On January 24th, David Fridley, a research scientist at Lawrence Berkeley Labs, addressed facts and hype about biofuels: Can biofuels solve the climate crisis? Is ethanol production good or bad for the environment? What's a sustainable energy future and what role do biofuels play in it? The event, sponsored by Local Solutions to Global Problems and People Power, took place at the Louden Nelson Center in Santa Cruz.

Fridley makes clear the humanitarian impact of a biofuels-based future: “There is simply no way to achieve [the current target] levels of biodiesel blend... if we don’t want people to starve... Why we have chosen to take the fundamental of human life [i.e. food] and link it to the price of a nonrenewable resource [i.e. oil], is an irrationality I don’t understand.” Video from Santa Clara

His presentation was followed by “A Local Plan for Energy Independence” presented by transportation expert Micah Posner and NASA researcher and solar advocate Joe Jordan. According to Posner, “There’s no reason to convert an oil addiction into a biofuels addiction. Energy independence starts with walking to the store.” Read More

see also: Tuesday, January 22nd: Bicycle Award Ceremony