Biodiesel Comes to the SF Bay Railroad
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By E. "Doc" Smith
Last Friday, a 5 man team from California's Air Resources Board arrived at the San Francisco Bay Railroad yard to test a variety of biodiesel blends on locomotive engine number 25, the first train to successfully run on biodiesel in San Francisco. "You are witnessing history people", proclaimed David Gavrich, President & CEO of the SFBR, formerly known as LB Railco. The test results from CARB will likely not be known for some time, however the smooth operation of this 1946 diesel engine bodes well considering the large amount of aging locomotives still in operation in the U.S. today.
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Fellow SF Biodiesel Access Task Force member and president of the San Francisco Biofuels Cooperative Eric Bowen, joined me on several quarter-mile tests with CARB's crack team. With a hearty "All Aboard", we were off and running. CARB came armed to the teeth with laptops and state-of-the art software, laser timers, generators, sensors and more.
"It will be great to see the Port doing this next", Gavrich opined, and Bowen, also a member of the Biodiesel Access Task Force's Marine Subcommittee agreed. They may be right, as the infrastructure and cost effectiveness of doing business along the water ways, powered by alternative fuels, safely and responsibly makes a lot of sense.
With the first set of tests completed, Gavrich briefly departed and quickly returned with another fresh supply of 55 gallon drums of "B100" or pure biodiesel from SF Petroleum, the City's supplier of biodiesel to MUNI, it's entire diesel fleet as well as an estimated 100 members of the SF Biofuels Co-op. "This is only the beginning gentlemen!", proclaimed Gavrich, a long time alternative fuels advocate. Gavrich has two locomotives, circa 1946 in his yard; a host of diesel powered lifts and vehicles he plans to use biodiesel on. Gavrich also hosts many of the truckers from the Bay View Truckers Association, and it's president, Michael Dennis hopes to get many of his members on board. Rising fuel costs are a barrier for many these days, however a variety of options and talk of local biodiesel production are being explored.
Gavrich and Bowen also agree that diesel engines will be with us for a while, and until other viable alternatives can be made available, biodiesel, preferably made from sustainable sources, may be one of the best options we have to mitigate some of the effects of global warming and green house gases. New studies and research by the EPA and others may show that NOX emissions from biodiesel may well be less than originally thought, with an increase perhaps as little as 4%. At a recent biodiesel roundtable, Dr. Randall Von Wedel, a leading expert on biodiesel here in the Bay Area, explained that the earlier testing on NOX were outdated, and used a very limited type of engine and conditions to produce a higher NOX score.
Next year, San Francisco will host the annual National Biodiesel Board Conference, and in March of 2009, the City's Green Public Works Ordinance will go into effect, which means any city contractor engaged in public works with diesel vehicles for more than twenty days, must either have their vehicles fitted with particle traps, or use a minimum blend of "B20" biodiesel, 80% petroleum and 20% biodiesel. With City's entire diesel fleet and MUNI now running on B20 biodiesel through the efforts of the Department of the Environment, and the Public Utilities Commission's "Greasecycle" program, collecting waste veggie oil from participating restaurants and turning it in to biodiesel; both with the aid of the SFBC, San Francisco finds itself at the center of the nation's debate on the positive merits of alternative energy and the need to become a more sustainable society.
Gavrich's dream of his railyard, powered by biodiesel must also now be added to the mix. The success of these endeavors will be watched closely indeed. If we get it right here, California and others will surely follow.
E. "Doc" Smith is a member of the SF Biodiesel Access Task Force and the Director of Green Depot, a non-profit organization funded in part by the SF Department of the Environment, advocating the use of biodiesel, particularly in Bayview Hunters Point and Potrero. He can be reached atesmith@greendepot.org.
It's Official: San Francisco's Entire Diesel Fleet Now Using Biodiesel
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By E. "Doc" Smith
Last Thursday, San Francisco became perhaps the largest city in America to convert its entire diesel fleet to the alternative fuel, biodiesel, a feat accomplished in part by members of the San Francisco Biofuel Cooperative and their "Go MUNI Bio" campaign, the SF Department of the Environment, MUNI and the SF Public Utilities Commission. On Sunday, the New York Times' Carolyn Marshall wrote a piece entitled "San Francisco Fleet Is All Biodiesel", noting that "the city of San Francisco this week completed a yearlong project to convert its entire array of diesel vehicles - from ambulances to street sweepers - to biodiesel, a clean-burning and renewable fuel that holds promise for helping to reduce greenhouse gases." |
"Just like secondhand smoke, diesel is one of the worst things we can breathe," said the city's clean vehicle manager, Vandana Bali of the Department of the Environment. The announcement came without fanfare from Mayor Gavin Newsom's office late Thursday, even as Congressional lawmakers dickered over the particulars of an energy bill that would give automakers incentives to produce cars that burn biofuels."
