that continuing to add huge amounts of carbon dioxide to our atmosphere from the burning of fossilized fuels can only make the situation worse.

We need to change our behaviour. One of the simplest ways to address this problem is to reduce our reliance on climate change-inducing fuels and increase the use of cleaner al-ternatives. Fortunately, these sources of energy do not have to be invented. They are available now. Perfect ex-amples are fuels made from renew-able sources like ethanol and biodies-el. At their core, these fuels are in bal-ance with Mother Nature.

I was proud to serve in a govern-ment that mandated the increased use of these better alternatives. Today, this exciting new industry is creating jobs, providing rural economic activ-ity, and increasingly using new feed stocks to increase the sustainability of fuels for our cars and trucks every day.

When faced with a challenge, you can count on human beings to im-agine, innovate, and crystalize new solutions. We are now facing a global challenge that is impacting all hu-

manity. It is within our grasp to use new fuels now and for the future. Fuels in balance with Mother Nature.

Getting the factsSome complain that biofuels increase food costs, but qualified economists dispute this. Others say engines don’t run as well, but Nascar and Indy driv-ers love it. Billions of miles now attest to the fact that E10, a blend of 10 per-cent ethanol in almost all gasoline in North America has not caused any issues or problems. Motorists have driven millions of miles with E15 and those with flex fuel cars with E85.

Yes, there are those who want to be climate change deniers and those who want to spread false and mislead-ing information. To all of them I say, get the facts.

Bio energy is Powering our Future

A speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnet

energy from wasteOne community’s waste is another’s fuel

food vs fuelunderstanding the correlations

Moving forward with bio fuels

Can the behaviour of 8 billion people on our plan-et Earth change things for all of us? At what point will too much

CO2 in the atmosphere make a differ-ence? Is the tipping point when the world has over 6,000 coal-fired power plants and we drive a billion cars and trucks? Can we extract 100 million barrels of oil each and every day before Mother Earth says, “No more”? Thirty percent of our greenhouse gas is from transportation. Over half the gasoline used in Ontario and all gasoline used in Quebec is imported from foreign countries. Are there good alternatives to gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel?

Cleaner solutionsEvidence is mounting every day that human activity is changing our weather on a global scale. The scientif-

ic community, government officials, and non-government organizations have been warning us of the implica-tions for years. Canadians and world citizens are learning the hard way. Never cross Mother Nature. No mat-ter what you think is causing climate change, there should be no dispute

John Wilkinsonpresident and ceO, Wilkinson insight incorporated, former Minister of research and innovation and Minister of the environment

John Wilkinson

editorial@mediaplanet.com

1 If you agree that it’s smart to reduce Canada’s environ-

mental footprint, write your MP and voice your support for the pro-duction of more alternative, clean, renewable fuels.

2 If you are a corn farmer, make it known that there is an

abundance of sweet corn for hu-mans to eat and an abundance of industrial corn to make both animal feed and fuel.

3 If you bought a flex fuel car (about half of all new cars

sold in Canada) and want more ethanol in your fuel, ask Canada’ oil companies for E85 fueling stations.

my best tips

fuels of the future

3 faCts about Green fuel

3 faC3 faC3 fa ts about

March 2013

sir richard branson, formula ford series Champion Matt White, and Jay leno on

the future of green transportation and how Canada

is leading the way.

ph

oto

: vir

gin

atl

an

tic

, in

se

t p

ho

to: m

att

Wh

ite

A speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnet2 · MArch 2013

four billion bushels of industrial corn is used each year in north america to make ethanol. Has this raised the price of food?

Let’s acknowledge that food prices for 2012 increased only 1.1 percent, the lowest for 20 years according to the Canadian government’s CPI. Al-so appreciate that corn used to make ethanol is not sweet corn for humans, which is usually grown with vege-tables and hand-picked with the cob and husk.

Manufacturing ethanol uses on-ly the carbohydrate and all the pro-tein, fibre, vitamins, minerals, and oils are saved for an animal feed product called dried distillers grains. Last year, the ethanol industry produced over 39 million tons of this feed—more than all the farm animals could eat.

