The second annual Virgin Festival sponsored by Virgin Mobile will try to be as environmentally conscious as possible during the two-day concert, August 4-5th at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland.
Organizers of the event featuring bands such as The Police, Smashing Pumpkins, and Amy Winehouse are encouraging festival attendees to “green it like they mean it.” This press release details some of the plans, including, of course, biodiesel and solar power:
— Clean energy: Where possible, clean energy such as biodiesel and solar power is being used. All on-site power, generators and light towers will run on B99 biodiesel [B99 is 99% biodiesel, 1% diesel; the 1% diesel eliminates a tax on the fuel].
— Green power for plug-ins: Recharging stations for mobile phones and other devices will be powered by biodiesel energy.
The festival will also be featuring earth-friendly food packaging and recycling. Attendees will be able to purchase “carbon credits” to offset any unavoidable use of carbon-based fuels.
A report from Global Industry Analysts, Inc. says rising crude oil prices, and much of the world’s desire to find alternatives to fossil-based fuels, will push world biodiesel sales to 4.7 billion gallons a year by 2010.
Tomorrow morning, Wednesday, July 18th between 8 and noon, Kum & Go gas stations in 17 locations in Iowa will hold “Biodiesel Appreciation Day”… offering B2 biodiesel for 10 cents a gallon off the regular price.
“While ethanol makes a lot of headlines, especially here in Iowa, biodiesel has become the sleeping giant of biofuels,” said Jessica Zopf, environmental health coordinator for the American Lung Association of Iowa. “Iowa produces 225 million gallons of cleaner-burning biodiesel a year, which can significantly reduce harmful tailpipe emissions when used in higher concentrations. Buying a two percent blend biodiesel may be a small step, but it is a vital beginning on a path toward cleaner air, greener fuels and less dependence on petroleum.”
Where Sweden is the leader in the Ethanol movement in Europe, Minnesota is clearly designated as the leader in the United States with over 300 stations strong and growing, totalling roughly one third of Sweden’s entire nationwide coverage. In Sweden, there are almost 900 E-85 filling stations covering the entire country according to the Swedish Ethanol Development Foundation. In Minnesota, this works out to about one E-85 pump per every 17,000 persons in Minnesota that has a population at just over 5 million people. In Sweden, there is roughly one E-85 pump per every 10,000 persons with their total country’s population totalling around 9 million people.
The report attributes the sector’s boom to a range of global concerns – climate change, increasing energy demand and energy security foremost among them.
The National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville has teamed up with Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., the Georgia-based electrical, engineering, and automation giant, to speed up the development of alternative fuel technology. 
“When it comes to renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, it’s one thing for the government to give incentives to produce the fuel, but it’s another thing altogether to make sure the public knows what the fuel is, what it’s made from, and that it works in their car,” said Senator Klobuchar. “That’s why I support these crucial education programs.” 
Senator Crapo said, “In the face of rising gasoline prices and increasing calls for energy independence, people are looking for alternatives to conventional petroleum. The value of the Biodiesel Education Grant Program is that it helps people understand–from seed to gas tank–the benefits of biodiesel, including production practices, standards and fuel quality, and basic economics, so that they can make educated decisions about their fuel purchases.” 
“Biodiesel is in position to make a significant contribution to our nation’s energy security, but education remains one of our last great hurdles,” said Joe Jobe, NBB CEO. “While we’ve made substantial progress, we have much more work to do before biodiesel becomes a household word. We commend Senators Klobuchar and Crapo for recognizing the significance of this in ensuring a versatile, domestically supplied energy market.”
The Food Protein Research & Development Center at Texas A&M University is offering its 4th Practical Short Course on Biodiesel and Industrial Applications of Vegetable Oils, August 19-22, 2007.
Train personnel in :
Marketing and sales manager Jana Rieker with Successful Farming magazine presented the results of the survey at the recent Fuel Ethanol Workshop.