Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 18:54:16 -0700
Reply-To: Anthony Egeln <regnsuzanne@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Anthony Egeln <regnsuzanne@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Friday - Ethanol Production Costs - biodiesel and WVO
In-Reply-To: <444954C4.3060403@verizon.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
I did not use the term "hobbyist" in a derisive or dismissive manner. I simply used it as a term to differentiate those of us (yes, including me) that may care enough about these issues to go around and collect veggie oil from restaurants, versus the average citizen who just wants to get his tank filled. I suppose I could have used the term "biodiesel advocate" or "alternative fuel proponent", but hobbyist seemed appropriate to a list where we all all drive ancient yet wonderful vans. If I'm called a vanagon hobbyist, I smile, I don't put up my dukes.
As to being dismissive of new ideas, I thought I made it very clear that I was very interested in new sources of energy. I concede the point about the production of the veggie oil already being costed...that is similar to my earlier note about using agricultural waste to produce ethanol vice expensive corn. Hence my interest in the efficiencies of biodiesel produced from raw oil crops instead of WVO. I'm not knocking anyone, I'm trying to have a critical discussion of national scale alternatives to a petroleum based economy.
I guess my point is that we are on the same side, but we all still may arrive at different conclusions based on our experiences and knowledge.
Cheers, Anthony
'89 Syncro GL (Hidalgo)
Sam Walters <sam.cooks@VERIZON.NET> wrote: Anthony,
You wrote:
Biodiesel made from used vegetable oil is hardly a route to energy independence except for hobbyists. How much used veggie oil is out there anyway, and veggie oil costs money to produce as well.
But the money that it costs to produce the vegetable oil that is used in
cooking has been spent to produce it for that purpose. You can't add
that in again and calculate the cost to "produce" the fuel.
You don't have to make biodiesel from WVO to be able to run it in a
car. Biodiesel and WVO are two very different things.
I don't remember the numbers, but the amount of cooking oil that isn't
recycled after it used for cooking still greatly outstrips what is used
for WVO. There will be a significant number of "hobbyists" before all
the cooking oil is used up.
And I don't understand why you chose to use a derisive or dismissive
term like "hobbyists" for people whose vehicles are sure operating in a
more environmentally useful way than yours or mine. If biodiesel and/or
WVO reduced pollution and use of non renewable resources by 10%, that
would be 10% we didn't have to worry about and only 90% left to figure
out.
Most important, you are painting yourself and all of us into a bad
corner if you think the whole solution doesn't have to come from one new
energy source.
The people who sit around and knock or dismiss every attempt at solving
the problems certainly aren't very useful.
Sam
--
Sam Walters
Baltimore, MD
89 Syncro GL, Zetec Inside
85 Westy Weekender
85 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbodiesel - to become veggie oil powered
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