Crystal’s Adventures

Today I took the free Sunday tour of the Piedmont Biofuels Co-op, a really great place! Part of it is Piedmont Biofuels Industrial, where they are building a huge factory that will eventually produce biodiesel on a larger scale. The other part of the Co-op is the Piedmont Biofuels Research Center, where sustainable agriculturists, environmental scientists and other really, really smart people are constantly researching new ways to free us from our ’slavery’ to the man. The Research part of the Co-op is what I toured today - all demonstration projects for educational and experimental purposes.

Not only does the Co-op make their own EPA-certified B100 biodiesel, they have five pump stations in the Triangle area where people can pump natural fuel right into their diesel cars. The best part of all is that anyone who wants to make biofuel themselves can learn how and use their equipment. They also do alternative house construction (strawbale and adobe structures), active and passive solar energy, wetland preservation, goat raising, and much, much more, all right there at the farm! Their vermiculture setup uses glycerin byproducts of the fuel-making process to feed worms who then poop out very rich fertilizer for growing more canola plants to make more biofuel!

I’m really impressed and learned a ton today. I can’t wait for my next car to be a diesel. However, a thorough search of Consumer Reports did not yield any recommended diesel car models. I’ll have to keep looking. If any of you know of a good one, let me know! Meanwhile, I plan to go back and be a volunteer in their vegetable garden. I love their motto: “Piedmont Biofuels Cooperative - No War Required!”

If this biodiesel thing catches on, which I think it will, I wonder if Bush & Co. will try to outlaw it or at least make it difficult for people to bypass the need to buy his evil gasoline. His motto is probably “Throwing More Fuel on the Fire of Fear, One ‘Terrorist’ At A Time”

I’m so glad that there are people out there actively working to find better ways to live. In October, they have a 5-day intensive course to teach people exactly how to make biodiesel. I’m really interested in this. Seems like it would be the perfect birthday gift for me. (hint, hint)

Find out more about the Piedmont Biofuels Cooperative by watching the awesome short video at the bottom of this page.