Vegetable Oil Road Trip Blog

Winter is coming!

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:29:00 +0000

The days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting chillier, and I'm psyching myself up for riding all winter long.

A big help is bikewinter.org - they give a lot of useful tips and tricks. This is also where I discovered the monthly Midnight Marauders' ride - a load of fun.

Last night, I did some maintenance - brake tightening, chain lubing, and a general once-over. I've also just purchased a set of planet bike fenders on Amazon ($28.18) and some nice gloves ($32) from the local bike shop.

This brings my total commuting costs up to $399.51 since April.

I need to go searching for my hats and ski masks (I know I have a nice blue one somewhere). I'm not sure about eyewear - I think that my metal framed sunglasses won't be very comfy for much longer. Maybe a few yellow-tinted and clear safety glasses? Or, perhaps ski goggles?

Costs update

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:26:00 +0000

Mom visited last weekend, so I purchased two 3-day CTA passes ($24)

I decided to get access to my company's bike room (four blocks from my office) to use during poor weather ($10 deposit)

The previous total was $305.33, so the total I have spent on commuting since April is $339.33

Q&A: Where do you get waste vegetable oil?

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:15:00 +0000

A while back, I received the following question:

Hey, I just wanted to say hello and ask you if you have any suggestions about procuring the vegetable oil. My bus is about ready and I heard there are good establishments to get oil from relatively painlessly. Any advice is appreciated.

Supposedly there are organizations who will sell the oil- already filtered for cost but this is anecdotal. I am perfectly happy climbing in the grease traps and sucking it out and filtering it myself, but I need to know where to actually get it.

Cheers,
adam

Sadly, when I replied to the email address Adam gave, my reply bounced. Here is my answer:

Hi Adam,

Gosh, that's the million-dollar question: where do you get vegetable oil?

First, a few warnings about dumpsters:
Once oil is placed into a dumpster, it legally belongs to the company that owns the dumpster. If you pump oil from the dumpster (even with the restaurant's permission), you are stealing. There have been prosecutions of people running their cars on veg oil who pumped oil from dumpsters in Texas and other states.
Can you really, guarantee that some brainiac hasn't decided to dump their old engine oil into that "oil only" dumpster? You can't filter engine oil out of veggie oil, and I guarantee that engine oil will cause damage to your engine.
Now, on to your question: where do you get used oil?
Most restaurants pay a waste removal service to dispose of their used fryer oil. If you offer to pick up their oil for free, most restaurants will be happy to help you out.

What you want:
Vegetable oil without animal fats that has been used at relatively low temperatures (~300-350F). Preferably canola or soy oil.
Absolutely no hydrogenated oils - the words "creamy fryer shortening" on oil containers are a tip-off that their oil is hydrogenated.
Best places to try:
Mexican restaurants that only use fryers for making tortilla chips
sushi restaurants that use fryers for making tempura with vegetables and fish
vegetarian or middle eastern restaurants that use fryers for making falafel and french fries
chip factories (only approach them if you can handle the volume - otherwise, they will drown you in oil)

Tips to prevent you from ruining it for the rest of us:
Be professional, polite, and dependable - the restaurant is depending on you to remove their oil. If you can't do it reliably, they'll wish they had could just pay Waste Management to do it. Establish a day/time to get the oil, and stick to it. Even during the winter.
Get the manager's name and contact info; give them yours.
Be clean: bring a tarp, lots of rags, rubber gloves, funnels, and lots of absorbent material in case of spills. Leave your workspace (their kitchen or alleyway) as clean as you found it.

If all of this sounds like too much work (and it is a lot of work), try fillup4free.com, or look for a biofuels co-op, conversion shop, or other vegetable fuel organization near you.

I hope this helps.

British couple finances honeymoon through recycling

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Found an interesting little article:
John and Ann Till, from Petersfield, in Hampshire used a recycling-to-rewards-miles machine at their local Tesco supermarket to gain enough air miles to finance business class tickets for their honeymoon.

John and Ann Till, from Petersfield, in Hampshire, took thousands of cans and bottles to a recycling centre at a nearby Tesco supermarket.
For every four recycled items, they earned a reward point which was then converted into BA air miles.
They amassed 36,000 miles, which they used to fly back in business class from their US honeymoon.

