In the ever complicated environmental tussle between clean fuel and responsible use of resources the differing opinions over the use of biofuels has produced an interesting contrast of ideas — fueled by Ethanol.
Sean Penn, actor/activist has just initiated a cross-country trek using a fleet of biodiesel buses carrying about 300 people that will burn the corn fuel for 1,800 miles from the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and ending in New Orleans for the annual jazz festival. Penn appeared twice yesterday at Coachella. He said of the trip, "I see this as a reckoning. My generation and those that came before have to recognize the numbing of incentive that we've passed on to the change hungry, imaginative, smarter than us youth of today." To see the larger implications of Penn's good intentions, read more.
Penn might mean well running his trip on corn, but he may have created an unlikely opponent. On the other side of the biodiesel debate is Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez who claims that “a US push to boost ethanol production during a world food crisis is a crime.”
Chavez also said that “the corn needed to fill an average car with ethanol would be enough to feed seven people for a year.” Venezuela is putting their corn where their mouth is, and will donate more than 385 tons to food to Haiti to help ease the suffering since the food shortages toppled their government.
Is Penn taking corn out of the mouths of the hungry while on his journey to try to inspire change and "encourage individuals to take individual actions"? Do you think biofuels are responsible for the current food crisis? Are they the answer to cleaner and renewable fuels, or just an eco-fairytale?
Marc Jacobs
Gianvito Rossi
Marc Jacobs
Well, his comment likely has more to do with the fact that Venezuela's economy depends on oil exports than his actual compassion for the hungry.
But I do find it a little funny that after Sean Penn made all those statements about Chavez and tried to cozy up to him, it turns out Chavez is just like the evil Bush - all about the oil!
As far as bio-diesel goes, we obviously need to do something to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and find a cleaner burning fuel that would be better for the environment. Does bio-diesel actually take food out of the mouths of the hungry or is it generally using corn grown expressly for that purpose that would not have been available for consumption anyway? And does it actually use food grade corn? Not all corn is really fit for human consumption. The French think we're nuts for eating corn because what they grow there is really only good for horses.
1Sorry, I hate when the first comment gets all jammed up under the ad. Reposting...
Well, I'm sure his comment has more to do with the fact that Venezuela's economy depends on oil exports than his actual compassion for the hungry.
But I do find it a little funny that after Sean Penn made all those statements about Chavez and tried to cozy up to him, it turns out Chavez is just like the evil Bush - all about the oil!
As far as bio-diesel goes, we obviously need to do something to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and find a cleaner burning fuel that would be better for the environment. Does bio-diesel actually take food out of the mouths of the hungry or is it generally using corn grown expressly for that purpose that would not have been available for consumption anyway? And does it actually use food grade corn? Not all corn is really fit for human consumption. The French think we're nuts for eating corn because what they grow there is really only good for horses.
2If someone disagrees with your viewpoint, he's "evil" and if someone doesn't, then that person is "good?" What happened to allowing differences of opinion and where is the tolerance of those opinions? That's why we have freedom of speech, even if used to vilify a sitting President. Bush isn't an evil man. You disagree with the actions he takes, you don't comprehend his mind-set, you think he's "all about oil" and then you judge him? Judging another person because you disagree shows profound lack of respect, not just for the other person, but for anyone who agrees with the other person. And, I dare add, for humanity as a whole.
John S. McCain uses a phrase "I have great respect for ____" (fill in the blank), which I questioned, but which I understand better as I think about it. He respects the other person and won't say anything that will demean the person or the office that person holds.
I respect President Bush, but I totally disagree with him on the FENCE issue. I respect President Bush, but I totally disagree with him on the NAU aka SPP. Etc. And if you will, I respect President Bush, but I think he screwed up when went into Iraq to fight the War On Terror. (He went into Iraq to be able to have a military base there which could protect the USofA and the area from anything China might do. So, you understand that if we pull out of Iraq and don't have a military base there, China will be able to launch an attack on the USofA and we won't be able to get our planes up in the air to shoot down any missiles in time and that some of the missiles will take out some of our major cities. Perhaps the city where you live. Nuclear fallout is not a pretty picture.)
It's all up to you. Live in fear because we have no base in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect us from China or North Korea, or fight against the Taliban and al Qaeda until we can establish a protective base. Your choice.
3Chavez is all propaganda. And we haven't seen his name in the papers for at least a week. Maybe he thought we'd forgotten him.
Where did Penn attend College and what degrees did he earn? Don't make me google for an answer, please.
4"Well, I'm sure his comment has more to do with the fact that Venezuela's economy depends on oil exports than his actual compassion for the hungry."
That's pretty much the first thing that popped into my head, Jennifer76! I wouldn't think "Chavez" and immediately think "compassion."
5Auntie Coosa - Is that in reference to my comment? The "evil Bush" was tongue in cheek. That's how Sean Penn has characterized him while cozying up to Chavez and this little turnaround is cracking me up.
6I can honestly say, there are few things in this world I care less about other then what Chavez says about an idiot like Sean Penn.
P.S Ethanol is a bad idea. Everyone is coming to that realization, except for Sean Penn.
7Where is Cabaker? She can talk about alternative fuels for forever!
