Page 68 - Winter2020

Tim’s DVD Reviews

that minor problem (until higher powers forced her mom were already there, they wanted to go see the “shop.” Although
the company to fix it). Why not? They did the the film isn’t extremely clear about what the shop is, it is apparent that
math. They calculated that it would be cheaper under ordinary circumstances, Girl Scouts are routinely granted access
to let cars blow up and pay the damages than to it. In this case, after a lengthy runaround, the girl was not granted
fix it. The same thing goes on in many other access. That’s not just mean; that is ice cold. In fairness, a representa-
industries, especially in the pharmaceutical tive eventually came down briefly to take the petitions in person, but
world. We are being overtaken by a culture that I’m willing to bet those petitions promptly hit the bottom of the nearest
loves money more than life. Obviously, if we dumpster as soon as the girl was out of sight. The Girl Scouts eventually
continue this way, many will die, but hey! The came out with a GMO-free cookie. I’m sure we’ll never know why it took
good news is that some of us will be filthy rich. them four years to do that.
The thumb is UP. The most intriguing thing we see in this film is the Green Powerhouse.
Designed and built by inventor Michael Smith, it is a unique combination
The Need to Grow of greenhouse and power generator that uses trash and very little else as
Directed by Rob Herring and Ryan Wirick input; its outputs are power for one hundred homes as well as biochar,
Executive Producer Rosario Dawson which greatly enhances soil fertility. Inside temperatures are maintained
https://www.earthconsciouslife.org/theneed- at tropical levels sufficient to grow bananas and pineapples in the middle
togrow of Montana. Tragically, it burned to the ground in 2015 under suspicious
circumstances. It has since been rebuilt.
We have lost a massive amount of farm- I’m giving this film a thumbs UP, but I will probably set a new per-
able soil. Industrial farming doesn’t work. sonal record for qualifications and criticisms attached to the thumb. First,
For most of our readers, these statements will though The Need to Grow does not explicitly promote vegetarianism, one
sound like yet another newsflash from Captain could read that implication into some of what is said. Except for a men-
Obvious. From this starting point, The Need to tion of how industrial animal farming is destructive (another newsflash
Grow looks at a few possible solutions. One is from Captain Obvious), there is no sign of animals anywhere in this film.
hydroponics. I have dabbled with hydroponics a Don’t get me wrong. The Green Powerhouse is very cool, and I like
little, and I have my doubts. I’m not totally sold the potential it offers to generate energy, dispose of trash and improve soil
on the idea that hydroponics can really replace fertility all in one neat package. It may solve a lot of problems and change
old-fashioned soil-based agriculture. But I’m a lot of things. However, I don’t think it is a complete solution by itself.
not an expert. I like the idea of solving concerns about the power grid going down by
Jeffrey Smith is an expert on the subject getting rid of the grid and replacing it with lots of smaller power plants,
of GMOs, and he explains how World War II but I would like it even better if it could be scaled down to be cheap and
chemical warfare was repurposed to produce small enough to fit in a typical backyard. As things currently stand, the
pesticides and fertilizers. He thinks that might Green Powerhouse is apparently quite expensive and took a government
be a bad idea. I agree. grant to build. The filmmakers do not explain where the money came
One of the film’s subplots focuses on Girl from to rebuild it after it burned down.
Scout cookies with GMO ingredients. Yes I am There is also too much fretting about carbon dioxide in the atmo-
going to be a mean old man and give the Girl sphere. No doubt we are dumping bad stuff into our environment, but
Scout organization a hard time. A seven-year- carbon dioxide is the least of our worries. Plants need it. We need small
old collected over twenty thousand signatures amounts, too. Any good greenhouse operator knows that it greatly in-
in a petition to remove GMOs from the cookies. creases plant growth and productivity when they add more of it. Any good
She went to their headquarters to deliver the scientist knows that historically we have had more than twice as much
petitions and meet with a representative as pre- carbon dioxide in our atmosphere as we do now. There was no disaster
viously scheduled. The representative canceled back then, so why would there be now? Completely removing it from
at the last minute for very lame reasons. Now the atmosphere is a really bad idea. This film does not go that far, and
that is mean. In addition, because the girl and it makes many good points, so it narrowly escapes the thumb of death.
66 Wise Traditions WINTER 2020