Crafting with Kids

In this day and age, it seems that every one of us is turning into an environmentalist. It seems like it wasn’t that long ago when those who preached about sustainability were derided or at least were partially ignored. Some of the less charitable of us called these people “tree huggers” and as part of our free spending, devil-may-care attitude of the time we spent little regard to the overall issues of climate change and global warming. Times have certainly changed and more especially in the last five years or so. These days climate change news is everywhere and the subject is the darling of the mainstream press, with climate protection issues likely to result in stringent legislation before long.

Everybody wants to be green these days and we know that we have to cut down on the use of fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas that result in pollutant greenhouse gases and temperature change. Energy is so much a part of our lives and our existence is so complicated, yet we are still mostly unaware of the size of our individual carbon footprints.

The way that we get around – our means of transportation, are for the most part principal emitters of carbon, be they considered individually or as a group. We also know that conventional diesel and gasoline are very expensive commodities and we are in large part reliant on foreign sources and subject to a variety of external influences affecting pricing, availability and economic security.

Change will be slow to come, unfortunately. Not only are we essentially creatures of habit, but we have built up such a reliance on traditional fossil fuels that a major part of our industrial infrastructure relies on the extraction and generation of these fuels, together with distribution. Unfortunately, the oil industry has a strong political lobbying background and any alternative options face a significant challenge in trying to bring their message to an unaware public.

Biodiesel fuel is an attractive alternative, to say the least. It is produced by mixing vegetable oil or animal fats with methanol and a process of separation derives this alternative fuel. In the United States, biodiesel fuel can be derived from soybean products, with plentiful availability.

Biodiesel is essentially carbon neutral and has very low sulphur rates, especially compared to its alternatives. The product can be used in conventional diesel engines without modification and can be mixed with petro diesel fuel in any ratio whatsoever. While it is not widely available in this country at the moment, distribution systems need to be developed and the infrastructure put in place. We’re becoming more and more aware and interested in hybrid vehicles, and we’re also generating a buzz around biodiesel as an excellent alternative option.

At present, homemade biodiesel may well be an option for you, as with a little bit of application it is within reach of everybody. For some, making biodiesel is more than a labour of love and thousands of people consider it their contribution in the war against carbon emissions. Although making biodiesel can be very rewarding, personally and financially, keep in mind that if you do decide to try making it for yourself, always carefully review what the experts call, “essential safety advice,” before you begin!

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