Green Options » Berkeley

Biofuel Oasis: Empowering Alternative Fuel Use

Steve Schaefer — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:53:21 +0000

Running your car on biodiesel fuel is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. BioFuel Oasis, a women’s collective/owned business in Berkeley, offers not only fuel, but a level of expertise and service you haven’t experienced in a fuel transaction in years.

Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil, normally from soybeans. You can grow the beans to produce the oil, but the most environmentally conscious way is to use recycled oil from restaurants. Because diesel engines have much higher compression than gas engines, they can burn a range of fuels, including the stuff they use to cook French fries.

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Using Electric Vehicles to Create a Sustainable City of Berkeley

Tom Bates — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:00:12 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates’ first post for Gas 2.0. Mayor Bates is the latest to join The Great Electric Vehicle Race.

Last month, our city council adopted Berkeley’s bold Climate Action Plan. This plan calls for systemic action, by all Berkeley residents and agencies to reduce our city’s greenhouse gas (GHG) consumption by 80% below 2000 levels by the year 2050, and the investment in electric vehicle infrastructure will be a key method for achieving these larger goals.

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California Architect Thinks About White Roofs

Susan Kraemer — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:13:14 +0000

If every building had a white roof, we would be able to cool the surrounding areas. That is the reasoning behind a California law about to go into effect next month requiring light reflective roofs on all new buildings. It is already the law for new flat roofs here.

Here, architect Richard Meier and his partner Michael Palladino have apparently created a design to go one further. It’s entirely white; roofs, walls, and interiors.

So this luxury design of a cool and airy Southern California beach house is glamorous and climate friendly.

Well, no. The McMansion-sized size of the thing at 4,280-sq.-ft is not so planet friendly; because it takes more energy to heat and cool a larger space. But this house would be well suited for a ground heat exchange to passively heat and cool itself with 55 degree air cooled from 10 feet under the ground.

As architects in California get closer to 2020, they will need to think more about passive cooling and heating and zero energy houses, as that will be the law by 2020. All new building must be zero energy by then.

Incorporate solar roofing on the white roof, and this could be a zero energy house.

The blue of a solar roof would visually extend right out to the ocean. (And conceal that horrible mess of mechanical contraptions on that roof.) White elastomeric cool roof paint under the solar panels would help cool the modules making them more efficient on hot days.

But are architects thinking about these things?

With 2020 almost upon us: “The beams at the roof, located above the horizontal framing, express the structural rhythm and layering of components,” explains the architect. “This cadence is repeated with the joinery of the painted aluminum exterior wall panels and modular windows. The mass of the exterior plaster walls are juxtaposed to the transparent glazed facades, creating a mosaic of layered materials.”

Blah, blah, blah.

Via Digs Digs
Images: Scott Frances/Esto

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Although converting your Diesel car or truck to biodiesel requires no special equipment, there are a few things to watch out for. In particular, biodiesel is an excellent solvent and it cleans out the sludge in your engine and fuel tank very effectively.

This can clog your fuel filter. As part of their all-encompassing customer service, BioFuel Oasis offers classes in how to change your own fuel filter, and recommends that you do so a few months after switching over to maintain good performance. BioFuel Oasis’s owners believe it is empowering to take responsibility for maintaining your biodiesel-burning vehicle.

BioFuel Oasis doesn’t produce the fuel it sells, although some owners enjoy homebrewing their own. They sell high quality commercial biodiesel that meets the standards of the ASTM, the international standards organization. Every effort is made to get vegetable oil from local restaurants, which is then refined by trusted companies and delivered to BioFuel Oasis’s storage tanks.

Biodiesel can run in any diesel vehicle, although, because of new combustion methods, late model 2007 – 2010 models may not be compatible with it. If you want to use biodiesel in your late model vehicle, check with your dealer and the manufacturer, or ask someone at the BioFuel Oasis.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

“My purpose in starting the Oasis was not to sell the most biodiesel possible and get rich,” says Radtke in Not a Gas Station. “It was to give people a real possibility of using a cleaner, renewable fuel. It was about the bigger picture—what’s going to make our whole community the most successful and sustainable for many generations to come.”

