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The Collective Biofuels Conference brings renewable energy experts, enthusiasts and interested beginners together to discuss all things biofuels, with a focus on biodiesel. This year's Collective Biofuels Conference features 20 workshops on sustainable community-scale biofuels - from grass-roots initiatives to successful business case studies from across North America. Talks will cover alternative bio-diesel feedstocks such as jatropha and algae, Straight Vegetable Oil (SVO) conversions, the mechanics of maintaining a bio-fueled vehicle, running a bio-diesel gas station, technical aspects of safe bio-diesel production, and a business development workshop facilitated by our Conference Gold Sponsor, Vancity. See the website for a complete speakers list. Lyle Estill, co-founder of Piedmont Biofuels, will be this year's keynote. His talk, "Biodiesel's New Leaf" will cover the success stories and failures of community scale fuel production. Lyle is also the author of Biodiesel Power and Small is Possible - Life in a Local Economy. His third book, Industrial Evolution; Community Solutions for a Low Carbon Economy, was released in May. The Conference will kick off with an international film premiere of FREEDOM, Josh Tickell's latest documentary on alternative fuels, and will also offer an optional Sunday afternoon cultural tour of a community biofuel plant created in a unique recycling partnership with local government, wine tastings and dinner at a local organic farm (for a nominal fee). See the schedule for more information. Cowichan Energy Alternatives and the Cowichan Bio-Diesel Co-Op are proud hosts of the 2011 CBC. This is an evolution of the Collective Biodiesel Conference, which was started in 2006 in Colorado, and was last held in Washington, D.C.. This is CBC's first time outside the United States, and it's happening in the spectacular Cowichan Valley!