Safeway's trucking fleet shifts to biodiesel

[Kadie]

Safeway's trucking fleet shifts to biodiesel
David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, January 19, 2008


Safeway grocery trucks no longer just deliver vegetables. In a sense, they now run on vegetables, too.

Safeway, the nation's third-largest grocery chain, said Friday that its entire nationwide trucking fleet now uses biodiesel, a renewable fuel that can be made from plant oils, used cooking grease or animal fat.

In Safeway's case, the biodiesel comes from soy oil or canola oil. It is blended with regular petroleum diesel before being pumped into the company's more than 1,000 trucks.

The move is part of Safeway's broader effort to green its operations. The Pleasanton company buys much of its electricity from wind farms, has switched to energy-efficient refrigeration and lighting, and is installing solar panels on 24 of its California stores.

"This investment in utilizing cleaner-burning technologies to operate our trucking fleet reflects our strong commitment to protecting the environment," said Joe Pettus, Safeway's senior vice president of energy operations.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/19/BU63UHSMM.DTL

[pinto]

1. What a great move. Here's an example of a large company making a difference.

Thanks for the snag on this piece.