Matriculating This Fall at a Campus Near You

Mark Roberts, CEO of Springboard Biodiesel

I have recently been talking to a lot of college, university and even high school administrators, and I am optimistic the upcoming school year will see a surge in small-scale biodiesel production at the campus level. There are plenty of good reasons for this increased focus on biodiesel. Allow me to enumerate just a few of these, after which I am happy to share with you – in a one-on-one (or communal) head thumping Eureka moment – the logic, the elegance and the timeliness of Campus Biodiesel and how these factors combine in a veritable fire of logical potentiality. (No stranger to the ivory tower experience, I have taken the liberty of utilizing an oft relied upon study aid: Cliff Note: It really does make so much sense).

1. Over 700 colleges and universities have signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. This is an impressive initiative which is helping to accelerate progress towards climate neutrality and sustainability. The signatories of this document have committed to actively work towards achieving a carbon neutral footprint as soon as possible. Importantly, using biodiesel is a huge accelerator for these colleges and universities, as every gallon of biodiesel used in place of diesel reduces your CO2 emission by up to 90% (California Air Resource Board – GREET Pathway for used cooking oil as feedstock for biodiesel production) and reduces particulate matter emissions – the stuff that is considered highly carcinogenic (source: Diesel Exhaust and Cancer Risk, American Cancer Society) by almost 50% (EPA). [Cliff Note # 1 = “Biodiesel is good and heathy.”]
2. In an era of slashed budgets and high energy prices, small-scale biodiesel represents a funding source for schools. They are able to turn their used cooking oil – which they often pay to have removed from campus – into ASTM-grade biodiesel for less than $1.00/gallon (assuming you operate one of Springboard Biodiesel’s BioPro™ biodiesel processors). In California, as of June 30th, that means they save over $3.00 per gallon of biodiesel produced. The more you make; the more you save; the faster the payback on the machine. [Cliff Note #2 = “Biodiesel saves you money.”]
3. Many academic institutions are implementing Sustainability Curriculums, and their small-scale biodiesel processor can be incorporated into any class on biofuels. [Cliff Note #3 = “What a great teaching tool!”]
4. Most school campuses employ diesel powered vehicles and/or equipment that can run on biodiesel (see #2 above). [Cliff Note #4 = “Saves Money, again.”]
5. College students are increasingly active in asking their organizations to take concrete steps to address the climate change issue, and biodiesel is a viable and valuable first step. [Cliff Note #5 = “Our customers demand it.”]

Institutions of higher learning are built to innovate. On the environmental front, colleges, universities and K-12 institutions are actively working to make a difference, and as a result biodiesel is becoming mainstream. Give us a call and let’s talk about how you can join over 100 of your colleagues in the growing movement to benefit from small-scale biodiesel production.

Cliff note summary: call Springboard Biodiesel to learn how to become a campus hero.