Everyday people in a democracy can make a real impact on how things turn out. In Newcastle, Australia it started with citizens and leading scientists drafting a petition to put clean vehicles at the front of the political spectrum, because pollution was killing twice as many people as accidents. The Newcastle City Council listened and decided to test some vehicles on biodiesel, which requires no engine modification. They tested 13 vehicles to include garbage trucks, passenger and light commercial vehicles. By just using 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel (B20, as it’s called) resulted in a 30% reduction in black smoke and a 39% reduction in particles.

 

After the test the City Council ran 228 diesel-powered vehicles or plant machinery on B20. They report that all engines are running as well or better than on diesel alone. Using B20 replaced 20% of the approximately 1.2 million liters oil-derived diesel the city uses each year. This is equal to 590 tons of carbon emissions or about 14% of the city’s overall fleet emissions.

 

The Kombi pictured above shows how the city drew attention to their biodiesel vehicles by painting “Flower Power” sayings on them, creating healthier air and water, and healthier conversations around town.