Science Teacher Educating Students on the Dangers of Fracking

Nowadays, high school students only seem to be passionate about their Facebook pages and what they’re going to do on Friday night.

Will Minehart is trying to change that.

Minehart, an environmental studies teacher at , is screening the documentary “Gasland” at the school Thursday.

The film is about the potential dangers of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” by energy companies. Fracking is the act of creating fractures in the ground to harvest natural gas reservoirs underground. He has shown the film to his students already. 

“I feel like the students have latched onto the corruption regarding the issue,” Minehart said. “It’s one of the few topics in class that I’ve seen the kids get fired up about.”

The practice has come under scrutiny from grassroots groups throughout the United States for its potentially dangerous effects on the environment. The process has been known to release gas into drinking water.

Minehart said that companies offer residents who live near fracking sites money for permission to drill for the gas, but are allegedly absolved from the deleterious health effects that may come as a result.

Minehart wants to educate students outside his classroom of the practice.

“Some of these students have already determined that they know they have to be users of things like gas in today’s society, it’s just how our lives are now,” Minehart said. “But for some of them to say that they are against something like ‘facking’ and feel that they don’t want the practice to continue. That’s so great to see. Let’s see if we can’t get more people on board.”

Representatives from Food and Water Watch and 350.org will be on hand with information about the practice and how to combat it.  Food and Water Watch to ensure that the food, water, and fish people consume is safe to eat and sustainably produced; 350.org is a grassroots organization that pushes for policies to significantly reduce the amount of carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere.

“Gasland” was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2011.

Minehart said he not trying to force his opinion on anyone, he just wants to educate others of a practice that has negative consequences on peoples’ lives throughout the United States and the world.

“As a teacher, it’s not my place to push a political agenda, but if I can show students something like this documentary, then they can form their own opinions, choose how they want to respond, and choose their own plan of action,” Minehart said.