Congrats on the wedding!
BBC News

Virtuous Cycles

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:10:00 +0000

Wired has an interesting article examining evidence that as bicycle ridership increases, per-rider accidents with cars decreases, causing a virtuous cycle. As riding increases, safety increase, so more people ride.

Also, I have a bit of catching up to do for costs:
My previous total was $171.06.

Since then, I've spent:
$20 to the CTA for an occasional L train ride.
$45 to Working Bicycle Co-Op for a guest helmet and U-Lock (they gave me a free blinky red light, too)
$30 to a woman named Julia for a yellow Schwinn Continental Tourist (for guests)
$39.27 to BicycleTires.com for fresh tires and tubes for the Schwinn.

This brings my total commuting and bicycling costs up to $305.33 since April 28, 2008.

Q&A: Vegetable Oil Storage 2: Inert Gases

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:55:00 +0000

I just received the following question from Jim:

I have a question. Being interested in using VO for diesel fuel, and knowing that air and reactive metals cause degradation of the oil (polymerization - and also putrifaction), I am wondering if an inert atmosphere would help. Would nitrogen do the trick (or air purged of oxygen), or would argon be necessary?

Jim

Jim,

Thanks for your question!

Yes, a nitrogen or argon blanket would significantly slow the rate of oxidation. Unless you have an extremely problematic storage situation, using either nitrogen or argon is unnecessary (and expensive).

In my experience, vegetable oil doesn't degrade that quickly from oxygen unless there is a lot of heat and a lot of oxygen present (such as if your oil is constantly shaken or has air bubbling through it). In a heated fuel tank, you do have this situation, but the oil doesn't stay there long enough to degrade enough to be a problem.

In my experience, storing fuel in a dark, dry place is more than good enough. Make sure to rotate your stored oil so it doesn't sit for too long (this applies to all fuel supplies, actually). I once stored waste vegetable oil for over 6 months in a hot and humid storage shed (in a sealed container), and it was fine. If your supply is so large that you're storing your fuel for more than six months before using it, consider giving some away on fillup4free.com or craigslist.org.

The real culprit in storing vegetable oil isn't oxygen, reactive metals, or heat: it's light and moisture. Light and moisture promotes algae and bacteria growth - which causes clogged filters and general fuel system nastiness. So, keep your fuel dark and dry. Luckily, this isn't a biofuel-specific problem, it's a problem for petroleum diesel fuel, too - this means that petroleum diesel biocide additives work well for treating biodiesel and vegetable oil algae and bacteria problems.

Thanks again for your question, good luck, and if you're ever in Chicago, drop me a line!

Sacha

Truck Tales 2: Monster Truck for Rent

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:22:00 +0000

Here is the second (and final, for now) tale of trucks in Chicago:

Monster Truck for Rent:
"It's not going to fit."

"Sure it will," I say with false bravado. We lift the dresser and start waddling out towards the street and towards the too tiny car. We pop the trunk, and lift again. There's no way the dresser's going to fit.

We turn to the seller, she needs to get rid of it before the next day. "Ok, looks like it's not going to fit, we either need to borrow a truck or do something. We'll give you a call if it turns out we can get it from you." She looks crestfallen as we carry the dresser back inside and drive away in the too tiny car.

...
Later that evening, do some brainstorming and call the building supply store about their truck rentals. "Sure, it's 19.95 for the first 75 minutes, and you pay for gas."

...
The following evening, we rent a Ford Super Duty truck with a gigantic steel bed. It's a monster truck. In Chicago.

Right away, we notice the reverence other drivers give to this huge beast with sharp corners. Changing lanes is suddenly easy: turn on your blinker, and the waves of traffic part cleanly - no one wants to be between you and where you want to go.

Giddy with power, we cruise through quiet evening streets, picking up and delivering furniture, and returning well within 75 minutes and 0.3 gallons of fuel.

Monster trucks for rent - I love it.

image: Gunslinger from wikimedia commons

Car vs Bike wars heating up all over the country

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:33:00 +0000

As more people decide not to buy $4-a-gallon gas and start pedaling to work, road rage seems not to have been left behind. This NYT article, "Moving Targets," covers the increasing Car v Bike tensions.

I hate to admit this, but I have had my own share of taxi-induced road rage.

Be safe out there...

