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ACTION ITEM
August 9, 2008 (Saturday)
NOVA Biodiesel and Dieselsprout.com have invited the CNN Biodiesel Road Trip crew to stop by DC and allow us to refuel their vehicle as they make their way from Los Angeles, California to Atlanta, Georgia. Stay tuned as we await their response, as well as that of area businesses and supporters whom we have invited to help out in case we do receive the visit.
Join the Arlington DieselSprout Initiative!
A hemispheric project encouraging the increased production of biodiesel and the usage of diesel passenger vehicles in the North American marketplace.
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NEW Soleum rebranding initiative! Imagine if the only obstacle to solving a full third of the greenhouse gas problem (and climate change) was a dirty word? Well, the new Soleum Rebranding Project is on the task! We are hoping to replace the word biodiesel with a new concept: certified sustainable renewable energy for passenger ground transportation that does not compete with food production, in a word, Soleum!
NEW Biodiesel coop in Winchester
New coop allows purchases of up to 20 gallons per week for a $500 donation
LOCAL Frybrid adventures blog
Daily updates to a conversion project
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What's in a name? dieselsprout: diesel fuel from renewable non-food vegetable oil sources, such as recycled restaurant oils and Jatropha Curcas feedstock.
Consider joining our Facebook group today.
[What is Facebook, you ask? The fastest growing social networking site, valued at over $15 billion and counting over 100 million members.]
GROUPON
Groupon is super popular these days. It's where a group of people buy a coupon and you get a great deal (sometimes). The funniest thing is that their competitors, LivingSocial Deals and others, have tried copying Groupon's distinctive, biting, whimsical writing style, and have fallen flat on their face!
The even funnier thing is that, even after searching on Google and on their FAQ, it is impossible to find information on how to change cities on Groupon. Say you're signed up to receive DC coupons, but then travel to New York for a few days. Well, how do you change that "setting" on Groupon?
The answer lies in an unexpected place -- a kitchen and bath remodeling blog run by a top Argentine remodeler.
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Weakening dollar pushes retail gasoline prices up
November 11, 2009
A recent article in the Christian Science Monitor regarding the connection between the weakening dollar and the slow upward movement in gasoline retail prices:
Just before the next major driving period – those Thanksgiving trips to see family and friends – the price of gasoline is climbing.
Behind the rise in gasoline costs – up by about 18 cents a gallon in the past month – is a resurgence in the price of crude. The price of oil climbed back toward its peak of more than $80 a barrel this morning before closing at near $79.
But the gyrations had little to do with fundamental supply and demand for petroleum, energy analysts say. Instead, they say, oil prices are moving in relation to the US dollar, which has been losing value all year. In this case, traders say, the weak dollar is boosting oil as a commodity that has some value.
“Look at the dollar, it’s lost 16 percent of its value since March. That’s the start of the rally in oil,” says Mike Fitzpatrick, director of research at MF Global, a commodities broker in New York.
Oil falls below $119
August 5, 2008
The AFP reports oil falling to below $119, following weeks of nonstop ascent in the price of this commodity. Many analysts who follow the energy market point to this being a mainly market driven phenomenon, as opposed to truly reflecting global demand pressures. Although the price of crude has been dropping for the past several days, there is still strong sentiment that the overall trend will result in prices well above those in the early part of 2007 and before, when they were in $70 territory, and necessitating a strong push towards such alternative fuels as Jatropha based biodiesel.
Oil near $150 a barrel
JULY 14, 2008
The BBC reports a new record of $147.27 on July 11th, after reports of Iranian missile tests. We are on our way to $150 barrel oil and beyond. This morning I had to return a rental car at Enterprise, and engaged the young man who was nice enough to drop me off at the metro -- "You know, you get a lot better gas mileage with a diesel ... " I told him. He was interested, so I told him that it was possible to extract usable biodiesel from used cooking oil. At this point, he told me that a relative uses fryers in their business (presumably an eating establishment of some kind). He promised to look up the biodiesel transesterification process on Youtube tonight after work. Creating enthusiasts one at a time.
Oil to surpass $140 per barrel
JUNE 2008
Agence France Press today ran an article detailing how Light Sweet Crude for delivery in 2016 was trading at $138.38. Although oil futures prices are the result of complex interactions on the world market, including the physical well-being of the refineries, political tensions between producing and consuming countries, and many other factors, -- long term trends all point to a new reality where biodiesel will become a very attractive alternative. The question we need to answer is: are we ready to begin the process of educating the American public about biodiesel sooner rather than later?
Environmentally friendly bathrooms
JUNE 2010
While browsing the web today, we came across an article about an enterprising company in Tysons Corner, Virginia, that offers customers the ability to redesign their bathroom online. In a similar fashion to how Toyota or Volkswagen have allowed their customers to design cars online (mostly pick the exterior paint and interior leather colors), MyEasyBath.com allows customers to choose from a variety of fixtures within a series of set redesign packages.
But the important thing is that they are offering an environmentally friendly bathroom option: Green Safari. They also highlight various ways in which one can design a bathroom to be more environmentally friendly than a standard house, on their blog.
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