Wednesday, July 26, 2006

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The Biodiesel Industry Gathers
For The Second Major
Biodiesel Deal-Making Event!


Network with the leading biodiesel developers, investors, lenders, EPC contractors and other industry players who are looking to do deals and discover:
  • What key elements they look for in deals
  • The type of relationships they seek and the opportunities that exist for partners and investors to get involved in upcoming deals
  • The unique new ways in which deals are being structured
  • The critical factors it will take to get deals successfully done in 2006 and beyond
Pre-Summit Workshop:
The Business Case For Biodiesel
This day-long workshop will feature an excellent faculty of seasoned industry professionals who will offer a comprehensive tutorial in Biodiesel Project Development; from biodiesel growth drivers, Federal and state tax incentives, feedstock availability and price, as well as the key factors of product implementation, plant development and distribution logistics.


To Register Or Obtain More Information Call:
818-888-4444 or go to:

www.infocastinc.com/biodiesel.html

If you do not wish to receive e-mail notification of Infocast conferences, click on the e-mail address below and type “delete” in the subject line. Sent the email to:

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Media Partners

Featuring Speakers From The Following
Organizations:

Ag Bio Energy
Ag Country Farm Credit Service
Ardour Capital Investments
Ascendant Partners
Biodiesel Systems
Burns McDonnell
Christianson & Assoc.
CoBank
ConAgra Trade Group Inc
Delta-T Corporation
e Bio Holdings
Fagen, Inc.
Farm Credit Services of America
First Capital Risk Management
Hamilton Clark & Co.
Imperium Renewables
Investec
Lurgi PSI
Marathon Capital
Natural Fuel & Energy
New Energy Capital
Stearns Bank N.A.
Tri-State Biodiesel
US Renewables Group
West Central Coop
West LB Securities
World Energy Alternatives
... and more!
You may also be interested in…
our upcoming ETHANOL FINANCE & INVESTMENT SUMMIT, September 11-13, 2006 in New York. Network with the leading ethanol developers, investors, lenders, EPC contractors and other industry players who are looking to do deals in 2006 and beyond. For more information, please visit www.infocastinc.com/ethanol.html.
See upcoming Infocast events

Information Forecast, Inc. • 6800 Owensmouth Avenue, Suite 300 • Canoga Park, CA 91303 •
(818) 888-4444 • www.infocastinc.com

Monday, July 17, 2006

The Bikeway Concept - An Open Proposal To American Metropolises...

The dual battles of energy consumption and physical fitness in the face of today's extreme travel times and computerized office work are both extremely difficult to tackle. This was not lost on me as I was riding home on a train delayed by hours because of a hazardous materials spill on the tracks between my fellow passengers and I and home.

Most days on the train, everyone rides all stern-faced and silent, absorbed in their computer screens, Ipods, Walkman, magazines, books, and newspapers. It is a shock to most people on the train if anyone actually tries to engage them in conversation. Clearly, they are not riding the train for company, nor do they care to develop the sort of temporary connections that such conversations bring. They are on the train because it simply costs too much to drive.

So, here they sit, waiting to go into offices they will sit in, just as their counterparts on the congested, slow, and hazardous highways and side streets do. They spend hours helping to burn fuel and increase global warming, but "have no time" left after all the commuting to burn any fat through healthy exercise.

The other passengers and I, on our long, slow, agonizingly late train ride home that evening, finally got bored enough and had enough of an unusual circumstance to break the taboo. We actually started speaking to each other! We talked about the mess with the train, who had heard what, life, jokes, relationships. We laughed and we made lemonade out of the sour deal of our lost time. One of the discussions turned to wishing their was a better way to make use of the ride to and from work - how could we make it fun or useful?

Riding the train is a lumpy, bumpy, swinging, swaying proposition. The tracks throw the cars from side to side wherever the rails swerve in the least. One bit of curve to an otherwise straight track, and whoa! Good-bye, a half hour of typing. Trying to read is constant eye strain as the page moves all over the place and your eyes race to follow. Don't think writing in longhand is going to be very readable, either.

Meanwhile, that breakfast you didn't have time for isn't kicking up your metabolism, and the heavy, late dinner you had when you finally got home the night before just added to your body fat stores as you slept on a full stomach. It's like the whole commute game is stacked against you! So just what is a hard-driving-to-work American Commuter to do? Another weight episode on Oprah while sitting on the couch? I think there's a better idea.

How about a covered bicycle path that is downhill all the way to your destination? Think about that.