Truck Tales 1: Red Menace

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:10:00 +0000

I have two stories to tell about trucks in Chicago:

1. Red Menace

Pedalling down Grand Avenue, I feel a whoosh of air as a large, red Chevy pickup passes within inches, its engine roaring as it accelerates past.

It changes lanes quickly, the driver aggressively muscling through traffic. I lose sight of the truck as it passes over the freeway overpass.

At the Grand and Milwaukee intersection, I slide between stopped cars. I chuckle to myself as I ride past the stopped red Chevy truck.

As soon as I reach the crosswalk, the light goes green, and I pedal through. Three blocks down, the pickup passes me again, thankfully in the far lane this time. I again lose sight of the truck when it passes over the Chicago River bridge leading into downtown.

I turn North on Des Plaines, I'm about a mile from my appointment. Near Division, I get passed again by the red truck - traffic is looser here so it changes lanes more frequently, pushing to go as fast as possible. The truck pulls over and parks near North Avenue, and I cruise past just as the driver gets out.

All that frenetic driving, just to arrive at the same time as a guy on a bike? Sad.

image: Chevy Silverado from wikimedia commons

Veg Oil Powered Band: Them Damned Young Livers

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:36:00 +0000

I just got an email from a band asking for a good place to get biofuels in the southwest US (I pointed them towards our friends at the Denver Biodiesel and Boulder Biodiesel CoOps, natch).

The band is Them Damned Young Livers, and they're on tour right now in a vegetable oil powered bus. I took a listen to their MySpace page - and they put out some pretty decent driving tunes (nearly makes me wish I had a car again) about hard drinking.

Good luck, out there guys.

Parts-Buying Spree

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:08:00 +0000

Ive been struggling to do grocery runs with just a backpack, plus I'm getting tired of having a completely soaked back everywhere I go. So, I've decided to splurge on some load-bearing equipment for the bike.

As soon as I stop by the hardware store for some bungee cords, I'm looking forward to hauling a 25 lb sack of rice on my new rack.

Just arrived:
Planet Bike Eco Rack ($17.00 + $4.50 s/h)
Incredibell ($7.65) - it's louder than I can yell

On the way:
Wald 542 Rear Folding basket ($17.00 + $4.50 s/h)

Other commuting costs:
$10 for the CTA

Total commuting cost since April 2008: $171.06

The Silver Lining to High Fuel Prices

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Time magazine has an excellent discussion of the plus sides to high fuel prices - jobs that went overseas are coming back, less pollution, fewer traffic deaths (1000 fewer deaths per month!), and less obesity.
Time Magazine: 10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas

Two Chicagos

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:43:00 +0000

Since moving here, I have truly fallen in love with this city - everything is so convenient to my apartment - shopping, work, entertainment are all but moments away.

Recently a friend came to visit with her car. She wanted to explore and join me for some errands (plus, I'd been dying to make a run to Costco). So, we hopped into her car and took off for (I thought) a quick round of shopping followed by some sightseeing and dinner. We quickly slammed into a different Chicago - gridlocked traffic, terrible drivers. Everything suddenly appeared inconvenient and far away from my apartment.

"Why are all the shops in the opposite direction of where we want to end up?" my companion groaned. I was frustrated and annoyed. What happened to my easy-to-get-around city, where miles slide away beneath my wheels? Why is my blood pressure so high?

Every time a bicycle slid effortlessly through traffic, I followed them jealously with my eyes.

Is this what Chicago looks like to people with cars? I don't think I could handle it.

I can't believe how different my attitude is after only a few months without owning a car.

image: wikimedia commons gridlock.svg

Q&A: Vegetable Oil Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:48:00 +0000

I recently received the following questions from Scott via email:

Hello:
I am thinking of going with a WVO system in my 2000 Jetta TDI. I would like to know what kind of storage container (metal or plastic) I should get? Is one better than the other?

Also, I live in an area that gets very hot and humid in the summer. Should this be a concern?

What should I do for long term storage of filtered and de-watered WVO?

I have also been told that burning WVO (filtered and de-watered) causes Sulfuric Acid to be created and that will damage the valve train and exhaust system. Is this true? How can it be prevented? Thank you very much.

Best regards,
Scott H.

Hi Scott,

Thanks for your message!

As far as storage goes, I always used the standard 4.5 gallon plastic "cubies" that restaurants purchase their oil in. They're light weight, (usually) free, and recyclable.

