The Colorado ski resorts of Aspen and Vail are known for their great snow and trendy ways, and biodiesel producers are hoping they’ll continue a green trend one of then has been practicing… using biodiesel.
Aspen has been using biodiesel in its snowcats for a while, and the web site The Vail Trail is asking if its resorts, which are already using wind energy credits to offset electricity use, will do the same:
“You’d love to see them do it,” said Matt Scherr of the Eagle Valley Alliance for Sustainability.
“They’ve already shown they’re spending money to do the right thing,” he said.
In 2006, 250 million gallons of biodiesel were sold in the United States, the National Biodiesel Board estimates, and the use of the fuel is nothing new to mountain towns.
Aspen Skiing Company’s four mountains have been using a kind of biodiesel, B20, in its snowcats for at least five years, said Jeff Hanle, spokesman for Aspen Skiing Company.
“We’re concerned about the future of the industry and the future of the planet,” Hanle said.
Unlike Vail Resorts’ last leader, Adam Aron, who was “just a business man,” Vail Resorts is making good decisions for the environment under Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz, Scherr said.
“I like the way they’re going now,” Scherr said. “They’re doing a lot more than they did before.”
Vail Resorts could use biodiesel, but it would have to be good for business, he said.
“They have the opportunity to be community leaders and pay that price for the community,” he said.
If Val gets on board with biodiesel, it would have to be voluntary. There are no limits on emissions of ski area vehicles in the White River National Forest.
Consumers have the chance to fuel up on E85 for $1.85. The ZX snack shop in Kirkwood, Missouri is hosting a grand opening for its first E85 fuel pump. The celebration will begin Thursday, at 8:30 a.m. and will continue until 4:00 p.m at 10921 Manchester Rd.
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The president of the American Council on Renewable Energy believes the recent growth in renewable energy markets is just the beginning of sustained growth that will increase the renewable energy business by 10 times.
“The growth of renewable energy means jobs and economic growth in every Congressional district,” said Mr. Eckhart November 8 at the Cleantech Investing on the Pacific Northwest conference hosted by the Stoel Rives law firm and Nth Power venture capital firm. “And members of Congress are beginning to see it. The major job creators in Germany in the past three years have been the wind and solar industries. We can have those jobs, too.”
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The 39.5-kilowatt wind turbine will generate enough energy to run the building, plus 20 additional kilowatts per month that could be sold back, said Pete Sand, co-chairman of the Sustainable Campus Committee that distributes green fee money.
The rising cost of soybean byproducts forced North Prairie Productions to temporarily suspend construction on its biodiesel plant in Evansville, President Mike Robinson said.
“We always knew there’d be times when markets are good and markets are bad,” he said. “You’re most vulnerable as a company when you start, and you don’t want to start when times are bad. We just wanted make sure that we are secure when we enter the market.”
Tyson and Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Syntroleum have formed a company called Dynamic Fuels that will make jet fuel out of animal fat.
