The Betty Biodiesel Story

I am often asked, where did Betty Biodiesel come from?

In 2002, I was driving on Biodiesel and co-founder of the Sonoma County Biodiesel Cooperatve. In January of 2002, I was presenting Biodiesel to a group of New College Students and reflected on the fact that I was a woman surrounded by many males in the industry and considered myself to be a "Biodiesel Betty". A month later, I was asked to MC a Biodiesel event honoring Dr. Diesel's Birthday.

I knew I wanted to dress up but did not quite have the costume. When I arrived for the event, my friend Julianne Sky Arbor whisked me off to her costume gallery, gave me a yellow dress and placed a sunflower head band on my head, and Betty Biodiesel was born. Later that night I met two kids and in that moment educating youth as Betty Biodiesel clicked for me.

In June 2002, I met an 8 year old boy named Shannon, (aka Bobby Biodiesel) who was attending a biodiesel workshop and was eager to learn about the renewable fuel. It hit me while talking to him that kids who go to school ride school buses which are 90% diesels.

As I began to research school buses and pollution, I found that the indoor air emissions inside are well above the healthy level set by the EPA. Then the Biofuels4schools campaign was born out of my researching these buses and became my thesis project for my Green MBA.

This is a photo of Lindsay Hassett taken on the very first night that Betty Biodiesel came to life.

Since 2002 Betty Biodiesel:

Presented her dynamic and entertaining, renewable fuel presentation in over 50 schools throughout California  

Launched the BIOFUELS4SCHOOLS campaign website  

Is currently working with two school bus fleets in the Bay area in the conversion to Biodiesel  

Initiated a high school level energy and ecology curriculum launched at Laguna High School  

Launched the Betty Biodiesel website  

Developed the Betty Biodiesel cartoon image  

Co-created the ongoing adventures of Betty Biodiesel in comic strip format along with Kevin Woodson

and the story continues...