I actually got the copy of this first issue (along with a very nice note from one of the editors) the other day, but it's taken me a while to get the picture in the computer. Here it is:



You can click on the above picture to go to biodieselSMARTER's website, but as of now, it's still pretty sparse. Maybe you want to write for them? To them? Get a subscription?

Things I like about this magazine:

-the motto: "for biodiesel brewers by biodiesel brewers"

-the writers: Lyle Estill, Rachel Burton (the "Wrench Wench"- best column ever!), Nicole Irvin, Leif Forer, Frankie Lind, myself, and hopefully a whole bunch of others (more West Coasters please!) in the future.

-the attitude: as Frankie, co-editor along with Nicole Irvin, puts it, "This is a new kind of magazine. Our concept is to showcase all this through case studies. We talk about what we are doing, not what we wish we were, not what we tell other people to impress ourselves." That attitude, which I would call "keeping it real", is missing from all the other biodiesel media out there. Frankly (no pun intended), I think he takes it a little too far at times (the interview with Josh Tickell kind of overloaded my snark quota), but that doesn't interfere at all with what is a very admirable first issue.

You'll really need to check it out for yourself, as you can't trust my biased opinion. My column is called "The Golden Meniscus". Here's my first crack at it (published in this first issue):

ALGAE BIODIESEL- ARE WE CREATING A MONSTER?

I should start out by admitting something: I love algae. Pictures of circular green microalgae adorn the desktops of both my home and work computer. I am a big-time believer in the promise of algae as an über-feedstock for the biodiesel industry. And I am involved in a couple of projects to help make that happen.

I live in Mendocino County, California, where, in 2004 we passed a historic measure to ban the cultivation of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). The passage of Measure H was part of a broader movement to put into practice the precautionary principle, which, according to wikipedia, “states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action.”

The precautionary principle is all about planning ahead, and it applies very well to the case of algae- a biofuel source that is unique in its promise, and in its potential danger. Michael Johnsen, in his 2000 article, “Genetically Modified Organisms as Invasive Species”, wrote about a common fish tank variety of algae that “genetically mutated, perhaps because of exposure to the ultraviolet light used in aquariums.” The result was devastating:

To illustrate an example of a plant that may have mutated into a monster, the Associated Press has reported on an algae, Caulerpa taxifolia, that has destroyed more than 10,000 acres of Mediterranean Sea habitat near France, Spain, Monaco and Italy after patches found in the 1980s were not immediately destroyed. The algae has recently been discovered in Agua Hedionda near San Diego, the first time it has been confirmed on the west coast of the United States.

The effects of the algae are severe; Caulerpa has proven toxic to most sea life, forcing fish to go elsewhere and harming fisheries. Mediterranean scuba diving sites are being smothered by the plant, as are Riviera pleasure ports. The bright green, feather-like algae was commonly sold for use in aquariums until it was banned last year by federal law.

Right now, a number of large corporations are plotting the future role of algae in the biofuels industry. When they encounter challenges like low yield, vulnerability to contamination from other species, light needs, etc., some of them will inevitably look toward genetic alteration as the solution. The resulting “super weeds” could be monumentally more devastating than the well-documented GMO canola that farmers like Percy Schmeiser (look him up!) have found contaminating their crops. With microalgae, the farm is as big as the ocean, and because algae sits firmly at the base of the food chain, all life on Earth could be affected by contamination from a super-strain.

Knowing all of this, I still believe in algae, but I have pledged to only support those efforts that work within the limitations that nature provides. This is not necessarily a painful proposition- as with other crops, the local, existing strain often times has a built-in resistance to all kinds of problems. One local algae research team has found that the native, wild strain of algae is very good at bio-remediating wastewater streams. If, in the process, it can only produce 850 gallons of oil per acre, hey, I’m okay with that. It’s still a seventeen-fold increase in yield from our beloved industry’s poster bean.