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.

Further Reading

It has become increasingly possible that the Democratic contest for president will be decided by Superdelegates instead of actual voters. If you feel as though your vote is becoming more and more irrelevant in the electoral process, you are not alone. David Rothkopf, author of Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They Are Making, argues that this power shift is just the tip of the iceberg. I heard him speak last night and he explained his theory that the world’s 6 billion people and their destiny is controlled by about 6 thousand wealthy individuals that he calls the Superclass. These are the same people who show up in statistical sound bites such as: “The richest 2% own more than half of global assets.”

I once heard a similar theory from a bus driver when conversing about politics during my commute, but Rothkopt does have some anecdotal and empirical evidence to support his theory. He proposed the growing disparity of wealth and power will lead to civil unrest and has helped to create populist backlashes in the form of popular leaders such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez. He also made the claim that issues such as global warming and the stability of world financial institutions are at the mercy of the Superclass as they have usurped national governments. Citing ridiculous policies such as last year’s ethanol-laden energy bill and the border wall, Rothkopt explained how powerful lawyers and lobbyist representing the Superclass have guided government into enacting policies that don’t necessarily reflect our best interests. He even quipped about how the current accusations and controversy of elitism are laughable when you consider they are coming from the wife of a former President and a man whose wife is the heiress to Hensley & Co., the nation’s second-largest Anheuser-Busch distributor.

Despite the bad news about growing disparities, the speaker was optimistic that we can reassert control over our nation and work in cooperation with increasingly powerful countries in Asia to fight global warming and economic instability.

Further Reading

In this episode, the Green Rapper cuts through the hype surrounding BioDiesel with Laura and Hakan, two ordinary citizens that have truly converted to a carbon neutral form of transportation. With a nominal startup fee (<$250 for storage tank and fuel pump) and zero mechanical modifications to their VW Golf TDI and Chevy Diesel Van, they use BioDiesel from KF3 BioDiesel Production to fuel their rides (at a slightly cheaper cost than regular diesel)! Find out how they safely store their alternate fuel and fill up from the comfort of their garage. To get started on your conversion, visit the National Biodiesel Board’s Website.