Me and Bio D
February 2nd, 2007 by Elizabeth Pepin
Two years ago, my husband David and I decided that we needed to make a concerted effort to live as green a lifestyle as possible. Being avid surfers, we have seen first hand how pollution and a non-sustainable world are affecting the environment and our health.
So it made sense that when our trusty van gave out after one too many surf trips to Baja that we would try and find the greenest vehicle we could purchase. Given the amount of gear we usually travel with, and the requirement that we had to be able to sleep in our vehicle, we decided we needed another van. But what to buy?
Since there is no hybrid van currently being made, and hybrids still rely on petroleum for most of their power, we decided to look into a vehicle that could run on plant-based fuels. This solution also had the added bonus of not supporting the oil industry, or the wars being waged to protect our sources. Hence the purchase of a used 2002 Dodge Sprinter, which spent its former life as a dry cleaning delivery truck in Reno.
Let me stop here and say that my husband and I fully realize that bio-diesel has its own set of environmental problems. We know biod is not the answer to replacing dinofuel, but rather we feel it’s the best alternative at this time until a truly environmentally friendly solution is found.
Turning our regular diesel Sprinter into a biod machine was easy. We simply joined the San Francisco Biodiesel Co-op, drove down to their fueling station South of Market, and began pumping. Since our van was relatively new, we didn’t need to retrofit hoses and rubber parts as you sometimes have to in older diesel vehicles. We were warned that our fuel filter might clog after a few thousand miles so we kept one handy in our toolbox.
It was simple to locate biod in the Bay Area. There are more than a dozen fueling stations, and apart from having to be conscious of their fueling hours, it was easy to fuel up when we needed it.
Going on a road trip was a different matter. Spending several hours on the internet, Dave and I created a list of all the biod fueling locations we could find. It was clear there would be certain areas where it would be very challenging to find biod, if at all. While we were fortunate to have a large tank, and get an amazing 32 mpg on the highway, we still would be running on fumes if we fueled up in San Francisco and drove to LA via Highway Five, where it appeared there were no biod stations on the entire 353 mile stretch. There were rumors of biod being sold at truck stops, but nothing concrete. So how can you take the quintessential California Road Trip if you can’t find fuel?
Dave and I were discovering that it’s easy being green in the Bay Area, but we wondered if owning a biodiesel vehicle and traveling outside the area was really practical. I mentioned this problem to my colleague on Quest, Andrea Kissack, and she was game to join me in finding out.
Half way down Highway Five and a half dozen truck stop stops later Andrea and I realize the rumor of biod at truck stops in California is just that: a rumor. We met Roland the Trucker at one stop, who said he runs biod only in the Midwest because he can’t find it here. Can it really be true that a state with a reputation of being the greenest in the country doesn’t sell biod along its major highways, but it’s available in the much maligned red states? It broke my liberal leaning, California born heart.
After following two more leads at Grapevine truckstops, Andrea and I give up and pray to the biod gods that we’ll make it to LA. The gauge is inching closer to E, and by the time I pull into Andrea’s Silver Lake destination, my little red light has come on, telling me I better figure out something quick or we’ll be pushing the van back to San Francisco.
Not to worry, I think. One of LA’s biod stations is mere blocks from where Andrea is staying. The next morning we head over there, the van so low that it chugs a few times heading up a small hill. We pull in front of the address I have on my list, but there is no pump to be seen. I go inside the office and am told that my list is wrong, and that the company only converts cars to run on veggie oil. A biod place is a few miles away, but it won’t be open until Thursday. It is now Monday.
Swearing under my breath like a sailor on leave, I march back to the van and inform Andrea. She makes me redo my comments for the Quest radio piece minus the colorful language, and then, having no choice, I sheepishly point the van in the direction of a regular diesel gas station a few miles away and put just enough fuel to get us to Santa Barbara, where I know there is an open biod station. I stew about the decision all the way up the coast, feeling horrible that I had to put dinofuel in my van. I knew I should have listened to the SF BioD folks at my orientation and bought a “carboy”; a portable carrying case filled with biod that many users keep in their car for just this sort of situation.
Highway 101 from Los Angeles to San Francisco offers at least a few opportunities to fuel up with biod. You can find the fuel nearly every county the highway runs through, and sometimes you even have a few options. You still have to worry about being there when the fueling stop is open, and Sundays and evenings are sometimes difficult, but all in all, it’s a much less stressful trip.
