Ethical Argument

Ethical dilemma... This is the challenge of deciding between two goods. Everyone has different sets of values, and an ethical dilemma brings these value systems to the forefront of debate. I think the first time an environmental ethical dilemma was framed for me was when I was in 5th grade. A teacher asked us what we thought about the oil refinery in our town. Pollution was evident, but many of my friends' parents worked at the refinery. If we closed the refinery, then those people would lose their jobs, and a major economic force in our town would be lost. That is some heavy stuff for a 5th grader to consider, and now that I'm older I realize that it is a slippery slope even for adults to have to deal with these kinds of situations, maybe even more so because the responsibility is in our hands. In addition, the older people get, sometimes the more they become "set in their ways" or really, set in their values. After we form our values, it can be a tough and jaded road to a middle ground, or difficult to see from another's perspective.

Self-Reliance... What I mean by self-reliance is not even close to what Ralph Waldo Emerson meant in his essay, titled synonymously. I mean simply, being able to rely on oneself to attain the things one needs to survive. My papa is 92. He just had his license revoked. It was probably the hardest thing on him, because living in a rural area, driving was his key to not only freedom, but to self-reliance. Now he needs someone to come and pick him up to do everything... go to the grocery store, to church, to the post office. He cannot rely on himself to get something to eat, to pay his bills, or to go to the hospital if he is sick. His family needs to take care of his day-to-day activities for him.

Hierarchy... A pyramidal depiction of hierarchy is an accurate portrayal in this case, defined as, "a graded, or ranked series" (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary). The Green Transportation Hierarchy is ranking transportation modes from the most environmental to the least environmental. Hierarchy is often used to describe the steps on a power ladder or to define classes or castes. I suppose that in many ways, the Green Transportation Hierarchy and the hierarchy of class are corollary. Often, those who have the most money are the ones who can afford to pay for vehicle insurance, gas and upkeep. Those who don't have as much money rely on public transport or walking. And as always, there are exceptions to the rule, those choosing to follow a different path from the mainstream and ride transit or bikes even though they have the money to maintain a car.

Challenges... I consider a challenge to be a positive force. My perspective on a "challenge" is much more optimistic than if I were to use the word "problem." I think that challenges are obstacles that can be overcome, and often the end result is growth of some kind. With bicycles and walking challenges for me include: inclement weather, distance restrictions, steep hills, not being able to cart around heavy or multiple objects, safety, dress codes for work with no place to change, no place to lock up, etc. For others, physical or health challenges may prevent them from being able to walk or ride at all.

Biodiesel... Rudolph Diesel originally invented the diesel engine to be run on peanut oil in 1895! This man had enough forethought to understand that vegetable oil could be the fuel of the future. Most people do not know the diesel engine can run on vegetable oil. It is often thought of as a dirty engine because after Diesel died in 1913, "the petroleum industry capitalized on the Diesel engine by labeling one of the byproducts of gasoline distillation 'diesel fuel' (Joshua Tickell, p. 23)."

Today, in the U. S. most of the commercial fleet of tanker trucks runs on diesel fuel. In addition, Volkswagen and Mercedes make hatchbacks and sedans with diesel engines, and some trucks like the Ford F150 can be purchased with diesel engines. Simply, biodiesel is just vegetable oil in which the glycerin has been removed to reduce the oil's viscosity (Tickell, p. 59). Currently, many restaurants throw away their "waste" fryer oil. The oil that is dumped into landfills could potentially be used to fill up our cars. Biodiesel can be used directly in diesel engines with no modifications, and straight vegetable oil could be used in the engines with slight modifications.

Think of the possibilities to reduce polluting emissions, dependence on foreign oil, and getting better mileage on a tank of what is essentially vegetable oil. We have had this technology since the early 1900s. There was a revival of biodiesel use in the 1960s and 1970s in VW Beetles, but the interest has dropped off. Not enough biodiesel fueling stations are out there to meet my needs (the closest public biodiesel pump to the city of Philadelphia is more than a half hour away in Eddystone, PA according to the Biodiesel Board, much less the needs of an entire commercial fleet of vehicles.

As long as the federal government continues to subsidize petroleum, or as long as the public remains ignorant of alternative fuel sources, biodiesel will remain relegated to the shadows and neglected as one environmental solution to our current conundrum. I obtained much of this information from Joshua Tickell's book, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, however, much of the same info can be found on the internet at. Other information on alternative fuels in Philly can be found at Philly Clean Cities.

Sources:
Tickell, Joshua, From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank: The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel. 2003. Bookmasters, Ashland, Ohio.

Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 10th Edition. 1996 Springfield, MA.