Music at the Plant returns

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

Sunday August 22nd The Late Shift at the Plant returns with Birds & Arrows and Big Al & His Marching Rams. Come out for a lovely evening on the lawn at Piedmont Biofuels.

This will be an evening show from 7pm to 10pm right here at Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro. Admission is $8, refreshments will be served.

For questions or directions email Chris or call 919-704-0549.

The Indy says this about Chapel Hill’s Birds & Arrows:
“There’s a sepia-toned but strong-willed romanticism to the texture- and harmony-rich tunes of Birds and Arrows, the duo of Andrea and Pete Connolly. Inside these pop-righteous, country-graceful numbers, they keep each other awake on long road trips and rejoice even in the sight of peril, one’s voice bolstering the other like lifelong support.”

Wilmington, NC’s Alex Hall, or Big Al was raised in the bread basket of traditional old time and string band music. He fell in love with the raw beauty in the ancient music. Alex quickly saw and felt a likeness between the energy of the rock music and the rowdy old time string bands. He began to focus on songwriting then moved to Wilmington, NC. It was here he began to combine modern sounds with old and record his original material as well as new takes on traditional songs. With two new records coming out in 2010, Big Al Hall has gathered a devout fan base with his high energy shows and earnest songwriting. When the band plays the acoustic jam kids, the rockers and music lovers young and old all turn out to dance, clap and sing along with Big Al Hall!

Grease Appreciation at Carolina Brewery!

Monday, July 12th, 2010

Tuesday July 13th at 6:30pm please come out and join us for a Grease Appreciation night at Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro. We’re supporting our restaurant suppliers for working with us to bring local, renewable biodiesel to the community. We couldn’t do it without restaurants like Carolina Brewery participating with us.

Join us from 6:30pm till … out on the patio at Carolina Brewery in Pittsboro.

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Grease Appreciation Dinner

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

On Wednesday, June 23rd, we are gathering at Tyler’s Taproom in Apex, NC at 6:30pm for our Grease Appreciation Dinner!

In April, we had a great time over at the Mez! Check out the pictures on our Team Grease facebook page…%3

Biodiesel & Seed Crushing Workshops

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

The second round of cutting-edge biofuel and oilseed-crushing workshops is coming to farmers in Virginia on March 26th and April 1st. Biofuel continues to be a prime opportunity for small-scale family farmers to make their own fuel or add value to their crops. In addition, the crushing of oilseeds to make valuable food grade oils (such as flax seed or sunflower oil) is growing in popularity among savvy farmers.

“The 2010 biofuel & seed-crushing roadshow” will feature a team of expert professionals offering workshops at rural locations in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia.

The workshop on March 26, 2010 is part of the Southern Virginia Bioenergy Conference. The cost of this event is free. Registration is required.

The workshop on April 1, 2010 is being hosted by Virginia Cooperative Extension, James Madison University, and Piedmont Biofuels.

All of the workshops will be conducted by Piedmont Biofuels Coop, one of the leading community-based biofuel producers in the country. (More information on Piedmont Biofuels at www.biofuels.coop.)

The workshops are three hours long and include an overview of small-scale biodiesel production, as well as an introduction to oilseed crushing machines and techniques. The Piedmont Biofuels mobile training lab includes a biodiesel reactor and a German-made Momfort Komet seed press. The organization has conducted dozens of workshops across the nation in recent years and is in high demand.

Rachel Burton of Piedmont Biofuels said, “We are so pleased to be coming to communities to meet farmers and anyone who is interested. We think every rural community can benefit from this type of hands-on training.”

The team will make enough biodiesel at each stop to fuel its own pick-up truck for the tour.

The 2010 Biofuel and Seed-Crushing Roadshow is coordinated by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, based in Pittsboro, NC. Funding is provided by the Risk Management Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, through a grant to the non-profit National Center for Appropriate Technology.

For general information about the tour, contact Fred Broadwell at Carolina Farm Stewardship Association at 919-542-2402 (office) or 919-943-1068 (cell). Site-specific contacts are below.

Roadshow dates and locations*

Virginia

March 26th

Southern Virginia Bioenergy Conference

Workshop Location: Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
150 Slayton Avenue
Danville, Virginia 24540

April 1st

Virginia Cooperative Extension, Shenandoah Valley

Workshop location: Montezuma Hall, Montezuma, VA

Workshop time: Starts at 10AM

Contact:  To register for this event please contact the Rockingham County Extension Office at 540-564-3080

The registration fee is $10 and includes lunch.

ALABAMA

Wed. & Thurs. February 17, 18

At the 118th Annual Tuskegee Farmer’s Conference, Tuskegee, AL

Hosted by the Tuskegee Institute

Biofuels/seedcrushing workshops both days.

www.tuskegee.edu (click on “Outreach” for conference registration)

Contact: Barrett Vaughn  (334)727-8527or (334) 552-1152

GEORGIA

Friday February 19

Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, GA

10:30 AM  – 2 PM

Contact: Leon Porter, porterl@fvsu.edu, 478-987-2028, ext 245

Also Friday February 19

Koinonia Partners, Americus, GA

Call for time.

www.koinoniapartners.org
Contact:  Sarah Prendergast, sarah@koinoniapartners.org, 877-738-1741