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit:

BioFuel Oasis
1441 Ashby Avenue (corner of Sacramento)
Berkeley, California 94702
Phone: 510-665-5509
Contact: biodevas@biofueloasis.com
Regular Station Hours:
Monday thru Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (staffed)
Closed Sunday
Additional Hours with Fueling Freedom Card (unstaffed):
Monday thru Saturday: 7 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Sundays: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Growing Plastic: A New Use for Biomass

Lisa Wojnovich — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:00:10 +0000

In the constant push for ever newer and greener technology and energy, we sometimes forget that it is often both simpler and cheaper to revisit old techniques in new ways. And that’s exactly what a group of researchers in California has done.

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San Diego’s Revolutionary Solar Plan

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:18:03 +0000

Do you live in San Diego, CA and want to buy a solar panel system but just don’t have the cash? Congratulations, it’s your lucky day–or rather, it will be your lucky day beginning in July. That’s when a revolutionary program goes into effect that allows residents to pay for solar panels through property tax bills over a period of 20 years.

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Hot Hot Heat: U.S. Solar Costs Going Down

Matthew Phelan — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:53:00 +0000

According to a new study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, The average installed costs for photovoltaic cells (in real 2007 dollars) went down from $10.50-per-watt in 1998, to $7.60-per-watt in 2007.

What’s most amazing about this report is that it appears to validate a whole slew of state and local solar initiatives. The researchers found that—despite the many, many reported advances to solar cell efficiency—most of the savings during this nine year period came from reductions to installation and external hardware costs.

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California Community Re-defines Recycling and Wins

Mary Casper — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:42:34 +0000

California officially leads the nation in recycling, according to a report published by the California Integrated Waste Management Board announcing the state has reached a 58% waste diversion rate. Of the 93 million tons of solid waste produced by Californians, nearly 54 million tons have found renewed use in places other than landfills.

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Scientists Say ‘Paint Roofs White to Tackle Global Warming’

Andrew Williams — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:35:56 +0000

Scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California have suggested a plan to drastically reduce global warming, by painting the world white. If implemented successfully, it would be the equivalent of taking the world’s 600 million cars off the road for 18 years.

Hashem Akbari and Surabi Meno, along with Art Rosenfeld, California Energy Commissioner and Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, are so convinced that their idea will work, that they have proposed a “Cool World” plan that would use white roofs, and solar-reflective roofs of other colors, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help delay atmospheric heating effects.

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UC Berkeley Report Says Global Warming Could Put $2.5 Trillion of California Real Estate at Risk

Andrew Williams — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:51:22 +0000

A new report says that global warming could cost the Californian economy billions of dollars each year, through a combination of rising sea levels, and the increased frequency of wild fires and extreme weather events.

The comprehensive study (PDF), published by researcher’s at UC Berkeley, also claims that $2.5 trillion of Californian real estate assets are at risk. The clear message, says co-author Prof. David Roland-Holst, is the strong economic case for timely action to slash carbon emissions and adapt to the already unavoidable effects of climate change.

“Our report makes clear the most expensive thing we can do about climate change is nothing,” he said. “As we learned in New Orleans, turning your back on the threat of natural disaster doesn’t make it go away.”

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Berkeley Backs Solar Power Loans for Residences

Jennifer Lance — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 03:23:02 +0000

This week, the Berkeley City Council unanimously voted to give city-backed loans to property owners for rooftop solar systems. Solar loans for as much as $22,000 will be paid off over 20 years and included on property tax bills. Other cities are closely watching Berkeley’s unique solar loan program and have expressed interest.

Via: New York Times

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit:

How a Random Guy Trumped the Greatest Minds from China and the USA on Climate Change

Gavin Hudson — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:22:03 +0000

In May of 2006, I had the chance to attend the China-US Climate Change Forum hosted by the University of California at Berkeley. To an eco-geek, the list of speakers was star-studded with Nobel laureates, professors from top universities, famous innovators, and leaders from the business communities in China and the United States. The conference opened with the premier of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, just before it hit theaters. Before a university worker’s strike altered plans, Al Gore himself was slated to join the stage.

