In partnership with New York Corn and Soybean Growers Association (NYCSGA), Empire Clean Cities (ECC) proposes an expansion of our current educational campaign, “Soy in the City: Connecting Sustainable Farms and Bio-based Fuels in New York State,” which has been active since 2020. The campaign will directly focus on how corn and soybean production in New York State leads to reduced emissions when New York City-based fleets use biofuel and bio-based products.

ECC’s mission is to ensure clean air for future generations by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption in the transportation sector. As an alternative fuel, biodiesel is a sustainable, cleaner-burning vehicle fuel alternative to conventional diesel. Compared to petroleum-based diesel fuel, biodiesel reduces lifecycle greenhouse gasses by 86% and lowers particulate matter emissions by 47%.

Biodiesel is also primarily domestically produced, and the industry currently supports nearly 60,000 jobs and generates billions of dollars for local economies. As a drop-in fuel replacement for petroleum diesel, biodiesel requires no modifications to a vehicle’s engine, and therefore incurs no large additional costs for a fleet transitioning to biodiesel. We aim to increase biodiesel usage and awareness by showcasing the lifecycle of the soybean and drawing the connection between New York’s soybean farmers and the fleets that use their products.

Through this funding, ECC will continue its distinct outreach and education work concerning domestically produced biofuels. The campaign will be featured on our website, social media, and newsletter channels with a 2,000+ person following in New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. We will also continue our outreach work to individual fleets in the downstate, informing them of the domestically produced, drop-in alternative fuel derived from soybeans. Additionally, this funding will allow ECC to expand its outreach work to include an interactive “Life of a Soybean” event and materials, showing the journey of a New York-grown soybean from seedling to renewable fuel source.

Updated August 2, 2023:
Reporting Period: 1/1/2023—4/30/2023

Project Summary

In January of 2023, Empire Clean Cities (ECC) began its third year of outreach and education work around biodiesel and other biobased products in New York City and beyond, building on two years of outreach and education work through its “Soy in the City: Connecting Sustainable Farms and Bio-based Products in Downstate New York” campaign. The goal of the renewed campaign is to spotlight corn and soybean production in New York State and highlight the connection between farmers in the state and biodiesel fuel use in the New York fleets.

As part of our proposal, ECC committed to developing an outreach and education campaign about domestically and New York-produced biofuels and bio-based products, with a direct focus on how individual farmers in upstate New York contribute to transportation sustainability across the state. As part of our campaign, ECC created a webpage for the project, shared resources on our social media and newsletter about biodiesel and biofuels, and began outreach to NYC-based fleets. ECC is pleased to present our first Progress of Work report for the period January to April 2023.

Work Summary To-date

In the first phase of our renewed 2023 outreach campaign, ECC created engaging social media and newsletter content for our readership. These pieces focused on reinforcing our audience’s basic biodiesel knowledge, as well as sharing information about the state of the New York and national biodiesel markets. ECC has continued its outreach activities on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. ECC’s bi-weekly newsletter is a wide-spread and effective form of outreach communication, with a series of articles and other announcements in the biofuel space featured.

ECC has incorporated biodiesel into its outreach and advocacy efforts this quarter. In February, ECC staff attended Transportation Energy Partners’ Energy Independence Summit in Washington D.C., where we held in-person meetings with more than a dozen of our New York congressional and senatorial staffers at their Capitol offices; while there, we discussed their support of the national Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). With assistance from New York’s other Clean Cities Coalitions, we were able to raise awareness of our local biofuel economies with both upstate and New York City representatives.

During this first period, ECC also began planning for its 14th Annual Stakeholder Meeting, held in concert with NYC DCAS’s Vehicle and Equipment Show in Queens, NY. NYC DCAS—whose fleet operations use more blended biodiesel gallons than any other municipal fleet in the U.S.—this year hosted their 33rd Annual Vehicle and Equipment Show. ECC plans to host speakers and a panel focused on biofuels and bio-based products at this year’s Stakeholder Meeting, which we anticipate will draw over 200 attendees.

