Gas Prices Rise Again

So here we go again. Gas prices are on the rise. $3.70/gal where I live. This time the media is hush hush. (Don't want the silly little people to realise Obama isn't doing anything about it). Don't think he tried to keep them down though. He just recently stopped the pipeline from Canada. He could also muzzle his EPA dogs a little and allow America to produce it's own oil instead of giving permits to foreign countries to drill and then sell to us. He could also allow current wells in the US to get more than there current 300 barrell limit. Now I certainly don't think this should be the fix for us. Eventually we need to walk away from using soo much fossil fuels. Like most addictions though, you just can't up and quit. There is a much needed transition phase. During this transition phase I think it would be in our best interest to use the oil from our own country to provide jobs and keep what little money we have left here. I won't even get into the benefit that has on getting away from our oil link with the ever so stable Middle East. Once we start down that path we will have the money and security to really begin developing cost effective "green" energy production methods.

Personally I would like to get into bio-diesel. I would even go as far as to say it would be an interesting business to start. Imagine being able to have all the resturaunts in a community get rid of their waste vegetable oil to a company that will then recycle that into a fuel source to power the vehicles of that community. I have done a pretty good amount of research on this. Producing bio-diesel from waste vegetable oil is not very diffcult or expensive. I have a grand plan for community "fuel depots" that would handle production and sales but I have one HUGE road block I can't seem to figure out how to overcome. What are the regulations and paths to take to accomplish this goal?? For example; Say I purchase a gas station that is currently being unused. This gas station has a typical 2 bay maintenance garage attached to it. I would convert the garage into a secure room in which the bio-diesel can be produced. It is then pumped into the underground tanks that used to hold gas. Now the gas station will function as it did before except it will only sell bio-diesel. Now how would one start with the process of making that happen. Can you just buy the building and start producing and selling?? I think not. What types of permits and steps would I need to take to accomplish this?? I see people working in development for large scale bio-diesel production, but I think the small scale local production idea would work really well and you have a good source of base product from the restaurants. It is also a nice way to recycle some waste don't ya think? Speaking of thinking of this a a recycling loop, the two by-products of bio-diesel production from waste vegetable oil are: Bio-diesel fuel and glycerin. The fuel part obviously gets used to power vehicles, trains, boats, and heat homes while the glycerin can be used in the production of soap. Ah the recycling continues. This method keeps communities supporting themselves which is also an added benefit.

Biodiesel

I have talked about the steps to self sustainability when it comes to cars in prior posts. I was focused on EV's. As I'm sure you are aware of, they are popping up everywhere. These are surely a viable option in a self sustaining lifestyle, but there is the looming question/ concern of range and initial cost. I'm not sure why this slipped my mind before but I should have went into some detail about the use of biodiesel. I didn't/ don't know too much about how or what biodiesel really is, so like any good person who is looking to become self sustainable I went to learn about it.

What is biodiesel?

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. -(source; http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/biodiesel_basics/)

That description is the best and most appealing I have come across to date. I benefit of biodiesel for being self sustainable is that it can be produced by you on your property. There are countless websites that explain how to build your own processor, purchasing a kit, or purchasing a fully built and ready to use processor. Just google biodiesel and there you go.

I have personally become more interested in biodiesel for a number of reasons.

• It is a simple conversion to use from a typical diesel powered vehicle.
• farm equipment and lawn tractors typically run on diesel.
• it is far less expensive than EV's -(2011 VW golf, loaded, for less than $30k)
• biodiesel can greatly speed up the self sustainability process.
• Biodiesel is far less complicated than using solar/ wind to charge an electric vehicle.
• domestic! domestic! domestic! in terms of the fuel source.
• you can recycle waste oil from local restaurants.
• it is also possible to power your home with biodiesel.

I will more than likely post more about this at a later date as I learn more about it. I will also be doing some research on the processor's themselves and where to get the oil to use. Stay tuned!!

ps - this LINK has good information about biodiesel.

One step forward. Two steps back

Lately I have been noticing a lot of talk about helping the environment and going green. Don't get me wrong, I think this is great. But, at the same time, I'm also noticing something disturbing. For every step we take in the right direction towards self sustainability and the reconnection with our planet - we seem to take too many steps back. Right now, in our country, there is a perfect example of this...

- One Step Forward -
For years, there has been a proposal in the making to build a wind farm, Cape Wind, about 5 miles off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Recent happenings, such as the newly shown support from our government, have brought this project closer to a reality. I, personally, see many benefits in building a wind farm in MA. First, the obvious; clean energy produced in our own country which, in turn, brings about self sustainability. Secondly, taking on a job of that size will create numerous job opportunities. As we all know, that couldn't be better in our current state of economic floundering. Third, the farm will become a safe haven for ocean wildlife with the underwater portions of the wind turbine columns providing a base for reef growth. I don't know about you.. but, to me, that seems to be one huge step forward.

- One Step Back -
I'm sure you have seen the news about the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico just off the coast of Louisiana. (If not, you seriously need to get in touch with current events.) I read the article and could feel my blood starting to boil in my veins. Not only should this have NEVER happened, our government and our people should be much more involved in a solution. Let me put something out that I think needs to be said, but may be offensive to some... Why can we, the great people of the United States of America, raise MILLIONS OF DOLLARS (in a recession, mind you) to help the people of Haiti BUT when a disaster happens in our own country that will likely have irrevocable effects on our oceans and wildlife... those same Americans turn a deaf ear??? It seems we have the capabilty to love and care for other humans, but lack the capacity to show the same respect for our own environment. We, as a country, should be racing to get in line to find a solution to the problems within our own country FIRST; then help others. A BP (British Petroleum) oil rig has exploded and pumped thousands of gallons of oil into the Gulf. I haven't heard more than barely a peep from the people of our country... SERIOUSLY?! That is the first step back and, honestly, it makes me sick.

- Another Step Back -
During the small amount of care going into the BP oil rig disaster, a little blurb came out about our "administration's" intentions to further look into off shore drilling. The idea behind this being to allow Americans to free themselves from foreign oil dependency. Great, but that is not a solution. We'd still be drilling in the water... and the same problems that have arrised with this BP disaster are still going to be major problems no matter what water the oil is in. So, with that in mind, what was wrong with drilling in Alaska? At least if we brought it on land, those problems could be solved more quickly and more easily. Ultimately, I would love to see wind and solar farms in our country as our primary energy sources. However, I do know that taking a drastic leap like that is nearly impossible. But, I also know, we can't solve one oil problem by drilling another. And with that, we have our second step back.