We're taking the Be The Change Bus from Bluff to Northland. Along the way we'll be seeding the change as much as we can and seeking stories of people doing good things for the climate. This is our blog.
The Be The Change Bus Tour Blog
On the road - Invercargill to Dunedin
Posted November 9th, 2007 by bus-crew
Filling the bus up with biodiesel: A quick stop on the way to top up the bus with biodiesel.We’re heading north now from Invercargill to Dunedin. It’s not a large distance but neither is the bus a fast one so we’re getting a good view of the countryside.
After a bite to eat in Gore we topped up with fuel and hit the road. I’m sitting midship in the office area with my laptop plugged into the 12 V power supply we have for exactly this purpose. The power comes from the large battery bank slung underneath the port side of the bus that is charged by the biodiesel engine while we’re on the go and by solar panels when we’re parked up.
We did have some of our solar panels on the roof but they where catching a bit too much wind so we’ve reengineered them to sit on the ground next the bus.
I can get online as we travel using one of the nifty little GSM mobile modems we use to run the web centre during open days.
Behind me is the galley and some storage lockers and in front is the seating area … seating for nine counting the driver. We’re carrying six crew at the moment and we’ll do some introductions soon!
In Dunedin we’re holding two open days – one on Saturday in the Octagon and one on Sunday afternoon in Waitati.
Dunedin is one of my favourite towns. There’s a great town centre, a good friendly community feeling – the only problem is the cold! And these colder Southern regions are only going to get colder with climate change so, like everyone else, Dunedin folk have a good incentive to do something about climate change too.
When we chatted with Mayor Tim Shadbolt in Invercargill yesterday he mentioned that the cold and the weather was a factor and that unfortunately some people assumed that global warming may not be such a bad thing down this way. But that is a common misconception and I’m going to send some more info to Tim as soon as I can. The thing is that global warming is being caused by our greenhouse gas emissions (mostly CO2) and overall the global temperature is on the rise but the effect that we’re going to notice on the whole is not warmer weather – it’s climate change. Climate change means more extreme weather. More storms, more droughts, more cyclones and hurricanes. It’s not a good thing at all. We all really need to do something about our carbon emissions … we need to be the change we want to see in the world.
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Biodiesel
Hiya, hope you are all having fun out there in biodiesel land....but I'm a bit worried about this whole biofuel thing - I found some interesting articles on biofuels which you might like to read some time:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/apr/04/energy.indonesia
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4959
www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=47421
http://www.foodfirst.org/node/1662
http://forestpolicy.typepad.com/ecoecon/2007/11/monboit-biofuel.html
http://www.greens.org/s-r/43/43-02.html
(there are plenty more where these came from, happy googling, B Lesser)
Biodiesel
Sarah Jones
Yes I agree I am concerned about the whole Biodiesel Issue. Dont get me wrong anything to curb our addiction to oil, Stop exploiting the countries that provide it and of course stopping climate change is a great thing. But.... My real belief is that People need to start curbing their consumption. Start using public transport, biking and walking and shopping ethically. Even if it is hard to catch the bus, get a train or have more holidays in our own country. We need to start living in a reality where we live sustainably.
Renewable energy along with biodiesels and living sustainably by curbing consuption is the right recipie.
Although it often sounds all doom and gloom I really believe we are going to be living in an interesting time in the future, and good things will come out of it. People will have to rely on each other more which will bring about more of a sense of community, which I think has been lost to a certain extent.
B the change
ANYTHING to curb our addiction to oil?
(biodiesel IS oil)
And it's going to be an ecological disaster:
* Increased clearing of Ecosystems to grow oil-bearing crops. (already happening)
* Animal fats being blended into biodiesel (already happening in Aotearoa)
* Biodiesel companies being bought out and controlled by immoral corporate entities. (Already happened in New Zealand....Solid Energy, coal mining company is now NZ's largest biodiesel producer (http://www.coalnz.com/ab-press-details.asp?id=226), have indicated that they are interested in exploring the use of GE crops for 'higher yields' of oil.....Solid Energy have been steadily earning themselves the reputation of NZ's environmental Public Enemy No1 - see www.savehappyvalley.org.nz for more info)
Biofuels are amassing a huge economic following worldwide, and the same people that bought you premium 96, the V8 engine and mag tyres will be in the thick of it.
* Poorer countries growing biofuels (ie inedible crops) while their people starve. (http://www.africabiofuels.com/)
At the moment it looks like we will simply be shifting our addiction from Fossil Fuels to Biofuels (from heroin to opium) And the same people who have been pushing Fossil Fuels on us will:
Option A
Say, "Oh well, I give up, I've had my time as an Ultra Powerful and Ruthless energy tyrant, perhaps it's time to let someone else have a go....biofuels are for hippies anyway!"
Option B
Say nothing, and quietly buy up as many nice, young, innovative, well-meaning biofuels producers as they can get their never-empty hands on and pump as much of their NEW ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCT into our tanks as they can, as ever.(already happening)
www2.dupont.com/Biofuels/en_US/
memphisccc.com/downtownmemphis/documents/biodiesel.doc
http://www.exxon.mobil.com/Corporate/energy_outlook_biofuels.aspx
www.eeca.govt.nz/news/energywise-news/april-2007/on-the-road-with-biofuels.htm
Predictions:
# Curbing our use of Biofuels will be the next really big challenge for Environmental groups like Greenpeace an the Greens.
# With increased use of biofuels (especially in Aotearoa) we will see a corresponding shift in consciousness which will result in the generally held belief that our right to freshly mowed lawns and 3 trips to the supermarket per weekend is more important than the rights of animals to live for their own sakes, and those of 3rd world countries to feed themselves instead of feeding the dominant economic system.
# Billy Lesser will never set foot in a cow-guzzling vehicle as long as he lives.
B the change
B Lesser