英语课程计划-National Biodiesel Day（在线收听）

National Biodiesel Day is a day the biodiesel industry celebrates the role of the vegetable-based fuel in helping to tackle environmental problems. It takes place on March 18, which is the date of Rudolf Diesel’s birthday. He invented diesel in 1912. He designed the diesel engine in the late 1800s to run on peanut oil. He was a visionary who knew that biofuels would become very important. In 1912, he said: “The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become, in the course of time, as important as petroleum.” He died in 1913, well before any hint of damage to the environment by fossil fuels, and long before the green movement, which would embrace his thinking.

The U.S. biodiesel industry is doing much to promote energy independence and reduce America’s thirst for oil. In 2007, manufacturers produced 500 million gallons of biofuels, which reduced the need for 12 million barrels of oil. The biofuels industry is very excited about the future of biofuels. They say biofuels greatly reduce CO2 emissions and therefore are an important part of helping countries reduce their carbon footprints. President George W Bush described bio-fuels as one of the most promising forms of renewable energy. Not everyone is so eager in their praise of biofuels. Many blame them for reducing the amount of land available for food production, which has led to food shortages and rising food prices.