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Organizing Community Groups
What kind of group?
Will your group focus on getting information about biodiesel
to local businesses, lead seminars on how to produce your own
biodiesel, or work to bring a retail biodiesel pump to your area?
While there is lots of information to share with local businesses
and a number of groups and resources about how to make your own,
there is very little about how to bring retail biodiesel to your
area.
Why focus on retail biodiesel?
While biodiesel use and production should be encouraged in
all forms, working to bring retail biodiesel to your area has
several advantages:
- Partners in the energy sector can invest to produce and deliver
the biodiesel (not you!)
- Quality control is likely to be higher as the company’s
success requires satisfied customers
- The availability of retail biodiesel provides more opportunity
for more diesel consumers to try biodiesel
- The availability of retail biodiesel can be an important example
to governments that there is a market for green fuels
- Retail biodiesel provides greater opportunities for increased
investment in the green fuel and bio fuel sectors
Establishing your Group
The group initially would ideally consist of more than 5 people
to allow participants to share the associated responsibilities.
Attention should be paid to how you will organize various aspects
of the public side of your work such as recruitment, public relations
and presentations. Email lists can serve as a low cost and effective
way to grow your group, share new information and inform the group
of meetings and information sessions. Be aware that people’s
email addresses should be treated with respect and that overloading
the group with unnecessary emails may undermine your efforts.
Developing Energy Sector Partners
There are a number of energy companies large and small who
are increasing investments in biodiesel and biofuel from coast
to coast in Canada. However, the prohibitive cost of establishing
a retail pump often requires companies to conduct some form of
market research before expanding. By partnering with the energy
company, your group can help them do this research while providing
people in your community an opportunity to learn more about biodiesel
and its uses. Develop a clear idea of what the energy company
needs in order to brig a fuel outlet to your community and agree
to a specific timeline once the company’s conditions have
been met. In many cases these conditions will relate to how many
committed people your group can convince to use the company’s
biodiesel. Do not be discouraged. The company must have some assurance
that their investment will pay off and you and your group will
want to be certain the fuel is of high quality. Take care to manage
the expectations of those in your group who may assume that the
process will be quick and easy.
Information Sessions
Once your group has ten or more committed members set up an
information session and invite others from local government, business
and environmental groups. Ensure that as many members in your
group attend as possible and challenge each of them to bring a
friend. Provide low cost refreshments and attempt to introduce
key attendees to one another either before or after the session.
A nice way to ensure everyone gets to know everyone is to go around
the table as the information session is beginning. Have people
introduce themselves and tell the group why they are there. If
the group is too large this may not be possible, but do not underestimate
the value of introductions and do not assume that people will
introduce themselves. At the end of the session, encourage people
to ask questions of the company officials. It may be useful to
develop some prepared questions to facilitate useful dialogue.
Spreading the word
Once your group is established, you need to attract new people
to your group. Public meetings are a valuable tool as is listing
your group’s activities in community sections of local newspapers,
radio and television. Community forums on the internet focusing
on the environment and alternative fuels also may provide a useful
resource. Resist the temptation to stalk customers at your local
dealership. Remember that all VW TDIs and some BMWs, Audis and
Mercedes can use this fuel. Don’t forget big rigs, boats,
generators and farm equipment. Biodiesel will run in any diesel
engine with no modifications. In the past some members of the
Ottawa Biodiesel Group used these cards
to spread the word. If this looks appealing, feel free to copy
them and pass them out. Please use recycled paper!
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Coast to Coast
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Summer 2005
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