Mount Kisco, NY—November 5, 2004—The Nature Conservancy's Eastern New York chapter announced that they recently have begun a pilot program using the alternative fuel Biodiesel for running the chapter’s Stewardship truck and tractor, the first such Conservancy program in New York State. The truck, a 2002 Chevy Silverado required no modifications to run on this fuel blend, which is stored in a 270 gallon tank at the chapter’s Stewardship office at the Arthur W. Butler Memorial Sanctuary in Bedford, Westchester County. The many benefits to using Biodiesel, a methyl ester of soy bean oil, include replacing foreign fossil fuels with a renewable, American-grown energy source, realizing a 40-60% reduction in unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter as compared to regular diesel, and offering support to an emerging alternative fuel industry. Staff will be using the pure Biodiesel in a 25-30 percent blend with regular diesel and, if all goes well this year, plan to export the practice to other parts of the chapter and presumably to other chapters of the Conservancy.
Stewardship Operations Coordinator Matt Levy added that "When we first began using Biodiesel, the cost of petro diesel was about $1.80 per gallon compared to the $2.60 for Biodiesel. We felt that this was an acceptable cost given the environmental benefits. Now, with diesel selling for about $2.50 per gallon, it is clear that we made the right decision for the chapter both financially and environmentally."
Eastern New York's Stewardship Operations Coordinator Matt Levy tops off
the chapter's truck with Biodiesel.
© D. Salaverry
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