But it was a random guy in the audience who stole the show with a single insightful comment in the closing moments.

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Micheal Klare on New World Order based on Oil

The Dave Room — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:47:07 +0000

Yesterday evening I went to hear a sobering talk in Berkeley by Five Colleges professor of Peace and World Security Studies, Michael Klare. Klare suggests in his newest book, Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet, that we are now facing a new world order in which power transfers to net energy exporters (e.g., Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kazakhstan) from net energy importers (e.g., the United States). He believes oil will peak between 2012 and 2015 at somewhere around 95-100 million barrels/day. Regardless of whether oil peaks then, he says supply will not be able to keep up with demand much longer.

From http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?t=76003

Klare points out that China will soon have the world’s largest fleet of automobiles - in decade or so - as they are following our model of auto-centric development. He had hoped that China would leapfrog oil to more sustainable mobility solutions but that is not happening.

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The Berkeley Permaculture Bike Tour: Photo Gallery

The Dave Room — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 23:32:51 +0000

This post is a photo gallery from the East Bay Permaculture Guild’s Permaculture Bike tour in Berkeley this past Sunday. It was glorious day and a slew of people came out.

But first a little background on permaculture:

The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture as well it is was permanent culture. Through a series of publications, Mollison, Holmgren and their associates documented an approach to designing human settlements, in particular the development of perennial agricultural systems that mimic the structure and interrelationship found in natural ecologies.

This tour shows what some folks in Berkeley are doing to live more sustainably: growing their own food, raising chickens, capturing, heating, and conserving water, and generating electricity.

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PG&E Moves to Subvert Community Choice Energy

The Dave Room — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 03:07:59 +0000

I hope PG&E is not an advertiser on Green Options, because they almost certainly would want to censor this post. I feel compelled to do the post because a lot of folks in the Bay Area are concerned about PG&E’s effort to subvert California’s Community Choice Energy law (AB 117). So is the Attorney General; see the article below!

Community Choice enables cities and/or counties to pool their purchasing power and collectively bulk purchase electricity from their selected providers. It is structured as a private-public partnership in which cities do their own procurement, opting for greater quantities of renewable energy than they could with PG&E, and PG&E continues to do the transmission, distribution, metering, billing, and customer service.

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Permaculture Bike Tour in Berkeley this Sunday (6 April 2008)

The Dave Room — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:38:11 +0000

This tour brings together two things that I think are very important - biking and permaculture. A $5 donation is requested, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. We’ll have a snack break around the middle of the tour, with light snacks provided. Please bring water, weather appropriate clothes, your favorite munchies and your thirst for knowledge. See you there…

That’s right, it’s time for this year’s East Bay Permaculture Guild bike tour in Berkeley.
The complete schedule is listed below.

We still need volunteers to help watch the bikes (one for each site we visit) and also someone to ride in the middle and back to make sure everyone is safe and together. If you donate your time, no need to donate money.

Don’t forget to bring water. munchies and warm clothes - it’ll probably still be cool on Sunday - http://tinyurl.com/234g33

To volunteer or for questions, e-mail Josh - yNaught@gMail.com

For a bird’s eye view of the route on Google maps:

You are welcome to join us for any part of the tour, but please do not arrive at any of the sites when we are not scheduled to be there, thanks.

11:30 Meet at North Berkeley BART Station - 1750 Sacramento St,
Berkeley
www.bart.gov - We’ll meet in front of the main entrance.

12:00 - 12:20 - Private backyard - 2111 7th St.
Sheetmulched by the East Bay Permaculture Guild last year, planted with trees and annual veggies.

