Maui “On the Road Again” with BioWillie Biodiesel

Donning trademark bandannas, staff from Pacific Biodiesel celebrate Willie Nelson's birthday. Photo courtesy of Pacific Biodiesel.

By Sonia Isotov

Beginning on April 30, Willie Nelson’s birthday, the fuel at Pacific Biodiesel’s retail pump on Maui is being sold as the brand named BioWillie Biodiesel.

The branding is the brainchild of superstar Willie Nelson, a Maui resident whose involvement in, and support of, community-based biodiesel production began in the islands when his wife Annie bought their first diesel car in 2003 and filled up at Pacific Biodiesel. The Maui biodiesel fuel pump, located at 40 Hobron Avenue in Kahului, is open 24 hours a day.

Yesterday, biodiesel customers received a free BioWillie bumper sticker and were entered in a drawing to win a Pacific Biodiesel cap autographed by Willie Nelson himself. Also, Willie’s Maui fans were encouraged to stop by and record a birthday wish to the superstar that will be compiled and posted on YouTube.

The BioWillie brand specifies that the fuel must meet or exceed standards for biodiesel, and feedstock sources are known and can be confirmed as meeting the best practices. Courtesy of PB.

Although there had been a previous attempt to use the brand several years ago, a new agreement with Pacific Biodiesel focuses on the fuel quality as well as sustainability aspects. The BioWillie brand specifies that the fuel must meet or exceed standards for biodiesel established by the American Society of Testing and Materials, and feedstock sources are known and can be confirmed as meeting the best practices described by the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance.

In addition, BioWillie Biodiesel must be produced in America, from American feedstock, and used in America within a reasonable region.

Willie Nelson is a founding member of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance (SBA) and his advocacy for locally produced biodiesel is documented in the film Revolution Green, narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, another Maui resident who drives on biodiesel.

Willie’s mainland tour buses run on biodiesel whenever possible, sourced by the SBA to make sure their feedstock origins are sustainable.