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Vol,t7 No.3 FEBRUAW2OO9
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musxctan, -Legena.ary
enaironmentalistand human rigltts actiai.st,
Melissa Etheridge
speaks out h) DebrvCasrner She's won m Aeadeny Award, two Grm'l|y's, betr m activist for the envimmet, civil rights and gay rights, healttr acttvist, breaEt enffisrivorsd@pars$toherfou childEn bom to two different Lesbim lE tdeF. Of her tea album telea*d, two have gone gold, two pldinum anrl three have gone multi-platinm, makiag herone ofthe best selling fmale singer-sngwritels of all tine, The talef,ted md outspoken Melissa Etheridge was in twn for the Biodiesl Conferto 6ce, aod I % fortete be ableto interview herand di*6s her iwolvesst in thewirenmedal movmeqt. But we elsotalked about politics, herhealth md frmily isues.
In this Q&A, Etheridge is cleady I pasionate about her activim as sh€ is about her musicl CL How did yo$get invohrcd stth the Blodlesel Confermce? A. well it allbegEn whetr IdidtlemagforAlGore's wb An lrcononlef,r'Irerh, wlictrjust tlrred re iaeideout about what's going on in our world! Then I first heard about biodlesel frcm Wlllie Nelson. Nelsontoldym Qwillt€ aboEt lt? A. Yeah I sat next to him @ m airplre mdhetold mehe had all of his bus aod trucks ruming on bio-ffnls. I *id, "Weit a miaute - that'e what I waqt to do!" so my next tour at that time we went out oo all biodieel Then when I got
tlktw &lwiJg|tal@tlrestoge afr W6 dEwd d.tlv Biodiad Cafuwe inSu Frw;w homefromthetow. I sld my ctrs and baught the 2oo5 Ford di,e*l &xcucion. The tbis I guy I knew b€re, I<ent - I forget his l.stname, bds just Kera - got rlre itrvolved with the Biodieee! gmupand they asked if I'd spek at the confereae.
Q, Where you very envlrennentally awarc befm Iongp{ tnvolwdwtthAl Gor.e? A. You know I ilplD* I ws as much as the next perem. I tried to recycle, but @rtitudonpqe6
Environmental movers envisionchangeat BiodieselConference inSan Francisco W Camltnolafe,Pk*ztt
Bqhdeyiosd Siald 064 fw&d in2A$, isa apodngwN@d. godu ngbktdl*{t w reqM vq*&b ul
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The fourday confmre, held at tlc Mowne Center ard thsned'lsding Change Nowi offmd a mix of edu€qetworkitrg ti@al ud opporturritie dcig,fd to infm md eduBte attendG oq the latest advamer*s in tln idu€try ud $hm best practies. Edrcdionalssioro fmred m wstainability, fud production, tecbniel updats, fuel distributi@, po{icylregulatios ad marlats ard ws. to be holding 'Weteprcud rurmticnalmferere hre in Sarr Fratriru," safttJc Jobe, Nati@l Biodiff I B@rd (NBB) CEO.'Thi6 city tras long ben a leadr in biodiesl and se xa rcle model for
"I ne€d to rnove, I aeed to wake-up, I need to change, I treed to shake up, I need to speak ont, sonething'B got to break up. I've been asleep and I need to wake up now..." sang a passionate Melissa Etheridge from her award-winningtrack to Anlrworroefllcrrt fntth.It was a plvotel mome{rt, as crowds sprangto applause and a standlng ovation during the General Session ofthe 6th Anaual Natioraal Biodtesel Conference aad Expo, Tucsda5r February 3. whatomuitiesmdowitl NBB'SInlhHleAward, rwableoegy.' tourethewfld,trlwredby Baed in jeffermn Ciiy, MO, biodiel wben sheen. She NBB,isthsmtiomltrade likeduingbiodimlinher tour vehlclesm mrchihat she a*sociati@ofthe biodiffil industry. theyreport that last sld he! lFrtral e6to buy a yet's zoo milliof, gpllon prcdiesl suv, which 6hecall8th€ Bio-Bast. ductionofbiodiemlreduced grenhow gasmi si m'B i odi el i cpi mmmd I belirye it will iropire othem, the equivalentof mdirg Epeially re they getthat 98o,ooovehicls from U.S. rcads, Etheridge, whomn
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