Maximizing yieldAbout 90 million acres of corn is planted as a rotation crop each year. Years ago, farmers expected a yield of about 40 bushels per acre. With better farm practices, modern fer-tilizers with nutrients, and genetic-

ally engineered seeds, corn farmers are now able to produce about 160 bushels of corn per acre. Over the past 10 years, the amount of corn for animal feed and for export has been relatively stable, while the in-creased amount from the higher

yield is used to make ethanol. Many ask, “what would we do with all that corn if we didn’t make ethanol? It can’t be used for food!”

unnecessary subsidiesYears ago, when corn prices were low, farmers truly suffered and governments handed out billions of dollars in subsidies. Most farm subsidies are now unnecessary. The question to ask those who tell you that ethanol raises the price of corn is, “why has the price of wheat, barley, rye, soy, oil, as well as fruits and vegetables gone up about the same amount as corn?” Economists who study this blame the high price of oil used for tractors and for shipping, pack-aging and energy for freezing and cooking, etc.

Farmers receive about 8 percent

for their product compared to the retail price of food at the grocery story. When a box of corn flakes sells for $3.99, the farmer gets about 17 cents for the corn.

Nutritionists advise against eating corn-fed beef because of the medicines required to keep steers healthy, as their digestive systems were not developed to eat corn. Animals are supposed to eat grass.

Unfortunately, the most serious health problem is obesity. Doctors and nutritionists blame the use of high fructose corn syrup hidden in so many food products. So the real question is, should we make more artificial sweeteners or make renewable fuels, which are cleaner and perform better than the alternative?

Challenges

“the future of sustainable transportation is as much in the fuels, as it is in the vehicle.”

We recommend

Panel of experts p. 4leaders in the bio fuel industry explain what we will be using for fuel in the future

empowering agriculture p. 5how more ethanol in your car means more jobs in canada’s agriculture sector

Jay leno discusses alternative fueled transportation

There are over 1 billion cars on the road world-wide. How will we mitigate the combined impact all these cars have on our environment, climate and public health?

Mitigating the effects of fossil fueled transportationMore than a billion cars and trucks now travel the roads of the world. unfortunately, this marvel of transport is caus-ing significant damage to the global environment and pub-lic health.

In Canada, the transportation sector accounts for more than 25 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a myriad of chemical pollut-ants and particulates. This presents a dire and urgent need for greater in-vestments in environmentally re-sponsible, cleaner, renewable, al-ternative fuels.

Chicken or the egg?Electric vehicles provide a small, but growing niche; however, for a long time, we’ll continue to rely on liquid fuel for the internal combustion en-gines to power our cars and trucks. Henry Ford ran his first cars on etha-nol which is a clean-burning fu-el made today from industrial corn. Two billion litres is produced annu-ally in Canada is an important com-ponent of the transportation fuel we use every day.

But we’re not taking full advan-tage of these fuels, because in Can-ada, we currently only use 10 percent ethanol blended into our gasoline, yet almost half of all cars manufac-tured in North America have Flex Fuel engines that can run on a mix of 85 percent ethanol. Unfortunate-

ly, the oil industry has been slow to provide us E85 pumps. According to Len Coad, the Conference Board of Canada’s Director of Energy and En-vironment there are now only four stations in the entire country that sell E85 fuel.

recycling Co2Natural Resources Canada and the Department of Energy in the U.S. publish their studies about the environmental benefits of etha-nol which conclude that ethanol reduces greenhouse gases from 48 percent to 68 percent compared to gasoline. Perhaps more important is the fact that the CO2 produced from ethanol is recycled CO2 that was already in the atmosphere.

CO2 released when burning gas-oline or diesel is adding CO2 to the atmosphere that had been buried underground for millions of years. As well, the addition of ethanol to gaso-line reduces every tailpipe emission, and since its introduction in our ma-jor cities, there are very few, if any, smog days.