The downside is that they aren't as strong as other storage containers. I never had a problem, but I was always careful to store them on a cloth tarp instead of bare concrete (to prevent punctures), and I never stacked them.

Despite my personal practice, I really like Lovecraft Biofuels' home fueling station/storage container (they don't seem to have them in stock at the moment). It's just a barrel, wheels (for the barrel), a hand pump, and a sock filter (link). You could probably remake one of these with parts from Harbor Freight and McMaster for pretty cheap.

Hot and Humid Climate: While I owned Minnie, we traveled through many hot and humid environments (including a swamp), and I didn't have many issues. My advice is pretty standard: keep your fuel in a dark place, keep a lid on your fuel, remove fuel from the top or middle, never the bottom (that's where water settles!), if you're worried or if you see stuff growing in your fuel, use a biocide in the summer to treat your fuel (ask your local diesel mechanic or farmer's supply).

Sulfuric Acid: I wonder where you heard that rumor about sulfuric acid coming from veggie oil because there is zero sulfur in vegetable oil, so no sulfuric acid can possibly be produced when it is burned.

On the other hand, petroleum does contain sulfur, so sulfur oxides are produced when you burn petroleum diesel. When those sulfur oxides react with atmospheric water, sulfuric acid and acid rain are formed. Notice that none of that acid is formed in your valve train or exhaust system. Note: in 2007, new ultra-low sulfur fuel was introduced in the US, but there is still some sulfur present in all petroleum diesel fuel.

There are (of course) other issues with burning veggie oil, but sulfur isn't one of them. Religiously change your engine oil every 3,000 miles and give your engine a few doses of diesel purge every once in a while and you'll probably be fine.

I hope this helps, and good luck with converting that Jetta!

Transit Love

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:44:00 +0000

The New York Times has a touching and hilarious story (written and illustrated) by Christophe Niemann, a father whose two sons (5 and 3) are obsessed with the New York Subway system:

When your child cries in public, it is usually an uncomfortable situation. Once, we needed to get home quickly from Chambers Street, and I told Gustav that we had to take whichever blue train came next. The A train pulled in, and Gustav (who had been hoping for the C) started throwing a fit. However, the other passengers in the car gave me warm smiles. I guess they hadn’t seen that many 3-year-olds sobbing, “Local…I want the local.”

Link

Odd things I have carried on a Chicago CTA "L" train.

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:14:00 +0000

When you don't have a car, you sometimes find yourself hand-carrying odd things through the public transit system:

A bottle of champagne (while dressed in all black).
An ugly ratty blue sleeping bag stuffed with all my clothing (while dressed for business).
A heavy (50 pound) full-sized electronic keyboard halfway stuffed into rolling luggage.
A metal stand (for the keyboard, on a separate occasion).
A chair.

I very nearly carried a 4' x 2' chrome and white modernist coffee table as well, but I decided against the purchase at the very last moment.

Commuting expenses:
$20 for CTA (6/26/08)

Total commuting costs since arriving in Chicago: $111.02

Weekly Update: 6/9/08

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 01:04:00 +0000

Interesting article in the NY Times about the effects of $4.00 gas on low income rural workers.

So, is this peak oil, or are things just messed up due to instability in the Middle East?

There is also reports of speculators flooding the oil market (all the money that used to go to housing and the stock market had to go somewhere). Does this mean oil is the next bubble?

Costs for the week:
More bike maintenance: $7.98 for new handlebar grips.

More money to the CTA: $20

Total for the experiment (since April/08): $91.02

Repairs and blinky lights

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:47:00 +0000

While refilling my tires with air at a neighborhood air pump, I damaged my bike's air valve (I have no clue how I managed it), and ended up limping home with a flat front tire.

Purchased a new tube (with Slime sealant built in): $7.86

I also will be working a week or so of midnight shifts pretty soon (yuck). I realized that not only is my bike black, but it is reflectorless and lightless. So, off to Amazon for some Planet Bike blinky front and rear lights.

Purchased new Planet Bike Front and Rear kit: $10.18

As long as I'm talking about costs, I might as well come clean on my CTA bill. Since arriving in Chicago, I have purchased $45 in CTA fare (this also includes the cost for interviewing at jobs, etc).