Exercise: These days, you can buy a gasoline motor for a bicycle that replaces the front wheel - the entire drive train is contained in the front wheel. The gas bottle goes in the bike's water bottle holder on the lower bar. So, here you are, you have a down hill run all the way from the suburbs to the heart of the city. You have elevators out in the burbs that lift you up onto the bikeway. You have exit ramps at each street just past the train stops. (The bikeway would be built over the existing railroads.) You pedal until you're tired, then kick in the gas motor and ride the rest of the way getting 80-100 miles per gallon. There you go, America - burning hundreds of calories on the way to work every day just by choosing to burn less gas.

The bikeway would be covered by an inexpensive roof made from recycled plastics now going into landfills. It would be fairly well vented on the sides, and the roofing could be covered with solar power cells to operate lights, side vents, or heaters, or the elevator systems.

People could always opt to ride the train or drive depending on their physical abilities, cartage needs, and personal preference. Still, the bikeway system would relieve traffic congestion, create jobs, reduce transportation fuel consumption, and improve Americans' physical health and longevity - thereby reducing health care costs in the USA. You can also bet that the first city to install such a system would benefit from a lot of extra tourism from people wanting to see or ride the bikeways. It's also likely to draw bicycling conventions and events.

As for creating jobs, the bikeway system would need maintenance workers, cleanup crews, and construction technicians. Additionally, it would encourage people to ride bicycles a great deal more, which would mean increased demand for bicycle production, replacement parts, inner tubes, and tires. High tech add-ons and mobile computing devices that made use of voice technologies and head up display style eyeglasses might be developed for the "connected bikeway rider." Could you imagine voice-writing a book while you bicycle into the city to work at the office or visit your publishing agent?

The whole concept appeals to a self-avowed Earth Steward, and to the child in us as well. I had great fun riding my bicycle when I was a child, and still do when I can find the time and a safe place to ride. Here's a way we can all have better lives while getting that fun back.

By Daniel A. Stafford
06/26/2006
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GreenBiz.com's GreenBuzz - Published Weekly July 17, 2006
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Taking Care of Business

Last April the United Nations released its Principles for Responsible Investment, a series of guidelines to help institutional investors better identify “non-traditional financial fitness factors” such as environmental and social responsibility. In the latest edition of our monthly Responsible Investment Forum, host Steve Schueth has the rundown.

On a related note, major financial institutions have taken another whack at the Equator Principles, an industry-wide benchmark for managing environmental and social risk. The revised guidelines were released last week.

Finally, Sustainable MBA columnist Kirsten Liegmann wants to know: Who needs money anyway?

This Issue's Sponsor:
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Headlines
The Latest News on Business and the Environment

Healthcare Engineering Group Commits to Energy Efficiency
The American Society for Healthcare Engineering has announced it is joining the U.S. EPA's Energy Star Challenge, making a public commitment to improve energy efficiency in hospitals by 10%.

Bayer Reports Emissions Reductions Despite Higher Production Volumes
Despite an increase in production, the Bayer Group cut greenhouse gas emissions by 7% in 2005, according to the company's newly published Sustainable Development Report.

Ricoh to Ask Suppliers to Reduce CO2 Emissions
Ricoh Co., a major Japanese manufacturer of office equipment and supplies, will ask its suppliers of parts and other materials to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions as part of its green procurement activities.

Major Manufacturer Joins EPA's Green Suppliers Network
Industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation joins a group of large manufacturers committed to sharing both lean -- and clean -- manufacturing techniques and environmental process improvements with their small and medium-sized suppliers.

Financial Institutions Revise Equator Principles for Environmental and Social Risk Management
The revision underscores how far the financial sector has progressed in embedding in the project finance arena a common set of best practices to manage social and environmental risks related to project financing.

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Resources and Tools
A Wealth of Hands-On Help

Cleaner Production in the Hospitality Industry
This booklet shows how implementing efficiency measures based on energy, water, and waste assessments can translate into significant savings for hotels.

Strategic Energy Management
Managing energy does not necessarily require a formal system; any firm can improve their energy performance by following a few simple techniques. By Andrew Parish, Sustainable Energy Ireland

Investor Guide to Climate Risk
Online guide identifies ten key action steps for plan sponsors and fund managers as well as the companies in which they invest.


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Columns and Features
Insight and Inspiration from the Experts

Responsible Investment Forum: The United Nations' New Guidelines
Socially responsible investment strategies serve as the foundation for the United Nations' new Principles for Responsible Investment. But most of the investment management and mutual fund companies who serve socially conscious investors have been operating in a manner consistent with the U.N. Principles for years -- it's what differentiates us in the marketplace.

Beyond Bills: Using Complementary Currencies to Diversify Risk and Create Sustainable Economies
This ancient method of exchange not only has the benefit of diversifying the risk associated with being tied solely to a national currency but also assisting in creating more sustainable communities and local economies. By Kirsten Liegmann

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