ABOUT US
The Island Biodiesel Co-op was founded in 2007 by consultant Don Goodeve, violist Kenji Fuse, and musician and producer Karel Roessingh. Don and Kenji had been making biodiesel at home when Karel saw a segment on Shaw Community TV about Don. The three got together and decided to form a co-operative. The original intention of the co-op was to spread knowledge about and promote biodiesel, and since the founding members had a surplus, there was fuel left over for other members. In the early years, fuel was purchased from producer-members in 20-liter jugs, and it was made in basements and garages. Now that the co-op has grown to 70 members, the scale is too big for backyard setups. We now purchase fuel from members or from other producers. If locally-produced biodiesel is not available, ASTM tested biodiesel is imported from the mainland.
Island Biodiesel Co-op is a co-operative registered in British Columbia and pays all fuel, transit, and carbon taxes required by the BC Government. It is entirely volunteer run and there are no commercial outlets. What that means is that some members volunteer to host "fueling stations" for co-op members. None of these "stations" are open to the public. In order to gain access the fuel, one must become a member of the co-op. (The co-op hopes to open a more public station at some point down the line, but that's a complicated issue.)
The co-op normally sells over 10,000 liters of biodiesel annually.
HOW IT WORKS
To become a member of the co-op, one first needs to have a diesel engine. Our fuel can work in many diesel engines without 'conversion' or engine modifications. It's always best, however, to do research on your engine, and even check with mechanics or car dealers before using biodiesel. Biodiesel and regular diessel can be mixed in any ratio, and we recommend that you add biodiesel in increments when you first use it. After becoming a member, which entails the purchase of $100 share, you gain access to our premium biodiesel, which can be purchased at our fueling station. Payment is accepted via cash, cheque, hyperwallet, or e-transfer, with payments made directly to the co-op.