So, my total is $63.04

Driving vs Biking Costs

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:42:00 +0000

To help deal with the loss of Minnie, I spent a little time figuring out the cost of driving versus biking. This analysis helped me get through my mourning period pretty quickly.

According to AAA's Your Driving Cost pamphlet from 2007, the average cost of owning a (new) small car in 2007 was about $8,000/year (SUVs were around $11,000/year). I tweaked the numbers a bit to account for $4/gallon gas, short (5 miles per day) commute distances, parking costs, the fact that I'd buy a used car (used cars depreciate significantly more slowly), etc. and came up with about $3,500 per year if I were to purchase a small used vehicle for commuting in Chicago.

After some hunting around, I found that the cost per mile for commuting on a newer bike is about $0.08 to $0.12 per mile (by comparison, cars range from $0.374 to $0.596 per mile). I chose to use $0.12 per mile, though I know my ancient bike is probably well below this.

I assumed that I'd only use the bike for about 2/3rds of the year (this is Chicago, after all - I'm not going to ride a bike on ice), so for 4 months, I'll buy monthly CTA passes ($75/month), and probably use the bus sporadically during the spring-fall due to rain, etc ($1.75/ride).

I came up with about $370/year if I commute by bike and bus.

So, the total savings are about $3,230 per year.

Things ignored by my analysis:

Airfare for long-distance trips (I wouldn't drive for long distance trips anyhow, so this is a wash)
Car rentals, train tickets, and bus fare for medium-distance trips and the occasional visit to Ikea, but I also didn't take into account the cost of driving those trips in a car either.
Increased healthcare costs associated with a sedentary lifestyle vs riding a bike to work nearly every day.
The opportunity cost of not investing the extra $3,230 per year.
The fact that all money I pay for bus passes during the winter will be taken out of my paycheck as pre-tax dollars (that saves me about 40%).

Next steps:
I'm going to track my biking and commuting expenses for a year and see what my true costs are.

Bye bye, Minnie, I'm carless!

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:10:00 +0000

I moved to Chicago a few weeks ago and after a brief period of practicing car free living, I decided to live car free for real, so I placed Minnie on Craigslist and sold her yesterday afternoon!

Now, going carless is an odd thing for me to even attempt. I've owned at least one motorized vehicle since I was 17. At one time, I had three vehicles licensed in my name! I love driving cars and motorcycles (obviously, given this website's original intent).

While it feels odd to no longer have a car, I don't need one.
I live three blocks from an 'L' stop, and there are two major bus lines right outside my door.
I live about 2 miles from work, so I bike there every day. It takes me 35 minutes to get to work by train, 25 minutes by bus, and 15 by bike.
There are grocery stores, restaurants, hardware shops, thrift stores and more within walking and biking distance.

What I found during my experimental phase is that eliminating driving from your available transportation sources is pretty easy (and not just for people living in dense urban centers).

I'm going to continue posting about my experiences going carless in Chicago this year.

Thank You.

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 18:59:00 +0000

The trip is over (and was a resounding success) - this will be my final post to this blog for the foreseeable future. Thank you everyone who watched our travels.

For this large, complicated venture to be a success, many people helped us out. Here is (I hope) an exhaustive list of all the people we need to thank. If we overlooked your name, I deeply apologize.

Sponsors:
iGo power adapters
Fossil Fuels Anonymous
Charlie
John E.
mom
dad
nonna

Schools:
Abraham Lincoln School, Monona, WI
Cathy and Madeline K.
Sandhill School, Stoughton, WI
Sam R.
East Middle School, Warren, OH
Andrew K. and Mrs. M.
St. Mary's School, Goldsboro, NC
Debbe
South Valley Academy, Albuquerque, NM
Julie R.
Acalanes HS, Walnut Creek, CA
Richelle H.

