Ethanol debuted on the fashion runway last year…as a pair of jeans. Yes, jeans. Fashion meets environment with these stylish jeans that are made from cotton grown with less pesticides and sold in recycled packaging. The jeans are branded “ethanol” to the hilt with the buttons sporting a “e,” and an ethanol patch on the back. But possibly the best feature is …
K-State Students Take Flex-Fuel Challenge
Manhattan, KS looked more like Manhattan, NY yesterday as cars were lined up to get E85 for just 85 cents a gallon and E10 for only a dollar, plus a free lunch at the Manhattan Farmers Cooperative Association. Hundreds of hot dogs and thousands of gallons of ethanol-blended fuel were given away to Kansas State college students at the “Wildcat …
Biden: Green Jobs Could Pay $50/Hour
Vice President Joe Biden might be known a bit for saying some crazy things, but his latest pronouncement… that some green jobs could pay as much as $50 an hour (see this CNN story)… is some good news to the ears of a nation that is trying to shake the unemployment blues while moving to a renewable energy economy. CBS …
Farm Foundation Hosts Bioeconomy Conference
As you might remember from our multiple posts back in October and December , Farm Foundation has been hosting a series of meetings that add some important talk about the issues surrounding biofuels (just search “Farm Foundation” on this Web site to get an idea of some of the discussion). At the end of this month, the organization will be …
Biofuels Focus at Commodity Conference
National commodity organizations representing growers of corn, soybeans, wheat and sorghum gathered together for the first time as one group last week in Grapevine, Texas at the annual Commodity Classic. Corn and soybean growers have been together as one for the past 14 years, wheat joined the group last year, and sorghum made four this year. Renewable fuels were a …
Scientists Question California Climate Plan
Over 100 of the nation’s top scientists are questioning the approach taken by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) which singles out biofuels for “indirect effects,” claiming that petroleum products result in lower carbon emissions. Scientists affiliated with research labs such as the National Academy of Sciences, UC-Berkeley, Sandia National Labs, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and MIT sent a letter …
Take the Flex-Fuel Challenge
Young people all over the country are encouraged to take the Flex-Fuel Challenge and help pave the way for our nation’s renewable energy future. The Renewable Fuels Association is kicking off the initiative today at Kansas State University and unveiling a new website, e85challenge.com to get college students engaged in the debate surrounding issues that impact their future: the economy, …
Bill Would Expand Use of Wood Waste for Ethanol
Legislation that would allow producers to make cellulosic ethanol out of waste wood from federal forest land was re-introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) are co-sponsoring the Renewable Biofuels Facilitation Act, legislation that would fix a provision in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that …
USDA Support for Renewable Energy
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be providing loan guarantees to help the ethanol industry, according to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. At last week’s USDA Outlook Conference, Vilsack said the USDA “has a responsibility for keeping an eye on that industry” to maintain an infrastructure to produce the next generation of biofuels. Vilsack also says USDA is working with …