Biodiesel is the name for a variety of ester-based oxygenated fuels made from vegetable oils or animal fats. It is more biodegradable than sugar and less toxic than table salt and is produced from domestic feedstock. Biodiesel can reduce net CO2 emissions by 78 percent compared with petroleum diesel fuel, cutting greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. It can be mixed with petroleum diesel at any level to produce a cleaner-burning biodiesel blend. If the political, environmental, or financial woes of our current fuel industry have you concerned, it’s time to take a very close look at biodiesel.