We just scored an interview for tomorrow with Dick Messer, the director of the Petersen Automotive Museum! X Prizers are leaving at 8:30 am from the museum — we’ll be up early to cover it. And look for a possible story on Hollywood Goes Green later in December…

–Refined gOil

While I was letting the turkey digest, I decided to visit the Petersen Automotive Museum on Wilshire and Fairfax, to get a jump on a possible story next week — the X Prize cars are supposedly celebrating by ceremoniously leaving the Petersen to travel to Anaheim for the EVS-23 convention. I had heard that the Petersen is also doing an alternative fuel vehicle exhibit right now, so I wanted to check that out, but I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of a car museum in general — I mean, a car is a car; it’s a utilitarian machine, and I don’t like the idea of glorifying it too much after all the trouble it’s caused. But I tell you, I was drawn in by the first cars in the lobby before I even bought my ticket, and became more fascinated as I went on from exhibit to exhibit. It’s obvious that the creators of the museum have a love for vehicles that encompasses history, hard work, innovation, ingenuity, along with an appreciation for changing body styles, colors, and horsepower. It took me a good long while to even get up to the alt. fuel exhibit — and when I did, it was awesome and thorough and let me in on a couple of alternative energy options I didn’t even know had been experimented with for automobile use (turbines, jet engines, rocket engines, steam!). And they actually have an EV1 on the premises, which I never thought I’d get to see, so that made my day. There’s also an entire section of the museum devoted to ‘Hollywood cars’ like Herbie the Love Bug, lots of models driven or donated by Steve McQueen (that guy loved his cars and motorcycles) and the Michael Keaton-era Batmobile. Oh yes, and how can I forget the little custom pink number from 2 Fast 2 Furious the movie? In the end, I felt myself pulled towards a beautiful old car, with contrasting deep navy-looking body and cream-colored chopped top. I looked at it for a few minutes, and then began to read the placard in front of the exhibit. It was the beautiful customized car Clark Gable had given to Carole Lombard shortly before her death — and I actually got choked up. What a softy!
–Refined gOil

The EnergyRush video “On the Road with Professor Andrew Frank” sort of tickled my imagination from the start, because of the involvement of younger people in Dr. Frank’s projects. While I’m grateful that anyone is conducting research and making advances in the sustainable energy/fuel fields, there is a serious lack of coverage of the under 40 set. I’m hoping that our upcoming stories on the Solar Decathlon and EVS-23 will reveal some fresh faces. The fact that Dr. Frank works out of UC Davis and not some sort of national conglomerate — and is still producing the most cutting-edge technology around — should be a big happy flag for all of us seeking out the presence of a younger crowd, and an indicator that the top players in the green fuel movement are a mixed bag. For a while, I had the feeling that people pushing for green (and enjoying some mainstream success) were mostly borderline yuppies of a certain age who were tapping back into their hippie roots while using the marketplace knowledge they gained during the freakfest we like to call “The Eighties.” Not so. Team Fate, the brainchild of Dr. Frank, made its entrance in 1971 at the University of Wisconsin, and then migrated with its papa to UC Davis in 1985. Young People have always served as the base of Dr. Frank’s vision (well, that’s my assumption, but knowing that Dr. Frank is a teacher, I don’t think it’s too inaccurate). Anyway, you can read about Team Fate’s history, check out their blog, learn about Challenge X, and read up on the UC Davis’ Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Center (under the direction of Dr. Frank) on the Team Fate page. Enjoy!

–Refined gOil

John describes the current environmental awareness climate as “the end of the beginning”. Alternative energy is on the tip of the tongue of many people who knew little or nothing about solar, biodiesel, methane or geothermal energy possibilities 10 years ago. Now that there’s a general awareness about options, John predicts a shift into a phase of action, a “biofuel adolescence.” He excitedly told me about attending Opportunity Green over the weekend, a ‘sustainable business conference’ at UCLA that sported the banner phrase “Being green and being profitable.” The conference boasted an impressive list of speakers, including Kevin Wall, founder of Live Earth, and Johnathan Greenblatt, co-founder of Ethos Water and Senior X-Prize Advisor.

