Fair Trade Town, BioTown – Start Yours

In March of 2007, Reynolds, Indiana embarked on Phase II of its BioTown, USA project. The 550-person town is converting from reliance on fossil fuels to biomass-based fuels. Phase 1, completed the previous year, focused on educating residents about biofuels and increasing their use of corn-based ethanol and soy-derived biodiesel. During that time, residents purchased over 100 flex-fuel vehicles and the town replaced its fleet with vehicles that run on E-85 fuel. Biodiesel can be bought at the town’s only gas station, following a $400,000 renovation project that created “BioIsland.”

Phase II involves construction of a facility with a suite of technologies including a manure-powered anaerobic digester; a gasifier that uses a high-temperature process to convert biomass into a synthetic gas; and a fast pyrolysis system, which uses high temperatures and an oxygen-free environment to convert biomass into a crude-oil substitute called pyrolysis oil. The methane, syngas, and pyrolysis oil can be burned as fuel to produce heat and electricity. The facility is expected to start producing power this year and will be completed in 2008. The is the first time the machinery will be used in a closed loop, self-sufficient system.

The final phase will use another $10 million from private investors to upgrade the system so it also can produce natural gas.

All the feedstocks will come the local county. The area produces nearly 17 trillion Btu of potential biomass energy from corn, soy, corn stover, sewage waste, grease and solid waste.

Biotown residents visited Bioenergy village in Germany recently. The village, with 750 residents, is the first in Germany to produce all its heat and electricity from bioenergy.

in other news, on June 15, Media, Pennsylvania became the first “Fair Trade town” in the U.S. The town council voted unanimously to mandate the town support Fair Trade.

Media meets five goals, as established by the British & European Fair Trade Movements, to become a Fair Trade town:

1. The Media Borough Council passed a resolution supporting Fair Trade, and committed to serve Fair Trade coffee and tea at its functions.
2. A range of Fair Trade products are readily available in Mediays shops and restaurants.
3. Fair Trade products are used by a number of local work places (such as law offices) and community organizations (such as churches).
4. Media coverage is provided and there is popular support for the campaign.
5. A local Fair Trade steering group from a diverse representation of institutions is working to ensure continued commitment to Fair Trade Town status.