Vancouver Island is knows for its beer micro-breweries, with 17 places cooking up liquid gold. But a new kind of micro-brew is gaining popularity there: biodiesel. This story from Beacon News says a biodiesel cooperative at a farmer’s market is selling about 40,000-50,000 gallons of the green fuel each year.
As you walk into the Cowichan Biodiesel Cooperative’s processing facility in Duncan B.C., it really does look like a microbrewery. Tanks, pumps, hoses and other assorted machinery are all reminiscent of the brew master’s trade. But unlike the yeasty, worty smell that you get at a brewery the biodiesel processing facility has the faint hint of French fries.
And when you ask a long-time customer about why they spend the extra-money for their home-made diesel she’s got a quick answer.
“I got involved because I wanted to get off fossil fuels,” says Lynn Wytenbroek, a founding member.
The cooperative credits dedicated customers and a source of used vegetable oil from cruise ships and restaurants for a lot of its success. Plus, you gotta love the coop’s URL: www.smellbetter.org.