Fuel Donors/Assistance
Brian, Madison, WI
Tom's Restaurant, Cleveland, OH
Peter Pratt's Inn, Yorktown, NY
Paul C. , New Jersey
Piedmont Biodiesel CoOp, NC
Carlos' Cuban Cafe, Tallahassee, FL
Red Bar, FL
Anonymous gumbo shop, Lake Charles, LA
DieselGreen Fuels, Austin, TX
CEHMM, Carlsbad, NM
Escape Adventures, Las Vegas, NV
Dean O., Los Angeles, CA
Lovecraft Biofuels, Los Angeles, CA
Sequential Biofuels Eugene, OR
GreaseWorks Corvallis, OR
Grease Kings Sacramento, CA
Denver BioDiesel Denver, CO
Toby N. Lawrence, KS

The FillUp4Free Network

Lodging:
Many Relatives, Chicago, IL
Community, Indianapolis, IN
Casey and Amanda, Fairborne, OH
Jen B., Cleveland, OH
Harry, Dover, NJ
C.G., NY,NY
Kim, NY,NY
Betsy, New Haven, CT
Nat, D.C.
Dirk and Jen, Norfolk, VA
Oliver, Goldsboro, NC
Lynn, Savannah, GA
Marianne, NOLA
Mr. and Mrs. C., Lake Charles, LA
Carrie and Rob, Austin, TX
Beth and Aaron, Austin, TX
Mom, Albuquerque, NM
Aunts and Uncles, Los Angeles, CA
Jessica, Visalia, CA
Rita, Fairfield, CA
Sarah, Berkeley, CA
Jeff and Marie, Berkeley, CA
Lynda and Peter, E-ville, CA
Devidas, Portland, OR
Tyler, Tacoma, WA
Sean and Coletta, Seattle, WA
Luis, Boulder, CO
Amber, Denver, CO

Final Mileage

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:01:00 +0000

The final mileage for the trip was 13,815 miles, completed on only 14.696 gallons of petroleum diesel fuel.

This means we completed the trip on about 97.6% biofuels (2.4% petroleum fuels).

I tried making a map on Google maps containing a point for each place we stopped overnight or more, but there is a limit on how many points you can put on a single map (I found the limit at Los Angeles). So, here is part 1 of the final trip map (Madison, WI to Los Angeles, CA):

And here is part 2 (Los Angeles, CA to Indianapolis, IN):

Google Maps' total for the trip (this number doesn't include all the in-city and exploration driving) was 10,025 miles. This means we drove about 3,790 miles above and beyond the basic trip requirements.

I did a little math based on the numbers on this EPA web page, and I've figured that we prevented the release of 6.5 tons of CO2 from petroleum sources into the air (or about 585 gallons of petroleum diesel).

A note on this number: I didn't include the amount of petroleum used in making and transporting the VegOil and biodiesel. But, I also didn't include the petroleum used in making and transporting the petroelum diesel I would have used otherwise. I purposefully ignored this level of detail.

Denver Biodiesel Co-Op's Grand Reopening

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:04:00 +0000

On Sunday, July 15, I was invited to an event at Denver Biodiesel Co-Op. When I arrived, I realized that the evens was the triumphant grand re-opening of Denver Biodiesel!

They sell B99.9 (99.9% biodiesel, 0.1% petroleum diesel) and vegetable oil for making into biodiesel (apparently there is no recognition of vegoil as a fuel in Colorado). Their myspace page is here.

Unfortunately, I only took video, so I don't have stills to share, but it was load of fun - live graffiti mural making, music, food, loads of diesel vehicles to look at, and loads of biodiesel and vegetable oil sales.

Thanks Matt, for helping me to fill up!

Off the Road...

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:58:00 +0000

Last night, I finally arrived in Indianapolis and unloaded Minnie!

This past weekend, I was in Golden, CO attending the Local Biodiesel Conference on the Colorado School of Mines campus (a very pretty campus, btw...).

When I attend conferences, I am usually content if I learn one new thing, or make one good contact, and I generally expect to be bored most of the time. At this conference, I had a blast, learned so much, I was afraid my head would burst open a few times, and I feel that everyone I met is a new friend. I can't say enough good things about this conference - If you are interested in biodiesel (using it, distributing it, making it, looking at it, or drinking it), or are interested in the biodiesel community in general, I highly recommend attending next year's local biodiesel conference.

The next few days

noreply@blogger.com (Sacha) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:57:00 +0000

I'm currently in Boulder, CO, staying with my uncle. That's right: Minnie made it over the continental divide at 7,000 feet:

I'll be attending the Local Biodiesel Conference this weekend, and then going on to Lawrence, Kansas and Indianapolis, Indiana (where Mary is beginning her intern year).

I've decided to stay in Indianapolis and try to join the biofuels (or enviro-tech) industry there. I still have several posts to write (...and interview footage to edit), so this blog will remain somewhat active as I explore the enviro-tech scene in Indianapolis.