>> hello and welcome to "global 3000," your weekly check on the developments that drive our planet. and here's what we have coming up for you today. oil rush re-loaded -- how fracking is changing america's energy equation transition towns -- how re- thinking the way communities tick can help protect our environment. and buy beautiful -- how a philippine bio-cosmetics company puts doing good above just profits.

america is hungry for oil and gas. its per capita use of energy is one of the highest in the world. but what do you do when you are dependant on something that is fast running out? you either use less or you make sure to find more. and that's what the current u.s. drive to exploit its own oil deposits is all about -- weaning the country off imports. at the moment, washington is still highly dependant on exporters from around the world with some 97 million barrels of crude per month coming from canada and around 34 million barrels each from venezuela, saudi arabia, and mexico. other key sources are russia and iraq. so, if there is a crisis or instability in any of these regions, american consumers immediately feel the pinch. just imagine what would happen if oil disappeared from the power equation between the u.s. and all of these countries?

some say this could be a political game-changer. others warn that the oil and gas extracted at home will be twice the price of imported oil and cancels out the other benefits. for now in oil regions like texas, the buzz word is fracking. our reporter explores the implications of this push for energy independence. >> things are getting going again. economic upturn can also look like this -- muddy, dirty, brown. welcome to boomland, texas. it's thanks to barry smitherman, one of the most powerful men in the oil business, that we're allowed to shoot here. >> is that more of what you're looking for? >> he decides who gets oil and gas drilling rights in texas. and he has star status. at first, no oil companies wanted us to film here. the bosses are wary. business is done discreetly in texas. what does smitherman feel about the oil industry? >> pride.

this is an industry that started here. it's an industry that keeps getting better here. it employs thousands of people in great-paying jobs. it contributes to american energy independence. what the movie business is to hollywood and california, the finance business is to new york, this is the business to texas. gone are the times of emptiness and vast horizons. cotulla, a town in southern texas, has been virtually overrun by the oil boom. in just 18 months the number of residents tripled. the local council is both proud and overworked. larry dovalina, the mayor, feels a bit like a stranger in his own town. >> we put up signs that say, "no trucks," and obviously that didn't work, and so we did an inter-local agreement with the sheriff's office in the county, and we're creating a new patrol

division, and we're going to have six individuals hired to be able to take care of the traffic that is currently going through the community. we soon understand why the mayor needs that. massive trucks drive bumper to bumper through the small town. maneuvering them is a skill that has to be learned. keith porter runs one of the few driving schools for heavy rigs. because most jobs in the oil business go to truck drivers, truckers come from all over the u.s. to take a crash course. >> look at that. straight back now. look at that. >> whoever passes the driving test in the mud can earn good money. >> about $20 to $25 an hour, so they can be making tens of thousands of dollars easy, you know, every year. i'm not sure -- what is that, about $80,000, $90,000 a year?

and that's what they're seeing. just from driving a truck. >> it's all about the big money. thanks to new technology, the u.s. is drilling for oil that once seemed inaccessible. gigantic reserves about 5 kilometers underground. the world's biggest energy consumer could soon become its biggest oil producer. >> this could change the world. absolutely. the amount of production that we're going to get from the eagle ford and the permian basin has the ability to eliminate imports from countries that are hostile to america. without a question. the only challenge is, will the regulatory structure coming out of washington make it too difficult or impossible to do this? >> people in search of riches are flocking to texas. cotulla is bursting at the seams. thousands of new jobs mean thousands of new workers who have to be housed. the oil companies have built apartment blocks of shipping

containers to accommodate them. they can be dismantled quickly when the workers move on. local art teacher mary mendietta can only dream of such provisions. because the oil boom has sent rents skyrocketing, she's living in a trailer in her school's parking lot. >> why do they charge so much over there? isn't there a law or something? it's just like when a hurricane hits, you can't charge more for plywood and lumber, right? but he says it's a free market. >> mary is slightly embarrassed to let us into her trailer. she pays the school $200 a month for the parking space. a private room would cost ten times that amount. she has to stow her teaching materials under the bed. those not profiting from the boom have to improvise. fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is the new technology that's made the oil boom possible. we're only allowed to observe the preparations. large amounts of chemicals are taken to the drilling site and later pumped into the depths under enormous pressure.

that fractures the shale so the oil and gas can be accessed. even the composition of fracking fluids can be kept secret in texas. fracking is soon set to begin on jim and mariane hall's farm. the halls moved to texas to enjoy nature. they knew nothing about the oil boom at the time. proudly, they show us their land. >> when we came out here 25 years ago, none of this out here. it was just raw country, no fences. we put everything up. >> a buck with his herd. the region was a popular hunting ground before oil rigs sprang up everywhere. the halls tell us they feel uneasy about the risky technology. but they, too, hope to strike it rich. like jim and mariane, the entire

country is counting on a new era as the world's biggest oil producer. >> we could stop worrying so much about the middle east. we could not be so concerned about having a carrier fleet in the mediterranean, in the straits of hormuz. we could think about how we approach national security and foreign policy when we no longer have to think about keeping shipping lanes open. it can dramatically affect everything that happens in america, in north america and in the world. >> the united emirates of america? in just another 10 years? the u.s. hopes to outstrip russia as an energy provider soon. not only are oil and gas companies dreaming of it. renowned experts also consider it possible and warn of enormous consequences -- for europe as well. >> a reason we are so involved militarily in the middle east is oil. now who's going to step up? well, china depends very much on the middle east. europe is obviously very dependent on the middle east.

