This 5 minute video is a great encapsulation of the waste water tour sponsored by DtaS earlier this month. The process used by San Francisco is very similar to the one shown in the video.

I’m a Biodiesel newbie, and I have to say that so far my favorite thing is the smell. I love being stopped at a light at having the scent of french fries waft through the air. Maybe it’s cause I don’t eat at fast-food restaurants anymore that the smell is so appealing–or maybe it just reminds me of the happy days of my youth when I could put away a Super Size fries in no time.

You’d probably guess that saving the environment and reducing greenhouse gases is also high on my list of newfound satisfactions, but honestly that stuff is further down the list. What appeals to me more, actually, is being able to fill up my car and not give any money to the big corporate petroleum giants. When I pull into Biofuels Oasis in Berkeley, I come face to face with the people whom I’m supporting–a group on down-home women who cooperatively own the place. And the money doesn’t stop there; it goes down to southern CA to the place where the fuel is made. And I suppose a bit of it goes to the potato chip factory where the oil comes from. As far as sustainability, buying local is one of the biggest things we can to to empower ourselves and our path toward economic independence. I’m happy to pay more to support my community and keep money out of the hands of some Chevron executive.

Speaking of community, one of the other benefits of going Bio is the amazing community that I immediately became a part of. It’s like I’m instantly a part of the cool guy club, and whenever I see another biodiesel driving around we can exchange that knowing look. Also, driving around an old Mercedes gets me status points all over the place. My ride is already pimp! The ladies are all over me!

OK, OK, the environment: Yes, my car is carbon neutral*. Yes, my car spits out less pollution than most. Yes, I’m doing my part to help the environment. But honestly, I’m not sure that Biodiesel is the earth-savior that we want it to be. If we keep it local and use only recycled veggie oil, than I’m a wholehearted supporter. But, as with most things in this world, when there’s money to be made, bigger business creeps in. I’m afraid of the day when the Shell station starts selling Bio. It may be a step in the right direction, but I don’t trust the big corporations to honestly put the helping the environment on their list of company objectives. It’s kind of like going to Safeway and seeing their “O-Organics” line of products–something just doesn’t quite feel right about it.

Furthermore, there’s a kind of laziness or self-satisfaction that can come with running biodiesel (or a hybrid). I think we need to be careful of the “Well, I’m doing MY part” attitude. I would imagine that the environmental benefits of biofuels or hybrids are minute compared to what could happen if we all took a look at our lives as a whole–our homes, water consumption, waste, plastic bottles, etc. I mean, what about all those rich-folks in the hills pulling their hybrids out of the garage of their 4,000 square foot house?

My point is this: I’m not gonna stop the push for environmental justice and clean energy just because I drive a biodiesel. Yes, it helps, but it’s not the solution.

Until then, I’m happy driving a french-fry perfumerie!

*–actually, biodiesel isn’t carbon neutral when all of the processing and delivery is taken into account.

No, not a festival for Wonder Woman. WonderFest is the the Bay Area festival of Science. On October 27 and 28th, there will be free science discussions, art, and trivia events at both UC Berkeley and Stanfurd. The lineup is jam packed with some of the best talent both university have to offer. You can’t beat the price or the quality.

Check out the schedule at www.wonderfest.org

I will be arranging a DtaS crew to head over. If interested, send me an email.

At the next cafe on Climate Change, my friends from LightsOutSF will be in the audience. LOSF is an excellent example how individuals can make a big impact on climate change.

LOSF is a citywide energy conservation event on October 20, 2007. On this night, they are asking the entire city of San Francisco to turn off all non-essential lighting for one hour. To promote long-lasting energy saving, they will also distribute free compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout the city. This savings will reduce carbon emissions into our air and preserve the natural resources used to produce this energy resulting in ongoing reduced costs for the city, taxpayers, and businesses.

Based on a similar event in Sydney Australia, they expect 24.86 tons of CO2 emissions saved. In addition, PG&E will be taking measurements of Saturday night energy usage in San Francisco prior to the Lights Out event, which will be compared to a measurement they will take on the night of October 20, 2007. They’ll publish the energy-saving results from that night on their website. LOSF should be a recurring event…a part of a wider effort to promote energy-saving consciousness in SF.

LOSF is encouraging San Franciscans to join together on October 20th to watch the lights go out. For more information, please visit www.lightsoutsf.org. They will be at 9/24 Down to a Science event on Climate Change in case you have any questions.

The city introduced a climate action plan back in 2004. In case you haven’t read this *exciting* tome, I’ve done the work for you. All the numbers are circa 2004.

Goal: 20% Green House Gas (GHG) reduction by 2012 (20% below 1990 levels) - 7.2 million tons of CO2

Current GHG production/year: 9.7 million tons of CO2 produced

Potential Impacts:
* Sea level rise
* Greater beach erosion
* More frequent El Nino conditions - More rain = less snow in Sierras leading to less water available in summer.
* Marine life - unknown impacts due to changes in water flow and salinity

The actions were broke into four categories: Transportation, Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Solid Waste. Read on for a breakdown of CO2 savings. I’ll be doing a category by category analysis over the next few days.

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