After some creative chemistry and a lot of leftover cooking oil, Kroner put his classroom smarts in energy conservation to work. His Cincinnati Biodiesel Initiative is powering cars in Cincinnati, while a recent grant from Fuel is keeping the dream moving forward.

“I started to think I was part of the problem,” Kroner says. But he wasn’t the only one with a guilty conscience and soon learned that neighbors were also concerned about their petroleum use. Together, they combined technical savvy and restaurant connections to begin converting leftover cooking oil into biodiesel.

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel source that burns cleaner than petroleum and is thought to have a lesser environmental impact. “It runs very similarly to petroleum, but the cost is much less,” Kroner explains. His product is currently running six cars in Cincinnati, including his Mercedes, but recent funding from Fuel will allow for increased capacity.

Fuel Cincinnati is a program of Give Back Cincinnati that provides financial assistance and networking opportunities to young professionals with great ideas. Fuel also provides coaching for its grant recipients and helps them spread the word about projects.

Ollie Kroner, image courtesy of City Beat

When Kroner first connected with the group at its kickoff event last year at the Northside Tavern, he recognized what a valuable resource it would be. A casual conversation over a couple beers has resulted in an important funding opportunity for the project. The Biodiesel Initiative just received its second Fuel grant, adding $1,000 to its operations.

As the Biodiesel Initiative grows, Kroner hopes it can help other Cincinnatians fill up their tanks in a greener fashion. Anyone interested in learning more about the initiative can email olliekroner@yahoo.com.

• Cincinnati Biodiesel Initiative, a group of folks in Northside work to recycle vegetable oil donated from local restaurants to make biodiesel to fuel cars, therefore reducing carbon dioxide, other greenhouse gases & toxic emissions.
• Lewisburg Neighborhood Group, a group in Covington that works with the Kentucky Mountain Bike Association new gateway trail in the Lewisburg Neighborhood to give thousands of Covington residents a pedestrian-safe walkway to enter Devou Park.
• Kicks for HOPE, an organization that provides opportunities for Cincinnati/NKY youth with the opportunity to play soccer instead of street life by providing an outlet for everyday life through a game which unites the world.
• Over-the-Rhine Community Housing Generational Experiences Map, a plan to make oral recordings and archiving the histories of long time OTR residents, depicting the significant moments on a large scale physical map & making those stories available to the public in through on-line & print versions.

Cincinnati Biodiesel Initiative received the additional $500 which will be used to enhance their equipment at their small cooperative of expertise that powers a small fleet on locally made biofuel.  Their current operation is unable to keep up with the demand for clean renewable fuel and they plan to expand their capacity and grow the Cincinnati biodiesel fleet.

To find out more about Cincinnati Biodiesel Initiative, FUEL or any of the project mentioned, please contact us at fuel@givebackcincinnati.org

and read about the Urban Philanthropy concept by Eric Avner, facilitator of the event http://www.soapboxmedia.com/mysoapbox/0104ericavner.aspx