The Film: Northern Grease
Northern Grease follows a group of self-described “young, hairy Dudes” on their 6-month, 5,200 kilometer adventure in their vegetable oil powered bus in search of snow, surf, and insights into the industrial, economic and social changes taking place in northern BC and Alberta. Their journey juxtaposes the beauty of snow-covered mountains and remote coastlines with shocking environmental changes wrought by large-scale energy projects in pristine areas of western Canada, and chronicles their mission to understand Canadian resource extraction.
The young filmmakers visit industrial towns, meet community members involved with and affected by resource extraction, and learn about some of the problems presented by practices such as fracking and coalbed methane processing. They find a complex and disturbing landscape, against which environmental stewardship is threatened by misinformation and biased marketing. Along the way, the boys spend time with people who, using alternative and renewable enregy sources, lead lifestyles that present possible solutions.
Northern grease tells a story of awareness, social activism, and forward thinking, against a backdrop of our country’s beautiful wilderness and fascinating people.
Read more in this recent article from La Source.