Keith, Great post. You have my brain working.
Thanks for reminding me about the NBB’s focus on fleets. I had forgotten that. However, I don’t necessarily agree that small-scale producers are going to eschew fleets. But first, I think I may be tripping up on definitions. Where, really, does one draw the distinction between a homebrewer, a small-scale producer, and a large “corporate” producer? It seems to me that we might be trying to force various attributes, scale of production, geographical reach, business model, philosophy, community focus, into single descriptors. A homebrewer might be someone who produces say, <100 gallons per week, on their residential property. A small-scale producer could be a 2-5 person operation, using local feedstock, but as a primary commercial enterprise. Both of these produce for local consumers. But you could have a large-scale local producer who also relies on local feedstocks, especially in a large metropolitan area, also for local consumption. A business model such as World Energy’s, on the other hand, is predicated on quite different assumptions and operating procedures, moving raw materials and finished products among various markets; it’s much more akin to Enron than to any localized business. However, if we want to emphasize local energy economies, then local producers, including small-scale ones, should be thinking about fleets. There’s no reason why, for example, a Seattle-based producer couldn’t supply the city school buses, or the municipal transit. I could still reasonably call them small-scale at this level (granted I haven’t crunched the numbers to see if the available WVO supply is sufficient to meet the needs of these buyers). You wrote that surveys show that Americans are willing to pay extra for greener and more economical vehicles. Can you point me in the direction of some of these surveys? I would so like to believe this but I am skeptical. There is always a gulf between expressed willingness to pay and actually paying. And what I see happening is precisely the opposite – most people are more than willing to pay more for less green and less economical vehicles. Sure, there are a few who buy high-efficiency diesels (yours truly) or hybrids, but those are still a small market segment. You may be correct that I am overestimating the trepidation of the average consumer. I acknowledge that people I talk to about biodiesel (including those who have never heard about it before) are generally enthusiastic, but there’s a gulf between enthusiasm and action. You are undoubtedly correct that the general public needs a different approach from fleet managers, but remember that the general public interacts with big business for most of its car needs – purchase, fuel, parts. Many people are uninformed and busy. So, to get mr and mrs suburbia to act (at least in the short term) you need to reach these big business interfaces. If they can get a diesel-electric hybrid at their dealer they are much more likely to buy one than if they have to do a bunch of research and go out of their way to find something. Similarly, if the local Texaco is selling BD, great. If they have to drive somewhere out of the way and set up a special account with a small distributor, that’s a barrier. Keith, I am still digesting your paragraph about a decentralized diffused network. I agree that it works best for information exchange and resource sharing, but for the purposes of lobbying, or communicating with an entity such as the NBB, it does not. If, as you say, homebrewers may not be able to organize because of internal disagreements, how would it be possible for the NBB (or anyone else) to deal effectively with them, at least in terms of reaching a consensus on issues? Maybe they don't need to as Mark suggests. I realize that you and others on this list have a much greater familiarity with and feel for the composition of the independent biodiesel community than do I. I also may be too conventional in my thinking, and I will ponder your post further. On the other hand, perhaps we’re not disagreeing at all. You support an association of small-scale coops and other producers, and that (I think) is really what I was talking about. Someone brewing 50 or 100 gallons a week in their garage is not necessarily whom I would target. Yet, that person may be equally affected (in relative terms), by changes in state and national laws or agency regulations. In other words, I don’t think that a movement to localize economic activity, including energy production, can often afford to ignore the wider world. National and state policies can have dramatic impacts locally; consider just fuel taxes, licensing, and testing requirements. You wrote that the hundreds of biodieselers are accessible through existing networks. True, but I’m not talking about a reaching in, rather a reaching out. I agree that small biodieselers should not try to organize themselves into the shape of the NBB. You need an organization that suits the members. I am not suggesting a change in the diffused model, but rather that we consider if there is some way to focus our diffuse voices into a collective yowl. Sure, an organization is clearly not necessary for this community to do what it does now, but I’m talking about a new task, an outreach to the wider world, to governments, community leaders, environmental organizations, the public, the NBB, etc. for which I believe some sort of organization is necessary, and could be quite effective. Consider the viewpoint of a Congressional representative. The NBB is clearly an industry organization, comprised of some large agro-interests and entities like World Energy and a few others who share their interests. A “National Biodiesel Cooperative Association” (or something like it) that could legitimately claim the membership or support of thousands of independent producers, local communities, and consumers translates in to votes in that rep’s eyes. A grassroots constituency has a very different political sway: not money, but votes and political legitimacy. I know that you work in the 3rd world. Where a weak state exists, strong grassroots/local level actions and organizations have more freedom for action. National regulations and the will and/or power to enforce them in the developing world are often weaker than in industrialized countries. In the U.S. and the EU, the national governments are strong, and won’t tolerate localities that just “go their own ways.” This is an extension of the Federal powers vs States’ Rights theme that runs through American political history: moonshiners in Appalachia (heck we had a Whiskey Rebellion), the Civil War, welfare reform, and on and on. So I propose a hypothesis, open to scrutiny and criticism (and refinement?): It seems paradoxical, but local empowerment requires the ability to project one’s point of view nationally, at least at crucial times and on select issues. Anyway, just my three cents. Regards, Thor __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! 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