Green Futures Recycles Waste Oil to Biodiesel
June 23rd by Eric Needle
The Green Futures Foundation is a non-profit organization that partners with local restaurants to recycle waste vegetable oil into clean burning biodiesel fuel. Proceeds from this fund raising activity are used to fund local green education programs and scholarships for students interested in studying renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living topics.
A simple idea that turns a waste product into needed fuel, Green Futures has hit upon a novel way to incetivize restaurants into greening up their operations.
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the home building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss his paycheck, but needed to retire. 
The Broward County Environmental Protection and Growth Management Department will recognize several local businesses for their outstanding environmentally-responsible business practices. Each business will receive an Emerald Award for their exceptional efforts in protecting the environment. The program recognizes businesses for their voluntary efforts in four areas: waste reduction, recycling, improved operating practices, and other “green†strategies that reduce pollution and waste. Both large and small businesses are eligible. One business is also honored with the title “Environmental Business of the Year,†which will be announced at the ceremony.
As I speak with people, I try to put down what ties us together and come up with a unifying mission of GreenFtLauderdale.com. Simply put, we speak to diverse segments of the community that care about our collective future. We speak to groups who share a passion for our unique quality of life.
As ONE members, we care. We care about the child orphaned by HIV/AIDS. We care about the village that lacks access to clean water. And we care about the millions of people throughout the developing world who will go to bed hungry tonight. For many of us, that caring is borne of our faith.
I recently discovered I was an idealist. Well, I’ve always been passionate about many aspects of life. I’ve always volunteered and worked with many non profit groups to make my community a better place. Yet it wasn’t until recently that someone labeled me as an idealist.
Dr. King is an inspiration–and shows us how great America can become if we work together towards the common good. So much is in place to divide us. We need to build bridges–and there is a group working to build a monument in our nation’s capital that does so.
As 2005 draws to a close and we look forward to the new year, I found this information on Citizens Against Government Waste. CAGW is the source of information on government waste and, backed by our members, CAGW works tirelessly everyday to win cuts in wasteful spending. 
Bruce Wilkinson’s recent bestseller The Prayer of Jabez shined the light on an obscure Old Testament character who unleashed a powerful petition to the God of Israel that had a dramatic impact upon his life. A key portion of the prayer was Jabez’s request that God would “expand his territory.” 
The ONE Campaign grew out of the Heart of America tour in 2002, in which a busload of citizens and celebrities toured the mid-West in support of a new U.S. initiative on global AIDS. The success of that trip insured that a new constituency of Americans were raising their voices for Africa and needed to be heard. Together with the Better Safer World Campaign, representing nine of the largest, most effective private aid agencies (with 3 million supporters) working together to fight global poverty, and Bread for the World, a Christian voice for ending hunger for more than 30 years, the ONE campaign got off to a great start. 
