Conferences

the big conference in biodieseltown

By Frankie Abralind

More in the Spring 2009 issue

The 2009 National Biodiesel Conference was an inspirational, confidence- building experience.
Though attendance was down significantly, energy ran high. Massive video screens flanked the main stage, blasting the audience with frenetic, guitar-infused highlights from the year in biodiesel.

Heroes like biodiesel pioneer Dr. Randall Von Wedel and Mike Ferry, the San Francisco firefighter who got the fire department using B20 in its vehicles, earned prestigious awards from the NBB.

Earthrace captain Pete Bethune spoke about his recent record-breaking trip around the world on B100.

Musician Melissa Etheridge earned hundreds of newly- diehard fans as she came on stage to sing her love for biodiesel and tell how Willie Nelson got all her tour buses turned on to it.
Actress Darryl Hannah gave her annual address/ sustainability smackdown, criticizing the industry for betraying the spirit of biodiesel by shipping the bulk of the "domestic" fuel offshore in 2008.

Joe Jobe, CEO of the NBB, made the point that both Hannah and Etheridge were participating out of personal passion for biodiesel, not for honoraria as sometimes happens with industry appearances by celebrities.

Sustainability was the topic for one entire morning. Widespread criticism of "indirect land use" impacts came under scrutiny. Industry analyst Don O'Connor advised seriously improving agricultural efficiency for existing oil crop lands: bringing all ag producers up to the efficiency of the top four could produce billions more gallons of oil from the same acreage.

The issue of evaluating petroleum with the same "indirect land use" lens came up as well. "What are the greenhouse gas emissions from petroleum-related peace and security efforts?" asked O'Connor. "From maintaining safety corridors for petroleum shipping?"

The conference itself served as a metaphor for the NBB's commitment. In a convention center with rooftop solar panels, The Spitfire Agency again greened the event with features like reusable cutlery and mugs, compostable bioplastic knives and forks and compost and recycling bins throughout.

Additionally, some conference presenters were on stage by means of a teleconferencing technology called "Lifesize" that obviated the need for polluting air travel.

Sustainability Task Force Chair Emily Bockian Landsburg reported on her group's work as well. "One of biodiesel's greatest virtues is that we're constantly improving," she said.
As usual, the most exciting action was on the floor of the Expo hall. If you've ever considered attending the conference (next year it's in Grapevine, TX), this room full of vendors, demonstrations and advocates is attraction enough.

A corner of the room was dedicated to biodiesel vehicles. Two Hayes diesel-powered racing motorcycles stood on kickstands, heralding some "coming-soon" production models. A shiny red Audi station wagon sat nearby, as well as Daryl Hannah's vintage matte-black diesel El Camino.

Algae remained the obnoxious "next generation" feedstock it may always be.
Many algae farming concepts made the rounds. One appeared as a highly pixilated computer rendering on at least two different handouts.

The algae B100 (A100?) powered diesel Jeep Liberty sat on the showroom floor. It promotes the fuel of Solazyme, a company that produces oil from non-photosynthetic algae grown in large tanks filled with sugar water. Far from a cheap and plentiful thousands-of-gallons-per-acre-of-salty-desert solution, it nonetheless was the only algae biodiesel available for display.

The schedule of presentations was also full of experts. Sessions on the newest, hottest technologies were held next door to panels of policy experts and San Francisco B100 veterans.

The Ecology Center's Dave Williamson, for example, told of overseeing more than 3,000 truck days on pure biodiesel, losing only six days to complications. He emphasized the need for a dedicated project manager for B100 fleet implementation.

The National Biodiesel Conference is a gigantic learning experience. If you make, use or distribute biodiesel, I hope you'll be there to soak it up next year.