The National Biodiesel Board applauds biodiesel ambassador Chris Case for his lifetime commitment to environmental stewardship, which has earned him a place in the Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame. The Muskegon Environmental Research & Education Society hosted an induction ceremony May 15 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Chris Case is an environmental pioneer whose life’s work has forged a model for sustainable practices like biodiesel use,” said NBB CEO Donnell Rehagen. “During his tenure as facilities manager at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising, Michigan, Case led early adoption of this cleaner burning fuel in the 1990s. As a volunteer biodiesel ambassador, Chris has generously shared the real-world environmental and performance benefits of biodiesel with parks, schools and fleets across the nation.”

Case’s leadership helped the park reduce its environmental footprint, protect natural resources for generations to come, and improve worker health and safety. The Lakeshore’s Environmental Leadership program, which included the use of biodiesel as well as soy-biobased lubricants and other products, earned the 2005 Department of the Interior’s Environmental Achievement Award. 

Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as recycled cooking oil, soybean oil and animal fats, biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification. It is the nation’s first domestically produced, commercially available advanced biofuel. NBB is the U.S. trade association representing the entire biodiesel value chain, including producers, feedstock suppliers, and fuel distributors, as well as the U.S. renewable diesel industry.

Biodiesel ambassadors are volunteers who support biodiesel, and use their biodiesel expertise to raise the level of understanding in their communities and nationally. NBB oversees the program with support from the United Soybean Board.

The Michigan Environmental Hall of Fame began in 2010 when the Muskegon Environmental Research & Education Society wanted to celebrate the efforts of environmentalists across the state. For more information visit http://www.muskegonlakenaturepreserve.org/hall-of-fame/.