This coming Friday, Dec. 11 is the deadline for Iowa schools to get in their application for two, $2,500 grants from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association’s (IRFA) Biodiesel Backer Award Program.

This IRFA press release says schools eligible for the grants must educate their communities about biodiesel, incorporate biodiesel and renewable fuels into their school programming, as well as getting the application in on time:

IRFA has created the Biodiesel Backer Toolkit to help schools in this endeavor. The toolkit includes a variety of informational materials as well as communication tools that will assist schools in teaching their communities about biodiesel. These resources include fact sheets, brochures, curriculum, PowerPoint presentations, and a public service announcement. The Biodiesel Backer Award Application is also located in the Biodiesel Backer Toolkit, which can be found online at www.iowarfa.org/educators.php.

The IRFA also points out that school buses have been found to be the safest way for kids to get to school. The group wants to encourage districts to switch to the cleaner-burning biodiesel in those buses so those same kids will also be able to breathe easier, since a 20 percent biodiesel blend reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 20 percent, carbon monoxide emissions by 11 percent and smog by up to 10 percent.

The Hawkeye State is the biggest biodiesel producer, having 15 plants able to produce 325 million gallons a year.