Who knew? Rudolph Diesel (1858 – 1913), inventor of the Diesel engine, meant for it to run on vegetable oil, not the petroleum-derived diesel fuel used today, so we celebrate
NATIONAL BIODIESEL DAY!
Diesel noticed how steam engines waste 90% of their fuel, while internal combustion engines waste up to 75%, and designed his engine to be far more fuel-efficient. The diesel engine is heavier and more powerful than conventional internal combustion engines, making them ideal workhorses for heavy vehicles and machinery. While they use significantly less fuel than gasoline-powered engines, it takes more crude oil to produce a gallon of diesel fuel than a gallon of gasoline, so diesel fuel is still a huge drain on petroleum reserves. The answer for a fuel-hungry planet? Biodiesel. Grow your own fuel, renewable every season. Biodiesel is already viable and in use, either alone or blended with traditional diesel fuel. This was Rudolph Diesel’s vision, not the continued reliance on dirty and inefficient petroleum-based fuels. We can make this happen through activism, awareness and votes, pushing for the legalization of commercial hemp and insisting upon alternative energy research by Uncle Sam. Let’s complete Rudolph Diesel’s vision.
•Suggested Activities: Growing a tankful of gas.