Josh Tickell

Josh Tickell is a thought leader in the green industrial space whose career spans a mix of journalism, innovation, and design. In 1997, after traveling across the United States in a van powered by biodiesel that he processed in a self-made refinery, he penned the world's best selling book on biofuel, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, which has been sold in over 30 countries and has been credited with the creation of hundreds of successful large scale biorefineries. His first feature movie, FUEL won the Sundance Audience Award for Best Documentary, was released theatrically in the United States and became a global sensation gaining over 1 million viewers on Netflix, iTunes, Hulu and CNBC.

He consults on issues ranging from new greentech product launches, to consumer attitudes toward batteries, to legislative strategies, to operations-wide waste to energy technology installations for companies such as Green Mountain Energy Resources, Clif Bar, Yum Brands, Audi, General Motors and William Morris Endeavour.

Tickell has been a featured guest on Jay Leno's The Tonight Show and Good Morning America. He is a regularly featured opinion leader in news stories on CNN, Discovery, Reuters, NBC, Fox and NPR. Articles on Tickell, his films, and green energy work have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, USA Today, The Huffington Post, Hustler Magazine, Maxim Magazine, Popular Mechanics and thousands of international newspapers and magazines.

Having grown up in and around the oil industry in Louisiana, Josh Tickell remains actively engaged in the role that oil and gas operations play in the fate of Louisiana's delicate wetlands. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Tickell lead a disaster relief project for which his nonprofit organization was selected by President William J. Clinton as part of the Inaugural Clinton Global Initiative on Climate Change.

With his wife Rebecca Harrell Tickell, he co-directed the recent Cannes Film Festival movie, The Big Fix. The film explores possible connections between corporate and political malfeasance and the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The filmmaking duo then completed their third film, FREEDOM, the first movie ever to include a complete road map to wean America off of oil using affordable, available, scalable and actionable energy solutions.

Josh Tickell holds an undergraduate degree in Sustainable Living from the New College of South Florida and a Masters in Film from Florida State University's School of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts.

Early life

Tickell grew up in Louisiana, where members of his family suffered from pollution-related diseases. As a result, he began to look for alternatives to petroleum in college, when he learned of biodiesel while working on a farm in the former East Germany. Fascinated, Tickell started to conduct his own research. He translated documents written by the inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, and found that the first diesel engine had been designed to run on vegetable oil, not petroleum.

The Veggie Van Voyage

Tickell returned to the USA, bought an old diesel-powered Winnebago van that he painted with sunflowers and called the “Veggie Van". He built a small biodiesel processor that he named “The Green Grease Machine” and then set off on a 25,000 mile, two-year tour of the USA powered by the biodiesel he made from used grease collected from fast food restaurants along the way. This journey, which eventually became known as The Veggie Van Voyage, attracted the attention of numerous media outlets, serving to promote the publicity of biodiesel as a viable alternative fuel.

Books

After the Veggie Van tour, Tickell wrote his first book, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank – The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel. His second book is titled Biodiesel America: How to Free America From Oil and Make Money with Alternative Fuel. The book examines the status quo of the oil industry, the automakers and the government and offers an alternative energy roadmap to wean the US off fossil fuels.

Recent events

Tickell founded the Biodiesel America Organization. In 2005, it was selected by President Bill Clinton to be part of his Global Initiative on Climate Change. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Organization mounted a biodiesel relief aid effort in Louisiana and Mississippi. Tickell’s biodiesel-fueled relief ships delivered 20,000 meals, clothing and medical supplies to the hardest-hit areas of the disaster zone.

Based in Venice, California, Tickell continues to speak publicly to promote and educate on the subject of biodiesel. He has consulted for companies and organizations such as National Biodiesel Board, Arizona State House of Representatives, Solar Energy International, Quicksilver and Clif Bar. Tickell has spoken at numerous colleges and universities including MIT, Ohio University, Bard College, Vassar College, Harper College, Colorado College and Rider University and has presented in countries including Cuba, Argentina, Burma, and Australia.

Fuel

In September 2009, Tickell’s documentary on alternative clean energy, Fuel, was rolled out into 150 cities.

Education

Tickell holds an undergraduate degree in Sustainable Living from New College of Florida. After the publication of his first book, Tickell enrolled in Florida State University’s School of Motion Picture Television and Recording Arts where he earned his MFA in film.

See also

• Algal fuel
• V2G

External links

• The Fuel Film
• The Veggie Van Organization
• Biodiesel America Organization
• The Freedom Film
• The Big Fix Film