Monday, January 14, 2008

It's all Lyle's fault...

How did this all get started? How did an IP lawyer and a corporate pilot decide to get involved in the strange and wonderful world of biofuels?

It all started with a book...

About 5 months ago I was wandering through my local public library near my home in Phoenix, when I came across a brightly colored yellow and green book while browsing the shelves. I had purchased a 3/4 ton diesel truck the previous November with the intention of doing a lot of road trips and camping during the 2007 mountain bike race season. It had been in the back of my mind to investigate running biodiesel in the truck, since a riding buddy had been using it in his truck.

So, browsing casually, I saw this bright yellow cover and pulled the book from the shelf, checked it out and took it home. As I read I found myself captivated by the story and the personalities. There was a feeling of getting a sneak-peak into a phenomena ready to burst into public notice, of something incredibly important and immensely fun.

The book, Biodiesel Power: The Passion, the People, and the Politics of the Next Renewable Fuel by Lyle Estill is a wonderful introduction to the world of biodiesel, and provided the motivation to search the Internet for a more hands-on experience. One of the personalities featured prominently in the book is Maria 'Mark' Alovert (girl Mark). Her website Local B100 includes a link to her how-to book Homebrew Biodiesel Guide.

The Local B100 website includes a rationale for locally produced biofuels, which is the basis of many of our ideas of what we would like to see happen in Phoenix.

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