Deliverables Completion

Goals
Level of Completion
1a) Promote biodiesel and bio-based products New York events, including at a NYC Department of Transportation Public Space Programming event and at the annual Empire Clean Vehicle Festival, each featuring a vehicle that runs on biodiesel.
10% Complete

25% Complete
1b) Continue social media campaigns directly related to supporting corn and soybean growers, highlighting the connection between agriculture and fuel.
c) Publish articles in the ECC and fellow Clean Cities Coalition’s Newsletter.
25% Complete
2a) Maintain and update current “Soy in the City” project page with links to biodiesel resources, social media pages, and the NYCSGA.
25% Complete



2b) Use ECC’s website to promote soybean production as vehicle fuel, as well as educational resources on soy and corn production in New York.
25% Complete
3a) Host a webinar for fleets on the benefits of biodiesel, including participation from current biodiesel end user fleets in NYC, as well as New York soybean farmers, where possible.

10% Complete
3b) Meet with individual fleet operators to discuss the benefits and logistics of the transition to biodiesel and bio-based products.
10% Complete



Deliverable Completion Metrics

Newsletters (see attachment for additional details)
January 3rd
Shared a report from Biodiesel Magazine titled “USDA: US biodiesel exports at 65,979 metric tons in October”
Shared event details for the upcoming Clean Fuels Alliance Conference
February 1st
Shared our experiences of attending the 20243 Clean Fuels Alliance Conference, where Clean Cities Coalitions received the Impact Award for their decades of work promoting biofuels and bio-based products
Shared an article from FuelsFix titled “Understanding the Difference Between Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel”
February 14th
Shared news of NREL’s launch of a new synthetic biology project to advance biofuel discovery
February 28th
Shared an updated map of U.S. biodiesel plants from USDA
April 11th
Shared the link to a Clean Fuels America podcast episode featuring ECC staff

Social media (see attachment for additional details)

ECC posted educational information to our social media channels as part of the “Soy in the City” campaign, using the hashtag #SoyInTheCity and tagging NYCSGA where possible.

Facebook (2 posts)
Twitter (2 posts)
Instagram (2 posts)

Events

ECC’s executive director Joy Gardner took to the airwaves on an episode of Clean Fuels Alliance America: Fueling Conversations podcast to discuss the immediate role that clean fuels can play in addressing environmental concerns and the impacts biodiesel and renewable diesel can make. The episode discussed the immediate role clean fuels play in quickly reducing emissions from New York’s transportation sector. We look forward to more innovative opportunities to discuss the benefits of biofuels and bio-based products as the year progresses.

ECC staff also attended the Clean Fuels Alliance America Conference in Tampa, Florida, where the Clean Cities Coalition network was honored for their decades of education and outreach work around biofuels and bio-based products.

ECC has a number of planned events for Spring 2023 to include biodiesel as an alternative fuel to NYC fleets and businesses, both virtually with statewide partners and in-person in New York City with our local partners. In May, we will host our 14th Annual Stakeholder Meeting, where biofuels and bio-based products will feature heavily.

Remaining Work Plan Summary

Work is ~25% complete.

For the remaining grant, ECC will continue to promote biodiesel as a sustainable, domestically produced vehicle fuel on its social media and newsletter channels. As the year continues, Empire Clean Cities will seek event opportunities, both virtual and in-person, to promote biodiesel to fleets and businesses in New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. ECC will be highlighting biodiesel and other bio-based products at our in-person fleet events in the next quarter, including at our Annual Stakeholder Meeting.

As part of our interview and spotlight portion of the campaign, ECC looks forward to connecting with individual farmers in New York State. We will work with our partner Clean Cities coalitions in Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester to promote farmers’ work and sustainability practices in local agriculture. ECC will continue to increase awareness about the connection between food and fuel, increasing visibility and support for New York-based soybean farmers, and reducing air pollution by transitioning fleets to clean, renewable biodiesel and soy-based products.

Attached Deliverables
Attachment A: Social Media Posts
Attachment B: Newsletter Posts

View uploaded report

View uploaded report 2

Updated August 1, 2023:
Reporting Period: 1/5/2023—7/31/2023
Project Summary

In January of 2023, Empire Clean Cities (ECC) began its third year of outreach and education work around biodiesel and other biobased products in New York City and beyond, building on two years of outreach and education work through its “Soy in the City: Connecting Sustainable Farms and Bio-based Products in Downstate New York” campaign. The goal of the renewed campaign is to spotlight corn and soybean production in New York State and highlight the connection between farmers in the state and biodiesel fuel use in the New York fleets.