"Ms. Bali said the city's diesel vehicles now all used a fuel known as B20, a mix of 20 percent soy-based biofuel and 80 percent petroleum diesel fuel, which reduces toxic emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and other pollutants that lead to global warming. A spokesman for the mayor, Nathan Ballard, said the goal was to cut such emissions to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. In November, Mr. Newsom announced a new project called SFGreasecycle, a program to collect fats and cooking oils from restaurants, at no charge. "We are collecting grease," Mr. Ballard said. "Waste fats and oils are a major source of backup in our sewage system. But we're taking the grease that would have gone down the drain and turning it into biodiesel."
E. "Doc" Smith is a musician and recording engineer who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Warren Zevon, Mickey Hart and Jimmy Cliff. He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick, a member of the SFBC, and drives a 2002 VW Beetle, which runs exclusively on B99 biodiesel. He can be reached at esmith@greendepot.org.
Beyond Chron, November 9, 2007
The 2007 San Francisco Green Festival
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By E. "Doc" Smith
In 2004 I attended my first San Francisco Green Festival, a veritable feast of alternative living; from solar homes to green investing, from sustainable fabrics to the veggie-oil bio-fuel called biodiesel. Next thing I know, my trusty Volvo 740 turbo wagon was gone, and I found myself driving a turbo diesel VW Beetle, running on B99; 99% soybean biodiesel, and 1% petroleum! A lot has changed in San Francisco since then. It's Mayor, the SF Department of the Environment and members of SF's biodiesel community helped to convert 55% of the City's diesel fleet to run on "B20", that's 20% biodiesel, 80% petroleum, including MUNI, the SF Zoo, airport shuttles, the Fire Department and counting, which should decrease some of the city's greenhouse emissions. |
All of this would not be possible without the world's desperate need for alternative energy solutions, (seemingly following every energy crisis), the work of a handful of eager scientists and the efforts of the Green movement. Many of those technologies and more will be on display when the Green Festival returns to the SF Concourse Exhibition Center on Brannan, this Friday thru Sunday. SF's Global Exchange and Co-op America are once again the hosts of this "green mall" of ideas, food, wares and speakers, ranging from Deepak Chopra to Global Exchange's Kevin Danaher and Ben Jordan of the SF Biofuels Recycling Cooperative, one of the architects of the city's waste grease recycling program. The festival gets pretty busy, so you may want to ride a bike, or take a biodiesel-hybrid electric MUNI bus. Meantime, here is some info they may want you to know...
The 2007 San Francisco Green Festival
San Francisco Concourse Exhibition Center and the Giftcenter Pavillion Theater
635 8th St (at Brannan St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Shop, play & get inspired . . . 3 days to celebrate! Good green fun for the entire family! Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 9th, 10th & 11th. Concourse Exhibition Center & Gift Center (main stage events) at 8th and Brannan, San Francisco.Expanded with theater-style seating to accommodate larger audiences, the main stage speakers will appear in the elegant Gift Center Atrium, right across the street from the Concourse. Discounts for seniors, union members, and students. FREE - Children under 12.
A Day in Your Life at Green Festival: Buy your tickets online for your convenience (they'll be awaiting you at will call). Pick up an event navigator at the door, and start circling the events and exhibits you would like to check out. Start your day off with a Fair Trade, organic coffee drink or tea. Leisurely peruse the green marketplace, and maybe even find some unique holiday gifts early. Taste the best in Fair Trade chocolate and yummy organic treats.
See your favorite green authors, and don't forget to have your books signed! Listen to live, local music, and sit down to a delicious organic meal. Sample a variety beer and wine from eight of the finest organic breweries and vineyards. Learn how to make your home a haven and save money-beautiful, practical, healthy and kind to the earth. Hang out at the Connection Hub, where you can take part in inspiring dialogues or just chill out.
Go home (using public transportation or your bike, of course), make a list of what you didn't get a chance to see that day, and rest up for another inspiring and fun-filled day at Green Festival. Come Friday to jump start your weekend and attend Dr. Deepak Chopra's special event, eat great food, get inspired and do all your holiday shopping early while supporting the green economy! It's all included with your low-price admission.
