In the opening moments of the inspiring new documentary titled The Future of Energy, we're provided a guided tour through Greensburg, Kansas, a seemingly typical Midwestern town with a population of just under a thousand. In 2007, a fierce tornado struck the town and annihilated the vast majority of its buildings and infrastructure. Undaunted, the community decided to rebuild by harnessing the same power that was once the cause of its destruction: wind. Today, Greensburg is entirely operated on 100% renewable wind energy. Their shining example sets the stage for the remainder of the film, which urges the necessity for similar progressive actions in every city across the globe.
There are few issues more pressing in our modern society than that of energy. Currently, the majority of the world's energy is produced through the burning of fossil fuels, a process which has proven detrimental to the health and safety of our planet and all of its inhabitants. In addition to the ramifications related to climate change, our unsustainable energy habits place great burdens upon the world's economies, which contribute to the financial instability of families throughout the world.
The answer, according to the myriad of experts represented in the film, is the powerful clean energy trio of wind, water and solar. According to researchers, renewable energies could power the entire globe by the year 2050. The technologies are right at our fingertips. All we seem to lack is the social and political willpower to make widespread renewable energies our reality.
Energy independence is only possible when communities break away from a system which continues to rely upon outdated and pollution-inducing technologies. The Future of Energy take us on a journey to discover how this has been made possible in regions throughout the United States, as citizens have joined together to outfit their homes and businesses with solar panels and a multitude of additional clean energy conductors. With infectious enthusiasm, The Future of Energy shines a spotlight on the many everyday figures that stand at the forefront of the clean energy revolution, and shows us that the capacity for positive change in the world begins with the individual.
Directed by: Brett Mazurek