Library to host climate movieNov 27, 2006

By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff

A New Hampshire filmmaker brings his documentary on a large corporation's part in global warming to the Rutland Library today.

Central Vermont Peace and Justice is sponsoring the showing of Tom Jackson's "Out of Balance: ExxonMobil's Impact on Climate Change" at 6:30 p.m. today. The showing is free and open to the public.

Jackson, reached by telephone Monday, said the documentary is more than just corporation-bashing.

"There's a global warming facet to it, which is not to let this huge problem overwhelm you," he said. "There's many things we can do."

One of those things, Jackson said, is launching an "open and vocal" boycott against the Exxon Mobil Corp.

"They are the biggest company in the world and they could do so much good if they'd get on the bandwagon of renewable energy," he said. "Climate change is so pervasive, it's going to affect many areas of our lives and already has."

Jackson said while the media has only recently recognized the debate on climate change is essentially over, a consensus has existed in the scientific community for more than a decade. One of the main reasons for the public's misunderstanding is the spin placed on the issue by ExxonMobil.

The film looks at those spin efforts as well as the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the company's attempts to open the Artic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Jackson said he began thinking about the documentary at the end of 2005.

"Robert Greenwald's film that was critical of Wal-Mart was making the rounds," he said. "I liked that film and the grassroots model they were using to get it around."

Along the way, Jackson said, he came across a few facts about the company he had never heard before.

"ExxonMobil's origins are in Standard Oil," he said. "That broke up and their lineage is through Standard Oil of New Jersey. I did learn Standard Oil of New Jersey sold oil to the Nazis in World War II. Even well into when we were fighting them, they continued selling to their foreign subsidiaries."

Jackson said he has attended about 30 showings similar to the one in Rutland tonight.

"It's definitely bringing out people who are already on the bandwagon, but I can present them with more information with this film than they have already," he said. "It's a sort of an organizing tool."

Organizer Carol Tashie said the documentary seemed especially timely with the Vermont Legislature debating climate change.

"What I'm hoping to get out of it is calls to action," she said. "Global climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. I want to know what I can do."

Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.