12:30 - 12:55 - Berkeley Youth Alernatives garden - Bancroft Way between West and Bonar
After school program, perennials and annuals, community volunteers. -
www.byaonline.org

1:00 - 1:30 - Backyard by Earthly Arts - Mabel St and Derby St.
Guest room made from salvaged materials, water catchment, greywater,
chickens and a rabbit - www.earthlyarts.com

1:45 - 2:15 - Fort Awesome - 3090 and 3088 King St.
2 houses owned by the non-profit Cooperative Roots, garden, solar
electric and hot water, chickens -
cooperativeroots.org

2:15 - 3:05 - Snack Break at Fort Awesome
Rest and munch on lite snacks from Food Not Bombs. Optional tour of
garden on Sacramento - www.ebfnb.org

3:15 - 3:45 - Christopher Shein’s home - 1526 Fairview St
Straw bale office space, bamboo chicken coop and shower, intensive
garden, nursery, greywater - www.wildheartgardens.com -
www.merrittlandhort.com

4:05 - 4:45 - Mariposa Grove - 828 59th St, Emeryville
Cohousing community with garden, chickens, 3 buildings contain
apartments and shared space. - healthyarts.com/mariposagrove

5:00 - 5:30 - Halcyon Commons - Between Webster & Prince St on Halcyon Ct
Community designed and initiated park dedicated in ‘96 after 4 years
of community involvement. - www.bpfp.org/affiliate-groups/Halcyon

The Ecology Center is having a greywater tour from 10-11 on Sunday as well:
www.ecologycenter.org/calendar/event.php?eventID=24747
If you are interested, you MUST pre-register.

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit:

Green Home Requirement in San Mateo County

Keith Rockmael — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:58:40 +0000

Here in the Bay Area, it’s not just Berkeley who’s showing Green Big Brother mentality. Green home building will be required from all new homes built in the unincorporated region of San Mateo County. The county supes this week voted to add sweeping green regulations to green construction requirements to take effect later this year.

The new regulations will cover homes and industrial projects. The Green commercial and industrial buildings can pass under the LEED system while residential properties can be gauged under Build it Green’s “Green Point Rated” system. Green Point Rated, a residential, Green rating system created by the Berkeley-based non profit, uses various point categories to achieve certification. For example, installing a range of Energy Star appliances is worth nine points and using low VOC paints and wood-coatings can garner six points. Homeowners can combine various point categories, as long as they add up to the magic 50 point total.

To be fair, this program does have its costs. Homeowners will have to pay a specialized green building inspector to verify their project for the county which will set them back about $800 to $1000, and for commercial owners it will cost from $2500 to $3500. Applicants will also be required to post a $5,000 bond prior to receiving a building permit, which will be released when the 50 points are verified.

Although I like this program, it does have shortcomings, however, such as not affording homeowners the incentive to obtain more than 50 points. Many people find the same issues with LEED rating system. People may think, “Why should I try for 60 points if it’s just going to cost more?” Home and commercial building owners may try for more points without considering the up-front cost, but it wouldn’t be a bad scenario if the County of San Mateo offered further incentives for higher points.

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit:

Bay Area Solar Rebates

Keith Rockmael — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:00:40 +0000

Normally, we live for the present. We’re not about events, deals, and projects that will hopefully start sometime in the future. We’re not big fans of Chevrolet announcing that in three years they plan to unveil the electric powered car the Volt. That’s great; in three years one of us may plan to get married or buy Microsoft. Maybe we should announce that now. That being said, the neighboring Bay Area counties (San Francisco, Marin and Berkeley) recently concocted plans to offer rebates of up to $5,000 for installing solar panels if homeowners use a local contractor. Coupled with state and federal incentives, that could cut in half the $21,000 cost for an average household. Because San Francisco knows that it’s not just about solar, the City will also cover up to 90 percent of the costs of making apartment buildings more energy-efficient, and will pay residents $150 to replace old appliances.

Those crazy green radicals in neighboring Berkeley will finance the cost of solar panels for homeowners who agree to pay the money back through a 20-year property tax assessment. Nearby Marin County offers a $500 rebate to homeowners who install solar systems.

For those who think that these rebate ideas only reside on the West Coast should know that Baltimore offers at least $2,000 toward closing costs for people who buy new homes close to where they work. They call the program the “Live Near Your Work” program. Pretty crazy, huh?

As for San Francisco’s program, the loan part of the program would need to be approved by voters as a ballot initiative, while the refund part would need the support of the Board of Supervisors, San Francisco’s never shy for publicity city council. If this program succeeds then we’ll give them all the Green pub that they can handle.