More than 125 Visionary Speakers include: Paul Hawken - Dr. Deepak Chopra (Friday Night) - Lynne Twist - Amy Goodman -Paul Stamets - Fritjof Capra - Caroline Casey - Lawrence Lessig - Gary Zukav - Kevin Danaher - Alisa Gravitz - Sharif Abdullah - Marisa Handler - Medea Benjamin - Dr. Alan Greene - Supervisors Chris Daly & Ross Mirkarimi and 100 other visionary leaders.
Interactive Attractions include: More than 400 Green Exhibits, Hands-on Workshops - Community and Social Investing - Greening Your Home & Office - Responsible Travel - Green Technology and Building - Green Living Home Series, including Solar Installations and Green Renovations. And don't miss the Organic Valley Kids' Zone & Activities - Organic Beer and Wine Garden - Organic Dining - Green Festival Bookstore - Live Music Stage - Community Action Area - Connection Hub - Organic Tea Garden - Green Festival Bookstore - ASL Interpretation. All at a nearly zero waste event! Your all-inclusive admission pass: $15 for one day, and just $25 for the entire weekend! Order your tickets now online at www.greenfestivals.org.
Better World Books and Green Festival are partnering to offer $5 off Green Festival admission to attendees who bring in 3 or more books. Your donated books will be sold on BetterWorld.com to help fund girls' scholarships in developing countries in Asia through Room to Read. www.roomtoread.org.
E. "Doc" Smith is a musician and recording engineer who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Warren Zevon, Mickey Hart and Jimmy Cliff. He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick, a member of the SFBC, and drives a 2002 VW Beetle, which runs exclusively on B99 biodiesel. He can be reached at esmith@greendepot.org.
Beyond Chron, October 19, 2007
The Second Annual Alternative Car & Transportation Expo
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By E. "Doc" Smith
This Friday and Saturday, I'll be in Santa Monica for The Second Annual Alt Car Expo, a gathering of alternative fuel presenters showcasing the latest in electric, natural gas, biodiesel, hydrogen, ethanol, propane and hybrid technologies. Members of the Bay Area's alternative fuel community will also be speaking as well as attending, including the San Francisco Biofuel Recycling director, Ben Jordan. |
With the recent opening of the city's first biodiesel fleet station; the Olympian at 23rd and Third Streets, and another with MUNI's fuel supplier at nearby SF Petroleum, Mayor Newsom's vision of a sustainable city has become a bit more clearer. The Bay Area's first biodiesel plant in nearby Alameda is scheduled to open in 2008, and folks like all-women owned and operated Biofuel Oasis in Berkeley, and Blue Sky's "Betty Biodiesel", who is trying to convince school bus companies like Laidlaw to make the healthy switch to B 20, sparring future generations of children from needlessly suffering the effects of asthma, cancer, and a host of diesel caused health problems.
Those who have watched the fascinating "Who Killed the Electric Car?", will no doubt enjoy the expo, and the promise of more electric vehicles in the future. The Petersen Automotive Museum will even have the famed EV-1 on display. As chronicled in the film, General Motors' destruction of nearly the entire fleet of Saturn-based EV-1 electric cars was enough to make anyone's stomach turn. The Japanese were so afraid of GM's potential dominance of the electric car market, that they embarked on their own program, and the hybrids of Toyota and Honda were born.
There will also be "Bicycle Valet Parking", offered by the City of Santa Monica, and a "New Car Lot" that will feature vehicles for sale, so that attendees can put their money where their heart is and immediately make an impact towards reducing their gasoline usage. From Sustainable Bamboo Skateboards, to the latest in bicycles, scooters and a wide array of new cars will be available to test drive and purchase. Attendees can also participate in a fuel cell "ride and drive" featuring cars from Honda and other manufacturers, and even take an "Ecology Footprint Quiz", and compare how other folks live around the planet.
I'll be driving my biodiesel powered VW Bug to the Expo, displaying it with all of the other alt-fuel vehicles and representing the San Francisco Biofuels Cooperative, now located in the Mission district. Several years ago, I attended a similar expo like this one, here in San Francisco. I had thought that if they ever made a hybrid VW Bug, I'd buy it. When I learned that ANY diesel vehicle; from a Ford pick-up truck, to a Turbo-Diesel Mercedes could run on the cleaner-burning biodiesel, without any modifications, I was sold. If you are in Santa Monica this weekend, check out the free, Alt Car Expo.
It could change your life, it definitely changed mine.
E. "Doc" Smith is a musician and recording engineer who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Warren Zevon, Mickey Hart and Jimmy Cliff. He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick, a member of the SFBC, and drives a 2002 VW Beetle, which runs exclusively on B99 biodiesel. He can be reached at esmith@greendepot.org.
