Register with GEF for FREE to enjoy these great benefits! 

    • member only contests and raffles

    • sustainability program news and updates

    • significant discounts at GEF Institute

Note: If you have problems registering, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

JOIN GEF NOW!

Taking a GEF Institute Course? Login by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

 

Join Us

Sign Up for National Green Week!
Please note: Your privacy is very important to GEF. We do not share or sell any of your data.  It is with the sole purpose of providing you with relevant information that GEF will contact you.
Login/SignUp

Welcome to the Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse

Here, you can find free sustainability lessons to use in your class and upload your own lessons to share. Be sure to rate the lessons you use and leave comments for your colleagues!

All of GEF's lessons and programs are offered at no cost.  Become a member to support GEF and enjoy member only benefits! 
Join button_03

Professional Development

GEFinstitute LOGO_WEB GEF Institute offers affordable, online sustainability courses eligible for professional development or academic credit.
Give your resume a boost!

Sponsor a Teacher

Support educators in your community by helping them earn a Certificate in Sustainability or take an online course. Find out more about sponsorship!
Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse

The Biofuel Project: Creating Bio-diesel

Lesson Description:
This activity introduces students to alternative fuels and gives them an opportunity to produce their own biodiesel fuel. The text of the exercise gives students a brief background in the environmental benefits of using biodiesel as a diesel substitute. The lab portion of this exercise demonstrates the basic chemistry involved in making biodiesel from vegetable oils and waste oils.

Many students have heard of biodiesel without realizing that producing the fuel from waste vegetable oil is a fairly simple process. Seeing the process firsthand and going through the steps from oil to fuel enables the student to grasp the fuel-making process. Included in this exercise is a basic oil analysis that is necessary to differentiate between the various oils that a biodiesel producer may encounter.
Lesson Type:
  • Project

Sustainability Topic:
  • Energy

Time Needed:
2 weeks
Standards Addressed:
National Standards: 9-12
  • Sec-A: 1.B. Design and conduct scientific investigations.
  • Sec-A: 1.D. Formulate and revise scientific explanations and models using logic and evidence.
  • Sec-A: 1.E. Recognize and analyze alternative explanations and models.
  • Sec-B: 2.C. A compound is formed when two or more kinds of atoms bind together chemically.
  • Sec-B: 3.D. A large number of important reactions involve the transfer of electrons or hydrogen ions. in other reactions, Chemical bonds are broken by heat or light to form very reactive radicals with electrons ready to form new bonds. radical reactions control many processes such as the presence of ozone and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, burning and processing of fossil fuels, the formation of polymers, and explosions.
  • Sec-B: 5.D. Everything tends to become less organized and less orderly over time. thus, in all energy transfers, the overall effect is that the energy is spread out uniformly. Examples are the transfer of energy from hotter to cooler objects by conduction, radiation, or convection and the warming of our surroundings when we burn fuels.

Materials Needed:
  • Handouts included
  • Computers with internet access
  • Other materials listed in the activity

School or Group:
U.S. Department of Energy
Contact Email:
service@greeneducationfoundation.org
Located in: Science

The Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse is brought to you in partnership with

Center for Green Schools