After fueling up in both Santa Barbara and again in Ben Lomond we drive to KQED with plenty of biod to spare. While I am still very happy to own a biodiesel vehicle, it doesn’t come without some added stress and headaches – both which I’m willing to endure in my quest to try and lessen my impact on the earth. I feel somewhat like a pioneer, paving the way for what I hope will be a cleaner, more green world in the future.
To see & discuss all the photos from Andrea and Elizabeth’s Biod Road Trip go to the Biodiesel Road Trip - KQED QUEST Set on Flickr.
Elizabeth Pepin is an Associate Producer on QUEST for KQED-TV.
Tags: KQED, kqedquest, QUEST, Science
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Elizabeth,
I have a quibble on the radio version of this segment. The attempt to provide “balance” by referring to “critics” of biodiesel seemed misplaced.
First, and most importantly, we have to support *all* non-fossil energy sources in our attempt to develop sustainable energy independence. Dropping down into point-counterpoint mode in regards to this particular source depreciates this important message.
Second, the discussion of where in the spectrum of all available non-fossil energy sources biodiesel lies deserves a whole segment in itself.
Third, the concepts found in the book “Worldchanging” deserve to be incorporated into any discussion of our shared future. Reading this book crystallized the “all sources” concept for me; I have a spare copy I can send you if you like.
bobn
As I listened to this story I once again asked a question I would like to see explored and answered. If “ethanol from corn” and biodiesel are our ‘fuels of the future’ I want to know when they will be adopted by the farmers who raise the crops which will provide them. Perhaps a federal excise tax on fossil fuels used in farming would hasten their adoption. Unfortunately, I suspect that their adoption would bring down the whole ‘free lunch house of cards’ created by our Congress as a gift to the Midwestern farming community.
I do not have the time to tease out the details in this story. A good NPR investigative reporter would do us all a service were he or she to take it on.
So, where’s the list of biodiesel pumps?
Dear Bob, Diane, and Baumgrenze,
Thank you for your comments on the biod story. Since I was just a character in the story and not the producer/reporter, Andrea Kissack will have to answer most of your questions.
Bob- I’ll definitely check out the book you recommend.
Diane- I’d be happy to email you my list of biodiesel pumps, but as you heard in the story, I can not guarantee that every place on the list actually sells biod. My husband and I put together the list from hours of research on the internet, but it’s hard to know until you actually call or go to the place if they really do carry biod. I found that some places that supposedly carried biod never did, and others which once carried it have stopped. And I’m sure there are places beginning to carry it that I don’t even know about it yet. Such is the fun and frustration of running an alternative fuel!
Many thanks for listening and reading,
-Elizabeth
Nice job making the biodiesel story a human interest piece. Nothing like a road trip to get listeners interested & imagining the journey. But it really could have gone much deeper. I felt the piece was a bit underdeveloped as a launch for the new Quest series. I hope you and your able colleagues will consider some of my comments and questions as you develop what can be a great addition to your programming.
I think you could have gone further in investigating and reporting some of the “science and environmental issues that are changing the way we live” which is what Quest purports to offer. Instead, it was just a road trip– the point of which seemed to be proving how tough it is to buy biodiesel. While I appreciated the perspectives offered, they weren’t really scientific or even fact-based, in some cases. So, here are some aspects which could have offered more depth and richness to the information or provide ideas for future segments:
1. Economics is a science (of sorts). How much does biodiesel cost to make? To buy? How does the small scale affect this and when do economists predict cost and price will drop based on the changing economy of scale?
2. Environmental science & economics frequently collide when we examine biodiesel. What kind of mileage do vehicles get with biodiesel? How does this relate to environmental values of choosing this over petro-diesel? Do drivers know this? How about biodiesel production’s impact on the environment? For instance, recent reports of plant oil shortages in Europe drove up price and a instigated massive palm oil production shift in Indonesia requiring native forest clearing, peet burning, and heavy use of fertilizers - an environmentalist’s nightmare for alternative fuels production. But a real globalization dilemma. How about here in CA/USA? Is corn production for ethanol really economically viable and environmentally sustainable? Or is it a new way for mid-West corn farmers to perpetuate their farm subsidy?
