Several more awards were presented on the last day of the National Biodiesel Conference this week in San Francisco.
As the Inspiration award winners, Bryan Peterson (right) and Pete Bethune shared their inspiring stories at the final general session. Fourteen years ago, Peterson made his way around the world in a small boat powered by biodiesel. He completed the 35,000 mile, two year trip in a boat called Sunrider. Peterson’s successful adventure generated some of the earliest news on biodiesel, and it paved the way for a world record last year. More recently, New Zealander Pete Bethune made headlines for breaking the world speed record for circumnavigating the globe in his Earthrace expedition in 60 days. Both men’s biodiesel message circumnavigated the globe with them.
Listen to an interview with Bryan and Pete here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-09-pete-bryan.mp3]
National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe (right) presented the Pioneer Award – a special honor to an individual or group who has served the industry – to Kenlon Johannes, the first Executive Director of the National SoyDiesel Development Board, which later would become the NBB.
Johannes, a soybean farmer when he represented the board, continues to promote biodiesel through the Kansas Soybean Commission.
Listen to an interview with Kenlon here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-09-kenlon.mp3]
Last but not least, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was presented with the NBB Inspiration award for his work in helping to make his city by the bay the largest known city in the world to use B20 fleet-wide. In 2006, Newsom issued an Executive Directive designed to increase the pace of municipal use of biodiesel. Today, virtually all of the City’s 1,500 diesel vehicles run on B20.