Innovation In Motion: Ferries Serving The San Francisco Bay Area Will transition To Renewable Diesel
What a headline. Who would have thought?
Global industries are swelling with job positions easily filled, that’s why so many college graduates work at local coffee shops, contract out with taxi styled services and provide customer service in fine retail stores.
One type of person that the world, no matter the time period, can never fill enough positions for are visionaries.
It appears the city of San Francisco has found theirs.
fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com writer, By MFStaff sfbos.org photo credit via wikimedia
We would like to meet him and at sfmayor.org they are happy to share. “Mayor Mark E. Farrell is the 44th Mayor of San Francisco. On January 23, then-Supervisor Farrell was voted in as Mayor by his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, filling the office of the late Mayor Edwin M. Lee.
Priorities for the Mayor include addressing the City's homeless challenges, ensuring that streets remain clean and safe, defending immigrant communities, improving public safety and closing San Francisco's digital divide.
He is advancing the Healthy Streets Operations center, a multi-agency effort that allows for real-time response and resolution to community complaints related to street behavior and tent encampment in local neighborhoods.
Additionally, he is spearheading innovative programs that address complex behavioral health challenges, such as the Integrated Care Team, which provides case management services for individuals with a history of cycling through the City's crisis centers-hospital, shelters and jails. He authored and passed Laura's Law, which allows for community-based compelled treatment for mentally ill residents, and led the efforts to double the City's Homeless Outreach Team.”
That is clearly the behavior of a forward thinking leader.
Mr. Farrell is helping San Francisco become a first to apply special programs in many areas. One area that has caught the attention of the Green Industry is his work with the local ferry companies that chart the San Francisco Bay.
“The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.”… Malcolm Gladwell
Here is a press release from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Mayor Mark Farrell, the Department of the Environment and the Port of San Francisco today announced that ferries serving the Bay Area will transition to renewable diesel, becoming the first region in the nation to adopt the environmentally-responsible fuel standard.
“San Francisco is and always will be a leader in protecting our planet,” said Mayor Farrell. “As the federal administration fails to act on this crucial issue, San Francisco will be at the forefront of environmental leadership for the nation and the world. To protect our region and our environment, we are taking climate action now.”
Switching to renewable diesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent or more, and it can also reduce other emissions such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Renewable diesel is not a fossil fuel. It is made from nonpetroleum renewable resources like natural fats, vegetable oils, and greases and works just like regular diesel.
The San Francisco Bay Area water fleet’s transition to renewable diesel has cleared a potential path for all water fleets worldwide to use renewable diesel. To reach this achievement, San Francisco has collaborated with every level of government, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency, United States Department of Transportation, National Parks Service, California Air Resources Board, California Department of Agriculture and the California Coast Guard.
In addition, collaboration with science-based organizations such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and with fuel providers and engine manufacturers, led to success that can be replicated wherever water fleet engines are retailed.
“San Francisco has a world-class waterfront, and today, we are celebrating a world-class commitment to reducing fossil fuel use on our Bay,” said Debbie Raphael, Director of the San Francisco Department of Environment. “Transitioning our water fleet to renewable diesel demonstrates what’s possible when the public and private sector work together towards shared environmental goals. We can improve air quality and deliver high-quality, sustainable transportation options for everyone who lives, works, and visits San Francisco.”
fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetitor.com writer,ferry redandwhite.com photo credit
Red and White Fleet made the switch in late 2017. The San Francisco Fire Department has committed to transition all fire boats to renewable diesel in 2018. Bay Area ferries and excursion providers, including Golden Gate Ferry, Hornblower Cruises, Blue and Gold, and Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) will begin the transition process through 2019 to renewable diesel, which will include specific field testing in higher-performing marine engines. The Port’s public fuel dock at Hyde Street Harbor, which is operated by Maxum Petroleum, will transition in 2018.
Hornblower Cruises committed to switching in 2018. Other Bay Area ferries and excursion providers, including Golden Gate Ferry, Blue and Gold Fleet, and the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) will transition in 2019. The Port’s public fuel dock at Hyde Street Harbor, which is operated by Maxum Petroleum, will transition in 2018.
“San Francisco is not only a hub for knowledge of clean maritime transportation, it is one of action,” said Elaine Forbes, Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco. “At a time with increased water transit ridership, we are pleased to partner with our ferry and excursion providers to be on the forefront of climate action and environmental leadership for our City and nation.”
This project is one example of the City’s collaborative leadership of environmental initiatives, which includes the Embarcadero Seawall Program, an interagency effort to rebuild the Seawall to improve seismic and adapt to sea level rise.”
We can appreciate the mayor's vision and more important his ability to influence and lead talented people capable of applying his plan.
The term green energy and renewable fuel is used often and for some us, we’re not quite sure what they all mean.
At truckinginfo.com they educate, “There are many different types of green fuels and a number of questions arise when determining what falls under the umbrella of clean or green diesel. In particular, there is a lot of confusion about the difference between renewable diesel and biodiesel.
Simply speaking, renewable diesel is made primarily from waste and residues. Typically known as hydrotreated vegetable oil or HVO, renewable diesel is 100% renewable and sustainable.
Known as fatty acid methyl ester, or FAME, biodiesel is made primarily from vegetable oils or fats (soybean oil, algae, chicken fat, etc.)”
For more information please click on the below link:
http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/neste/article/story/2018/01/renewable-diesel-vs-biodiesel.aspx
A visionary himself, Mr. Naveen Jain is an entrepreneur and philanthropist driven to solve the world's biggest challenges through innovation.
He is the founder of Moon Express, World Innovation Institute, iNome, TalentWise, Intelius, and Infospace, Naveen sees beyond the current business and technological landscape, creating companies that make a true impact.
Regarding visionaries he was once quoted as expressing, ““A person who sees a problem is a human being; a person who finds a solution is visionary; and the person who goes out and does something about it is an entrepreneur.”
Very enlightening.
San Francisco’s Mayor Mark Farrell has many great accomplishments and seems to wear many hats.
It appears the title Entrepreneur may be one of them as well.
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OPENING PHOTO grapplingstars.com femcompetitor.com writer, By Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada California wikimedia
https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/visionary
http://www.truckinginfo.com/channel/neste/article/story/2018/01/renewable-diesel-vs-biodiesel.aspx
https://www.neste.com/en/what-difference-between-renewable-diesel-and-traditional-biodiesel-if-any
http://sfmayor.org/about-mayor
http://sanfranciscobayferry.com/
http://sfbos.org/supervisor-farrell-district-2