3. Production & distribution. For biodiesel producers, what kinds of incentives, subsidies, and supports are they getting? And how do their refinery operations compare economically and environmentally with petro refiners? Gas stations are dirty places but essential for our economy. Your story touched on the problem of buying biodiesel but what about trying to sell it? For example, there’s a buyers co-op in Berkeley that’s looking for a new Easy Bay facility but is finding numerous obstacles ranging from freeway access, zoning, visibility, storage, safety, size, etc. Building a new economic infrastructure is complicated– this often makes for interesting stories.
In closing, let me reiterate that I appreciate the excellent reporting you do and the constraints you have. Maybe I was overly optimistic that the angle chosen for the biodiesel story was a good entry point for a bigger story with more investigation and analysis. Or maybe that’s coming? I hope so.
Keep up the good work.
Scott, thanks for your thoughts. Yes, most of the issues you raise here are soon to come. We can only bite off so much with five minute pieces.
For our first story, we wanted to do a sound rich, interactive story from a consumers point of view on this particular alternative fuel. Just who are the people dedicated to supplying this? Well, they are coops, and huge commercial stations and little vendors in the middle of the mountains and it’s not always easy to find them. The state’s biodiesel network is definitely not ready for prime time but interest is certainly gaining speed and expectations are high.
We did mention the average cost of biodiesel in California, and Professor Tad Patzek raised his concern in the piece that it might cost more energy to produce these green fuels than it saves. But in terms of incentives, distributors, etc., that is coming in another week or two on The California Report when Cy Musiker looks at some of the issues around providing low carbon fuels. In his story, Cy plans to include the Gonazales plant (one of the state’s first commercial bio d distribution plants) which was in my story but like much of my tape, was cut for time. All of the points you raise are insightful and several of them a story angle on their own.
Please keep the feedback coming.
Hello,
Just wanted to let Elizabeth and Andrea both know how much our family enjoyed your slice-of-biodiesel-life piece. Elizabeth, is there any chance we could also get a copy of your list of pumps? I understand we would need to double-check them, but since you put so much time into your research, it would be great for other new and existing biodieselers to have the info without duplicating your efforts. I wonder if it could be attached to KQED’s Quest page about your road trip so you wouldn’t have to respond to multiple requests here. We live in Ben Lomond and are fortunate to have Jorah’s delightful presence in our little town. My husband travels a lot for business, though, so we’d like to start building a list of his options for refueling when he’s away from home.
Hi Diane & Joni,
I have given my list to our webmaster, who will post it within the next month. However, I must stress that it’s information that my husband and I put together from various websites, and as you heard in the radio piece, it’s not always accurate. So please use the list with this in mind!
Hi. I was wondering if you could provide an update on how Biodiesel has worked in your sprinter… that is how long have your filters lasted, and have you had any other problems? How many miles on biod?
I use 100% biodiesel in my jetta and love it, but some problems have been reported in sprinters.
Thanks for all the great info on this site!
Hi Todd,
Glad you like the site. My husband and I have been running biodiesel since we bought our Sprinter Van last July. We’ve put about 10,000 miles in almost a year, and have had a few minor problems, but hard to know if it’s directly related to biodiesel or the care or lack there of that the former owner gave the van. We have gone through three fuel filters in the past year, which I have heard is a little unusual for such a new van. We also had a problem with severe bogging down of the engine which we also thought was fuel filter related but turned out to be a fuel mixing valve and the mechanic said it had nothing to do with using biodiesel. Other than these issues the van has run fine and we’ve been quite happy with it. We get 32 mpg highway and 28 mpg in the city which is better than most small cars so it’s hard to complain!
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
I have been driving biodiesel for 3 years and was a staff member of a biodiesel education non-profit that is no more. I have kept the educational website up, which includes a link to a fantastic website called Nearbio, a national biodiesel pump location map. The group updates the map daily and verifies what blend is sold at all locations. They also have a mobile service and travel planning service.
At www.californiabiodiesel.net there is basic education to topics for industy stakeholders.
I driven a 1985 Mercedes TD Wagon on high blends for 3 years and a 2002 Excursion on B20 for my business. My next car will hopefully be a biodiesel plug-in hybrid Volt. I want to be able to plug it into my solar panels and not use any petroleum.