BioFleet Boards the Bus in Alberta26/03/2008Canmore, Alberta – School buses from the Canadian Rockies Public Schools District fill up on biodiesel at the Alberta launch of BioFleet, a biodiesel market development program helping to expand the use of biodiesel in the province. Climate Change Central, in partnership with the Fraser Basin Council, Saskatchewan Research Council and the Canadian Canola Growers Association, operates the western Canadian program. BioFleet provides information, incentives, workshops, demonstrations, tools and common branding to promote biodiesel use and raise awareness of its environmental benefits. “We’re pleased that strong partnerships among governments and industry leaders are heightening awareness of the biodiesel option and are confident it will expand demand for biodiesel in the future,” says Simon Knight, President and CEO of Climate Change Central. “Increased demand for biodiesel will stimulate job opportunities in rural regions while promoting an environmentally-friendly energy option.” In September 2007 the Canadian Rockies Public Schools District became Alberta's first BioFleet member and the province’s first school district to use biodiesel in its bus fleet. Over 1600 students now ride to school on buses fuelled by biodiesel. "On the grand scale, we are reducing our carbon footprint and taking action to advance one of the Canadian Rockies Public School District's goals: environmental responsibility and stewardship,” says Esme Comfort from the Canadian Rockies Public Schools District Board of Trustees. “But we are also celebrating the ability of public education to empower kids to achieve their dreams. I look forward to seeing what else comes from the Canadian Rockies Public Schools - the little school district that could, can and does." With a $330,000 investment from Western Economic Diversification Canada and financial support from both the agriculture and biodiesel industries, the program is helping pave the way to a viable and sustainable biodiesel industry in Alberta. “This program will help foster the growth of Western Canada’s emerging biodiesel industry and support efforts aimed at increasing commercial production,” said the Honourable Rona Ambrose, President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification. “This project promotes renewable fuels and highlights the potential economic benefits of biodiesel for rural communities.” For information on the program, upcoming workshops or the first-users incentive, please visit www.biofleet.net.
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