Biodiesel in
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Biodiesel in |
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Green
Diesel comes to Biodiesel has recently
seen another first in sustainable living – the first dedicated biodiesel
garage in the UK. When
Rudolf Diesel invented his revolutionary engine in 1892, it was designed to run
on vegetable oils – when he demonstrated his engine at the Exhibition Fair in
Paris in 1898 it was fuelled by peanut oil. The citizens of can now
run their diesel engines as Rudolf intended. Biodiesel,
made from vegetable oil, is a largely renewable fuel that produces up to 90%
less carbon dioxide than normal diesel – reducing the green house
gas emissions of your vehicle. To run a vehicle on biodiesel there is no need
for any conversion and you can use it without affecting your warranty. Green Gold Biodiesel,
which can be found on Fairfield Street beyond Piccadilly Station, is a social
enterprise working to help reduce our fossil fuel use and contribution to
climate change.
Quote 'Action for Sustainable Living' when you first fill up at the garage and you will get 2p/litre off your fuel OR £1 off membership [Photograph: Charlie Baker] Co-operative Green Gold customers are invited to become members of the Biodiesel Cooperative – membership is £10/year for individuals. The Cooperative says : "We
ask that our customers become members for two main reasons. Firstly by making
sure people are members before they use higher blends of biodiesel, we can make
sure that they are aware of the issues involved in doing so, and use it in the
best way. Sustainable
Fuel Green Gold always supply
biodiesel derived from renewable feedstocks, and wherever possible, used
cooking oil. With used cooking oil the reduction in
carbon dioxide emission is greater than for virgin oil. The British
Association for Biofuels and Oils estimates the volume of waste cooking oil at
100,000 tonnes a year. The
fuel is always sourced from non-GM vegetable oil rather than animal fats or
palm oil (although there may be traces of animal products in used
cooking oil). With increasing oil prices there is a growing market for
biodiesel, but fuel produced from virgin palm oil can be far from sustainable
due to deforestation for plantations and the carbon footprint of transporting
the oil. Green
Gold aims to support the local economy and minimise its own ecological
footprint as well as supporting a grassroots network of suppliers
and other enterprises also working with the highest environmental and ethical
standards Reduced Carbon Emissions For the average citizen of
the UK 19% of their carbon footprint comes from car use. A study conducted by
Hallam University showed CO2 savings in the
region of 70% compared to petroleum diesel. And these figures are
based on intensively farmed, inorganically fertilised virgin oil crops –
organically farmed crops and waste cooking oil would improve the figures even
further in biodiesel’s favour. The report also suggested a positive effect on the rural economy from
using crops for biodiesel production. Green Gold opening times: Monday-Friday 8.00am-6.00pm Saturday 1.00pm-5.00pm Contact: Green
Gold Biodiesel, c/o Biodiesel Cooperative,
Links: Green Gold Biodeisel Other biodiesel filling stations in the UK: http://www.biodieselfillingstations.co.uk/ Sheffield Hallam report on
the ecological and socio-economic benefits of biodiesel: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/acu/research/research.htm#energy George Monbiot on dangers
of non-sustainable biodiesel: http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/06/worse-than-fossil-fuel/ The
British Association for Biofuels and Oils: |
Action for Sustainable Living, St Wilfrid's Enterprise Centre, Royce Road, Hulme, , M15 5BJ.Email: [email protected] Tel: 0845 634 4510 Fax: 0870 167 4655. |
Several local
organisations including City Council, Emerge Recycling,
Community Transport, Ring and Ride and Van Hire use the fuel.