Sustainability issues have been front and center within the biodiesel industry for the past several years. The 2012 National Biodiesel Conference and Expo will feature the issue prominently during a full-day Sustainability Symposium on Wednesday, February 8.

"My last post centered around all of us as individuals; needing a car to bridge the long distances between home and school, work, the grocery store and so many other places that many of us just can’t get to without our trusty automobile. Another staple of my childhood, along with the great American family vacation, was all those early mornings and late afternoons on the big yellow playground...the school bus."

Although the biodiesel industry has experienced tremendous growth, raw material supplies have served as a natural brake and created a strain on margins for biodiesel producers. This summary highlights a limited number of near-term and longer-term opportunities to add to the U.S. supply of raw materials for biodiesel production.

The next generation of science thought leaders are gearing up to lead America’s energy efforts. And biodiesel, our nation’s only commercially available advanced biofuel, is front and center. Student scientists from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire to Oregon State University in Corvallis are leading the initiative. The group has formed to demonstrate and grow support for biodiesel among tomorrow’s scientific leaders.

Welcome to our new Biodiesel Sustainability Blog. You know what they say, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” What “stays the same” is that biodiesel consistently delivers environmental and economic benefits over fossil fuels. Biodiesel continues to improve in energy efficiency, greenhouse gas benefits, and energy and food security.