Word for Word

5 Dec 2010

GASLAND – How Natural Gas is destroying America’s heartland.

Arts, Health, News & Politics, Society & Culture

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I want you to imagine a stream in your most idyllic environment. Perhaps itâ€™s a fresh water spring that trickles through the Dandenong Ranges. Perhaps is a creek that winds itself through the Hunter Valley or the beautiful Yarra Valley, somewhere near Warburton.
Maybe you have been to the Daintree? For me â€“ I can think of no where more beautiful than the crystal clear river I went swimming in some 25 years ago. It was right up at the top of Australia in the Cape York Peninsula â€“ waterfalls â€“ rock pools â€“ carnivorous plants lined the quartz riverbed and the water was so clear you could see the huge catfish swimming 3 or 4 meters below. Even my over-protective mother had no hesitation in allowing us to drink straight from the river. Paradise? Absolutely!
My guest today was lucky enough to grow up in just such an environment….but on the other side of the world. A year younger than me, his home in Pennsylvania is on land that has a stream just like the one you imagined. So when he received an offer of $100K US from a gas company wishing to extract Natural Gas from his familyâ€™s property…he had a few questions he wanted answered first. The result is an extraordinary new documentary titled GASLAND â€“ its director is Josh Fox.