Grassroots Biodiesel Conference

Three representatives from CU Biodiesel attended the 2 nd annual Grassroots Biodiesel Conference Jan 28 th - 29 th 2005, hosted by the Piedmont Biofuels Cooperative.    The 1st GBC was held in Claremont, California in January 2004 as a shadow conference to the annual National Biodiesel Board Conference. The National Biodiesel Board is the trade group for the commercial biodiesel industry in the United States. This year's gathering also served as a launch pad for grassroots biodiesel enthusiasts attending the NBB conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The 2005 GBC brought together a diverse group of people involved and interested in biodiesel with a multitude of backgrounds and a variety of reasons for attending.   There were attendees from all parts of North Carolina, Virginia, Atlanta, Buffalo, New Hampshire, California and elsewhere.   The conference kicked off on Friday evening with a welcome from Lyle Estill of Piedmont Biofuels, and an inspirational talk from Larry Shirley, from the NC State Energy Office.   The approximately 75 attendees then gathered in a circle in a large room and everyone had a chance to introduce themselves and explain why they were there and where they were coming from.   In a sense, this was the highlight of the conference, as it is often difficult to learn the backgrounds of everyone at a conference of this sort. The remainder of Friday night was spent at the Pittsboro General Store swapping biodiesel stories and getting to know everyone.

Saturday, the conference continued.   Workshop sessions included making biodiesel from alternative feedstock to quality testing to emissions analysis and starting a biodiesel cooperative.   Attendees discussed the need for a testing facility for testing biodiesel quality, a central agency dedicated to open sourcing tier one testing for small scale producers and a collaborative effort to construct a peer review journal/website for small scale producers.    The conference concluded with a tour of the facility that Piedmont Biofuels purchased to start a commercial production facility.   Their plans are impressive, a sustainable industrial

All in all, the grassroots biodiesel movement is alive, well and growing.   While no conclusion was made about next year's conference location, I'm sure it will happen.    If you want to get involved in small-scale production, education or stimulating the movement, this is a conference worth attending.