Hardware store’s fleet runs on bio-diesel

Island Hardware & Supply has converted its entire fleet of trucks and forklifts to bio-diesel fuel. And this may be just the beginning of a movement on Orcas Island in which farmers, boaters and others will start switching to a cleaner, better performing and more environmentally-preferable fuel.

The Orcas Island School District is now thinking of getting into the act.

Superintendent Barry Acker told the school board Oct. 22 that he would like to see all the school buses converted to bio-diesel fuel as well. “The advantages are pretty phenomenal in terms of reductions in nasty emissions, and in terms of the environmental impact,” he said.

Island Hardware started making the switch about a month ago, and is glad it did, manager Scott Lancaster said, even though the fuel now costs about $2.75 a gallon, which is considerably more than what the company would be paying for regular diesel. “Our drivers say it has quieted the engines, and our mechanic is convinced that the engines are running better,” Lancaster explained.

Island Hardware will also soon be converting one of its pumps in front of the store to bio-diesel fuel, where it will be available to anyone wanting to buy it. Lancaster believes he’ll get many buyers. “It’s starting to snowball,” he said. But even if nobody fills up at the pump, Lancaster is committed to operating exclusively on bio-diesel fuel.

The school, however, will need grant funding to convert. Acker believes that a grant is a realistic possibility; that it could be sold to a funding agency as a pilot project that would be watched by school districts nationwide.

Moreover, as demand for bio-diesel fuel grows, the price will come down, increasing the appeal of the product, the superintendent said.

Bio-diesel fuel consists of a mix of harvested soybeans and reconstituted fryer grease. It is produced in the midwest, but is being brought to Orcas Island by Marty Mead, the San Juans Islands distributor for Sequential Biofuels, of Eugene, Ore. Sequential Biofuels has the contract to serve the entire Pacific Northwest. Mead will continue to be the local distributor, Lancaster said, but deliveries to the islands may be made by Island Petroleum Services or, if need be, by Island Hardware itself.

Lancaster said there is now sufficient supply available to meet current and future demand. All vehicles that run on diesel fuel can make the switch; those running on gasoline cannot, however.

Acker and Lancaster admitted that bio-diesel fuel has a distinctive odor. “The cars smell like French fries, but they run great,” Orcas School Superintendent Barry Acker said.

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