National Biodiesel Day honors fuel of the future

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JEFFERSON CITY-- The cleaner burning energy of the future finds its roots in 19th century technology. Rudolph Diesel recognized the valuable role of renewable oil based fuel and would surely applaud sustainable biodiesel at work today.

"Biodiesel is currently the only advanced biofuel that is commercially available in the US; it's the next generation of fuel, here now," said National Biodiesel Board CEO Joe Jobe. "Rudolf Diesel originally designed diesel engines to use sustainable fuels. Today's biodiesel is a modern application of his innovation."

From the early diesel engine, there have been many improvements made to help improve fuel economy, power and performance but one of the most effective improvements comes in the form of biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel is a cleaner burning, advanced biofuel made from readily available renewable resources. National Biodiesel Day is celebrated annually on March 18th, Rudolf Diesel's birthday. Biodiesel users range from school districts to television studios and can be found in every corner of the country. Enterprise Holdings, which operates Alamo Rent A Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and National Car Rental, announced earlier this year that it will be converting its airport shuttle buses to run on biodiesel as part of its overall sustainability initiatives. The company is moving its entire fleet of more than 600 airport shuttle buses across 50 North American markets to at least 5 percent biodiesel (B5). The conversion to 20 percent biodiesel (B20) is happening immediately in nine markets, including Boston; Chicago; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; Miami; Raleigh/Durham; San Antonio and San Diego.

"This investment in biodiesel follows our commitment to our customers and our business to use our fleet to help grow the clean fuel market. By embracing alternative fuels and engine technologies they have greater opportunity to become commercially viable," said Lee Broughton, director of corporate identity and sustainability for Enterprise Holdings. "Biodiesel's benefits to the environment support our commitment to environmental stewardship, as well as our sustainable approach to managing our business for long-term success."

This innovative approach to helping the environment by using a cleaner-burning fuel in Rudolph Diesel's engines is just one of the reasons Enterprise Holdings is at the forefront of their industry. To find a biodiesel user near you or to learn more about Rudolph Diesel, visit biodiesel.org.

For more details on biodiesel's benefits, including economic and job boosts, energy security, and environmental, visit http://www.biodiesel.org/.