“If we’re not getting the response we want from the marketplace, we can create our own solutions, and the market will respond”, said John. He asked me if I knew what the term “externality” meant. Having neglected to complete any sort of economics course ever in my life, I had to admit my ignorance. Externalities are issues (for our purposes, environmental ones) not taken into account in market planning. The goal for greenies now is to move external issues like sustainability to the forefront, so that businesses will include them in their plans on the ground floor. John cited Ethos water as an example of how sustainability and responsibility can be built into a business plan from the start — and the venture will see a truly successful outcome.

On the other hand, the icky sticky buzzword that John introduced me to is “greenwashing” — which is an unfortunate reality as we approach a paradigm shift in the way we use and view energy. It’s possible that opportunists may misuse ‘greening’ in any number of ways. The best way to prevent this is by getting the hard facts out there about options available to both individuals and businesses. Contractors and advisors are now specializing in “green” planning, which is still a dicey thing in itself — as I’ve blogged before, there is no rule book, no definitive guide. But luckily there are proven and budding experts in the field.

As we move into a new phase of green technologies, we’re already faced with issues of quality and supply. Anyone can make biodiesel. But will it be reliable, safe and sustainable? For John, Green Depot’s mission is to see those criteria met for any prospective energy source: “If it’s sustainable, we want to make it available.”

–Refined gOil

On Sunday, I met with John McPherson, the director of the LA chapter of Green Depot. Currently based in Santa Monica, the LA Green Depot shares some similar objectives with its San Francisco counterpart, which enjoyed success as the city transitioned to the use of B20 in the municipal fleets, and SF Petroleum was welcomed into the biodiesel community. The San Francisco Green Depot also champions the use of biodiesel as an “environmental justice solution” for residents of areas that are suffering from the effects of diesel pollution (an EnergyRush story on this is forthcoming).

LA’s Green Depot has lofty goals as well, but for John, everything needs to start with a community forum for education about sustainable, renewable fuels. And, as I’m learning most well-educated greenies do, he makes a big distinction between ‘sustainable’ and ‘renewable’ — and he pairs the words carefully. Just because an energy source can be replenished doesn’t mean we can go on using it forever. He cites the possibility of overseas production of vegetable oil intended for biodiesel manufacture in the US. Splitting up the equation like this could be a dangerous game, if the distant crops are not being produced in a manner that is truly sustainable — or if they’re being produced by a country that also utilizes unsustainable forestry methods, for example. As I learned from a blog response, just because the net emissions over the life of a tank’s worth of biodiesel are close to zero, it doesn’t mean that burning the fuel in my engine isn’t causing pollution. It’s important to look at the bigger picture.

John is looking to the City of Santa Monica to help provide a physical location to house the Green Depot: “a community center helps a city make a statement…it’s a civic endorsement.” Like me, John believes that the causes supported by a city council should reflect the desires and needs of the local population (duh). A city-provided space for the Green Depot would serve those needs, but also represent a (local) governmental “tacit endorsement” of greener principles. The city would gain visible credibility as a supporter of green energies, and the citizens get theirs too: access to in-depth knowledge about alternative energy options from the cream of the bio crop, like John. In fact, John was a teacher by trade for several years at my alma mater, Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences — also located in Santa Monica. During his time at “Xrds” (as most survivors affectionately abbreviate it) he banded together with a group of dedicated students, and approached the City Council to address the growing need for a community forum on sustainable, renewable energies. Now, years later, those kids are sophomores or juniors in college — but they still check back with John and with the City of Santa Monica, hoping that their hard work will see a positive outcome.

