LVM's Environmental Action Blog

The purpose of this blog is to convey the importance that life choices and daily decisions have on the environment. I will, as a member of the kayaking community, effectively convey the importance and immediacy of environmental issues written in the paddling vernacular.

Friday, January 14, 2005

getting to the pump--BioDiesel


“Great,” you say. “I’m convinced. Let’s do it.” Converting you car to run on used vegetable oil, now we’ll get into the ways and means of the process. To convert the oil from the local restaurant is a relatively easy process that any ambitious person can get into within his or her own garage and will certainly be a topic of later posts. Immersion Research, the leading paddler’s gear and clothing manufacturer, currently has a set-up within their factory in Pennsylvania. Also, BioDiesel Co-ops are popping up all over the country and can be a great local source for fuel. Locally, here in Asheville..... (Stay tuned for an update with directions; for now contact Brian and Solon: info@blueridgebiofuels.com) The National Biodiesel Board is a good place to look for distributors and sources within your own area, as well as (believe it or not) retail filing areas. Looking for retail filling areas and other places to buy your very own fryer fuel? Click Here
Don’t worry that your backing yourself into a corner by converting your existing diesel only engine, because you will still be able to run your car entirely on dinosaur juice if need be. Also, old junkers and the brand new VW TDI’s alike can equally be converted. So don’t be scared that your engine is exempt, because it’s not. Some newer vehicles, like the fancy new TDI pictured above, come vege-ready; everyone else will have to convert their engine. The only conversion associated with long-term biodiesel usage in older vehicles (pre-1995) is the changing of natural rubber parts in the fuel delivery system to synthetic materials. These parts are usually found as seals and hoses on the injector pump and fuel tank. Parts are very cheap and labor would take a couple of hours. That’s right; running on fryer juice is that easy.
Look, BioDiesel is so easy, not even old people are confused.
Some more good news that may help you motivate to track down your local grease pump is some tax incentives. That’s right you skeptics: George W. Bush has signed into law the first BioDiesel tax incentive program, part of a larger goal of increasing domestic energy security. Which, to this author at least, is a much better move than drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. To find out more about more information and eligibility requirements: Click Here
Frankly, BioDiesel is so exciting everyone is talking about it,; just listen to Willie Nelson and Niel Young. Click Here

For more information or general inquiries concerning the huge subject of biodiesel as a fuel, I recommend visiting this site: Click Here

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Sunlight Solar

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