Biodiesel at the pumps in BC

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Biodiesel at the pumps in BC

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How does one go about being environmentally conscious with a 1983 Series III Land Rover Santana with a diesel engine? The answer to that is Biodiesel! We have the answer, now what? How does one go about finding Biodiesel in the Lower Mainland?

Many people do not know that Biodiesel has already been available at the pumps for a number of years. The challenge was locating those mysterious pumps. The first retail biodiesel pump in British Columbia was officially opened in Burnaby in 2005 at United Petroleum Products' retail location located at 3267 Norland Ave.

Back in 2005 the blends found were mostly a lowly 5% biodiesel mixed with 95% petrodiesel to make a B5 blend. Nowadays the blends are up to a B50 which really lessen the emissions from a diesel engine. Blends rely on weather, but luckily here on the coast we can get away with a B20 all year round.

I have been running a B40 blend for two years, and noticed that my Land Rover runs smoother and is not creating obnoxious clouds of exhaust like it did with diesel. I am sure that my fellow motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists appreciate my contribution in doing what I can to lessen my impact on air quality.

It is amazing when I am stopped and people begin to question me on how I run Biodiesel. My explanation to them is that I just choose the Biodiesel pump when I am fueling up. That answer is followed with the question of where to get it. Biodiesel is readily available at many retail locations within the Lower Mainland already.

United Petroleum has two other locations for Biodiesel on their Biodiesel locations page including Whistler, BC. Another company that has been offering Biodiesel at the pumps is Cascadia Biofuels Inc. which also has a retail list of where consumers or businesses may purchase Biodiesel at the pump in the Lower Mainland.

Biodiesel is here, and we need to educate people on smarter choices and decisions about where and whom they purchase their fuel from. The government of BC is already using Biodiesel in many of their fleets to reduce emissions to slow climate change. With the smaller companies already having adopted cleaner fuels, why have the larger companies been slow to adopt greener choices?