To be continued…

–Refined gOil

Looks like I might get the perfect opportunity to expand my knowledge about vehicular fuel/energy options…The EnergyRush team is going to try to make it to the EVS-23 , a hands-on event covering hybrid-electrics, fuel cells, battery possibilities, workshops, test-drives, and prestigious speakers and attendees in Anaheim, CA in the beginning of December. Excellent…
–Refined gOil

I know that I’ve focused a lot on biodisel in this blog — that’s probably because it’s my entry point into the world of renewables. Biodiesel is a relatively inexpensive way to start. I’d love to put my Oregon home on solar, but A) the house is a rental, so if I moved, the installation process would have to happen all over again with potential added cost in necessary changes. It would also require landlord approval, and while my landlord is a swell guy, it would be just another worry for him to take on. And B) who am I kidding, I most definitely can’t afford any of that yet anyway. So, while I know a little about solar, I have been encouraged to investigate the wondeful world of methane…it is a burgeoning renewable option, and I found this great page to explain the basics: The Anaerobic Digestion Community. They are UK based, but the site is comprehensive and clear enough for me to understand. The EnergyRush team is looking into more and more methane stories, and I’d like to get on the bandwagon and help provide new info here through links to good sites and stories…And hopefully I’ll get my hands in some cowpie eventually and tape a clip on how it’s done.
–Refined gOil

I just caught the end of a Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe entitled “Biodiesel Man”…it aired first in October 2005! I only saw the last ten minutes, but Mike helps make a test batch of biodiesel, then a full batch…a nice little source for EnergyRush patrons interested in biodiesel. For re-airings, check the link above.
–Refined gOil

I just got a great response from Susan Petty (see the last blog entitled “Latter Day”, with Susan’s comment at the bottom) in which she made me aware of the fact that biodiesel totally does contribute to smog. Here’s an exerpt about B20 from the EPA’s 2002 report entitled “A Comprehensive Analysis of Biodiesel Impacts on Exhaust Emissions”:

“One of the most common blends of biodiesel contains 20 volume percent biodiesel and
80 volume percent conventional diesel. For soybean-based biodiesel at this concentration, the
estimated emission impacts for the current fleet are shown in Table ES-A.

Table ES-A
Emission impacts of 20 vol% biodiesel for soybean-based
biodiesel added to an average base fuel

Percent change in emissions
NOx +2.0%
PM -10.1%
HC -21.1%
CO -11.0%

Biodiesel is also predicted to reduce fuel economy by 1-2 percent for a 20 volume percent
biodiesel blend. Aggregate toxics are predicted to be reduced, but the impacts differ from one toxic compound to another. We were not able to identify an unambiguous difference in exhaust CO2 emissions between biodiesel and conventional diesel. However, it should be noted that the CO2 benefits commonly attributed to biodiesel are the result of the renewability of the biodiesel itself, not the comparative exhaust CO2 emissions. An investigation into the renewability of biodiesel was beyond the scope of this report.”

For a complete copy of the report, and other studies, please see EPA’s Biodiesel Emissions Analysis Program. And check out the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Clean Vehicles page for a comprehensive discussion of Biodiesel and even greener fuel/energy solutions.

And Susan, in answer to your question: because I was uninformed and sloppy! Thank you for keeping it honest.

–Refined gOil

I know that it’s completely self-involved, but I get such great pleasure from driving around this city with my biodiesel bumper stickers, knowing that I’m not contributing to that smog monster. Today I had to get to a meeting in Sherman Oaks, and as usual, the freeways were jammed. I called my roommate (who lived in LA for 30 years before moving up to Oregon) when I was passing the big Church of Latter Day Saints on Westwood and Santa Monica (the one with the golden trumpeter atop the tall spire) to moan about the traffic, and he reminded me of the mass transportation that exists in Los Angeles — people do take the bus and subway to work here, and city officials are doing their best to encourage more people to utilize these. Of course, I then started imagining monorails and sky-trams, — like the old ones that used to go through the Matterhorn at Disneyland — solar-powered hovercrafts conducted by magnetically suspended traffic lights 40 feet up in the air (okay, maybe the magnet traffic light idea isn’t so well-thought-out). Which made the drive go a lot faster. In a couple of EnergyRush interviews I’ve conducted, I asked the subject: “What do you see in the Best Possible Future?” most of the answers involved mass-transit systems or simply living close enough to work that you can walk. Okay, I’ll just throw the glove down: I will personally give $100 to the first person who invents a no-emissions teleportation machine with a 500-mile range. Please note that that offer is exactly 1,000 times the dime-prize we got as kids for being the first person to spot the Matterhorn and its sky-trams from the Freeway.
–Refined gOil