What do you think of when you think of problems with the environment? Is it pollution, biodiversity, greenhouse gases? There are many, many solutions to help fix these problems, but let’s face it. The world offers many solutions, but how many people do you see executing them? Not many people even pay attention, even when there is a ton of awareness about these problems. However, there is a solution that could help that doesn’t involve a ton of community effort. This is algae biofuels. Algae biofuels are easy. All algae needs are water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide to grow. Ethanol can be made from the oil extracted from the algae. A company Solix says that “by containing the algae in closed “photo bioreactors”—triangular chambers made from sheets of polyethylene plastic (similar to a painter’s drop cloth)—and bubbling supplemental carbon dioxide through the system. Eventually, the source of the CO2 will be exhaust from power plants and other industrial processes, providing the added benefit of capturing a potent greenhouse gas before it reaches the atmosphere”. This shows that algae biofuels are cleaner burning fuels than diesel or gas, and in the process of being made doesn’t emit any Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere.

Additionally, algae could possibly produce 10,000 gallons per acre per year. Furthermore, all the land that would be needed for growing this biofuel product is half a percent of the farmland already in use. This is less than the amount used for corn biofuels and other products people have tried.

Just think about if algae biofuels came into effect. What is the work we would have to do? Nothing different than we already do in our daily lives. Just go buy gas like you usually would, but a different type. By doing so, you could be helping the environment more than you realize. There are tons of environmental solutions, and this is just one. Most people think that if they aren’t doing everything, they aren’t really helping. That is a lie. It only takes one action to change the world.