In Episode 4, we met Hakan and Laura, a couple who use bio-fuel made from waste vegetable oil. They introduced us to Ray Kemp, the man behind KF3 BioDiesel Production, and the subject of Episode 8. Ray has spent the last few years perfecting a process for locally made biodiesel that he produces with reclaimed equipment. He has also found valuable uses for the byproducts of the production process, making his company completely sustainable. Check out this four-part episode:

Part 1.
Ray shows us the differences between biodiesel and petrodiesel. He explains how he able to return all of the byproducts of his process to the earth.

Part 2.
Ray explains how localized production of biodiesel is best for a distributed resource such as used cooking oil. Using Ray’s business model, a community biodiesel production facility could be started with a capital investment from between $ 5-10 K.

Part 3.
We learn about the four parts to Ray’s process: Collecting the oil, processing the oil, distributing the fuel, and dealing with co-products of production. We find out which kind restaurants are preferred to collect from and we see the production facility that Ray uses to convert cooking oil into biodiesel.

Part 4.
In this final segment, Ray explains how a Biodiesel Users Group works. Due to the skyrocketing fuel costs, biofuels have become relatively cheaper, though Ray tells how his production costs have also gone up. Ray articulates his dream of all biodiesel going to power school buses and explains how the do-it-yourself mentality of his process hearkens back to America’s founding principles.

We started this site for many reasons: To venture into something new, to have something to do, to have a creative outlet, to meet cool people, to counter some of the garbage thats on the internet, etc, etc. Most importantly, we wanted to provide an alternative to the doom and gloom side of environmentalism, and do this with a “hip-hop” point of view. I’m not sure we’ve accomplished this goal, but I do believe that we are on the right track. If affluent westerners are going to become active participants in saving the planet sooner rather than later, it is their higher needs that must be addressed, since their lower needs won’t become affected for some time. Let me explain.

I recently got a chance to listen to Chip Conley, an entrepreneur who started a hotel business at the age of 26 and who now runs Joie de Vivre Hotels, California’s largest boutique hotelier. Conley suggests that much of his success is due to looking at business through the eyes of psychologist Abraham Maslow. Anyone who took Psych 101 might remember Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, or at least the pyramid image to the right. At the bottom of the pyramid are primitive needs such as food and water, and toward the top we approach less tangible needs such as creativity and morality. While standard hotels address their customer’s base needs, such as water and shelter, Joie de Vivre tries to address needs at the peak of the pyramid: Matching hotels to customer’s specific personality, retaining staff so visitors see the same smiling faces time and time again, and addressing complaints immediately so upset customers don’t boil over into a mouth-to-mouth PR nightmare.

A friend of mine once applied the hierarchy of needs when discussing the situation in Iraq. Issues such as a well-run government or education tend to fall by the wayside when you have no food or water, let alone security. You can look at environmental challenges conversely. Though it is evident that global warming is occurring as I write these lines, the average reader’s life probably wont become affected by it for some time to come, therefore the base of the pyramid is not threatened. How can environmental issues become relevant to people’s lives if it is not currently affecting the first four tiers of the pyramid?

To become relevant, solutions to the environmental issues challenging our world must be ingrained into every facet of our life. In 2008, “green” is now almost as played out as “presidential politics”. So how do you break through the clutter of media to actually address people at their higher level needs? Well, one way is to get celebrities on your side. When Ludacris and Tommy Lee go on Youtube and claim to be green, you know that greenwashing has reached epic proportions… But then again, it would have been inconceivable that five years ago, pop-culture icons of this stature would be mentioning the environment. You have to dumb it down to reach the masses, but Planet Green knows exactly what they’re doing. They’ve managed to meet people in the middle of the pyramid. Celebrities are like friends that we really don’t know, but feel like we do.

But how do you get to people further up that pyramid? How do you get people from being passive spectators who watch An Inconvenient Truth, to becoming “self-actualized” and engaged at a higher level in the struggle for the environment. Organizations like the Crissy Field Center are well on their way. They have educational programs that inspire discussion, creativity, and problem solving - some very important higher-level needs. My goal for the second half of 2008 is to figure out how to incorporate some of these aspects into Chitta Chatta With The Green Rapper.

For Episode 7, we visit with Kathleen Ward of Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) to learn how they are protecting the natural lands of the Bay Area Peninsula. Join us on a tour of three of their many beautiful protected properties. Feel inspired? Click here to donate!

Part 1: POST and Pillar Point Bluff
What exactly is a land trust? Kathleen explains how this non-profit organization works with the local communities to protect natural ecosystems and preserve natural beauty. Our first stop is at Pillar Point Bluff. We learn that while it may look neat, Pampas Grass actually steals natural resources from native plants. It might not be the best thing to use for your walking stick next time you go hiking.

Part 2: Cowell Ranch State Beach
Next we stop by this gem of a beach to enjoy the sun, sand, water and large metal objects. Hi-Five!

Part 3: Whaler’s Cove and Pigeon Point Lighthouse
An important area for Portuguese Whalers in the 1800s, POST saved this scenic property from private commercial use with a $200 million fundraiser in the 1990s.

Last Sunday, Roz Savage rowed under the Golden Gate Bridge, attempting to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean from the US to Australia. Roz has previously rowed across the Atlantic on her own, breaking 4 oars on the way. A former corporate cog, Roz has made it her life’s work to seek adventure on the high seas while raising environmental awareness. She is definitely one teched out and well-loved rower, reportedly recieving 5 ipods chocked full of books and music as gifts. Her boat is equipped with solar panels so she is making updates on Twitter and posting videos to her blog, where you can also track her progress. Check out this short documentary that tells her story.

Stark contrast in deforestation along the
Dominican/Haitian Border (NASA)

In the 1980’s, free trade and environmental degradation virtually eliminated Haiti’s internal rice production. Haitians eventually became dependent on rice imports. Now, Haitians are starving due to rising food prices. There are reports of people making themselves sick, just so they can be admitted to the hospital and get food. There are many reasons for rising food prices including diversion of crops to biofuels and rising commodity and oil prices. Agricultural and oil interests lobbied for blended biofuel solutions such as ethanol, instead of promoting smart solutions such as electric vehicles or reusing waste vegetable oil.

To be sure, Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, is also effected by the global food shortage, but they have a huge advantage with their local food production. Dominicans produce 80% of the foods consumed locally, which insulates them somewhat from the global shortages. It would be interesting to hear the presidential candidates address some of these issues in the next debate. Much has been made during the campaigns about special interests and globalization, but this an actual example of how bad policy has created a disaster and the next president must provide leadership on issues like these.

To help the Haitian citizens check out http://www.foodforthepoor.org/donate/haiti. Just $12 will feed one family for a month.

Last month, Nader Khalili, an earth architect from Iran passed away. Khalili developed Super Adobe and Super Block construction. These structures, made of soil, barbed wire, and a little cement, withstand extreme climactic conditions and seismic activity. Originally conceptualized for lunar colonization settlements, these adobe buildings have been built by the United Nations Development Programme to house refugees and have been used widely in hot, dry climates of the developing world. Now that green architecture has caught on, even affluent Americans are getting in on the act.

The Cal-Earth organization in Hesperia, California has plans for homes that have been approved for construction in San Bernardino County. This short documentary shows how sandbag prototypes can easily be built by local people, using local materials.

Last weekend, we went up the 101 to Humboldt Redwood State Park and checked out the Avenue of the Giants. After we had researched their website, we picked a campground and planned hikes and a trip to nearby Arcata and Eureka. This review gives a rundown of our campground pick and recommendations.