Awake at the Wheel

“Biodiesel in Your Neighborhood,” a Community Forum hosted by the Northwest Biodiesel Network (www.nwbiodiesel.org), will be held on Saturday, March 15, from 10:00 to 2:00 at the Rainier Community Center in Seattle (http://www.cityofseattle.net/parks/centers/Rainier/directions.htm). 

Underwritten by a City of Seattle Neighborhood Climate Protection Fund grant, this event features panel discussions, interaction of the participating public with a moderator and environmental and biodiesel specialists, information tables, and student contests and presentations focusing on the use and support of biodiesel as a means of addressing and impacting climate change. 

Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark will provide the keynote address for the event.

The panels, comprised of experts and community members, will address topics including:

·    Who is using biodiesel in your neighborhood, and is it helping you?

·    How can biodiesel be a personal choice for Seattle neighborhoods to reduce global warming?

As part of the grant, the Network is introducing a program to a cross-section of city schools to educate students about biodiesel.  Contests are ongoing in four categories for the students, with their entries judged by expert committees, and the winners will receive awards provided by matching sponsors.  The contests end on Earth Day, April 22, 2008 and entries will be displayed at the Network’s Annual Forum on May 4, 2008.  The four contest categories are:

·    Student-Made Biodiesel Contest

·    Essay Contest

·    Poster Contest

·    Biodiesel Conversion Pledge Drive Contest