As part of our proposal, ECC committed to developing an outreach and education campaign about domestically and New York-produced biofuels and bio-based products, with a direct focus on how individual farmers in upstate New York contribute to transportation sustainability across the state. As part of our campaign, ECC created a webpage for the project, shared resources on our social media and newsletter about biodiesel and biofuels, and began outreach to NYC-based fleets. ECC is pleased to present our first Progress of Work report for the period May to July 2023.

Work Summary To-date

In the second phase of our renewed 2023 outreach campaign, ECC continued to create engaging social media and newsletter content for our readership. These pieces focused on reinforcing our audience’s basic biodiesel knowledge, as well as sharing information about the state of the New York and national biodiesel markets. ECC has continued its outreach activities on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. ECC’s bi-weekly newsletter is a wide-spread and effective form of outreach communication, with a series of articles and other announcements in the biofuel space featured.

During this period, ECC held its 14th Annual Stakeholder Meeting, held in concert with NYC DCAS’s Vehicle and Equipment Show in Queens, NY. NYC DCAS—whose fleet operations use more blended biodiesel gallons than any other municipal fleet in the U.S.—this year hosted their 33rd Annual Vehicle and Equipment Show. ECC hosted speakers and a panel focused on biofuels and bio-based products at this year’s Stakeholder Meeting, which drew over 160 attendees.





Deliverables Completion

Goals
Level of Completion
1a) Promote biodiesel and bio-based products New York events, including at a NYC Department of Transportation Public Space Programming event and at the annual Empire Clean Vehicle Festival, each featuring a vehicle that runs on biodiesel.
20% Complete

30% Complete
1b) Continue social media campaigns directly related to supporting corn and soybean growers, highlighting the connection between agriculture and fuel.
c) Publish articles in the ECC and fellow Clean Cities Coalition’s Newsletter.
30% Complete
2a) Maintain and update current “Soy in the City” project page with links to biodiesel resources, social media pages, and the NYCSGA.
35% Complete



2b) Use ECC’s website to promote soybean production as vehicle fuel, as well as educational resources on soy and corn production in New York.
25% Complete
3a) Host a webinar for fleets on the benefits of biodiesel, including participation from current biodiesel end user fleets in NYC, as well as New York soybean farmers, where possible.

15% Complete
3b) Meet with individual fleet operators to discuss the benefits and logistics of the transition to biodiesel and bio-based products.
20% Complete



Deliverable Completion Metrics

Newsletters (see attachment for additional details)
June 20th
Shared United Soybean Board’s Podcast Series: Clean Conversations
July 4th
Shared news article about EPA renewable fuel standards

Social media (see attachment for additional details)

ECC posted educational information to our social media channels as part of the “Soy in the City” campaign, using the hashtag #SoyInTheCity and tagging NYCSGA where possible.

Facebook (2 posts)
Twitter (2 posts)
Instagram (2 posts)

Events

In May 2023, ECC held its 14th Annual Stakeholder Meeting, where biofuels and bio-based products were featured heavily. One of the highlight presentations during the meeting was led by Belinda Burker, the esteemed Director from the United Soybean Board. Belinda oversees the Soy Checkoff that has invested in biodiesel, as well as partnerships with Goodyear for soy tires, concrete durability enhancers, asphalt and other soy-based products that can contribute to the Port’s sustainability success. Her presentation, "Beyond Fuel Type: Using Bio-Based Products to Reduce More Emissions," signaled a shift in focus towards the diverse applications of bio-based resources, with special attention to soy-based biofuels.

Later, in June, representatives from ECC’s biodiesel- and biofuel-focused stakeholders attended ECC’s gala cruise celebrating 30 years of the DOE Clean Cities program along with New Jersey Clean Cities and the NAFA, which was celebrating 65 years of its New York chapter.

Remaining Work Plan Summary

Work is ~25% complete.

For the remaining grant, ECC will continue to promote biodiesel as a sustainable, domestically produced vehicle fuel on its social media and newsletter channels. As the year continues, Empire Clean Cities will seek event opportunities, both virtual and in-person, to promote biodiesel to fleets and businesses in New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. ECC will be highlighting biodiesel and other bio-based products at our in-person fleet events in the next quarter, including at our Annual Stakeholder Meeting.

