Not body fat! I am talking vegetable oil.
I had the opportunity to speak with Chris Benzak '93 of Newport Biodiesel recently. Chris joined the company in its infancy back in 2006 and has been instrumental in its growth ever since. Working crazy hours, figuring out where to invest and how to grow most efficiently, sweating the swings of the Federal credits that were promised back in the day, were all part of his story about their road to profit and self-sufficiency today. In seven years, they went from creating biofuel in a basement to servicing 2000 collection sites in four states. Fat is where it's at!
Newport Biodiesel will make two million gallons of fuel this year that will heat homes and power cars all over New England. That is two million gallons of cleaner burning fuel (86% cleaner!) that is made from what was once considered waste. They are a full service company and hauling outfit that manages all aspects of collections, production and transportation of the final product to the largest oil distributors around New England.
Off on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard for a day of collecting!
Not only are they making clean fuel from our waste grease, but also they make zero waste of their own. All the by-products of their process create more clean fuel in an anaerobic digester (a system that creates gas that is used to spin turbines to create electricity.)
The biofuel industry has made fat a commodity and Chris pays his partners a market rate. The company recently determined a way to increase their benefit to the community by facilitating donations from their partners’ proceeds to non-profit low-income home heating assistance programs. (This is what Tabor Academy is doing with our grease sales.)
Chris’s interest is in building a local, sustainable business that has a powerful impact on our communities and improves our quality of life. At every level, from creating jobs in Rhode Island to their commitment to being a zero waste facility to their interest in helping those in need, they are producing something of value and providing opportunities for their partners to do the same.
We are proud of Chris's ethos, his business savvy, and his commitment and effort to find a cleaner way to power our lives.
If you have an inspiring story or an innovative business to share with alumni, please contact me, Kerry Saltonstall, Director of Alumni Affairs, so I can spread the word about your good work!
Newport Biodiesel made the first million gallons of biodiesel
in New England on May 13, 2011.