8haha! I won't go on and on about cars anymore... I think Jen hit the nail on the head. Chavez couldn't care less about hungry people or else he would actually be trying to feed HIS OWN people instead of trying to make himself more powerful.
That guy is a wacko, but I'm glad it bit Sean Penn in the butt!
9oh sean penn.
chavez 
Two crazies found each other.
On another note, WOO WOO for Jazz Fest
Who's coming with me?
10i'm confused. nowhere in the original story does it say the fuel sean penn is using for his "trek" is ethanol. biodiesel and ethanol are two different things that are often blurred, sort of like in the linked story. yes, biodiesel is made from what was once a food product, but my knowledge of it is that it's a renewable fuel that's typically derived from recycled soybean and other vegetable oils, the difference between the two is akin to the difference between virgin water and grey water/reclaimed water.
one could easily drive a fleet of buses across the country using only recycled french fry oil from fast food restaurants... without harming the food supply in the process... and it burns cleaner than ethanol.
11Gosh Sy, I wish I had the funds to make it! We aren't all that far apart!
12I wish I could go Sy!
13Now that I know penn will be there maybe I'll change my mind
Although I heard the funniest thing about him this weekend, "sean penn looks like he's been outside since he was two years old"
14mmm french fries... yesteryear you're making me hungry
15He is a little crusty, Sy. I think he might have had a few years of rough living in there.
16and goodmorning ya'll! happy Monday!
17Mornin! I hate Mondays. Especially rainy ones.
18I think biodiesel has become a catch all name for alternative fuels, mechanically biodiesel is diesel that has been cut with some kind of oil. Ethanol is exactly that, ethanol which a car has to be designed to run on.
You can run a regular diesel car on biodiesel if you make a few modifications, but when it comes to ethanol i believe the car has to be designed specifically to be able to use it without much damage... theres some debate on that though.
19It's a purty monday here
20It's cold here today! I got a sunburn Saturday, so I'm liking this nutty weather. There's nothing nicer than warm skin and cold air, I think!
21cabaker: actually "biofuel" has become a catch all term, not biodiesel... and ethanol is not biodiesel. so i think this might be a little misleading. saying ethanol is harming the food supply makes sense, but biodiesel comes from used biomass (cooking oil) so it's quite different.
anyway, i read up on the actual point of this bus caravan penn is leading, and the biodiesel buses are only a minor element, it's actually more about doing public service around the country and inspiring young people to get involved. i think it's an awesome idea and if i wasn't stuck in an office all day, i might join them.
22It is cold and rainy here, and I am either catching a cold or my allergies are kicking in.
Thanks for clearing that up cabaker. You are in your element
23yesteryear, thats exactly what i was saying. that many people don't know the difference between the terms biodiesel and biofuel, so they can mix them up.
24well, now I know I can't use them interchangably. And since I'll probably forget the next time the subject comes up in conversation, I'll just keep my trap shut.
25biodiesel is not the same thing as ethanol
26oops, sorry, now I see that others have covered that same point.
27Oh, whatever...Whatever!
28cabaker: sorry if it seemed i was trying to "school" you on biofuels. the point i'm trying to make is that the original source is a bit misleading... sean penn isn't taking an ethanol tour of america, and chavez was complaining about ethanol, not biodiesel.
29haha, no prob Whatever... lets drive it on home!
ha ha, get it? drive?
boy i make myself laugh so hard...
30i gotcha yesteryear, its all good
31Good morning all! I hope the plight in WI makes your rain feel a little better. IT'S SNOWING HERE!!!! We're supposed to get 4- inches.... Where's spring?!?! I could go for some global watming right now
32Snowing?! hahah SUCKERS!
33i think the bottom line is both of these people have a serious political agenda and unfortunately the political system we live in is based around energy security (war in iraq anyone?) and being that chavez is a DICTATOR and not taken seriously, he has a really uncanny way of taking any opportunity to get some attention. it's good that we are having this debate here, i think lots of people could benefit from knowing more about the nuances of it all.
34Usually i have daydreams of snow, and jumping in and rolling in it.
35Ethanol doesn't work. I have been shoving corn into my fuel tank for the past week and, yeah, it's cheaper, but now my car won't run. Stupid biodiesel.
36Quick question: Is ethanol a form of biodiesel or are they two separate things entirely?
37Two separate things entirely. Ethanol is alchohol in its purest form. As of right now, 100% ethanol is not approved for use in the US. So some people add ethanol to regular fuel because it lowers emissions. Most cars can run on an ethanol blend, but not on pure ethanol.
Biodisel is diesel you buy and then cut with some kind of oil. You can actually make biodiesel in your garage with oil, lye and some other chemicals. Most commercially sold bioldiesel is a blend such as B20, which means 20% of the diesel is biodisel and the rest is petrodiesel...
Does that make sense?
38btw, any diesel car can be modified to run on biodiesel, its really a matter of changing hoses mostly.
ethanol is a different story.
personally, i think biodiesel is a better idea. its easier to implement, we don't need to make sweeping changes to the technology we have, and that way we're still buying some kind of oil (though much less of it) to support the countries that rely on oil sales. to me it seems like the biggest win-win...
39Yes, thank you Cabaker. You are most knowledgeable. I also get the sense that you somehow actually make fuel in your backyard.
40Somehow my Beaker the Muppet Chemistry Set never included instructions on how to make biodiesel....
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