Welcome to The Biodiesel Club - About Us
In the News
1. Opening Access to Sustainable Biodiesel; Sierra Club Santa Luican:, Sept., 2013: http://santalucia.sierraclub.org/lucian/2013/09Sept.pdf
2. Got Oil? Solstice Green Directory, Nov 20, 2012: http://www.slosolstice.com/mixers-and-events/4407-got-oil-vegetable-oil-recycling-event
3. The Fuel of the Future, New Times, June 1, 2011: http://www.newtimesslo.com/strokes-and-plugs/6157/the-fuel-of-the-future/
4. Letter to the Editor, The Tribune, November 24, 2010: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/11/24/1382885_letters-to-the-editor-1125.html
5. Pain at the Pump? The Tribune,com, October 31, 2010: http://sloblogs.thetribunenews.com/shelikestowatch/2010/11/pain-at-the-pump/
6. New Club, KSBY, April 12, 2010: http://www.ksby.com/news/new-club-trying-to-bring-cheaper-biodiesel-to-central-coast/#_
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History
The mission of the The Biodiesel Club, and its local Chapters, is to educate people on the benefits of using sutainanable biodiesel to help lower people's exposure to the toxic chemicals in the fuel, fumes and exhaust of petro-diesel fuel.. The Biodiesel Club's formation was in response to multiple marketplace factors that have acted like a perfect storm to suppress biodiesel implementation in
In 2009, several liked minded people and formed an informal sustainable biodiesel think tank. The group spent the better part of 2009 researching on how to open a sustainable biodiesel distribution center. It was determined by the group that a retail refueling business model in which the retailer would have to build the dispensing infrastructure was not feasible. To do so would have required the company to charge the customer more money for the sustainable biodiesel than for virgin soy biodiesel, which is not considered sustainable biodiesel, not less, per the original mission. The storage site would have been very costly, with storage infrastructure costs and employee salaries driving the price of the fuel above $7.00 per gallon.
As a group we realized that this was a project that required outside support. We decided that if clean air advocates and those concerned with lowering green house gases wanted people to use the cleaner technology, they should put their money where their mouth was. In other words, if advocates want people to use sustainable biodiesel, they would have to invest in helping educate people on how to buy the product, how to use it, as well as build the storage and distribution infrastructure that most people would need in order to use the alternative fuel on a regular basis.
In response to this realization, an informal organization, the Central Coast Biodiesel Buyers Club, was formed in February, 2010. A non-profit formation committee was created to look for ways for the organization to reach the mission of educating people about the benefits of using the fuel and teaching people how to go about actually buying, storing and using the product. In addition, we wanted to educate the public about the difference between sustainable and non-sustainable biodiesel and the added benefits of using fuel created from recycling waste vegetable oil. The group agreed that the first grassroots action to achieving this goal was to hold a waste vegetable oil recycling event. This event would be used as a means to educate people about recycled wvo biodiesel, and why it is a preferred feedstock. To do so, the group held a local waste vegetable oil collection event where used household vegetable oil was collected and then picked up by a supplier who took it to a producer where the waste oil was recycled into sustainable biodiesel.
On February 20, 2010, the committee held an information seminar to present, "Biodiesel is For Everyone", a power point lecture that included a biodiesel basics lesson as well as a discussion of the group's ideas for the Club. This lecture was filmed and posted on the organization's website (http://www.ambioclub.org). After a positive reaction from attendees and other advocates of the committee's ideas, the group voted to take this vision farther and form the American Biodiesel Buyers Club as a nationally based non-profit organization. After speaking to potential buyers in the area, we found that because of a lack of good product use and storage information, potential large users were afraid to start buying and storing biodiesel. Based on this information, the group decided that an essential mission of the Biodiesel Club would be to provide well researched product use and storage information. This organization would also offer uneducated buyers (both individual and wholesale buyers) information about poor supplier practices including fraud, lack of consistent supply, old and bad product and overcharging.
At this meeting that it was also determined that the nationally based organization would grow by forming local Chapters. The Chapters would be responsible for opening a local office/education center, managing local donations and making staffing decisions (volunteer, stipend, paid positions, etc.) based on availably of local funds from donations and administrative funds raised through fundraising and other sources of income. The chapters would be required to maintain a representative body, establish an annual local wvo collection event, and open an education center or kiosk as a condition of formation.
The group received thier non-profit determination in December 2011. They have been planning more wvo collection events as well as educational programs for the general public. Board members are working to establish the first grant fund for the Universal Access Grant program. In addition, they are putting together educational materials for those interested in knowing more about biodiesel and how it reduces pollution and promotes homeland security.
Contact: TheBiodieselClub at gmail