so, it too, may have to contribute a lot more to the security of the area. >> we pay a final visit to the man who controls the drilling licenses -- at least in texas. barry smitherman is convinced the u.s. will regain its superpower status thanks to gas and oil. and with every barrel pumped out of the ground, that goal comes a little bit closer. >> so often, there are conflicting opinions with some experts warning that the oil and gas reserves that can be reached through fracking are vastly over-estimated. so, the promise of easy access to oil at home may yet prove to be an empty one at a vast cost to the environment. and now we take a peek in a global living room. today we've been invited into the home of nguyen bao and his family in vietnam. nguyen has been living with his wife and two sons in the same place for four decades. here's why.

>> hello! i'm very glad to welcome you to our home. please come in. my name is bao, nguyen tuan bao. this is our house. i'd like to introduce my wife, khanh. we've lived here in this house for 40 years, my eldest son

lives above us and my youngest below us. this here is a crossbow. an ethnic minority, the muong from hoa binh, made it. they gave me the weapon as a present when i visited hoa binh. in vietnamese history, we've often fought against enemies from the outside. a crossbow like this used to be a very dangerous weapon. in our home, we have lots of pictures that i like very much. this one here, for instance, tells us something about vietnamese history.

the object at the rear of the painting is the dau pagoda, one of the oldest pagodas in vietnam. and there's a typical vietnamese market. in our free time, we like to look at photos from when we were in germany. that's me. i was also on a football team back then. this is our schnapps container. just about every vietnamese family has one like this. schnapps is distilled from glutinous rice in vietnam. we also put a special kind of vietnamese apple into it. the older the schnapps, the better it tastes. we drink it on holidays like new years or day of the dead.

we're really pleased you've visited our family. goodbye. till next time. >> taking the tram instead of the car, or using less plastic bags -- these are all tiny steps that can help protect our environment. a few years back two brits decided that these individual actions simply aren't enough to move from abusing to using the resources we have available. the transition network was born. it offers expertise, training, and concepts for reducing co2 emissions to communities who want to re-think the way they manage their resources. the idea has grown into a global network. we visit the south african town of greyton to find out how this is transforming whole

communities. ♪ >> kos, klere, and blyplek. food, clothes, and housing. those are the concerns the country conquerers from greyton, south africa, are singing about. marshall rinquest is one of the band's founders. he knows the needs of many people here. that's why he's active in the community. in the evening, marshall plays with his band. in the daytime, he goes to schools to demonstrate that protecting the climate and the environment can make life easier for everyone. >> morning, morning, guys. how are you? are you good?

>> the students garden almost every day, growing their own food to avoid transporting produce over long distances. that's an important part of the transition town idea. in addition, it's cheaper for families than buying vegetables. >> our main goal as a transition town is to reduce our carbon footprint as far as possible. that's like -- i would say we're still busy making a kind of a foundation on transition, just getting people inspired to live more green, recycle, reduce the carbon footprint. >> rodney cupido is the school principal here. he sees climate protection as beneficial, because electricity is expensive in south africa. that's why he wants to install solar collectors in the school. reducing the carbon footprint plays just one role among many. >> our electricity bills are 45,000 per month.

our school doesn't charge any school fees. and we need to get some means to earn money. and by installing solar panels on our big roof, we will be able to earn money by selling the electricity. and with that money we can buy books, we can pay for the transports, taking the learning out and also taking the learner to school, and that will improve education and quality teaching at our school. >> until now, there have been few solar collectors here, primarily among farmers in the surrounding area. the principal meets eugene barley. he's an engineer who sees his task as freeing greyton from its dependence on fossil fuels by using renewable solar energy. >> it will save the poor people money. we also have small businesses that will benefit from the solar

energy, who then in turn can create more work, employment. we also have climate change issues that we have to contend with. we have environmental issues, and that is why solar energy will be beneficial. what you see there is on a small scale. and we want to roll this out over the big greyton area, so that everybody can benefit from it. >> some 8000 people live in greyton and the neighboring communities that belong to the transition town initiative. one aspect of the project is to bridge differences between the prosperous central town and poor outlying areas. marshall rinquest lives in bosmanskloef not far from greyton. many here lack money and prospects. >> it wasn't easy for people to actually get together with each other, but i think that now that they're actually working together with transition, there's more bonding with each other, where they can actually share ideas in terms of our knowledge of our people and the

white people there. >> time is running out. greyton is also being affected by climate change. at the river on the edge of town, rinquest shows how the effects can already beseen. >> in the last ten, 15 years temperatures went a bit higher from 35 degrees to 45. and also we got more rain in the last ten, 20 years. as a result, you can see the river that flowed here got a small bank on the other side. and also this side as well. on the other bank, it used to have fine grass and now it's just an open piece of land. >> to get more people behind the transition town project, the trash to treasure festival takes place every year in greyton -- on a rubbish dump. children make eco-bricks from plastic waste by stuffing empty bottles with plastic scraps.