As part of our interview and spotlight portion of the campaign, ECC looks forward to connecting with individual farmers in New York State. We will work with our partner Clean Cities coalitions in Albany, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester to promote farmers’ work and sustainability practices in local agriculture. ECC will continue to increase awareness about the connection between food and fuel, increasing visibility and support for New York-based soybean farmers, and reducing air pollution by transitioning fleets to clean, renewable biodiesel and soy-based products.

Attached Deliverables
Attachment A: Social Media Posts
Attachment B: Newsletter Posts

View uploaded report

Updated October 30, 2023:
Reporting Period: 1/7/2023—9/30/2023
Project Summary

In January of 2023, Empire Clean Cities (ECC) began its third year of outreach and education work around biodiesel and other biobased products in New York City and beyond, building on two years of outreach and education work through its “Soy in the City: Connecting Sustainable Farms and Bio-based Products in Downstate New York” campaign. The goal of the renewed campaign is to spotlight corn and soybean production in New York State and highlight the connection between farmers in the state and biodiesel fuel use in the New York fleets.

As part of our proposal, ECC committed to developing an outreach and education campaign about domestically and New York-produced biofuels and bio-based products, with a direct focus on how individual farmers in upstate New York contribute to transportation sustainability across the state. As part of our campaign, ECC created a webpage for the project, shared resources on our social media and newsletter about biodiesel and biofuels, and began outreach to NYC-based fleets. ECC is pleased to present our third Progress of Work report for the period July to September 2023.

Work Summary To-date

In the third phase of our renewed 2023 education and outreach campaign, ECC continued to create engaging social media and newsletter content for our readership. These pieces focused on reinforcing our audience’s basic biodiesel knowledge, as well as sharing information about the state of the New York and national biodiesel markets. ECC has continued its outreach activities on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. ECC’s bi-weekly newsletter is a wide-spread and effective form of outreach communication, with a series of articles and other announcements in the biofuel space featured.


Deliverables Completion

Goals
Level of Completion
1a) Promote biodiesel and bio-based products New York events, including at a NYC Department of Transportation Public Space Programming event and at the annual Empire Clean Vehicle Festival, each featuring a vehicle that runs on biodiesel.
70% Complete

65% Complete
1b) Continue social media campaigns directly related to supporting corn and soybean growers, highlighting the connection between agriculture and fuel.
c) Publish articles in the ECC and fellow Clean Cities Coalition’s Newsletter.
75% Complete
2a) Maintain and update current “Soy in the City” project page with links to biodiesel resources, social media pages, and the NYCSGA.
60% Complete



2b) Use ECC’s website to promote soybean production as vehicle fuel, as well as educational resources on soy and corn production in New York.
75% Complete
3a) Host a webinar for fleets on the benefits of biodiesel, including participation from current biodiesel end user fleets in NYC, as well as New York soybean farmers, where possible.

50% Complete
3b) Meet with individual fleet operators to discuss the benefits and logistics of the transition to biodiesel and bio-based products.
75% Complete



Deliverable Completion Metrics

Newsletters (see attachment for additional details)
July 4th
Shared news article about EPA finalizing renewable fuel standards under the Renewable Fuel Standard requirement, showcasing federal support of low-carbon fuels and agricultural communities. We highlighted the importance of biofuels as a low-carbon fuel to our newsletter audience.
August 15
Shared the “Report: Global Market for Biofuels 2022-2023,” to bring awareness to our newsletter audience on the state of the biofuels market to support corn and soybean growers, highlighting the connection between food and fuel

Social media (see attachment for additional details)
Continued the “Soybean Basics” campaign through multiple posts to promote soybean production as vehicle fuel, as well as educational resources on soy and corn production in New York

ECC posted educational information to our social media channels as part of the “Soy in the City” campaign, using the hashtag #SoyInTheCity and tagging NYCSGA where possible.

Facebook (3 posts)
Twitter (2 posts)
Instagram (3 posts)

Remaining Work Plan Summary

Work is ~75% complete.

For the remaining grant, ECC will continue to promote biodiesel as a sustainable, domestically produced vehicle fuel on its social media and newsletter channels. As the year concludes, Empire Clean Cities will seek event opportunities, both virtual and in-person, to promote biodiesel to fleets and businesses in New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley. ECC will be highlighting biodiesel and other bio-based products in the next quarter, including with a webinar.

