Sustaining Environmental Stewardship with Biodiesel

Sustainability is a hot-button topic and buzzword across industries today. We as a society are becoming more environmentally conscious. With continued and increased consumer interest in sustainable products, the National Biodiesel Board is taking the opportunity to spotlight biodiesel and its many ecofriendly benefits. 

To showcase biodiesel’s role in environmental stewardship, the NBB team has taken the sustainable message to the masses. “The National Biodiesel Board is actively working to tell the biodiesel story in multiple ways to multiple stakeholders,” said Don Scott, NBB sustainability director.

In March, NBB attended the Climate Leadership Conference in Baltimore. Leading environmental groups such as the World Wildlife Fund, Rocky Mountain Institute and Environmental Defense Fund, as well as governmental agencies and large corporate partners, gather at this conference to discuss best environmental practices. During the event, NBB helped educate and remind advocates and policymakers of the benefits and opportunities with biodiesel. While popular solutions like electrification can often dominate the conversation, NBB staff was able to remind attendees of biodiesel’s many science-based advantages.

In addition, Scott recently promoted biodiesel at a handful of media events in conjunction with Cummins and its new retrofit engine program. Scott has been working with NBB’s technical team to shore up Cummins’ support for biodiesel blends by helping the engine maker understand the benefits of domestic, low-carbon biodiesel.

Cummins responded by donating one of its new retrofit engines to the National Biodiesel Foundation and inviting NBB to join Cummins in promoting biodiesel as Cummins promotes the benefits of its new retrofit engines. Cummins has shown its appreciation for NBB’s enthusiastic participation in these events and is expected to join NBB at other expos in the future.

“Consumers and fleets are looking for cleaner fuel options,” Scott explained. “Biodiesel has both environmental and economic advantages, and engine manufacturers like Cummins are eagerly implementing it into their vehicles.”

To continue the educational outreach and share the many benefits, NBB also celebrated Earth Day April 22. In honor of this national holiday, NBB hosted a webinar for biodiesel supporters that took an in-depth look into biodiesel’s sustainability benefits. Webinar attendees received materials in order to share biodiesel’s benefits on Earth Day. NBB shared these sustainable advantages across social media on the national holiday and throughout the week, celebrating biodiesel’s impact around the country. These messages gained more than 4,000 impressions, amplifying NBB’s voice coast to coast. 

It is important to share that biodiesel continues to do its part to protect the earth. In fact, biodiesel reduces carbon emissions in America by 25 million metric tons annually, the equivalent of preserving 29 million acres of mature forests. That is nearly 80 percent fewer life cycle greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum diesel.

In addition to reducing emissions, biodiesel also helps the nation’s food supply. One gallon of biodiesel cannot be produced without coproducing 30 pounds of protein and 22 pounds of carbohydrates and dietary fiber to help sustain healthy populations. More biodiesel simply means more food for American consumers. The earth must be preserved for future generations, and biodiesel is doing its part to help.

These promising numbers are just another reason to share biodiesel’s story. “The biodiesel industry won’t continue to grow if consumers and policymakers don’t know and understand the many benefits,” Scott said. “If we reach different audiences, we can continue our sustainable approach and expand the use of biodiesel nationwide.”

It is clear these events and initiatives were excellent opportunities to spread awareness about the reliability and advantages of biodiesel to stakeholders and thought leaders.

For more information about biodiesel’s sustainability, visit biodiesel.org and check out our new brochure, “Biodiesel: Fueling Sustainability.”