Everpure Biodiesel Coop is pioneering a farmerbased, biodiesel co-op in Erin.

Starting last Saturday, July 5, they began selling 100% biodiesel to their members, so people can start running on an environmentally sound fuel. This co-op is dedicated to turning food waste into fuel. It is a defining principle of Everpure's work with biofuels that they are made entirely from recycled food by-products, thus avoiding a fuel-versus-food conflict on scarce farmland.

The idea for this co-op started forming in 2005 when Jay Mowatt, a local farmer and member of the Everdale Environmental Learning Centre board, started looking into alternative fuels.

Everdale wanted an option that would work to the benefit - financial, and environmental - of farmers and the local community. Since then Everdale has been working with Power Up! Renewable Energy (PURE), a co-op dedicated to the promotion of alternative energies, to develop the idea.

It was eventually decided that a locally based biodiesel co-operative would be the best way to reduce petroleum consumption, promote the local economy, and benefit local farmers.

Biodiesel was chosen because of the long value added chain associated with it, and the opportunity of creating a closed food and fuel loop.

The Everpure Biodiesel Co-op is committed to producing and promoting biodiesel fuel in an environmentally sustainable manner. Through the creation of a food/recycling loop, the co-op's farmer members will ultimately produce locally grown edible oil crops; these oils will be utilized by local restaurants, and the meal will be used as livestock feed. The oil will then be collected as waste oil and reprocessed back into biofuel. Through this self-sustaining process our farm vehicles and community drivers can offset polluting petroleum fuel products with cleaner, renewable, locally produced biofuel, made only from recycled food by-products!

This process supports the protection and continued use of local arable farmlands and promotes a viable, sustainable economic biofuel model. The co-op model allows farmers to participate through the entire value chain associated with the production of biodiesel and it brings together organic and conventional farmers, as well as farmers with their neighbours in a co-operative endeavour.

On May 21, the Everpure Biodiesel Co-op was born. In the primary stages they are developing the co-op by marketing biodiesel to create a strong membership base in the community. During this stage they will be buying ASTM quality fuel made by Greg Lougheed of Lougheed Biofuels in Owen Sound, who uses recycled oils only.

This fuel will be distributed to members only at Jays Automotive in Hillsburgh on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.