Change your fuel, change your future

I recently went to see the documentary "Fuel", and was very pleasantly surprised by the film's thorough depiction of our dependence on fossil fuels, and the possibilities of moving beyond. The documentary follows Josh Tickell on his journey to teach the world how we can move away from fossil fuels and embrace biofuels as one (of several) alternatives.

When Josh Tickell started his journey, he bought a diesel engine van, painted it with bright flowers, and called it the "Veggie Van"! To stay true to the name, he created his own little mobile biodiesel refinery, which he towed along behind his van on a 2 year tour of the continental US! He made his fuel by using waste frying oils from fast food restaurants around the country, and helped to make big changes.

Following his US tour, he started to see small biodiesel gas station pumps coming up around the country. But unfortunately the media got a hold of the movement, and crushed it with some strategic headlines defining the idea of biofuels as unethical due to the consumption of potential food sources. Despite the fact that biodiesel can easily be created from waste products, which is entirely sustainable and a great practice.

Josh did not allow himself to get too pushed down by this setback to his life's passion. Instead, he fought harder and in the end, he created this inspirational film and got the movement back on its feet.

There were some really interesting technologies he brought up in the film as well, including the production of biodiesel from algae! Algae, as a natural grouping of organisms, grows in moist, carbon dioxide-rich environments, expelling oxygen as a photosynthetic byproduct (like all plants). So some very ingenious individuals have begun making algae biodiesel plants adjacent to manufacturing plants that expel carbon dioxide as a major byproduct, using this CO2 as a food source for their algae growth...amazing!

At the end of the film, Josh explains how he believes we can break our addiction to fossil fuels, so we can lead more sustainable lives, and develop in a more sustainable manner. I think we're all fairly well-versed in the need to reduce the greenhouse gases we expel into the atmosphere on a daily basis, and reducing our fossil fuel usage can make a huge dent in this.

My plan is to explore this amazing new world that has opened up to me! I don't own a car, but if I ever decide to buy one, I'll be sure to make it a used diesel engine vehicle, and fill it with my own algae-based biodiesel!