By LLOYD GARVER has written for many television shows, ranging from “Sesame Street” to “Family Ties” to “Home Improvement” to “Frasier.” He has also read many books, some of them in hardcover. He writes online for “The Huffington Post,” and
SANTA MON ICA IS OFTEN AT TH E forefront of environmental progress. It’s been almost three years since the city switched 80 of its heavy-duty vehicles and equipment to biodiesel fuel. At the time, we learned the fuel was made from renewable vegetable oils and recycled cooking grease. Those excited about the bio-switch pointed out that traditionally, many of the vehicles had been used along the city’s beaches. The idea was that instead of diesel fuel fouling the air, the beach crew would have this new state-of-the-art fuel. A perfect idea, right? Well, maybe.
When I first heard about biofuel, it sounded fantastic. I figured that soon, when people finished eating their fries at McDonald’s, they’d just take that greasy wrapper paper and drip it into their gas tanks. I dreamt of the day that we would be told we could just put our garbage directly into our cars. Not only would we have gas-free vehicles, but we wouldn’t have to take out the garbage after we’ve removed our shoes and gotten comfortable.
San Francisco recently converted its entire diesel fleet to biodiesel. Last November, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced a new project called SFGreasecycle. The idea is to collect used fats and cooking oils from restaurants at no charge. Then these restaurant wastes would be converted into fuel. The only negative I could envision was that as the need for more and more grease would grow, there would be an increase in the construction of fast food places. But there are other negatives… Today, every once in a while, I see a car that proudly bears a sticker proclaiming that it is powered by biodiesel fuel. Even if I am in our Prius, I feel this car is bragging to my car, “I’m even better for the environment than you are.” I’ve felt almost ashamed that I’m not as much on the cutting edge as I could be. Until now.
I recently learned that there are some serious concerns about this new “green” fuel. Some experts think it might cause more problems for the environment than bad old gasoline. It’s all getting very confusing.
So, what’s the problem? Well, not all biofuels are created equally. The European Union just announced that it is proposing a ban on certain biofuels. It turns out that some entrepreneurs are perhaps more interested in “the long green” than in “being green.” Crops for fuel are being grown on all kinds of land — forests, wet-lands, and grasslands. Not only are some trees being chopped down in tropical rain forests to plant these crops, but I’ll bet they’re not using biodiesel powered tractors to plow those areas.
A branch of the Smithsonian recently warned that biofuel production can result in environmental destruction and health problems. Great. Wasn’t it invented to help avoid these things? It was bad enough when scientists figured out that sunshine and eggs weren’t that healthy for us. And after some of us switched from red meat to fish, we were told we were putting mercury into our bodies. But biofu-els? What’s next? Are they going to find out that flossing is dangerous to our health?
Of course, there are “good” ways to grow crops and convert them into fuels. They don’t have to be grown in places where they shouldn’t be. They don’t have to be converted to fuel without regard for the environment. Governments can have standards for the production and import of what so recently seemed like the perfect fuel.
That’s what the European Union is doing, and I’m sure states and cities here will, too. But I’m worried that there will be cheaters who will try to sneak their “bad biofuel” into our cars and buses. Am I being cynical? I don’t think so. Let’s see: There’s the possibility for businesses to make at least multi-billion dollar profits selling fuel for transportation purposes without regard for the environment. Sound familiar?
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 19, 2008. Read the original PDF.