With the release of Gasland 2, the sequel to Josh Fox’s popular anti-fracking film, leading energy educator Alex Epstein invited Fox to enroll in a free “Fracking 101” course created especially for celebrity activists.
Epstein, author of Fossil Fuels Improve the Planet, has spoken on fracking and related issues at top universities around the country, including Vassar, Stanford, Duke, and UCLA. “It is astonishing how poor a job today’s schools do at educating students about energy,” said Epstein, “but when it comes to celebrities, the situation is even more bleak. Their lack of energy education is approaching the level of a crisis.
“That’s why my organization, the Center for Industrial Progress, started the Energy Education for Celebrities initiative. Any celebrity is welcome to come down to CIP’s headquarters, conveniently located in Southern California, and learn why fossil fuel technologies such as fracking improve our lives, our health, and our environment. Before stars go out and take policy stands that can do real damage to people—including people whose disposable income is far smaller than theirs—they should know the facts.”
Fox’s ignorance, Epstein noted, is particularly inexcusable. “I originally extended this offer to Mark Ruffalo, who, along with stars such as Matt Damon, Ethan Hawke, and Yoko Ono, was running around and denouncing today’s natural gas revolution. Ruffalo’s calendar must be overloaded because he has yet to take me up on the offer. But considering Fox’s role as a documentary maker, and the concern for accuracy that implies, I’m confident he’ll fit it in to his schedule.
“I hope that, through participating in Energy Education for Celebrities, Josh Fox will see to it that Gasland 3 celebrates the fact that the amazing new energy technology of fracking has turned America into a gasland—that is, a land where unprecedented amounts of natural gas are available to fuel our lives.”
You can read Epstein’s full offer to Hollywood celebrities at http://industrialprogress.com/2012/05/07/mark-ruffalo-be-an-avenger-for-fracking/. To interview Epstein or book him for your show, please e-mail adam@industrialprogress.net or call 949-478-3670.