soon that's set to create jobs and protect the climate because the bricks can be used to build affordable housing for poor people, helping solve the housing shortage in the area. walls made with the bottles are well-insulated. that saves energy using simple means. >> i can make a frame, and i can put chicken wire and i can build a wall and i can take clay and i put it here on the front side and i can take cork and i build a strong wall and there's no wind inside and i know this one can use it for long years. >> joseph stodgel started the trash to treasure festival. he came to greyton from the u.s. just under two years ago, attracted by the new ideas in-- novel ideas put to use in the

town. >> what we're really doing here with the trash to treasure festival, it's very much an initiative of the global transition town network. and we're showing people how they can use the great majority of everything they throw away on a daily basis to aid community resilience, to grow food, to insulate their homes. and a big part of this is the eco-brick, this simple technology of using a plastic bottle, stuffing your plastic trash into it and really sequestering that carbon that would otherwise be released into the environment.>> ♪ stuff your bottles clean up your town ♪ >> marshall rinquest and his country conquerers have composed a song about eco-bricks especially for the festival. it's meant as encouragement, because the challenges facing the community are huge. the transition town movement has awakened hopes of a better life among many poor people. the initiators now have to fulfill them. a better life -- that's also

what a cosmetics company in the philippines is striving for. in a country where nine out of ten people live on less than two euros a day, the founders have made fighting poverty and preserving the environment part of their beauty formula. we explore a concept that couldn't be more different from textbook ways of maximizing profits. >> in manila, good deeds come in paper bags. a company called human nature sells organic cosmetics, whose production helps the poor in the philippines. anna meloto-wilk explains the positive impacts of her customers' purchases. for instance, the support of schools in the south of the country, where until recently armed battles were still being fought. >> it actually pays for the public school teachers for the community, so that the young boys and girls will no longer grow up to be soldiers and they won't grow up to be child soldiers involved in the

conflict. >> human nature now sells its products in 50 shops in the philippines and on the internet. the social component is one sales argument, but not the only one. the social entrepreneur and her husband dylan forgo big profits. their business model is organic cosmetics and personal care products for people who otherwise couldn't afford them. >> we're not the first in the market to get into natural products, but the ones who were before us were all super- expensive, like ten times the price of the shampoos that you would buy in the supermarket. so, we thought we really wanted to be a natural alternative, a real alternative for people to buy more environmentally-sound products. then we have to make it reachable for people, because the price will be a barrier for them. >> human nature works with gawad kalinga, a philippine-based

poverty alleviation movement. now, thanks to human nature, many families are earning an income and improving their standard of living. along with two of her neighbors, ofelia gomez sews toiletry bags. she lives two streets away, so she can work and look after her children at the same time. >> i like working here, not only because of the money, but also because i know human nature does a lot for our area and for filipino farmers. >> at this organic farm in bulakan province, lemon grass is cultivated for mosquito repellent creams. the methods have been borrowed from those of large farms in india. anna meloto-wilk pays farmers a fair price for their products.

>> we choose to grow citronella here, although we're still experimenting and learning how to do it as well as india. but it can be more expensive to buy locally at the moment, but we foresee the ambition that we can be as big as india if we just learn to grow it more efficiently. >> back at the company, even jobs as packers in the central warehouse are sought after, because human nature pays its workers double the usual wage. that makes the company one of the most popular in the country. >> if i'm not satisfied, 45 days or two months is enough for me. but here, since 2009 until now. i'm still here. >> so, what's anna meloto-wilk's motivation? >> i came from the conventional

way of doing things already, and i've done that. and i just didn't feel like it made me completely happy. in the same way with dylan -- he's been successful as a traditional businessman, but it just didn't answer all the questions that he had. it didn't make him fulfilled. so, i think we still get to do business, because this is what we were trained to do, and this is what we're passionate about. but it also answers the other questions in our lives and it also makes us feel more meaningful in doing what we do. >> with their organic cosmetics business, anna and dylan's long- term goal is to join other social enterprises and help lift seven million people in the philippines out of poverty. >> that's all for this edition of "global 3000." until the next time, thanks for watching and bye-bye.

>> answering the call, hundreds of rebel fighters enter the besieged city of 'cusear. >> it's a world war being waged against syria. were confident of our victory. >> no backing down. syria's president describes a fight against tens of thousands of terrorists. >> hello, also on the program, not guilty. two former serbian security officials are cleared of war crimes by an international tribunal in the hague. embarrassment for brazil, a football match with england's