Beyond Chron, April 25, 2007
Commercial Biodiesel Station Opens As City Takes Lead in Biodiesel Conversion
 SF Mayor Gavin Newsom and Ben Jordan of People's Fuel, a worker-owned cooperative, at the new biodiesel station. |
By E. "Doc" Smith
At the opening of the City's first fleets-only biodiesel fueling station yesterday, Mayor Gavin Newsom called on "every municipality in the country to do what we have done" as he highlighted the City's remarkable progress in converting its own fleet of diesel vehicles to a biodiesel fuel blend and in moving toward a Fall launch of the PUC's program to provide some of that fuel by recycling grease from restaurants. |
Although private vehicles are not able to use this station, biodiesel is available locally from the San Francisco BioFuels Cooperative (SFBC), People's Fuel, and Berkeley's Biofuel Oasis. San Francisco, which has taken a leadership role in implementing local solutions to the problems of global warming and sustainability, is ahead of schedule in converting its diesel vehicles to a biodiesel blend, a goal that Mayor Newsom announced a year ago. Currently 39% of the fleet has been converted to B20 (20% biodiesel, 80% petrodiesel). Even at 20%, biodiesel contributes significantly to reductions in pollution, especially greenhouse gasses. The City plans to convert it's entire fleet by year's end and to move to higher blends of biodiesel as soon as possible.
Jared Blumenfeld, Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, urged fleets and school buses to take advantage of this opportunity to reduce the city's pollution, particularly in the Third Street corridor where 1 in 6 children suffer from asthma caused by diesel pollution.
E. "Doc" Smith is a musician and recording engineer who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Warren Zevon, Mickey Hart and Jimmy Cliff. He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick, a member of the SFBC, and drives a 2002 VW Beetle, which runs exclusively on B99 biodiesel. He can be reached at esmith@greendepot.org.
Beyond Chron, February 6, 2006
Sustainable Biodiesel Summit in San Diego
Biodiesel is a vegetable oil based fuel, derived from mostly soy, however recycled veggie oil grease, algae, and others can be used. Once filtered and refined, it can run any diesel powered vehicle without any modification. Led by Laytonville's Biodiesel advocate Kimber Holmes and Berkeley's Sara Hope Smith of the Biofuel Oasis, this illuminating conference ranged from the educational, with new data emerging on the effects of NOX emissions, to the moving story of the under reported floods of Guatemala, and the use of Biodiesel to run the generators there.
San Diego's Sen. Kehoe and Daryl Hannah
By E. "Doc" Smith
A veritable who's who of the grass roots Biodiesel world was in attendance at the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit this weekend in San Diego. Hosted by the Biodiesel Council of California, the SBS, is traditionally a "shadow" conference preceding the National Biodiesel Board's conference which begins today. Luminaries such as San Diego's State Senator Christine Kehoe, and Biodiesel advocate, actress Daryl Hannah, (with a documentary film crew in tow), were just a few of the many advocates who spoke on behalf of the this fast growing, alternative fuel.
San Francisco's Eric Bowen, president of the San Francisco BioFuels Coop, and leading advocate for the city and MUNI's use of Biodiesel, led a fantastic seminar on the legal, and tax ramifications of the "Blenders Credit", a device many in the Biodiesel world use to offset the cost of competing in the petroleum economy.
Author, and Piedmont Biofuels Vice President Lyle Estil, whose book "Biodiesel Power", spoke of the trials and tribulations of being a producer and distributor. Discussions on education via Community College courses, working with the NBB, and a history of the movement ensued, provoking sparkling debates among the attendees.
Colorado's "Mother" of Biodiesel, author Shaine Tyson, LA Biofuels, Kent Ballard, and Dr. Randall von Wedle, one the Bay Area's leading authorities on Biodiesel, led a fascinating discussion on the new NOX emission tests, and the debate on the "Weekend Effect", where apparently, NOX and ozone levels vary due to less bus and truck use. It was previously thought that with less diesel traffic, the effect on the ozone would be less, however new data may support the opposite may be true.
As for the dreaded NOX emissions, the one drawback of Biodiesel, despite the fact that it produces virtually no greenhouse gasses, additives and new "catalytic converter" style devices that are being manufactured as we speak, seem to debunk the NOX issues. Incredibly, many more diesel vehicles are arriving in 2007, Audi, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Honda, Merecedes, just to name a few.
With United States' dependence on foreign oil, and with toxic diesel exhaust being the leading cause of health related deaths worldwide, we need to embrace the benefits of Biodiesel, an alternative energy source whose time has come.
