Video: “Failure is if you don’t try”: The Legend of Bernie Karl

“Failure is if you don’t try,” are the words that self proclaimed imagineer Bernie Karl lives by. He is the subject of the documentary Never Had a Bad Day: The Legend of Bernie Karl, directed by Matt Richmond.

The film premiered last year, but has now been made available for free by its producer Caterpillar inc.

Bernie believes in zero waste — and even fewer excuses. He has tried his hand on everything from gold mining to recycling, to running an Alaskan hot springs resort on 100% geothermal power. He has proved the doubters wrong and changed his adopted state Alaska for the better.

A native of Peoria, Illinois, Bernie set off to work on construction of the Alaska pipeline at age 20. There, he met his late wife, Connie, and found his home. In 1998, the couple purchased Chena Hot Springs Resort from the state with a vision to make it more environmentally friendly. Today, the employee-owned resort — along with its greenhouses and ice museum — is powered entirely by geothermal technology and hosts an annual renewable energy fair.

Watch the documentary below.