“Our research shows that bio fuels, including ethanol, will be one of the most important solu-tions to reduce transportation emissions in Canada, especially in the freight sector,” says Ian Bruce, manager science and policy, David Suzuki Foundation. “But we need to ensure these fuels are produced in an environmentally sustainable way.”

a holistic approach Moving forward with responsibly pro-duced ethanol is an important com-ponent of a multipronged solution ne-cessary for the development of a green transportation sector. Using very little water, significantly less energy, and re-turning to the animal feed market all the protein, fibre, and other nutrients, today’s ethanol manufacturing indus-try is answering the call for sustaina-bility and responsibility.

Canada is also a leader in developing the technology to make more ethanol from agricultural and industrial waste feedstocks; cellulosic ethanol, the fu-ture of that fuel is now.

food vs fuel: the myths and misconceptions

Paulina DabroWski

editorial@mediaplanet.com

fuels Of the future1st editiOn, MArch 2013

responsible for this issue:Publisher: miguel van der oevermiguel.vdo@mediaplanet.comDesigner: laura shawlaura.shaw@mediaplanet.com Contributors: Jason blake, paulina dabrowski, Ken donohue, Jean hamel, marie-hélène labrie, Julia langer, maria elena otero, christopher rees, Jon Web, John Wilkinson

Photo Credit: all images are from istock.com unless otherwise accredited.

Managing Director: Joshua nageljoshua.nagel@mediaplanet.comeditorial Manager: maggie ritchie maggie.ritchie@mediaplanet.combusiness Developer: Joshua nageljoshua.nagel@mediaplanet.com

Distributed within:toronto star, march 2013this section was created by mediaplanet and did not involve the toronto star or its editorial departments.

Mediaplanet’s business is to create new customers for our advertisers by providing readers with high quality contentthat motivates them to act.

FolloW Us on FacebooK and tWitter!www.facebook.com/MediaplanetCawww.twitter.com/MediaplanetCa

kEn DonohuE

editorial@mediaplanet.com

pAge 3

ConsiDerinG traDeoffsthe real question is, should we use corn to make more artificial sweeteners, which pose detrimental health impacts, or should we make renewable fuels, which are cleaner and perform better than the alternative?

tHe use of etHanol Can reDuCe GHG eMissions

by 68%

tHe use of

traffiC eMissionsusing biofuels has also cut carbon emissions by 4.2 Megatons, which is equal to removing 1 million cars from the roads.Source: Marie-Hélène labrie, Vice PreSident, GoVernMent affairS and coMMunicationS, enerkeM inc.

A speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnetA speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnet MArch 2013 · 3

inspiration

racing toward solutions for greener transportation

“ninety-eight percent of our transportation is fuelled by fossil fuels,” says suzanne Hunt, who leads the renew-able jet fuels work at the Carbon War room.

“We have an opportunity to divers-ify how we power vehicles planes and ships, which will be better for the environment, ensure energy se-curity and help protect the transpor-tation sector from the volatility of oil prices.”

Founded in 2009 by Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson, the Carbon War Room is a unique global, independ-ent non-profit organization dedicat-ed to finding market-driven solu-tions to climate change.

Green aviationVirgin Atlantic Airways was the first airline in 2008 to operate a test flight using biofuel, when it flew a Boeing 747 from London to Amsterdam pow-ered by a blend of 20 percent biofuels in one of its engines. “We wanted to show that it was technically pos-sible, and make a visible demonstra-tion of our commitment to find a sustainable alternative to tradition-al crude-oil based kerosene,” says Branson.

“We proved to a largely skeptical industry that it was possible to rep-licate the very strict performance and safety characteristics of nor-mal jet fuel.” Virgin is now work-ing with LanzaTech, which uses a microbe to convert waste carbon monoxide gases from steel mills in-to ethanol. A second stage process turns that alcohol into jet fuel.

Canada’s leadingCloser to home, the National Re-search Council (NRC) of Canada achieved a major milestone six months ago when it was the first to fly a civil jet using 100 percent un-blended biofuel.

“We wanted to fully understand the impact of biofuel and to prove it can be burned safely and effective-ly in present day jet engines,” says Tim Leslie, one of the NRC’s pilots. “The ultimate goal in aviation fuel research is to look for ways we can decrease the unwanted by-prod-ucts of combustion to a level that is acceptable for the environment.”

