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The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association is proud to announce the Iowa Biodiesel Backer Program and two $2,500 grants available to schools in Iowa; all you have to do is spread the good word.
School buses are the safest way to get children to and from school and thanks to efforts by Iowa school districts like yours, school bus travel has been made even safer by reducing diesel fuel emissions through the use of ultra-low sulfur diesel, replacing older high emitting school buses with new vehicles meeting Environmental Protection Agency emission standards and retrofitting older school bus models with catalysts to trap particulate matter.
While great strides have been made to ensure that the school bus remains the safest way for children to travel to and from school, there is one more thing that schools can do to further reduce diesel fuel emissions and that is through the use of clean burning biodiesel made right here in Iowa, using Iowa’s natural resources. The use of biodiesel reduces carbon monoxide emissions by 12 percent, carbon dioxide by 15 percent, particulate matter by 18 percent and sulfates by 20 percent. Biodiesel is one more safety mechanism that can be used to protect children from lung cancer, lung inflammation and exacerbation of asthma and allergies that can all be caused by diesel fuel emissions.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association will be awarding two $2,500 competitive grants to schools in Iowa. In order to be eligible to receive the grants, a school merely has to use the toolkit to educate their communities about the benefits of biodiesel. The toolkit has everything you need to share the biodiesel story with your community including news releases, powerpoint presentations, fact sheets and curriculum to use in teaching tomorrow’s leaders about biodiesel. The entire toolkit can be found online at www.iowarfa.org. Grants will be awarded based on a variety of criteria including;
- Design of the communications program
- The audience targeted by the communications program
- The number of people within the target audience reached by the communications program
- Additional communication pieces created for the program
- Student involvement in the communication program
- Inclusion of biodiesel into school program and curriculum
Iowa is the nations leader in both ethanol and biodiesel production. Iowa’s renewable fuel plants serve as an economic stimulant, creating jobs and revenue as well as helping to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. As tomorrow’s future leaders, we should be doing everything in our power to ensure our children’s health and to educate them about the renewable fuel and energy sources that will be driving their future.
If your school district is interested in sharing the biodiesel story, please utilize the toolkit pieces below and then complete the award application by June 30, 2009 to be eligible for the grant.
If you have any questions about this program, please feel free to contact the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association at 515-252-6249.
Frequently Asked Questions
REG School Biodiesel Fact Sheet
Renewable Power Brochure
IRFA Biodiesel Brochure
Biodiesel Curriculum
Public Service Announcement
Powerpoint Presentation
Biodiesel Backer School Bus Grant Application
School News Release
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