The New York Times noted in a story earlier this week that sometime later this summer, a United jet will fly from Los Angeles to San Francisco using biofuel from farm waste and oils derived from animal fats.  This is a first step by the airlines to convert more of their fleet to lower-carbon alternatives than traditional jet fuel.  This is good news for all of us, since biofuel introduces less carbon into the atmosphere than using traditional fuel, and it is especially good news for farmers who now many have a new market for their crops.

You can read the story here.

And in case you’re wondering, the photo I am using is a picture of an optical effect called a “glory” which is due to refraction and reflection effects from the sun’s rays bouncing back from cloud droplets to form what looks like a ring of color around the shadow of the object.

Source: Anders Sandburg, Commons WIkimedia
Source: Anders Sandburg, Commons WIkimedia