What is Biodiesel?
Biodiesel is fuel that is made from renewable resources including used vegetable oil from restaurants, or virgin oil from agricultural crops such as sunflower, canola, camelina, industrial hemp or soy. Unlike fossil fuels, biodiesel is renewable and can be produced domestically. Biodiesel is simple to use and better for the environment because it is biodegradable, nontoxic, and has significantly lower emissions compared to petroleum diesel. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in older diesel engines with little or no modification, and in newer diesel vehicles with no modification.
The shift from fossil fuels to biofuels has the potential to Reduce global warming impacts by reducing carbon emissions. “Reduce air pollution and associated health impacts from the burning of fossil fuels.
Lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Provide new jobs for family farmers, rural and urban communities.
What is sustainable biodiesel?
- In order for biofuels to achieve these multiple goals, it is essential that biofuel production be done in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
What is the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance?
Founders Annie Nelson, Kelly King and other champions of the biodiesel movement, Daryl Hannah, Carolyn Mugar, who serve as directors and advisors created the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance (SBA). It is a non-profit organization who’s goal is to promote sustainable biodiesel practices, including the harvesting, production and distribution of biodiesel fuels.Â
They have drafted a series of Sustainable Biodiesel Principles, which include that in the production and distribution of biodiesel fuel, it must be done while making sure no other part of the environment is being adversely effected, i.e., it can’t contaminate or deplete water sources, lead to air pollution, lead to the destruction of endangered ecosystems, etc.Â
You can read the complete draft of their principles, and learn more about sustainable biodiesel at the SBA site at
www.sustainablebiodieselalliance.com. Â