Used Cooking Oil Fuels Seattle to Portland Flights

Good news Portlanders! Starting last month, Alaska Airlines began using biofuel blends in some of their Seattle-Portland flights. With emissions being a necessary aspect of most travel, it is encouraging that travel companies are being proactive in curtailing their emissions contributions.

What is the secret behind this biofuel? Used cooking oil, talk about a multi-purpose product. By using biofuel, it cuts down on about 10% of emissions and although that may not seem like a lot, it is actually “the equivalent of taking 26 cars off the road for a year.” Furthermore, if all Alaska Airlines were to switch to biofuel, “the annual emissions savings would be the equivalent of taking 64,000 cars off the road.” We are talking about preventing a lot of potential long-term damage, and hopefully reversing some of the harmful effects of emissions.

So what exactly are the drawbacks of this “miracle fuel?” The first is that biofuel is not only more scarce, but also more difficult to get ahold of and transport to actually use. The second is that it is much more expensive than regular oil- six times more expensive. Now the question is, are we- consumers and corporations- willing to spend the extra money for our safety as well as the environments?

With other airlines all over the world taking great strides toward reducing emissions, we can expect to see big changes in the airline industry within the next few years.

http://news.opb.org/article/used_cooking_oil_fuels_seattle_to_portland_flights/

-Sara O’Connell