ECC will continue to increase awareness about the connection between food and fuel, increasing visibility and support for New York-based soybean farmers, and reducing air pollution by transitioning fleets to clean, renewable biodiesel and soy-based products.

Attached Deliverables
Attachment A: Social Media Posts
Attachment B: Newsletter Posts

View uploaded report

View uploaded report 2

View uploaded report 3

Updated December 31, 2023:
Reporting Period: 1/1/2023—12/31/2023
Project Summary

In January 2023, Empire Clean Cities (ECC) commenced its third year working on the year-long educational and outreach campaign “Soy in the City: Connecting Sustainable Farms and Bio-based Fuels in New York,” a year-long education and outreach campaign. The primary goals of the Soy in the City campaign included highlighting corn and soy production in New York State by upstate farmers; highlighting to downstate biofuel users and fleets that New York State agriculture plays a significant role in our clean energy ecosystem; and advocating for the continued use of biofuels as a way to fight climate change and decrease air pollution from diesel particulate matter, especially in New York City, where many neighborhoods are overburdened by exhaust pollution from diesel-powered vehicles.

As part of our proposal, ECC committed to developing an outreach and education campaign about U.S.-produced biofuels and New York-produced biofuel feedstock, with a direct and detailed focus on farmers in upstate New York who produce agricultural products that are used in biofuel production. In support of the campaign, ECC continued updating a dedicated webpage for the project, consistently shared resources on our social media accounts and in our newsletter about biodiesel and biofuels, and conducted outreach to fleets in the Hudson Valley and New York City area about the benefits and availability of biodiesel and other bio-based products. In December, we hosted a successful webinar titled “Reducing Emissions Through Renewable Diesel” to highlight the biodiesel, renewable diesel, and other bio-based products that can help fleets curb their emissions and save on operating costs.

ECC is pleased to present our final Progress of Work report for the entire project period of January to December 2023.
Work Summary To-date

Phase I: January to March

In the first phase of our renewed 2023 outreach campaign, ECC created engaging social media and newsletter content for our readership. These pieces focused on reinforcing our audience’s basic biodiesel knowledge, as well as sharing information about the state of the New York and national biodiesel markets. ECC has continued its outreach activities on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. ECC’s bi-weekly newsletter is a wide-spread and effective form of outreach communication, with a series of articles and other announcements in the biofuel space featured.

ECC has incorporated biodiesel into its outreach and advocacy efforts this quarter. In February, ECC staff attended Transportation Energy Partners’ Energy Independence Summit in Washington D.C., where we held in-person meetings with more than a dozen of our New York congressional and senatorial staffers at their Capitol offices; while there, we discussed their support of the national Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). With assistance from New York’s other Clean Cities Coalitions, we were able to raise awareness of our local biofuel economies with both upstate and New York City representatives.

During this first period, ECC also began planning for its 14th Annual Stakeholder Meeting, held in concert with NYC DCAS’s Vehicle and Equipment Show in Queens, NY. NYC DCAS—whose fleet operations use more blended biodiesel gallons than any other municipal fleet in the U.S.—this year hosted their 33rd Annual Vehicle and Equipment Show. ECC plans to host speakers and a panel focused on biofuels and bio-based products at this year’s Stakeholder Meeting, which we anticipate will draw over 200 attendees.


Phase II: April to June

In the second phase of our renewed 2023 outreach initiative, ECC continued to craft engaging content for our audience on social media and in newsletters. This content was designed to reinforce our readership's fundamental knowledge of biodiesel and to share information about the biodiesel markets in both New York and across the nation. ECC actively carried out outreach activities on popular social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. The bi-weekly newsletter from ECC remained a widely embraced and effective form of communication, featuring a variety of articles and announcements related to the biofuel industry.

During this period, ECC held its 14th Annual Stakeholder Meeting, held in concert with NYC DCAS’s Vehicle and Equipment Show in Queens, NY. NYC DCAS—whose fleet operations use more blended biodiesel gallons than any other municipal fleet in the U.S.—this year hosted their 33rd Annual Vehicle and Equipment Show. ECC hosted speakers and a panel focused on biofuels and bio-based products at this year’s Stakeholder Meeting, which drew over 160 attendees.