Developing re-newable fuels isn’t easy, b e c au s e it’s cap-ital in-tensive, a n d

the oil industry has had a 100 year

head start in de-veloping the infrastructure,

refineries, and policy land-

scape. But as the price

of oil

rises, the more attractive renewable fuel sources will become. We are see-ing a dramatic downward trend in the cost of these fuels.

Greener carsIt’s not just in the skies where we are seeing new fuel technology adopt-ed, but also on the road. Hollywood icon, Jay Leno, who has more than 200 cars in his collection, has been driving home the need for us to re-look the way we power our cars. “The future of sustainable transporta-tion is as much in the fuels, as it is in the vehicle,” said Leno in a previous conversation. “It’s not the car that’s necessarily a bad thing it’s the fuel we use.”

racing on ethanol Many of these new fuels are being played out on the race track, which has long provided auto manufactur-ers with the perfect place to test new

technologies. “The track is the best research lab,” says Matt White, a

three-time Formula Ford Ser-ies champion. “The know-ledge that comes from test-ing vehicles at the top of their

stress points transfers to consumer automobiles.”

White adds that the focus in racing had been on developing safer cars, but environmental concerns have been the focus over the last five to ten years. IndyCar was the first to use 100 per-cent ethanol for all of its races. Other race series have since begun using varying amounts ethanol. “Burning fossil fuels and trying to go as fast as you will only take you so far before environmental concerns get raised,” says White. “So using these cleaner burning fuels shows that the sport is socially responsible.”

Don’t think for a moment that using a cleaner fuel with fewer emis-sions will compromise performance. It doesn’t. Ethanol has an octane level of 118 (regular gasoline has 87), and the higher the octane the better performance you can get from your engine. If renewable fuels are good for race cars, then they’re good for the kind of cars the masses have.

kEn DonohuE

editorial@mediaplanet.com

Passionately Greenleft: sir richard branson, Virgin atlantic Captain Geoff andreasen and the biofuels team. PHoto: VirGin atlantic riGHt: Jay leno in his Garage. PHoto: nbc uniVerSal

Matt WHiteMatt has been a long-time sup-porter of ethanol blended fuels

because of they burn cleaner than conventional fuels and do so at a higher octane.PHoto: Matt wHite

Branson. “We proved to a largely skeptical

industry that it was possible to rep-licate the very strict performance and safety characteristics of nor-mal jet fuel.” Virgin is now work-ing with LanzaTech, which uses a microbe to convert waste carbon monoxide gases from steel mills in-to ethanol. A second stage process turns that alcohol into jet fuel.

Canada’s leadingCloser to home, the National Re-search Council (NRC) of Canada achieved a major milestone six months ago when it was the first to fly a civil jet using 100 percent un-blended biofuel.

“We wanted to fully understand the impact of biofuel and to prove it can be burned safely and effective-ly in present day jet engines,” says Tim Leslie, one of the NRC’s pilots. “The ultimate goal in aviation fuel research is to look for ways we can decrease the unwanted by-prod-ucts of combustion to a level that is acceptable for the environment.”

Developing re-newable fuels isn’t easy, b e c au s e it’s cap-ital in-tensive, a n d

the oil industry has had a 100 year

head start in de-veloping the infrastructure,

refineries, and policy land-

scape. But as the price

of oil

rises, the more attractive renewable fuel sources will become. We are seeing a dramatic downward trend in the cost of these fuels.

Greener carsIt’s not just in the skies where we are seeing new fuel technology adopted, but also on the road. Hollywood icon, Jay Leno, who has more than 200 cars in his collection, has been driving home the need for us to relook the way we power our cars. “The future of sustainable transportation is as much in the fuels, as it is in the vehicle,” said Leno in a previous conversation. “It’s not the car that’s necessarily a bad thing it’s the fuel we use.”

racing on ethanol Many of these new fuels are being played out on the race track, which has long provided auto manufacturers with the perfect place to test new

technologies. “The track is the best research lab,” says Matt White, a

three-time Formula Ford Series champion. “The knowledge that comes from testing vehicles at the top of their

Matt WHiteMatt has been a long-time supporter of ethanol blended fuels

because of they burn cleaner than conventional fuels and do so at a higher octane.PHoto: Matt w

■■ moving around town accounts for 43 percent of toronto’s total greenhouse gas (ghg) emis-sions—the main cause of climate change. a quarter of transpor-tation emissions are for goods movement and three-quarters is associated with personal trans-portation.

