Our View
One part of a vast tapestry of small changes to help the environment
IT may only be a small step in the right direction but a small group of drivers has decided to test the market by ordering their own fuel from a supplier of bio-diesel.
It is less harmful to the atmosphere and as a waste product, does not use up precious oil resources and saves landfill space. Whether the bulk of the population of Ilkley has the time or the inclination to work out the correct ratio of bio-diesel to ordinary fuel and fiddle about with jerry cans as opposed to just going to the pump is another matter.
That is the trouble with eco-friendly living, it just takes up so much time. Ideally, we would all like to recycle our rubbish and use fuel which doesn't harm the atmosphere but if it makes life awkward, will we really put ourselves out? There is also the argument that major oil companies investing in the production of bio-fuels are using land in developing countries which could be used to feed the population.
The issue of people being poorly paid to produce massive cash crops for consumption by relatively rich people in the West is a long standing bete noir of Third World charities. Using waste vegetable oil is a great idea - it also stops the sewers getting clogged up - but if everyone wanted to use bio-fuel, would there be enough waste to go around?
Perhaps we should be looking for our solutions to climate change in a different way. There may be lots of little answers rather than just one big one.
A section of motorists using waste bio-diesel might just be one part of a vast tapestry of little changes in lifestyle and consumption which will knit together eventually to reduce the damage we inflict on the planet.Of course the final answer lies in the effect on people's pockets.
3:56pm Thursday 1st November 2007
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