Switch: A Journey to the Future of Global Energy

Browsing through a newsletter several months ago, I stumbled across the name of a documentary created by a respected geologist and energy researcher, Dr. Scott Tinker. The name of the documentary was Switch. Intrigued, I Googled the title and discovered a treasure-trove of resources supporting a film and educational program called Switch Energy Project. After watching the trailer, I needed to see the film.

I had finally found what I was looking for: an unbiased, agenda-free documentary reporting the realities of our energy landscape. But first, let me provide a little background on why this documentary was important to me.

Coal mine from Switch

Last summer I received an internship with a major gold mining company in Nevada. At that time, I had little idea of what mining was about, or how I felt about the processes they use. All of the things I had ever read about it were extremely negative and spoke of toxic releases, damage to natural habitat, and threats to the health of humans and wildlife. After three months of working in production, I became familiar with the incredible amount of time, effort, and capital spent to produce an ounce of gold from the ground. And as I observed the immense efforts to stay within strict environmental permitting guidelines, helped in conducting a preliminary wildlife evaluation in an exploratory area, and witnessed the reclamation and replanting of native grasslands on former mine sites, my mind began to change about what it meant to safely and conscientiously extract metals and materials that our society demands. The process isn’t perfect, and many risks are involved, but our dependence on raw materials and goods will always require and support the existence of mining.

As a student immersed in the geosciences and familiar with the extractive industries, I have found myself on the fence between two warring sides in a longstanding battle between environmentalists and industry. I was, and still am, attempting to see both perspectives in a world that believes you can only choose one. The more I learned, the more I became disappointed and frustrated by the disinformation and slander exhorted by both sides. I began to search for an educational resource to share with my college and community to shed the light on the facts behind some of the most highly politicized and volatile arguments involving the extractive industries, without the presence of an industry or environmental agenda. For months, I found nothing that fit the bill until I stumbled upon Switch.

Concentrated Solar from Switch

Switch is not another documentary telling you what do. Instead, it presents the facts on our current state of energy consumption, quantitatively describes each resource in detail, and offers a prediction for the future of our energy landscape. It provides numerous interviews from leading energy experts, researchers, and officials, and brings the audience on a tour of diverse energy sites around the world to explore restricted areas rarely seen by anyone outside of industry. Its compelling and unbiased narrative has earned critical acclaim, numerous awards, and support from industry, policymaking, and environmental groups alike.

I appreciate the opportunity to have worked with the Four Corners Office of Resource Efficiency (4CORE) to bring this film to Durango. It is my desire that Switch will spark tolerant and intelligent conversations about energy and our responsibility in conserving it. I hope that the realities presented in this film provide a sober awareness of the state of our energy needs and those required by a burgeoning population in the near future.

I hope members of our community leave more educated on the traditional, unconventional, and renewable energy resources available to us and use this knowledge in their future personal, political, and environmental decisions regarding energy.

For more info on Switch, visit their website. Two screenings will take place in Durango on Thursday, September 18th and Friday, September 19th. Join us for an evening of energy exploration!

About the Author

Sara Holden is a geology student entering her senior year at Fort Lewis College. Over the past year, she has grown increasingly interested in energy resources and her responsibility as a future geologist in their management. Luck led her to an internship with 4CORE, where for the past summer she has worked on bringing a particularly unique documentary to the Durango community.