Remembering Beth Jo Calabotta
Beth Jo Calabotta was a
transforming force for
improving the scientific
understanding of the sustainability
impacts of biodiesel. Beth lost
her battle with metastatic breast
cancer in 2017.
Beth was highly respected for her
expertise in chemical engineering
and especially for her knowledge of
the ag industry. She became a true
leader as a director of the National
Biodiesel Foundation and inspired
the foundation to coordinate
industry and academic experts.
Beth was positive that biodiesel
and agriculture could achieve
powerful things. As a scientist,
she knew that it was not enough
to simply hope for better things.
She knew that understanding the
science would help businesses and
policymakers avoid pitfalls.
She also knew that understanding
the agricultural economy and
potential environmental impacts
would dispel myths created to
hamper the advancement of
biofuels.
The path to making our society
and our economy more sustainable
is to follow natural systems that
are replenished and renewed
continually. Biodiesel is a prime
example of using renewable
energy to displace fossil fuels.
The solar energy that powers
agriculture can also provide a
substitute for petroleum if we
follow the examples in nature.
Vegetable oils store solar energy
in a liquid form that can be
used without adding carbon to
the atmosphere. The question
that remained was how can we
produce more of this renewable,
carbon-neutral fuel?
Beth knew this was a critical
question and she led others to
use the best available science to
find the answer. Beth encouraged
experts from disparate disciplines
to work together to quantify
the land available to produce
food and fuel. By understanding
the increasing demand for food
around the globe, she started
by solving societies most critical
need—the need for protein.
Farmers are steadily producing
more protein and using fewer
acres by increasing yields and
planting more efficient crops.
Seed-bearing plants are especially
good at storing solar energy.
When we harvest seeds for
protein, we also get more fat than
we can eat. This excess fat is a gift
of stored solar energy that can
fuel our economy as a feedstock
for biodiesel.
It took the leadership of Beth
Calabotta for this story to be
uncovered in scientific literature
drawing on decades of ag industry
data. The National Biodiesel
Foundation is following and
building upon Beth’s example to
uncover data that illustrates the
elegant power of natural systems.
Don Scott
Director of Sustainability, NBB
Leader, Scientist,
Mentor & Friend
I first came to know Beth through
National Biodiesel Board meetings
where she represented Monsanto.
I was instantly struck with her
knowledge and, just as importantly,
her strength of conviction and her
ability to organize and motivate
people.
It was through the National
Biodiesel Foundation in 2008-2009
that Beth realized how answering the
sustainability and indirect land use
issues would be essential to the long-term
success of biodiesel. She kick-started
the work through coalition
building and fundraising; bringing
in strong partners like the National
Corn Growers Association along with
various state corn boards.
Through her vision and leadership,
the California Air Resources Board
would come to accept biodiesel’s true
score on carbon emissions. Her work
also showed how the negative food
to fuel argument against agricultural
based biofuels did not apply to
biodiesel.
Her passion was not limited to big
policy issues. Beth could often be seen
doing the little things, like working
fundraising auctions or selling 50/50
tickets for a worthy industry cause.
I would often pass through her
home city of St. Louis and we’d meet
at the airport for an informal dinner
where she would continue to share
her passion for the industry. She
would talk and I would listen, taking
copious notes. Even when her cancer
returned, I would visit her in the
hospital, notebook in hand of course,
and leave with even more notes. I
never passed up a chance to learn
something from her.
Beth is very much missed by the
industry and those who worked with
her. To honor her dedicated service,
the NBB has established the Beth
Calabotta Sustainable Education
Grant.
Tom Verry
Director of Outreach & Development , NBB
2 Biodiesel Success Stories