Phase III: July to September

In the third phase of our renewed 2023 education and outreach campaign, ECC continued to create engaging social media and newsletter content for our readership. These pieces focused on reinforcing our audience’s basic biodiesel knowledge, as well as sharing information about the state of the New York and national biodiesel markets. ECC has continued its outreach activities on social media, such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. ECC’s bi-weekly newsletter is a wide-spread and effective form of outreach communication, with a series of articles and other announcements in the biofuel space featured.


Phase IV: October to December

In the final phase of our renewed 2023 education and outreach campaign, ECC continued to create engaging social media and newsletter content for our readership. ECC held a webinar on December 20th, 2023 titled “Reducing Emissions Through Renewable Diesel” via Zoom. The webinar gave a broad overview of all of the bio-based fuel options available to fleets, as well as options that are likely to become available in the near future. The webinar focused heavily on bio-based products including biodiesel, renewable diesel, ethanol, bio-based tires, and more, with detailed instructions on how fleets could request higher blends of biodiesel from their suppliers and find access to biodiesel at public pumps.

Representatives from over a dozen different fleets were in attendance for the webinar, and ECC received several followup emails from fleets seeking more information about alternative fuels. The webinar recording is available for view on our website, and the recording was shared with registered attendees and through our newsletter distribution list.


Deliverables Completion

Goals
1a) Promote biodiesel and bio-based products New York events, including at a NYC Department of Transportation Public Space Programming event and at the annual Empire Clean Vehicle Festival, each featuring a vehicle that runs on biodiesel.
100% Complete

100% Complete
1b) Continue social media campaigns directly related to supporting corn and soybean growers, highlighting the connection between agriculture and fuel.
1c) Publish articles in the ECC and fellow Clean Cities Coalition’s Newsletter.
100% Complete
2a) Maintain and update current “Soy in the City” project page with links to biodiesel resources, social media pages, and the NYCSGA.
100% Complete



2b) Use ECC’s website to promote soybean production as vehicle fuel, as well as educational resources on soy and corn production in New York.
100% Complete
3a) Host a webinar for fleets on the benefits of biodiesel, including participation from current biodiesel end user fleets in NYC, as well as New York soybean farmers, where possible.

100% Complete
3b) Meet with individual fleet operators to discuss the benefits and logistics of the transition to biodiesel and bio-based products.
100% Complete


Deliverable Completion Metrics

Newsletters (see attachment A for additional details)

January 3rd
Shared a report from Biodiesel Magazine titled “USDA: US biodiesel exports at 65,979 metric tons in October”
Shared event details for the upcoming Clean Fuels Alliance Conference
February 1st
Shared our experiences of attending the 20243 Clean Fuels Alliance Conference, where Clean Cities Coalitions received the Impact Award for their decades of work promoting biofuels and bio-based products
Shared an article from FuelsFix titled “Understanding the Difference Between Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel”
February 14th
Shared news of NREL’s launch of a new synthetic biology project to advance biofuel discovery
February 28th
Shared an updated map of U.S. biodiesel plants from USDA
April 11th
Shared the link to a Clean Fuels America podcast episode featuring ECC staff
June 20th
Shared United Soybean Board’s Podcast Series: Clean Conversations
July 4th
Shared news article about EPA renewable fuel standards
July 4th
Shared news article about EPA finalizing renewable fuel standards under the Renewable Fuel Standard requirement, showcasing federal support of low-carbon fuels and agricultural communities. We highlighted the importance of biofuels as a low-carbon fuel to our newsletter audience.
August 15
Shared the “Report: Global Market for Biofuels 2022-2023,” to bring awareness to our newsletter audience on the state of the biofuels market to support corn and soybean growers, highlighting the connection between food and fuel
September 13th
Shared an article from Forbes about the updated biofuel blending mandates
Shared USDA Biofuel Infrastructure Grants Application instructions and materials
September 27th
Shared article about the EPA finalizing higher blend rule for ethanol
Shared USDA Biofuel Infrastructure Grants Application instructions and materials
October 10th
Shared an article titled “Biodiesel Specialist shares five steps to better cold weather fuel performance”
October 24th
Shared NREL’s “Biodiesel Handling And Use Guide”
December 19
Shared Webinar details

In total, ECC shared 34 biofuel, biodiesel, and other bio-based fuel-related articles, events, and reports in its biweekly newsletter from February 2021 to January 2022.