■■ cars, vans, and trucks emit about 70 percent of the city’s smog (nox) pollution. diesel trucks are responsible for almost half of this, despite being only 13 percent of city traffic.

■■ pollution monitoring maps tell the story—emissions of vola-tile organic compounds (vocs), smog and particulates are high-est along roadways, sometimes exceeding health criteria.

Facts

Julia langerceo,  toronto atmospheric Fund (taF)

! read more on the web:

www.toronto.ca/taf

the future of green transportation is here! Sir Richard Branson on bio fueled aviation, Matt White on racing with ethanol and Jay Leno on alternative fueled vehicles.

etHanol is also GooD

for our PoCketbooks, as it loWers tHe PriCe of Gasoline at

tHe PuMP

etHanol is

A speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnet4 · MArch 2013

panel of expertsQuestion 1:Why should the average, everyday canadian be informed about the bio Fuel industry?

Question 2:Fast forward 15 years. What will your sector be making fuel from?

Question 3:What is the main business opportunity you see in the future of your sector?

biofuel is just one way we can work to build a better  environment, while wasting less ma-terial and energy. Fossil fuel use is simply not sustainable, and it is important for Canadians to understand the need to find alternative fuel sources.

one of the main business opportunities will involve putting new high-efficiency and less energy-intensive  technologies to work in producing liquid fuel from a variety of bio-mass sources, such as agricultural, industrial or municipal waste.

from nature, to our communities and in-dustries, our world produces a great deal of bio-mass waste. In the future, we will realize the potential of biomass waste, and use it as a fuel source.

the biofuel industry has spearhead a bio revolution.  As a society we are now able to turn all types of waste into valuable sugars which can be converted into many renewable prod-ucts that positively impact our economy and en-vironment.   These new technologies allow for the conversion of waste into renewable biofuels, renewable jet fuel, as well as green plastics and biobased chemicals.

it is important that Canadians understand the impact of their choices at the pumps. Every fuel has its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages, and understanding the issues will allow consumers to make an informed choice.

the main business opportunity is mak-ing a global transition from an oil-based so-ciety to a biobased society. The development of a bioproduct industry in rural areas could lead towards a more diversified energy future where renewables form the basis for the pro-duction of fuel, chemicals, and other materi-als. We have the ability to produce 1.4 trillion gallons of fuel each year—enough to replace 50 percent of global gasoline demand with agricultural waste alone.

the forest sector will need to identify novel, high-value bio-chemicals or bio-materials in or-der to survive. The processes to make these prod-ucts will generate lower-value residues, which can then be converted into heat and power on our mill sites, or into fuels such as pellets or bio-fuels for use elsewhere. Plants making this type of product mix, which includes low-vol-ume but high-value products as well as large volume commodities, goes under the broader term bio-refinery, and mimics the petroleum re-finery which makes more than just gasoline or diesel fuel.

With biotechnology the sky is the lim-it.  New technologies commercializing today will be further refined to open up many pos-sibilities from all types of waste, including corn cobs and stover, wheat straw, wood chips, switch grass, miscanthus, sugarcane bagasse, trash, and even seaweed.  Beyond producing biofuels from these sources, companies will also be producing biobased jet fuels, biodies-el as well as biobased chemicals and other biobased products.

sustainable management practices will ensure that in 15 years, 50 years, or 100 years, we will continue to harvest this incred-ible renewable resource from which we will produce novel bio-products, bio-chemicals and bio-materials in addition to the tradition-al product mix. The question is not what will the forest sector be making fuel from, but how will we make it economically viable. That is the challenge.

