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Five biofuel vehicles are cruising The United States and Central America to promote the use of unconventional energy sources such as environment friendly home-made fuels

WWF joins Green Rally

by the WWF

“Greaseball Challenge 07” is a peculiar competition among vehicles running on biodiesel, grease and vegetable oil waste sourced from fast food outlet restaurants, gas stations, farms and factories.

All five teams participating in the rally's first edition raced through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and the week of April 19 in Nicaragua, with plans to cross into Costa Rica on April 23. They have been and will be stopping to visit several biofuel projects located along the rally route.

Teams are interested in meeting and establishing connections with producers, distributors, farmers, community cooperatives, entrepreneurs and NGOs whos´ work is related to environmental conservation and alternative fuel research.

“I believe that this is a very good way to promote renewable energies and to get in touch with dynamic organizations with which we could develop projects,” said Jean-Philippe Denruyter, Bioenergía y Climate change Coordinator for WWF Global who is also racing in the Green Rally.

In Honduras, WWF Central America representatives accompanied the competitors during their visit to one of the african palm biofuel production projects. This type of palm is being used to produce biodiesel in several developing countries, WWF considers that given the growing commercial demand of these products, it´s important to work hand in hand with the producers to analyze and reduce the environmental impacts due to agriculture expansion to produce biofuel in the region.

“We will visit AGROTOR, a Honduran company with whom we are in the process of signing a Memo of Understandment for future Better Management Practices (BMPs) in their African palm plantation and oil extraction,” explained José Vasquez, WWF Agriculture Officer.

The main goal of Greaseball founders Emily Horgan, Dan Clemens, Ben Shaw and Nicky Matsukis is to attract the attention of biofuel producers and distributors in the United States who can offer support to the event in the form of equipment, logistical and technical expertise, sharing their knowledge in collaborative partnerships with biofuel entrepreneurs in developing countries, such as the six Central American nations they're visiting.

At the end of the competition all funds raised from the registration fees and all vehicles, including a 1972 vintage Mercedes Benz school bus, will be donated to sustainable biofuel projects in each country.