Veggie Oil Fuels Discussion on Alternative Energy

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Students, faculty and members of the eco-business community gathered last Friday in Lawson Lounge to discuss the potential of biodiesel as a solution for the world's rapidly disappearing petroleum reserves. With fervor still lingering after this summer's highly publicized Biobus trip, during which 13 Middlebury College students converted an old school bus to run on veggie oil and then drove it cross country, it was only fitting for the college to host the conference titled "Energy Alternatives for Vermont: The Biodiesel Industry."

The Vermont Alternative Energy Corporation (VAEC) organized the day-long event, which featured talks by College President John McCardell, Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie, veggie oil pioneer Joshua Tickell and other advocates of alternative energy. VAEC Director of Marketing Ronald Beales said Middlebury was chosen for the first of five planned biodiesel forums because of its attitude and interest toward alternative fuels and the high concentration of raw, energy rich materials in Addison County.

So, why the fuss over biodiesel? Dwindling oil supplies and the ability to return to local economic production have made biodiesel the country's fastest growing renewable energy source. "This is the end of the oil era," said New Orleans-based Tickell, whose book "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank" details his 30,000-mile 1997 journey in a veggie-powered Winnebago.

Now at the helm of the Veggie Van Organization, Tickell travels the country by plane to tout the advantages of biodiesel and to deliver his grim forecast for world petroleum reserves. It has taken 150 years for the world to deplete half of its petroleum, and the other half should go in about 40, Tickell says. "We have to figure out sustainable energies," he explained.

Biodiesel's higher price hasn't limited sales, which increased 300 percent from 500,000 gallons sold in 1999 to 15 million gallons in 2002. VAEC Board Member Mary Linterman hopes to have a biodiesel depot in Middlebury by the end of the month. "We need to bring fuel in to stimulate interest," she said. Tickell estimates an economy of scale for biodiesel at around one to 20 million gallons sold each year.

While the United States might not be blessed with the bumper crop of black gold that sits under the Middle East, biodiesel is the only diesel fuel substitute grown on American soil by American farmers. According to Tickell, a local community infrastructure develops around the American farmers who grow the crops and the Americans who process and ship the fuel. Tickell calls algae the "the feedstock of the future" because of its high concentration of extractable oil. Biodiesel can be made from any vegetable oil including soy, sunflower, canola, coconut, hemp and used fryer grease from the local fast-food chains.

Visiting Scholar and author Bill McKibben spoke at the conference about the need to return to local economies for production. He cited how Vermont apples are underpriced by Chinese imports. "The average bite of food travels 1,500 miles," he said.

Biodiesel's appeal stems from its cleanliness. Just ask Tickell, who knows the toxicity of petroleum diesel firsthand. He moved from Australia to Louisiana as a boy only to see relatives die of cancer because they lived next to oil refineries in the deadly corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, known as "Cancer Alley." He describes biodiesel plants as clean enough to "put your kids to sleep in at night." Conference attendee Abe Noe-Hays from Putney, Vt., powers a Jetta with biodiesel that he pumps from two barrels by his garage. "It's so much nicer to be around," he said.

Part of biodiesel's clean image results from its lung and ozone-friendly exhaust. The stench of petroleum diesel is replaced with "the aftermath of a barbecue or french fries," said Biobus member Julia Proctor '06.5. It is the only fuel in full compliance with the 1992 Clean Air Act because of significant reductions in carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

Two of the members who breathed grease-laden air on the Biobus were Nick Benjamin '05.5 and Thomas Hand '05.5, who took to the microphone to offer stories from their 6,000-mile journey and future plans to lower the thermostats by a couple degrees in Middlebury buildings to save money.

It was Hand's Winter Term workshop last year that showed him the potential of alternative energy. Now, after completing the trip and selling the bus on eBay, he sees more than just a new fuel as the answer to the worlds' petroleum shortages. "Biodiesel alone is not the solution. We need to combine it with conservation," he said. Tickell was beaming from his seat at the back of the room.