Canada’s biofuels policies are the single most effective way to deliver both meaning-ful economic growth and reductions in green-house gas emission. Diversifying and greening our energy mix creates jobs, helps clean our en-vironment, and provides consumers with more fuel choices. In Canada, our biofuels plants con-tribute almost $1.2 billion every year to our economy in addition to generating almost $240 million in federal and provincial tax revenues.

the next years will bring a significant in-crease in the production of next generation bio-fuels. Regulations around the world are push-ing the transition from first generation bio-fuels to second generation biofuels. In the U.S., the Energy Information Agency evaluates that 250 million gallons of cellulosic biofuels will be produced in 2015.

in 15 years, biofuels are expected to be pro-duced from a wide variety of feedstocks. These feedstocks will include the traditional ones, such as corn and sugar cane, but they will also include municipal solid waste, wood residues—including construction and demolition wood, energy crops, and algae.

When waste isn’t waste: Canadian communities are finding value in their garbageWhile recycling has become routine, we still send more than 75 percent of our waste to landfills, which in many places across Canada are nearing capacity and contrib-ute hugely to greenhouse gas emissions, through the re-lease of methane.

Aside from hazardous waste and inert material, such as metal and ceramics, we have the capacity and technology to turn that garbage into renewable energy and other value-add products. Communities across Canada are to-day utilizing this technology to their benefit.

“The waste-to-energy process creates much-needed renewable

energy from what would other-wise simply go to a landfill,” says Vicky Sharpe, President and CEO of Sustainable Development Tech-nology Canada. “These technolo-gies are creating high-quality jobs in communities all over Canada as waste-to-energy plants are built and operated.”

Harnessing opportunityOne of these plants is being con-structed in Ottawa by Plasco Energy, which will see 95 percent of the city’s waste converted into clean, valuable products, while at the same time cre-ating excess electricity and 300 litres of clean water for every tonne of waste processed that can be passed back to a city’s water supply. “In water starved

areas the clean recovered water is quite valuable,” says Rod Bryden, Plas-co’s President and CEO. “Waste man-agement is a global problem which creates a global market and an oppor-tunity to direct resources to some-thing that will have significant en-vironmental benefits.” It’s expected that the life of Ottawa’s landfill will be extended almost 30 years, saving almost $250 million in landfill capital

costs.In Vegreville, Alberta, where up to

half the town’s summertime landfill waste was residential and farming organics, was recently recognized by the Federation of Canadian Munici-palities for their work in developing sustainable communities. That waste is now being converted into nitrogen-rich soil, bio gas to facilitate power generation, and excess electricity that is put back into the provincial power grid. In just four years, more than 365 tonnes of waste will be diverted from Vegreville’s landfill.

Powering citiesFurther west, Surrey, British Colum-bia, which in the coming decades is set to surpass Vancouver as the prov-

ince’s most populous city, is building the largest organics biofuel facility in Canada. When operational, more than 80,000 tonnes of organic waste from residential and commercial kitch-ens, along with yard waste will be converted into biofuel, which in turn will power the city’s waste collection trucks.

The economic and environmental benefits of converting our garbage in-to renewable energy are too compel-ling to ignore. Communities across Canada are already proving that we no longer need to throw our waste away. It’s time to stop putting our waste in the ground and instead turn it into something of value.

rod brydenpresident and ceO, plasco energy group

kEn DonohuE

editorial@mediaplanet.com

Jean Hamelvice president, pulp, paper & bioproducts,fpinnovations

Dr. Jon Webdirector of the university of Waterloo’s laboratory of emerging energy research

Marie-Hélène labrievice president, government Affairs and communications, enerkem inc.

Jason blakeglobal director, biomass business development, novozymes

A speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnetA speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnet MArch 2013 · 5

the greening of our planet

For over a century, fossils fuels—coal, oil, and natural gas—have in-dustrialized the world, raised our standard of living and moved us around by powering planes, trains and automobiles. However, this fossil fueled growth has come with considerable environmental costs.

