The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest is giving some high school seniors a chance to earn some cash for college by showing their knowledge about biodiesel. The organization announced at the recent Education Minnesota Professional Conference in St. Paul, Minn. that high school seniors in the state could win scholarship money of $1,000 for first place and $500 for second in the American Lung Association’s 2014 Clean Air Choice Biodiesel Scholarship contest.

With the scholarships sponsored by the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, the 1,000-words-or-less essays need to help raise awareness of this important and emerging alternative fuel in Minnesota.

Vehicle exhaust is the single largest source of air pollution in Minnesota. One source of this pollution is diesel engines, which consume approximately 600 million gallons of fuel every year in Minnesota and can emit significantly more sooty particles than gasoline engines. To address this issue, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to require nearly all of the diesel fuel sold here to contain biodiesel, a cleaner-burning alternative fuel made and sold in close to home. Diesel fuel sold in Minnesota now contains a five percent blend of biodiesel, and this percentage is expected to grow to 10 percent in 2014. Using higher blends of biodiesel helps to clear the air and protect lung health, which is why the American Lung Association in Minnesota supports biodiesel as a Clean Air Choice®.

More information and the entry form is available here.