Social media (see attachment B for additional details)

ECC posted educational content to our social media accounts as part of the “Soy in the City” campaign, using the hashtag #SoyintheCity and tagging NYCSGA when applicable.

In 2023, ECC’s posts reached a very high number of people. Our Instagram page’s reach was just short of 20,000, while our Facebook page’s reach was over 30,000.
During the entirety of the Soy in the City campaign, ECC posted the following numbers of posts across its social media channels:

Facebook (10 posts)
Twitter (9 posts)
Instagram (10 posts)

As mentioned above, our biodiesel-focused posts tended to garner the most engagement across all platforms.

Events and Outreach Activities

Phase I: January to March

ECC’s executive director Joy Gardner took to the airwaves on an episode of Clean Fuels Alliance America: Fueling Conversations podcast to discuss the immediate role that clean fuels can play in addressing environmental concerns and the impacts biodiesel and renewable diesel can make. The episode discussed the immediate role clean fuels play in quickly reducing emissions from New York’s transportation sector. We look forward to more innovative opportunities to discuss the benefits of biofuels and bio-based products as the year progresses.

ECC staff also attended the Clean Fuels Alliance America Conference in Tampa, Florida, where the Clean Cities Coalition network was honored for their decades of education and outreach work around biofuels and bio-based products.

Phase II: April to June

In May 2023, ECC held its 14th Annual Stakeholder Meeting, where biofuels and bio-based products were featured heavily. One of the highlight presentations during the meeting was led by Belinda Burker, the esteemed Director from the United Soybean Board. Belinda oversees the Soy Checkoff that has invested in biodiesel, as well as partnerships with Goodyear for soy tires, concrete durability enhancers, asphalt and other soy-based products that can contribute to the Port’s sustainability success. Her presentation, "Beyond Fuel Type: Using Bio-Based Products to Reduce More Emissions," signaled a shift in focus towards the diverse applications of bio-based resources, with special attention to soy-based biofuels.

Later, in June, representatives from ECC’s biodiesel- and biofuel-focused stakeholders attended ECC’s gala cruise celebrating 30 years of the DOE Clean Cities program along with New Jersey Clean Cities and the NAFA, which was celebrating 65 years of its New York chapter.

Phase III: July to September

While no biofuel-focused events were hosted in this phase of the project, ECC spent Q3 planning a number of events for Winter 2023 to present biodiesel as an alternative fuel to NYC fleets and businesses, virtually with statewide and local partners.


Phase IV: October to December

ECC held a webinar on December 20th, 2023 titled “Reducing Emissions Through Renewable Diesel” via Zoom. The webinar gave a broad overview of all of the bio-based fuel options available to fleets, as well as options that are likely to become available in the near future. The webinar focused heavily on bio-based products including biodiesel, renewable diesel, ethanol, bio-based tires, and more, with detailed instructions on how fleets could request higher blends of biodiesel from their suppliers and find access to biodiesel at public pumps.

Representatives from over a dozen different fleets were in attendance for the webinar, and ECC received several followup emails from fleets seeking more information about alternative fuels. The webinar recording is available for view on our website, and the recording was shared with registered attendees and through our newsletter distribution list. Following the event, ECC had discussions with two fleets—a newspaper delivery company and a local university— to discuss their options for transitioning both fleets to a bio-based blend in 2023.
Summary of Work

ECC’s 2023 Soy in the City Campaign began in January 2023 with three explicit goals: to 1) increase awareness about the role that biodiesel and bio-based products play in reducing emissions from transportation in the region, 2) increase visibility and support for the producers of those products, and 3) reduce air pollution by providing technical assistance for fleets to help them transition to clean, renewable biodiesel and soy-based products.

While ECC was very successful in disseminating biofuel and biodiesel knowledge, our goal of connecting with soy and corn farmers in upstate New York proved difficult. However, we did our best to communicate to our fleet stakeholders of New York’s regional importance as a producer of soybeans and other feedstocks for biodiesel and other biofuels. Our strategies of providing venues to discuss the benefits of biofuels and other bio-based products directly with end users presented some of our best opportunities yet to showcase the role of upstate New York farmers in combating air pollution downstate. Biofuels featured prominently in our event planning and outreach materials. Moving into 2024, ECC will continue to promote biodiesel as a sustainable, domestically produced vehicle fuel on our social media and newsletter channels.

View uploaded report