Today’s cleaner burning, local-ly produced renewable fuels not only reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution, but pose negligible detrimental health effects when compared to the burning of fos-sil fuels. Furthermore, they save motorists money and lead to a strong and vibrant agriculture sec-tor that in turn can support mas-sive job creation.

it’s your healthReducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change is a key as-pect of environmental responsibility. Reducing air pollution is especially critical for human health. “Air pollu-tion caused by burning fossil fuels re-mains a serious risk factor for the 2.4 million Ontarians living with chron-ic lung disease,” says George Habib,

President and CEO of the Ontario Lung Association.

“It is clear that developing and using cleaner alternatives to gasoline and diesel will be a vital part of the cam-paign to reduce harmful emissions from vehicles and other sources.” To-ronto Public Health has studied the effects of vehicle related air pollution and concluded that a 30 percent re-

duction in vehicle emissions in Toron-to would save nearly 200 lives and sig-nificantly reduce premature hospital-ization and illness.

Ethanol is also good for our pocket-books, as it lowers the price of gasoline at the pump. Ethanol sells for about 20 cents per litre less at wholesale than gasoline, and by adding 2 billion litres of supply to the gasoline pool, it lowers

the price in the gasoline supply/de-mand pricing structure. Families save about $160 each year.

Producing cleaner fuelsLike many resource industries, agri-culture lives with market volatil-ity caused by unpredictable weather and the ups and downs of commod-ity prices, but biofuels created a new

market for farmers. According to the Grain Farmers of

Ontario, corn yields in the province have grown and continue to grow at a significant rate. Without the ethanol industry to take the corn, there would be a glut on the market, which would be detrimental to farmer’s income and to rural economic development.

“Anytime you can add demand you stimulate the industry, which is im-portant because agriculture is the backbone of our country,” says Scott Thurlow, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. “This is Canada’s strategic advantage. We can continue to provide the world with our grains, while at the same time pro-duce cleaner fuels and ensure a pros-perous agricultural industry.”

The potential is huge for Canada. So much of Canada’s land is not suitable for growing food and new seeds are now available to grow energy crops in adverse conditions that will not on-ly create jobs, and provide additional farmer income, but will provide bil-lions of litres of clean renewable trans-portation fuels.

neWs

kEn DonohuE

editorial@mediaplanet.com

CRFA members created a renewable fuels platform that is working today and building tomorrow. Our innovations in fuel technology are crcreating jobs, lowering harmful emissions, and laying the foundation for the bio-economy in Canada.

a “hot” opportunityThe opportunity of using bio mass for heating is currently under-appreciated in Canada. The major focus—especially in Ontario—has been biomass for power genera-tion. While the Atikokan generat-ing station switching to wood pel-let operation from coal is a major achievement, very few smaller pri-vate sector or community projects to produce power from biomass have emerged.

The best use of biomass is to gen-erate heat and hot water for indi-vidual buildings (schools, hospitals, public buildings) and for the resi-dential sector by using commun-ity-heating networks. Significant opportunities exist right across the country, particularly where natural gas is unavailable and re-liance on oil or electricity for heat is the norm.

Here are a few steps that need to be considered:

■■ Engage municipalities in look-ing at biomass heat.

■■ Provide incentives to move to biomass heat solutions.

■■ Engage major European coun-tries to propose “standardized” heat packages based on their own technologies.

■■ Engage the heating appliance and fuel distribution industries in Canada to create a pellet and equipment supply network.

The development of a domes-tic market for wood pellets in Can-ada would not be a difficult step if sufficient demand existed. Lev-els of government and industry need to get busy in developing that market.

heating With bio mass

ChristoPhEr rEEs ViCE Chair, CanaDian

bioEnErgy assoCiation

editorial@mediaplanet.com

“Air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels remains a serious risk factor for the 2.4 million Ontarians living with chronic lung disease.”

W.scottthurlowpresident, canadian renewable Fuels association

groWing oUr FUtUre

bio fuels stiMulate tHe

eConoMy

bio fuels

A speciAl Advertising feAture by MediAplAnet6 · MArch 2013 A SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE BY MEDIAPLANET6 · MARCH 2012