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit:

Craigslist Foundation to Hold Nonprofit Boot Camp in Berkeley

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:44:59 +0000

While this is a little different from our normal fare, when the Craigslist Foundation asked us if we’d help get the word out on its Nonprofit Boot Camp event, we were happy to oblige. Sponsored by eBay, the event will take place on August 18 at the University of California, Berkeley, campus. If you’re a nonprofit leader or a social entrepreneur, it looks like this will be a day full of educational and networking opportunities. According to the foundation’s web site, "Nonprofit Boot Camp is designed to educate and empower the next generation of nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs, connecting them with valuable industry resources, peers and potential supporters."

Boot camp features eight different educational tracks, ranging from nonprofit basics to fundraising to technology. Featured speakers will include Ami Dar, Executive Director of Action Without Borders/Idealist.org , and Aimee Allison. There will also be an exhibit hall featuring over 50 organizations that serve emerging nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs, and free one-on-one coaching sessions.

Sounds like a great event, and there’s still time to register. The registration fee is $50.

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit:

What Grabs You: Getting Started With Green Building and Design

Sara Holt — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 14:25:35 +0000

What is green building? For Berkeley green design/build firm owner Connie McCullah, green building is, “Achieving the future you want by building an improved and healthier present. Like everything important, it all starts at home.”

When put into practice, this means combining daylighting and a balanced ventilation system with formaldehyde-free wood products and insulation, as well as using non-toxic, low-volitile-organic-compound (low-VOC) paints and finishes to lessen the release of harmful gases into the living space. Connie’s interest in green building stems from a belief that “It’s about setting higher standards, improving housing and the general quality of living. Our responsibility as the contractor is to help clients understand how to live in these new spaces, how it is affecting them, and what benefit it is giving them. It is really fun watching people change how they think about their space. For example, after installing solar panels, many of our clients will understand themselves to be in a new relationship with the sun.”

As well as co-owning and managing the green design/build firm Odin’s Hammer with her husband Denis, Connie is also on the board of Berkeley’s green resource center Build-It-Green, where she has helped build a series of councils and guilds to educate all facets of the community, from contractors and building inspectors to public utility municipalities about the benefits of using green design in new spaces. She has also recently co-written a green construction curriculum with Alameda County Waste Management Authority for builders and contractors seeking green alternatives to conventional construction products and practices.

For more on Odin’s Hammer and contact info for obtaining the green construction manual, please visit www.ohgreen.com (new website launching in early March). And for the newcomer to green design, Connie suggests checking out the valuable resources from Berkeley’s Build-it-Green at www.builditgreen.org.

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit:

BP awards $500 million to Berkeley for biofuel research

Amy Stodghill — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 13:46:45 +0000

Move over silicon valley: biofuels are taking over!

British Petroleum, making good on their Beyond Petroleum campaign, has awarded a $500 million grant to UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois for an alternative fuel research center.

The Energy Biosciences Institute will focus on research into new and clean energy sources. According to a BP press release:

The EBI will also pursue bioscience-based research in three other key areas; the conversion of heavy hydrocarbons to clean fuels, improved recovery from existing oil and gas reservoirs, and carbon sequestration.

UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois were selected among several higher education institutions worldwide. According to an article in the San Francisco Gate, California's recent efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was a factor in the decision to base the new institute in the state, as was the fact that the University of Illinois is home to the Institute of Genomic biology, an alternative fuels research center.

Moving from petroleum Diesel to biodiesel.

Advantages of biodiesel.

Biodiesel offers numerous advantages:

It’s nontoxic and biodegradable
It’s nonflammable. You can store a five-gallon container in your garage or car safely.
It produces lower emissions. Greenhouse gases, particulates and carcinogens are greatly reduced.
It’s sustainable. A 2001 study found that biodiesel yields 3.2 units of fuel product energy for every 1 unit of fossil energy consumed in its lifecycle. It takes 1.2 units of fossil energy to produce just 1 unit of diesel fuel.

Editor’s Note: Here is some supplementary information about Biofuel Oasis for those in the area or anyone who wants to visit: