This article could have been called "Drive Through Fast Food Lane," or "Grab Lunch and Fill 'er Up at the Drive Through." I liked all three. The fact is, there is a huge, as yet untapped resource out there that could drastically reduce emissions, and slash dependence on oil. This fuel source can be found all over the country at McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and many other fast food chains. Oh yeah, it burns clean, and is more efficient that fossil fuel. Clean and green, it's a no brainer, Folks.
High fuel prices mean high prices for everything from milk to socks. The reason, of course, is to get milk, food, TV's, and yes, socks to the store shelves they must be transported by truck. Ask any truck driver and he'll tell you, it's costing them a fortune to gas up their rigs. Gasoline prices are bad enough at over $4.00 per gallon. The diesel fuel most trucks run on is even worse at about $5.00 per gallon.
The major freight carriers, UPS, FedEx, and DHL have all adding fuel surcharges to their shipping rates. These surcharges as well as their normal rates are only going to go up as fuel prices continue to climb. That means anything you order online will cost you more to ship, or will simply cost more as the seller buries freight costs in product pricing.
So, if you've noticed prices on just about everything going up, high fuel prices are the major reason. What is the solution? I've written about building a bridge to energy independence, and one of the lanes on that bridge just might be bio diesel from fast food waste.
Many people have discovered that used fat and vegetable oil from fast food joints can be converted into bio diesel fuel. Who would've thunk it? Something that was considered waste a few years ago is fatty, greasy, gold today.
The problem is, like all other alternative fuel sources, not enough investment is being made into this source of fuel. Imagine how much greasy waste the thousands of fast food restaurants across America generate per day, per month, per year? The major fast food chains could not only help solve a fuel crisis, but they could make a heck of a lot of money doing it. It's a win/win.
It's already been proven to work. A friend of mine drives a diesel Volkswagen, and he has been buying grease from a Chinese restaurant in his town for a year. He converts the grease into bio diesel in his garage. As a salesman who drives all over New England, the savings in fuel costs for him are huge. To the tune of about $4,000 per year at current diesel prices.
Many small restaurants that used to pay waste companies to take away their excess grease are now being paid top dollar for their fatty fuel. There are companies popping up all over that specialize in converting this greasy waste into bio diesel. This has the potential to become a big business.
Most automobiles in America run on regular gasoline, not diesel fuel. However, most trucks that transport food and goods to store shelves do run on diesel fuel. The more expensive it is to fuel these trucks, the more the products they transport cost because trucking companies have to charge more in freight fees. Makes sense, right? So, If we could lower the fuel costs for trucking companies the prices of the products they carry would go down as well.
Why then, don't all the fast food chains get into the bio diesel business? The profits would be enormous even if they charged $10.00 per barrel because they create the waste already. All they would need to do is haul it to a grease refinery to turn it into bio diesel fuel. They might even be able to reduce prices on their food products because of the massive profits they would make. Not only that, but think of all the jobs that would be created by major grease refineries.
Imagine McDonald's Energy, or Wendy's Power, or Burger King Bio Fuel becoming big players in the energy industry. If they know what they're doing, within the next decade it could come to fruition. It may sound strange today, but it takes maverick thinking to make change happen. Microsoft got the rights to the computer mouse for nothing because the company that invented it, IBM, didn't think it was of any value. Do you think the mouse has changed the world? You bet. Bio fuel from fast food waste could do the same for American energy.
In fact, there is a restaurant chain in my neck of the woods in New England that is already doing it. Friendly's Ice Cream could serve as a model for the major nationwide fast food chains. They have begun turning their used vegetable oil into bio diesel for their own fleet of trucks and as an additive to heating oil at their corporate headquarters. With the help of local universities they built their own lab from scratch. There was no manual or model to build from. They basically created it from the ground up. That's innovation, Baby. That's waving bye bye to high oil prices. That's maverick thinking.
According to Jim Dangleis, director of Northeast Distribution, the benefit to the company is two-fold. They have significantly reduced fuel costs at a time when diesel prices have skyrocketed. They have also made their business more green, and that is something that customers really get behind. It's simply good for business to be environmentally friendly these days. It's a huge selling point that only a few years ago no one would have ever thought possible.
McDonald's is doing it in Great Britain already, so they may already have a leg up on bio diesel production. The other major chains should get on the band wagon. Fast food companies tale constant criticism for selling foods that are unhealthy. They could all seriously enhance their image by going green.
This is the kind of thinking and innovation that will transform America and the world. So, what are we waiting for?
The dull colors and drab workers attire of communistic style Marxism that seemed long since gone has returned incognito with a whole new colorful look. Looking through America’s window of public education and long since invited in through Hollywood’s door marked “anything goes," social Marxism is enjoying a revival of sorts only this time little suspicion has been aroused in anyone’s mind. But, Oh the ticket price for this show!
Marxism is many things but at the heart it is the means of destroying or rendering impotent western culture, democracy and the Judeo-Christian faith. Its dismal failure in the former Soviet Union doesn’t mean it’s dead and gone. With bright and one could say almost “gay" clothing teetering somewhere between the casual attire of the liberal academic and the Hollywood make up artist’s best clown, Marxism is making a full comeback debut.
In academia it made recent appearances at a High School in Boulder Colorado in May of 2007 where a UCLA professor told students that since they are going to have sex and take drugs they should do it responsibly. The notion of youth having indiscriminate sex and taking drugs all the while they are exercising responsibility can now take its place in the Guinness Book of World Records under the category of, “most unusual definitions of incongruity"
Hollywood and Academic Bozo types teamed up in Cook County Illinois where grandparents learned their 12 year old granddaughter was exposed along with her classmates to the viewing of R rated “Brokeback Mountain" a movie about homosexual cowhands. The lawsuit, said to be for about a half million dollars has most decent folks ruing the day tort reform laws were passed. To many Americans a half million dollars seems not nearly enough and should at least be accompanied by charges of child endangerment. Investigations are promised, no one as yet has been fired and the team of social Marxist clowns goes on to their next venue.
Washington’s doors are opened to the show clowns although with more reticence being already haggard and worn from foreign wars and partisan battles at home. In semantic wrangling and suspect language house bills HR 1592 and S 1105 have danced and sung across the floor for the beleaguered congress to the tune of “They Gotta Stop Callin Me Names, Pa." Too tired from the constant knocking the congress endured the show and sent it on for viewing in the other theatres of the legislature. The show went on as it must and now the only hook left to pull this bad act off the stage is the Presidents veto.
Hollywood readily opens up to the newly dressed social Marxist performer as it does to all the new talent in town. And movies have been rolling off the production floors that have nothing at all to do with what more than three quarters of Americans really want to see.
It is becoming easier to ascribe to the theory that prior to World War Two Hollywood films only reflected how Americans lived. From D-Day to this day it would seem that Hollywood has edged up quickly from suggesting, to mandating how we should live with concomitant Hollywood style left and liberal activism to supplement. The gap between artistic license and licentiousness is closing rapidly and may soon be as obscure as the difference between the gourmet and the glutton.
It might be safe to say that most movie reviewers are themselves movie buffs and got into reviewing for that reason initially. Today there is a growing need to find good reviewers for very different reasons. The minds and hearts of an entire generation are being shaped by media influence and for those who care what shape that takes it is a necessity to defer to good reviewers as a part of normal child rearing. Our children may need the legislature to intervene when Hollywood skirts the edge of decency but in the mean time their faces are trained on see more, and not on C-Span.
So few movies are made that could pass the scrutiny of Christian or family values reviewers that it would seem choosing to become a Christian reviewer would be the very worst career choice in the nation. One movie review organization that absolutely holds the line is “Movieguide." Their stated goals are as follows. “Movieguide is a ministry dedicated to redeeming the values of the mass media according to biblical principles; by influencing entertainment industry executives and helping families make wise media choices."
Movieguide is not involved with “what’s hot and what’s not" but they can answer the question of “what’s rot for your tot." They have taken flak for their sometimes controversial movie summaries and warnings but without doubt they do stand in the gap if you care about your kids.
Movieguide was founded by Ted Baehr a well lettered graduate of both Princeton and Dartmouth College. His own family consists of his Argentine born wife Lili and four children. Ted Baehr is perhaps over qualified for movie reviewing but it brings an unusually high level of confidence to his assessments of Hollywood fare that other guides can barely reach.
Almost no reviewers had anything good to say about the recent Hollywood offering of the movie titled “The Reaping." The movie is based on pestilence of biblical proportions affecting a small area in the state of Louisiana. Everything that Moses inflicted on Pharaoh from bugs to frogs is thrown at a few beleaguered and vacillating Christians. Although not timed with the removal of references to our Christian heritage at the founding of Jamestown and the refusal of the EU Parliamentarians to include references to their own Christian beginnings in the writing of their new constitution, it could be.
Hollywood should perhaps consider a movie entitled “Ole Moses ain’t got No Frogs like John’s Frogs." It could be based on the three demonic frogs the Apostle John described in the book of Revelation (Re. 16:13) that spring out of Satan’s mouth and draw and effectively coerce all the armies of the world to gather 55 miles North of the City of Jerusalem in the Valley of Megiddo for the largest and worst final battle earth will ever see. Whoops, that’s not a movie it’s a prophetic promise of the events to come in the very near future. I guess that could be called a preview!
Both Ted Hebert & Rev Michael Bresciani Bresciani are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Ted Hebert has sinced written about articles on various topics from Facts about Barack Obama, Environment and Environment. Ted Hebert is a writer and Maverick Thinker who works with business of all sizes to grow their business. Contact Ted at ted@atunga.com or visit .. Ted Hebert's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Rev Michael Bresciani Bresciani has sinced written about articles on various topics from Writing, Political and Social and Celebrities. Rev Bresciani is the author of two books. He also is a columnist for several online sites and magazines. His articles are read throughout the world. For more articles and news from around the globe visit "The Website for Insight". Rev Michael Bresciani Bresciani's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.