potrero view

April 2009

Dogpatch Biofuels

By Christine Lias

Whether it’s carrying reusable tote bags to schlep groceries or forgoing bottled water for tap, San Franciscans are getting greener all the time.  Robin Gold and Michele Swiggers, owners of Dogpatch Biofuels, are offering another way to go green at the City’s only retail biodiesel filling station, which opened late last year.  

Located on 765 Pennsylvania Avenue, Dogpatch Biofuels sells fuel made of 100 percent waste vegetable oils.  According to Gold, biodiesel, which is produced using renewable materials, has significantly lower carbon emissions, which contribute to global climate change, than petroleum-based diesel.  “When you burn petroleum diesel you’re burning fossil fuels that have been stored deep in the earth’s crust for millions of years,” Gold said.  Other emissions from biodiesel are also lower.  “They’re about half in terms of what the harmful emissions are, like particulate matter, unburned fiber carbons, and carbon monoxide,” Gold said.

Diesel emissions contribute to the formation of smog, and can increase the risks of asthma and heart disease.  “That’s a huge issue, especially for areas like this where there’s a lot of industry and a lot of diesel vehicles. The air quality tends to be very poor,” Swiggers said.   In contrast to diesel, biodiesel is non-toxic and biodegradable.  “Even in an event of a catastrophic spill, it’s not going to poison the earth forever and ever the way diesel does,” Gold said. “Whatever you can’t clean up, it’s just going to biodegrade, just like vegetable oil.”

    Most diesel cars are compatable with biofuel, including the Volkswagen TDI, Mercedes diesel and pre-2007 Dodge Sprinters.  However, some vehicles require slight modifications to use the fuel.  “Biodiesel isn’t compatible with natural rubbers.” Gold said.

Gold and Swiggers, who live in Ingleside, decided to open a biofuel station because they found it difficult to get biodiesel in San Francisco.  “We were driving over to Berkeley to the BioFuel Oasis to get biodiesel and that was just expensive. It doesn’t make much sense from an environmental standpoint,” Swiggers said.  The owners try to limit their automobile use, but when they need to drive they rely on biodiesel.  “We’re really committed to not using petroleum because of its emissions,” Swiggers said.

Swiggers grew up with a strong appreciation for nature.  Living as eco-friendly as possible is a personal goal.  “I think it’s so important to our ethological diversity and our well being as a human race,” Swiggers said. “It led me to be more aware of how I was affecting the environment. It’s analyzing what you as an individual can do to contribute to a healthier planet and community,” she said.

    Swiggers said that she and Gold opened their biofuel station at the slowest economic period of the year.  But Dogpatch Biofuels is off to a good start, particularly with the support of biodiesel adherents.  “There’s a huge outpouring of support from the existing biodiesel community,” Swiggers said. “People are so excited to finally have good access to biodiesel.”  According to Gold, biodiesel customers have been seeking them out.   “We knew long in advance that there were a lot of people like us who have just been waiting and waiting for a biodiesel station,” Gold said. “So we had this sort of built-in customer base, which is such a good thing.”  Although finding the right location for Dogpatch Biofuels took a year, both Swiggers and Gold are thrilled to operate a business in Dogpatch.  “The community here is a really diverse community that has been very supportive about what we were doing,” Swiggers said.

Dogpatch Biofuels also features a convenience store that sells a variety of eco-friendly items, including nontoxic cleaning products, and handmade soaps.

    For more information: www.dogpatchbiofuels.com.

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