Sustainability Symposium - Wednesday, February 8, 2012

SUSTAINABILITY SYMPOSIUM - NEW IN 2012!!

Biodiesel is the most sustainable liquid fuel on the planet. Serious questions arise about the sustainability of any liquid fuel. Attend this symposium, learn about these important issues, and hear how the experts answer the tough questions about biodiesel's long-term sustainability.

These issues impact everyone. Liquid fuels are irreplaceable in our society. Their production impacts our food supply, our security, and our climate. Society must find more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel.

Biodiesel supporters have a special role in communicating these issues, dispelling myths, and promoting America's Advanced Biofuel. Attend this symposium and prepare yourself to do your part in protecting our environment and improving our economy.

 

Brought To You By The USDA Biodiesel Education Program

All full registrants of the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo will receive a complimentary ticket for admission to the Sustainability Symposium.

For information on registering to attend the entire conference and expo, click on the the Conferende & Expo link to the right.

All full registrants of the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo will receive a complimentary ticket for admission to the Sustainability Symposium.
Those who may wish to just attend this symposium can do so for a fee.

Thank you for visiting the National Biodiesel Conference site.  Attendee/ Exhibit Staff registration is now closed.  You may register onsite as of Sunday, February 5th.  If you have immediate questions please contact Executive Events at 1-877-433-3976. 

 

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Keynote Speaker: Stephen Kaffka, Director California Biomass Collaborative, University of California-Davis

Introduced by: Rachel Burton, Piedmont Biofuels, Sustainable Biodiesel Summit, NBB Sustainability Task Force

9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Greenhouse Gases - How Big is the Problem and What are our Options?

Atmospheric CO2 has increased drastically since the industrial revolution, and will continue to rise as fossil carbon is extracted and burned for energy. Experts say current and future effects of greenhouse gases will have devastating consequences. What energy options are suitable for reducing greenhouse gases? The lifecycle emission of biodiesel will be examined, including indirect impacts of land use change. The understanding of indirect impacts has improved under scrutiny of world experts. Get up-to-date on the latest findings, and find a renewed focus for solving our potential climate change problem.
Moderator: Don Scott, National Biodiesel Board Director of Sustainability Speakers; Dr. Stephen Mulkey, President, Unity College; Dr. Richard Nelson, Kansas State University, USEPA advisory panel on biogenic carbon; Don O'Connor, developer of the GHGenius lifecycle model

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Energy Security - The Economic and Social Consequences of Energy Dependence vs. Independence

Petroleum reserves are dwindling. However, long before we run out of oil, we will find the cost too high to bear. The U.S. spends a billion dollars a day on imported petroleum. Beyond the economic cost, what are the social and political consequences of reliance on foreign oil, or any single source of energy? How are the economic benefits of biodiesel quantified? What are some of the other social benefits of renewable, decentralized, diversified, and domestic sources of energy?
Moderator: Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, American Council On Renewable Energy
Presenters: John Urbanchuk, Cardno ENTRIX; Robert Zubrin, author of Energy Victory

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Attendee Lunch

12:45 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Ecology, Biodiversity, Soil, Water and Air: How Will These Be Impacted By Our Choice of Fuel?

Can we produce renewable fuels without mining the resources essential to their production? Renewable fuels require interaction with soil, water, and air resources. This interaction must be sustainable, or we have gained little advantage over non-renewable sources of energy. How can diversifying energy feedstocks reduce and even improve environmental impacts?
Moderator: Jon Van Gerpen, University of Idaho
Presenters: Virginia Dale, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Ann Mills, Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources & Environment, USDA; Alan Weber, MARC-IV Consulting, Inc.

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Food Security - Long Term Strategy for Sustained Healthy Populations in an Energy-Dependent World

Food production and distribution are dependent on energy. Renewable forms of energy make food production more sustainable in the long run. Learn how the use of coproducts of food production used for bioenergy reduces the cost of protein and increases the long term stability and efficiency of food production. Learn how integrated food and energy production can make efficient use of land as agriculture lives up to its full potential. Hear how scientific leaders quantify the land needed for renewable fuel production and how that impacts the economics of food and livestock feed.
Moderator: Jim Duffield, USDA Office of the Chief Economist
Presenters: Keith Kline, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Chris Schroeder, Centrec Consulting Group, LLC; Wally Tyner, Purdue University