Biodiesel conference in Colorado to focus on running a local co-op
One of the godparents of the homemade biodiesel movement in the United States, Girl Mark, is helping to organize a conference on effectively building and running a pure biodiesel (B100) co-op. Biodiesel co-ops, which I briefly mentioned yesterday, are a great way to produce biodiesel locally, but take a lot of work. The "Local Biodiesel" conference promises to get into the nuts and bolts of making a local biodiesel co-op effective. As Girl Mark wrote in a message posted to a yahoo group, "We are trying to present presentations based on actual experiences, rather than theory about how groups should be run."
The conference costs $60 and runs the weekend of July 14-16 at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Co near Denver. Registration deadline is July 7 (earlier if you need a dorm room).
[Source: b100]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 8:20PM (5/13/2006)
All entertaining and interesting - but for many, simply unusable.
I've got three kids in car seats. How about a diesel minivan?
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bhtooefr 9:49PM (5/14/2006)
A few ways to do this.
Volkswagen made a diesel Vanagon. You'll want to change the engine for something more powerful like a TDI, but it'll work.
It's also possible to put a TDI in a Eurovan. Diesel Eurovans in the US and Canada are rare-ish, but it's doable.
It appears to be possible to stick a TDI in the nose of an early Chrysler minivan.
That's what I can suggest for now...
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Phil L. 9:44AM (5/16/2006)
Personally, I like interesting projects. But my wife would be driving the minivan.
With 3 kids in the back, she'd need reasonable access to service and maintenance on the road. So DIY engine swaps are a no-go. As are platforms without airbags, ABS and a decent crash rating.
The Vanagon and Eurovan designs don't make much sense for US roads (and Eurovans are outrageously priced for what you get; diesel mileage savings won't make up the difference). Again, an interesting project - but not reasonable for day-in, day-out family transportation.
Why can't DC create a FWD derivative of the Mercedes E-class diesel and put it in the Chrysler minivan family? IIRC, the Benz diesel is good for a European highway rating of about 44mpg. Surely it could make it into the 30s for a US highway rating, even with the extra weight and air resistance of a minivan. As an added bonus, the resulting platform would make a decent tow vehicle (I'm taking the kids on camping trips with a popup camper behind my minivan).
If diesel is the future, there need to be options out there that don't involve carrying a toolbox everywhere you go...
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