Neil Young's Greendale tour runs on biodiesel 6 comments

4 Mar 2004 @ 09:12, by Raymond Powers Neil Young's Greendale tour runs on biodiesel Singer had fleet converted to new fuel Reduces chemical emissions up to 80% JULIET WILLIAMS ASSOCIATED PRESS MILWAUKEE—Saving the family farm, helping the Earth and reducing America's dependence on foreign oil — they all go together for Neil Young on his Greendale tour. The veteran Canadian rocker rolled into town yesterday with a fleet of buses and trucks running on biodiesel, an environmentally friendly fuel made from renewable resources such as soybean oil and recycled cooking oil. Young said switching to biodiesel was his idea. "Rather than talk about it, I figured just do it," he said, noting there is an environmentalist character in his new show, which includes performance as well as music. In an interview with the Associated Press, Young said he can still be a capitalist and embrace the environment. "I'm just trying to make a point. There are other ways to be self-sustaining," he said. Young, who clearly has done his research, recited the reasons why biodiesel makes sense: It releases no ozone-polluting chemicals and reduces emissions by 60 per cent to 80 per cent; it's entirely renewable and doesn't require major exploration to extract; American farmers could produce it for a living wage; and it would probably save a tree or two slated for demolition in Alaska. Alternative fuel has caught on in some places. More than 400 fleets across the U.S. now use it, including the U.S. Postal Service, Yellowstone National Park, public utility companies and school districts, according to the National Biodiesel Board. Its use in Canada is also catching on. But Young said ignorance holds many people back. His longtime trucking company turned him down when he first approached them about switching fuels. He switched trucking companies, too. "I'm sure a lot of people who consider themselves to be conscientious would use it if they knew more about it," Young said. "The people who have enough money to buy an Escalade or something like that are the ones who can afford to pay a bit more for this ... SUVs could be offered with a diesel option." Young said as a member of Farm Aid for 18 years, he's always looking for ways to help the family farmer. He said there are millions of acres of unfarmed crop land in the United States and Canada that could be tapped for renewable energy. But Young knows it's a struggle to persuade people to end their reliance on fossil fuels during the pro-oil tenure of President George W. Bush. "You can't change the Bush administration with this. I mean, to them, I'm a tree hugger," he said. "But I think to affect change you first have to have examples. If the children out there who have a conscience about this planet see this, they might be inspired."

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