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Despite what by any standards was a setback at Copenhagen, there seems little doubt that a considerable amount of attention is going to be focused on the need for us all to become more sustainable during the new decade. There had been much hope for lasting accord in Denmark, as nations met to discuss a successor to the original Kyoto Protocol. Once again though, politics and domestic interests came to the fore, even though individual countries did promise to take concerted action.

Each week seems to bring forward additional evidence pointing to the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to environmental damage. Over 300 years we have given little regard to the consequences of energy production and use or our reliance on fossil fuels. It seems likely that unless we reduce this reliance, considerable harm will ensue.

The lead is being taken in Europe, where the UK is implementing a trading scheme to force the largest polluters to buy licenses from the government allowing them to emit additional carbon. In these cases, if the companies do not act efficiently, they will incur penalties. Should they not, they will incur penalties. This is just an example of what governments may do as they force our attention toward sustainability.

A large part of the pollution in question can be attributed to transportation methods and our reliance on petroleum and petro diesel to transport our vehicles. Therefore, biodiesel fuel is, as such, destined to become a much more palatable alternative, as it has been shown to considerably reduce carbon dioxide related emissions when compared to conventional fuels.

In the United States, the EPA has ruled greenhouse gases to be hazardous, under the auspices of the Clean Air Act. We can now expect legislation and existing powers to be wielded, forcing emissions to be curtailed from these vehicles.

Biodiesel is emerging as a workable alternative as the solution has holistic benefits as well, and as such we are likely to see more facilities making biodiesel, more places to buy the product and many more people opting to use biodiesel for their diesel engine cars and trucks. Within Petro diesel engines, biodiesel may be used without any further modifications and can be used in a variety of different strengths.

Biodiesel has been around for a considerable period of time but has not retained much interest as conventional petroleum or petro diesel was relatively cheap and we were not sufficiently aware of the damage caused by carbon emissions. That was the past, but this is now and as society continues to demand that we all become more sustainable, bio fuel advocates should ensure that this fuel becomes part of our talking points and alternatives. People now need to move from the process of making homemade biodiesel to demanding that commercially made options are widely available all around them.

We now know that if we all make a concerted effort individually toward real change, whether in small things or on a large scale, anything is possible when it comes to global environmental sustainability, for us, and for our future generations.

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It is difficult to watch the violence that we see surrounding political summits discussing climate change and it makes us realise just how much tension is in the air surrounding this subject. Now we are coming to understand how unsustainable our lives are. Nobody can justify this kind of violence, and it makes us think how these individuals can be so angry and driven, but then when we look at all the material that scientists now give us and realise that our crazy lifestyles really are alien to the sustainable future of our planet. Most of us realise that we now need to aggressively cut down on our energy use, both individually and collectively, and to take a major element of responsibility for what we do. Greenhouse gases are building up in our atmosphere due to our use of those traditional fossil fuels – gas, coal and oil, raising our Earth’s temperature and threatening considerable harm to future generations unless we act quickly.

As always, political developments are slow and we are often frustrated by the inability of our political leaders to make headway. Recent and crucial talks in Copenhagen resulted in only moderate agreement and few, tangible results. As individuals, we all know that we can make a difference if we take action and really focus on how we use transportation on a daily basis. We have been told for years to try and carpool, to use public transportation, to use bicycles or even to walk to work. If environmental reasons are not enough to cause us to constrain our use, we should remember the events of 2008 when gasoline prices spiked considerably.

Our cars, trucks and buses are huge polluters of the environment and the automotive industry in the United States in particular is slow to shrug off the vestiges of an era when gas guzzlers were totally acceptable. It used to be okay to drive a car that was way too big, cumbersome and inefficient for our actual needs and as much as anything else, when gas was only 50 or 60 cents per gallon.

It seems that biodiesel fuel is a much brighter option for the future. The fuel is derived from agricultural products which are generally widely available. The product is made with leftover fat or vegetable oil and mixed with methanol for separation. If you are suitably inclined, making biodiesel at home is a good option. As a rule of thumb, homemade biodiesel in undiluted form can be used in your diesel engine vehicle with no additional effort, but many vehicles use a blend of conventional petrodiesel and biodiesel, called B20, B40, etc.

Biodiesel may not yet have “arrived” in terms of popular culture, but as our desire to cut back on consumption, to explore alternative hybrid vehicles and to generally live greener lives increases, we’re sure to see more emphasis on this renewable form of energy. When this special fuel does eventually become widely available to people all around the world, we will have a much better chance at slowing the incredible rate of global ecological change.

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The automotive industry is slowly but surely becoming more sustainable and is thinking about producing cars with better mileage figures, engines with longevity, reductions in carbon emissions and is also looking at major improvements to diesel engines. Conventional petro diesel is being replaced by a low sulphur alternative and this is of benefit to those who use, or wish to use biodiesel in their vehicles.

Equipment manufacturers are now making diesel engine motors that can accept either biodiesel or low sulfur. While it is true that pure blends of biodiesel can damage certain rubber compounds over a period of time, especially in older diesel engines, this issue is likely to decrease as more stringent rubber compounds are used. Indeed, if biodiesel is used in lower blends and not “neat,” any issues appear to be negligible.

Some consumers believe that should they use biodiesel in their cars they will void the warranty provided by the manufacturer. This is completely incorrect, as the diesel engined vehicle manufacturers all support the use of biodiesel. As biodiesel is the only alternative fuel to be certified by the US Environmental Protection Agency, savvy manufacturers are taking note of its potential and embracing its use. Within the automotive industry, senior executives can foresee that regulation is becoming much more likely as politicians react and they know that vehicles will be required with higher performance and greater sustainability.

More than 50% of all vehicles in Europe have diesel engines. This is more than a 10 times higher ratio than found in the USA, but we can see that more manufacturers are now planning to import and produce vehicles with diesel engines in this country as the trend toward smaller and more economical continues.

Within the last 10 years, interest in biodiesel in the US has grown considerably. Today, more than 700 million gallons are produced annually, compared to less than 1 million in 1999. This industry is likely to grow significantly as we go forward. Across the country, 14 organisations have multimillion dollar manufacturing operations, but there are hundreds of fledgling and micro operations elsewhere.

Not surprisingly, making biodiesel commercially is an option that many are considering, in some cases moving up from homemade biodiesel production, supplying neighbours and friends in the locality as they start a business. Commercial production of biodiesel fuel requires certification by the EPA, while there are certain incentives and grants also available to help.

If you are not sure and pondering whether the adoption of biodiesel as your fuel of choice would be a good idea, just consider the advances of the trend toward sustainability. The US Congress is looking at legislation to force major energy consumers and polluters to cut back considerably. As this trend continues, consumers will increasingly demand that organisations and individuals become more sustainable and show evidence that they are complying; biodiesel fuel is ideally placed to contribute. If you’re interested in helping the environment, and are looking for a way help others do the same, getting invovled with the production of biodiesel fuel is a great way to start!

Scrapbooking Paper bio diesel, biodiesel, diesel, fuel, gasoline