as dangerous without offering
information regarding the event. For example, the film did not mention that the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory noted the extreme risk that seismic activity posed to the plant’s emergency electricity
generators and cooling systems in 1990. TEPCO, the operator of the station, was also warned
that their seawall was insufficient to withstand a powerful tsunami but did not respond with any
precautionary measures for either risk.2 Despite nuclear power being inherently dangerous,
compared to coal, oil, natural gas, biofuel, solar, wind and hydro power, nuclear power has the
lowest energy source mortality rate (Deaths/yr/TWh).3
9. What kinds of action and points of intervention are suggested by the film? If the film itself
does not suggest corrective action, describe actions that you can imagine being effective.
To inspire people, the film suggests various actions that organizations, groups and
individuals can take towards implementing renewable energy sources while decreasing carbon
emissions. Individuals and communities can buy and grow local food, ride bikes and carpool,
encourage schools to divest while investing in solar technology and explore renewable energy
options for homes and vehicles. Business and investors can become B-Corps, power businesses
on renewable energy and upgrade to Zero Net Energy, invest in renewable energy and divest
from fossil fuels. Local governments and policy makers can mandate renewable energy, save
money by improving energy efficiency, provide incentives for residents and businesses and
create Community Choice Aggregation program (CCA).
10. What three points, details or references from the film did you follow up on to learn more?
Write short descriptions of what you learned in your search, providing citations.
I was very interested in learning more about Lancaster City, California after hearing that
it became the United States to mandate solar panels on all new buildings. The city’s revolution
began with the partnership with eSolar to bring its 20-acre 5 MW Sierra SunTower solar project
from conception to completion in just 14 months. Partnering with SolarCity, Lancaster
2
3
"Japan's Reactor Risk Foretold 20 Years Ago in U.S. Agency Report."
Post, Williem. "Deaths from Nuclear Energy Compared with Other Causes."
introduced a new program to reduce the cost and simplify the process of converting to solar
power for homeowners. The new solar system offsets close to 100 percent of its energy use and
will save its owners nearly $50,000 in the first year of operation alone. Besides implementing
solar power in Lancaster, the city has also partnered with leading industry pioneers to
aggressively research and implement projects in the areas of hydrokinetic, concentrated
photovoltaic, concentrated solar power, as well as first-of-its-kind power transmission in the
Antelope Valley.4
Additionally, I was interested in Jeremy Rifkin’s book “The Third Industrial Revolution”.
In addition to describing the “Five Pillars of the Third Industrial Revolution” which is described
in the video, Rifkin’s book emphasizes the internet as a powerful tool in future energy
production. Data will be analyzed with advanced analytics, transformed into predictive
algorithms, and programmed into automated systems, to improve thermodynamic efficiencies,
dramatically increase productivity, and reduce the marginal cost of producing and delivering a
full range of goods and services to near zero across the entire economy. Companies such as
General Electric, Cisco, and Siemens are currently working on this idea of bringing intelligent
infrastructure online that is capable of connecting neighborhoods, cities, regions, continents and
the global economy.5
Lastly, after listening to Joanna Macy’s emotional speech about human’s purpose and
will power, I was inspired to learn more about her philosophy and perspective. She believes that
the sixth mass extinction is underway (the extinction of humans). She explains that the Earth’s
carrying capacity (in terms of resources and space) is a major concern, but more significantly
that, current generations are expunging future possibilities for later generations and civilizations.
She takes the crises seriously and has thus dedicated her life towards changing the perspectives
people and to foster a greater open-mindedness towards preserving the future.6
4
"City of Lancaster." City of Lancaster.
"Jeremy Rifkin and The Third Industrial Revolution Home Page."
6
"Joanna MacyIt Looks Bleak.Big Deal, It Looks Bleak."
5
Works Cited Page
"The Future of Energy." Top Documentary Films RSS. Accessed September 26, 2015.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/future-energy/.
"Japan's Reactor Risk Foretold 20 Years Ago in U.S. Agency Report." Bloomberg.com. March
15, 2011. Accessed September 26, 2015. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-0316/japan-s-reactor-risk-foretold-20-years-ago-in-u-s-nuclear-agency-s-report.
Post, Williem. "Deaths from Nuclear Energy Compared with Other Causes." The Energy
Collective. February 26, 2013. Accessed September 26, 2015.
http://www.theenergycollective.com/willem-post/191326/deaths-nuclear-energy-comparedother-causes.
"City of Lancaster." City of Lancaster. August 3, 2015. Accessed September 26, 2015.
http://www.cityoflancasterca.org/.
"Jeremy Rifkin and The Third Industrial Revolution Home Page." The Third Industrial
Revolution Home Page. Accessed September 26, 2015.
http://www.thethirdindustrialrevolution.com/.
"Joanna MacyIt Looks Bleak.Big Deal, It Looks Bleak." ECOBUDDHISM. Accessed September
26, 2015. http://www.ecobuddhism.org/wisdom/interviews/jmacy.