"What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire" is a documentary hardly named for the cliché words of encouragement, "way to go." While it may not be the type of film that pats society on the back, it aims to educate and even to warn.
The documentary, written and directed by Timothy S. Bennett and produced by Sally C. Erickson, discusses oil usage and its repercussions and will be screened in Van Bokkelen Hall on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Professor Gordon Glover, of the electronic media and film department, said many students are aware of global warming and its effects on the climate and the world at large, but are less aware of the effects of oil depletion.
"I think a lot of students are aware of global warming because of 'Inconvenient Truth,' but there's one thing I am not sure many students are aware of what's called peak oil. Many experts agree that we're operating at peak oil production so once oil has peaked, the supply is going to slowly diminish," Glover explained.
Glover learned about the film from a colleague and he in turn suggested Towson as a place to screen it.
"Since I am in EMF, I am working with students on the video activism organization and progression alliance, which are students coming together to raise aware on issues like this," Glover said. "I think that you're not going to get a lot of the important information that will really impact your future from global media because it's not exactly happy news."
Glover explained the issue of oil usage as something that will affect "anyone who plans on making a life in the next 60 years or so."
Glover also explained how integral oil is to our society and how many aspects of life will be affected if it becomes depleted.
"Our industrial agriculture is made from cheap energy. If peak oil presents the way a lot of experts think it will, it's kind of a mind blowing problem. Basically it's the repercussions of the last 100 years of industrialization," Glover said.
According to the film's Web site, "'What a Way to Go' looks at the current global situation and asks the most important questions of all: How did we get here? Why do we keep destroying the planet? What do we truly want?"
Glover encourages students of all majors to attend the free screening on Wednesday. Bennett and Erickson will both be available for questions following the film.
"I think the world is really going to change and that people should be prepared for it," Glover said. To learn more about the film and its creators, visit the film's Web site at http://www.whatawaytogomovie.com. Additional information on peak oil can be found at http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net.
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