FLORIDA

Saturday February 20

Wildwood Farmers Market, Wildwood City Hall, Wildwood, FL

Hosted by UF/IFAS Sumter County Extension Service

9 AM to 12 noon

Contact:  Susan Kelly, sakelly@ufl.edu, 352-793-2728

Monday February 21

Crescent Moon Organic Farm, Sopchoppy, FL

Hosted by Florida A&M University Statewide Small Farm Programs

1PM to 4:00PM

Contact: Jennifer Taylor, Jennifer.taylor@famu.edu, 850-412-5260

SOUTH CAROLINA

Tuesday February 22

Low Country Council of Government offices, Yemassee, SC

Hosted by Clemson University Cooperative Extension

1:30 to 4:30 PM

Contact: York Glover:  yglover@exchange.clemson.edu, 843-812-2909

*Note:  More dates are planned in March in Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

Sustainable Biodiesel Summit

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

7th Annual Biodiesel Summit Redefines Sustainability

…Summit Highlights the latest Sustainability Trends
February 6 – February 7, 2010

SBSlogoGrapevine, TX — Biodiesel leaders from across the country will meet in Grapevine Texas to discuss the status of sustainable biodiesel. After the collapse of oil prices, many recent investments in biodiesel operations are upside-down, and sustainability advocates worry that producers and consumers will cut costs by cutting corners. The 7th Annual Sustainable Biodiesel Summit, expecting over 150 participants from across the U.S and beyond, aims to help share resources and best practices to show how sustainability can help transform the industry.

The Sustainable Biodiesel Summit is an unaffiliated all-volunteer project conveniently preceding the 7th Annual National Biodiesel Conference and Expo (www.biodiesel.org). The Sustainable Biodiesel Summit will begin Saturday, February 6th at noon and conclude Sunday, February 7st.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Bill Holmberg, long time champion of biofuels and sustainable new wealth industry.  The schedule this year will feature a series of action-oriented roundtable discussions at a small, local winery and a trip to Willie’s Place at Carl’s Corner to visit the truck stop and biodiesel production facility.

Register before January 22 and pay only $100, saving up to $100 off the price of on-site tickets.  For more information or to register online, go to http://sustainable-biodiesel.org

24th Sustainable Agriculture Conference

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Join Piedmont Biofuels at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association’s 24th annual conference. The event will be held December 4-6, 2009 at the Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC. The event provides educational workshops for beginning gardeners, advanced organic farmers and folks interested in sustainable living. The movement’s most respected organic educators will be with us at the Blue Ridge Assembly, a retreat center amidst 1200 acres of Appalachian mountains and home to hiking trails, mountain streams, historic buildings, and a crafts center for the kids! Conference meals will feature local and organic farm food, including breakfast both days. Representatives from Piedmont Biofuels will be two workshops on Sunday, one on oil seed crops and crushing for oil extraction and another on small scale biodiesel production.

5-Day Biodiesel Workshop

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

Biodiesel Comprehensive 5 Day workshop

From humble beginnings as a biodiesel co-op to commercial biodiesel production, PB has first hand experience with all scales of sustainable biodiesel production. They are the smallest bq9000 certified producer in the world recognized nationally as fuel quality experts and internationally for their biodiesel education programs. Come experience life in a local economy and spend 5 days learning about production, plant design, methanol recovery and glycerin refining, fuel quality testing, regulatory and safety, and the fundamentals of the biodiesel business.

Register here:

http://theabundancefoundation.org/biodiesel-workshop/

Workshop dates: October 26-30, 2009 –

$650 – Pre-Registration & Payment by August 30
$700 – Registration & Payment from September 1 to October 1
$750– Registration after October 1

CBC in DC

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Join us for the Fourth Annual

Collective Biodiesel Conference

July 31st – August 2nd, 2009, at American University in Washington, DC!

3 Days, 3 Tracks, More than 20 Speakers!

KEYNOTE: a special advance screening of FUEL, the full-length biodiesel documentary

With director Josh Tickell, author of “From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank” and “Biodiesel America”

REGISTER | SCHEDULE | FAQs

The Collective Biodiesel Conference, originally held at the Colorado School of Mines, is a technical conference for small scale biodiesel and B100 users. It’s THE national conference for the homebrew community.

Biodiesel Production, Feedstocks and Usage are this year’s workshop themes. Talks will also cover Safety, Regulatory Compliance, and Fuel Quality.

The CBC brings people with all levels of biodiesel experience together to share secret tips, innovations and best practice methodologies. Whether you’re a newbie or a die-hard home-brewer, a B100 user or just looking, come learn more about biodiesel production and consumption from some of the community’s heavyweights!

Participants will also get to meet with legislators, take biodiesel buses to a Saturday night bonfire at beautiful Calleva farm, and tour the Pogoil farm-scale biodiesel processing facility.

The last day of discount ($150) “Medium Bird” registration is July 15th. After that, registration is $175 until July 30th, then walk-up registration is $225. You can also sign up for on-campus housing at our website for both nights of the conference for just $50 per night, and also buy one of our sharp conference t-shirts for just $15.

Learn more about this year’s conference and REGISTER TODAY!!

Thanks,

Web:  http://CollectiveBiodiesel.org

Email: biodieselconference@gmail.com

About the Collective Biodiesel Conference

The Collective Biodiesel Conference was held in Golden, Colorado the last three years. It is a non-profit effort, volunteer-run, and dedicated to building the biodiesel community.

Special thanks to American University’s Department of Facilities Management for hosting this year’s conference.

Celebrity Grease Runs

Thursday, June 18th, 2009

Our grease collection business began to grow about a year ago, when Moya showed up from Kentucky.  She took a leap of faith, jumped off the stage which was her life, and we caught her.
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Coop Volunteers

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Tami and I have enrolled our children in night school.

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