Dirty Business: “Clean Coal” and the Battle for Our Energy Future 2011
Distributed by Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149, Oley, PA 19547; 800-543-FROG (3764)
Produced by Center for Investigative Reporting
Directed by Peter Bull
DVD, color, 89 min.
High School - College
Environmental Studies, Political Science
Date Entered: 08/08/2011
Reviewed by Carrie M. Macfarlane, Librarian for the Sciences and Head of Research and Instruction, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VTIt’s heavily advertised in magazines and on television, but how many people know exactly what “clean coal” is? This film separates the rhetoric from the reality. It explains that clean coal is not yet an energy source; it is just an untested idea. It compares clean coal with proven technologies such as wind power, solar power, and waste energy recovery.
Dirty Business clearly wants to debunk the myth of clean coal. But unlike some environmental films, it gives a reasonable amount of screen time to the other side of the story. And while it thoroughly explores the negative impacts of coal-powered energy, it also introduces positive solutions. This even-handed approach creates an informative, though not gripping, documentary style.
Dirty Business is recommended for classroom viewing in high schools and colleges. It has a 90-minute version, a 60-minute version and a 15-minute “featurette” called What is Clean Coal? Viewers who seek an explanation of clean coal will be satisfied with the 15-minute featurette; the longer versions look into the broader issues of energy production and consumption.
Awards
- First Place Documentary, Appalachian Film Festival
- Spirit of Innovation Award, EcoFocus Film Festival