Advanced BioFuels USA

by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA) As the old year bows out, we greet the new year with wishes for happiness, good health and renewal.
It’s a time for resolutions to make us better people; to make this a better world.
Advanced Biofuels USA has a few suggestions to offer as you review the past and anticipate the future.  Of course, we welcome your donations to keep us in business.  In addition, here are some suggestions to include in your promises for your future.

1. Join the divestment movement modeled on the 1980s anti-apartheid campaign and use those tactics against oil, gas and coal companies to fight climate change.  Team with investment advisers to convince universities, pension funds and institutional investors that they can take a stand against fossil-fuel companies without hurting their returns.  And, for the more adventurous, make a statement by investing in cutting edge renewable advanced biofuels projects.
2. Look for fuel stations with installed ‘blender pumps”in your neighborhood that give customers a choice of ethanol blended fuels.  Praise them online, to your local media, and let the managers know you appreciate their efforts.
3. Always purchase transportation fuel that includes some renewables; whatever is appropriate for your vehicle: ethanol (E10 to E85) or biodiesel (B2-B100) or renewable diesel. (Look on the driver’s side door or in your owners manual to find out what blends you can use)
4. If you can’t tell if there is ethanol or biodiesel in the fuel, ASK.  And let the fuel station manager know that you want to buy renewable fuel.
5. Find out if your local public buses are hybrids that use biofuels.  If they are not, ask the transportation agency when they will be; or what’s stopping them. Persist in advocating for that change.
6. If you fly, make a point to ask when that airline will start using biojetfuel on commercial flights.
7. If you run a business that uses cooking oil, recycle it for use as biodiesel and/or animal feed.
8. Make sure your local schools, universities, churches and restaurants know about opportunities to recycle used cooking oil; and persist in helping them implement a waste cooking oil recycling program.
9. Make sure your local waste water treatment facilities know about opportunities to use waste grease as a biofuel feedstock; and persist in helping them implement a grease recycling program.
10. Find the biofuels-related Advocacy Organization(s) in your community and participate.  If there isn’t one, start one. Advanced Biofuels USA can help.
11. Ask your local political candidates what they are doing to promote the understanding, development and use of biofuels.  What  effort do they make to use biofuels?
12. Check on biofuels usage by your major retailers and shipping companies.
13. Ask your local newspaper for more coverage of biofuels events and developments (often more coverage is available from national media and biofuels blogs).
14. Check on the availability of biodiesel blends of heating oil, and biobased plastics and other products for your routine use.
15. Find out if your work has a telecommute program and work from home, thus saving gas.
16. Carpool to work and group activities.
17. Bicycle to work and play.
18. Take public transportation
19. Donate to Advanced Biofuels USA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting the understanding, development and use of advanced biofuels as an energy security, economic development, military flexibility, climate change mitigation and pollution control SOLUTION.
20. Share these ideas.