I have recently been talking to a lot of college, university and even high school administrators, and I am optimistic the upcoming school year will see a surge in small-scale biodiesel production at the campus level. There are plenty of good reasons for this increased focus on biodiesel. Allow me to enumerate just a few of these, after which I am happy to share with you – in a one-on-one (or communal) head thumping Eureka moment – the logic, the elegance and the timeliness of Campus Biodiesel and how these factors combine in a veritable fire of logical potentiality. (No stranger to the ivory tower experience, I have taken the liberty of utilizing an oft relied upon study aid: Cliff Note: It really does make so much sense).
1. Over 700 colleges and universities have signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/). This is an impressive initiative which is helping to accelerate progress towards climate neutrality and sustainability. The signatories of this document have committed to actively work towards achieving a carbon neutral footprint as soon as possible. Importantly, using biodiesel is a huge accelerator for these colleges and universities, as every gallon of biodiesel used in place of diesel reduces your CO2 emission by up to 90% (California Air Resource Board – GREET Pathway for used cooking oil as feedstock for biodiesel production:http://www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/092309lcfs_uco_bd.pdf) and reduces particulate matter emissions – the stuff that is considered highly carcinogenic (source: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/OtherCarcinogens/Pollution/die…) by almost 50% (EPA).
Cliff Note # 1 = “Biodiesel is good and heathy.”
2. In an era of slashed budgets and high energy prices, small-scale biodiesel represents a funding source for schools. They are able to turn their used cooking oil – which they often pay to have removed from campus – into ASTM-grade biodiesel for less than $1.00/gallon (assuming you operate one of Springboard Biodiesel’s BioPro™ biodiesel processors). In California, as of June 30th, that means they save over $3.00 per gallon of biodiesel produced. The more you make; the more you save; the faster the payback on the machine.
Cliff Note #2 = “Biodiesel saves you money.”
3. Many academic institutions are implementing Sustainability Curriculums, and their small-scale biodiesel processor can be incorporated into any class on biofuels.
Cliff Note #3 = “What a great teaching tool!”
4. Most school campuses employ diesel powered vehicles and/or equipment that can run on biodiesel (see #2 above).
Cliff Note #4 = “Saves Money, again.”
5. College students are increasingly active in asking their organizations to take concrete steps to address the climate change issue, and biodiesel is a viable and valuable first step.
Cliff Note #5 = “Our customers demand it.”
Institutions of higher learning are built to innovate. On the environmental front, colleges, universities and K-12 institutions are actively working to make a difference, and as a result biodiesel is becoming mainstream. Give us a call and let’s talk about how you can join over 56 of your colleagues (http://www.springboardbiodiesel.com/biodiesel-for-colleges-and-universities) in the growing movement to benefit from small-scale biodiesel production.
Cliff note Summary: “Call Springboard Biodiesel to learn how to become a campus hero.”
Mark Roberts
