A few years ago, the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC) began a new film series and one of its earliest offerings was the 2010 Academy Award-nominated documentary
Gasland by filmmaker Josh Fox, whose unconventional style of filmmaking made him one of the most talked about filmmakers that year and whose footage of people lighting their tap water ignited the imagination and horror of those who caught this film.
Fox's journey actually began in May 2008 when he received a letter from a natural gas company offering $100,000 to his family in Milanville, Pennsylvania if they would consent to let them drill for gas on their land.
Since the first documentary arrived, the topic of fracking, the high powered extraction process by which natural gas is released from its shale rock prison with a proprietary and secret combination of chemicals injected deep into the earth, has become one of the naturalists' public enemy number one.
On Tuesday at UICA, WMEAC will present Fox's sequel,
Gasland 2, which continues to drill even deeper into the process that is pitting communities against big energy business as it makes headlines in the U.S.A. as well as internationally.
After the film, WMEAC will host an informative panel to discuss the recent granting of permits to frack within Kent County. Speakers at press time include the recently formed 501c3 Kent County Water Conservation's co-founder Stephanie Mabie and WMEAC's Policy and Community Activism Director Nick Occhipinti.
The audience will have a chance during the panel to ask questions. Organizers have shared that their is a lot of mystery on both sides of the argument and WMEAC in this format seek to cut to core concerns. After the discussion, those individuals whose property or way of life may be impacted as a result of these newly issued permits will be invited to connect with others to discuss further next steps.
As we just witnessed in
Charleston, West Virginia what can happen to a city of 300,000 when their water supply is temporarily contaminated, this seems like a perfect time for a community to begin to have frank conversations around this topic and begin talks of smart planning based on science.
Admission: $5 (suggested donation)