E. "Doc" Smith is a musician and recording engineer who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Warren Zevon, Mickey Hart and Jimmy Cliff. He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick, a member of the SFBC, and drives a 2002 VW Beetle, which runs exclusively on B99 biodiesel. He can be reached at esmith@greendepot.org.
Beyond Chron, October 7, 2005
Bonnie Raitt Fuels Tour Bus With Cleaner Burning Biodiesel
By E. "Doc" Smith
My recent conversion to the world of Biodiesel began with the acquisition of a "soy" powered 2001 VW Beetle. It averages about 46 mpg, and a bi-monthly fill-up at the SF area's only Biodiesel station, Berkeley's BioFuel Oasis, keeps me going. Driving home recently, past the idling diesel tour buses in front both the Fillmore and the Independent, made me wonder. How many touring musicians employ the use of this planet friendly new fuel? Willie Nelson has actually opened a chain of Biodiesel stations, and Singer Bonnie Raitt, is now doing more for America than entertaining her fans on her nationwide tour currently underway - she's protecting the environment by using biodiesel. She is the first U.S. entertainer to adopt cleaner burning American-made biodiesel for use on tour. Dubbed the Green Highway Tour, the Grammy-winning artist with hits such as "Something to Talk About" is traveling coast to coast performing at major venues while raising awareness about alternative fuels.
"It's no accident that we're in danger of losing both our ecological and our economic well-being at the same time," explains Raitt, who created the Green Highway concept along with colleagues Kathy Kane and Harvey Wasserman. "I feel too many government and corporate policies are inseparably shortsighted and we've created Green Highway to demonstrate that working in harmony with nature can offer real solutions for preserving both our planet and our prosperity."
Biodiesel fits with Raitt's Green Highway Tour because it reduces emissions that are harmful to the environment as well as humans. It is a domestically produced fuel made from any fat or vegetable oil, like soybean oil. Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine with few or no modifications. Although biodiesel contains no petroleum, it can be blended with diesel at any level or used in its pure form.
The Raitt tour is powered by a combination of biodiesel, solar energy, wind and hybrid technology. The tour sets up exhibits on alternative energy at each venue and hands out information to concert goers. Companies donating biodiesel to Raitt include Biodiesel Industries, Griffin Industries, Stepan Company and World Energy, all members of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB), which is coordinating the tour's use of the fuel.
"I think it's wonderful that Bonnie Raitt is leading by example in using a farm-grown fuel that decreases emissions and dependence on foreign oil," said Bob Metz, president of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and a South Dakota soybean farmer. "Biodiesel is beginning to enjoy commercial success as one of the fastest growing alternative fuels available, and hopefully Bonnie's use of it will raise the visibility of the fuel and encourage others to use it."
Biodiesel is now available nationwide. More than 200 U.S. fleets currently use the fuel commercially, and it is also becoming increasingly available at public pumps and marinas. Biodiesel performs comparably to diesel fuel, with similar cetane and BTU content. It is the only alternative fuel to have completed the rigorous Health Effects testing requirements of the Clean Air Act. The results, submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in 2000, show biodiesel is biodegradable, virtually non-toxic and free of sulfur. Emissions it reduces include particulate matter, unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and sulfates. B100 also reduces lifecycle carbon dioxide by 78% compared to petroleum diesel according to Department of Energy research.
Now Biodiesel isn't cheap, going for around $3.20 per gallon, (which actually looks a lot like today's gas prices!), however it's price will go down with more production, and with some modifications, virtually any petro-diesel auto can run on pure virgin veggie oil. California by the way, doesn't allow any new diesel automobiles to be registered here, until they have a minimum of 7,500 miles on them. After that, they are welcomed in, and exempt from all future smog checks! Strange but true...
With so much dependance on foreign oil, it may be only a matter of time before the renewable Biodiesel is in the main stream. Europe, with so many diesels, is way ahead of us on that score. Chrysler-Daimler are building a Biodiesel plant, The cities of Berkeley and even Chicago now use Biodiesel in their recycling trucks, and there is even talk of a new Biodiesel station returning to SF, the first since the demise of the old Olympian station, at 23rd and Third. The rise of gas of prices since Katrina, the record sales of Hybrids, and the quagmire known as Iraq and Afghanistan are going to continue to drain and strain the planet.
I hope Bonnie's audiences are listening.
E. "Doc" Smith is a musician and recording engineer who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Warren Zevon, Mickey Hart and Jimmy Cliff. He is also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick, a member of the SFBC, and drives a 2002 VW Beetle, which runs exclusively on B99 biodiesel. He can be reached at esmith@greendepot.org.