Cars running on vegetable oil, buildings 30 stories high filled with growing fruits and veggies, and algae cultivated as biofuel in the middle of the desert? Those strategies may be key to saving the environment.

Honolulu has the resources to participate, according to the makers of "Fuel," a film advocating for more sustainable strategies. They're bringing the film to the Blaisdell Concert Hall on Friday with the aim of converting Islanders to this activist green mindset.

Cars and used veggie oil? Check. Plenty of buildings? Check. Algae? We may not be the middle of the desert, but we're surrounded by the stuff. So what's stopping us from switching over from limited and hazardous resources to clean and renewable energy?

With its can-do message, "Fuel" has won over critics and audiences worldwide. It won the prize for best documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. And on Thursday, director Josh Tickell was recognized at an awards ceremony sponsored by the Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization at the United Nations' headquarters in New York, for his "global advancement in alternative energy solutions."

That fits snugly into Tickell's plan.

"I wanted to make a movie that both cataloged and catalyzed the green energy movement — a snapshot, if you will, that simultaneously ignited the next phase of action," he said. "I wanted people to walk out of the theater with an understanding of the issues and an empowerment to change the course of history."

Tickell uses tactics including shock, humor, flashy yet simple animations and inspirational music to capture the audience's attention.

"Energy is fundamental to our survival and continuation as a species," the filmmaker said. "If we do not deal with the energy issues we face, our species will follow."

He has traveled across the Mainland in a "Veggie Van" run solely on biodiesel fuel, and he stood in the middle of a Manhattan business district — symbolic of change-resistant corporate America — with cardboard signs saying, "Change your life, Change your fuel" and "Biodiesel: No War Required."

Tickell, who grew up in Louisiana near a concentration of oil refineries that thicken the air with emissions, attributes his mother's frequent illnesses during his youth to the petroleum industry. Although he pinpoints his hatred of oil companies as a starting point in the making of "Fuel," Tickell also considers the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina pivotal points in his journey. In his view, the Sept. 11 attacks should serve as a call to develop sustainable energy, while Katrina is a stark illustration that America is not prepared for the climate effect of global warming.

After Hurricane Katrina, he said, "I stopped fighting from anger, and started looking for partners."

A star-studded cast helps Tickell convey his message in "Fuel." Julia Roberts, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow and Woody Harrelson, along with leaders of the biofuel and alternative energy industry, address the effect petrol-based fuels can have on the environment, and on humans directly. The guests offer proposed solutions alongside their facts.

"On O'ahu, statewide even, we are utterly dependent on imported petroleum. We have so many resources to tap into here, so it's a huge opportunity for us. We're missing out on using renewable local resources," said Jeff Mikulina, executive director of Blue Planet Foundation, one of the organizations sponsoring the premiere.

"Anything that will help facilitate our discussion about a clean energy future, we're in favor of," said Mikulina. "We're always looking for new and exciting ways to talk about clean energy."

"Fuel" begins with an introduction to biofuels, goes on to depict America as "addicted" to oil, then offers solutions to "rehabilitate" the country.

Just when you thought you've learned all you can, the movie gives you 10 simple, direct ways to go green, along with the credits.

"The main thing is to get people excited about clean energy," Mikulina said. "We want to keep people concerned and educated about our current situation. Energy is something that we take so for granted, we only pay attention to how much it costs. We don't stop to think about the environment."

According to Tickell, film editors have been working on cutting "Fuel" into a 45-minute version to be distributed to schools. A television series is also in the works.