I am so glad to share this awesome news with you all! Newcomb Oil (Five Star) has agreed to donate all of their waste vegetable oil to the ETCA for our production of biodiesel! We will start getting the oil from the two stores located in Columbia, and then as the demand grows, we have been given permission to get the oil from the stores in Taylor and Green counties! THANK YOU NEWCOMB OIL!! They have become great "Partners in Sustainability". We are working on window stickers to promote awareness of their efforts toward sustainability and also to promote the Academy and our endeavors to increase membership and support. So, when you see these stickers on the Five Star windows/doors, please tell the store personnel "Thank You" for helping reduce the carbon footprint in our community by donating their Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) to make biodiesel!
A new "Partner in Sustainability" is Larry's Midway Market (the old Yarberry's Grocery) on Highway E 80. Larry heard about the Academy collecting WVO on my radio show, and he called right away! Larry moved here from California where he served the LAPD! Talk about a culture shock! He has just opened and is a really nice guy...and energy conscious!!! Thank you, Larry!
Right now, the Academy is picking up oil on Wednesdays. The ETCA has supplied 5-gallon buckets to the participating stores as it makes it easier for the employees to drain the grease and it is not as messy to transport in my vehicle! We still collect the empty used oil containers so that we can REUSE them when we get our biodiesel made. What about the cardboard on the outside of the carboys? We RECYCLE it, of course! I get lots of questions regarding the production of the biodiesel, and as of now we are stockpiling the oil. The processor is in the Ag Barn (outside) and it would just take too much electricity to keep the oil warm all the time.
