Corn-based ethanol has become the latest target of the environmental and social justice movements, but let's not throw out the jatropha, French-fry grease and pond scum with the maize. There is more to the biofuel debate than food-versus-fuel.

Take a look inside this issue of Alternatives and you'll discover that if we use our ecological knowledge and experience, biofuels hold great promise.

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Editorial 
Nicola Ross
Biofuelling the Future

Beyond Food-vs-Fuel 
Susan Holtz
The biofuel debate must consider both energy and agriculture.
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Home Brew 
Lyle Estill
How a small-scale accident put a Canadian ex-pat in the front row of the international biofuel discussion.
No Size Fits All
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Biofuel Basics 
Kyrke Gaudreau
We will do better in selecting among the biofuel feedstock options if we grasp the essentials of how ecosystems work.
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Better Bioenergy 
Mark Purdon, Stephanie Bailey-Stamler & Roger Samson
Rather than picking bioenergy “winners,” effective policy should let a lifecycle analysis decide.
The Bill C-33 Debate
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Growing Fuel 
Carol Hunsberger
Kenyans are experimenting with jatropha to determine the best scale for production.
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Energy In:Energy Out 
How three biofuels stack up.

More Alternatives

News & Notes
Carbon Continentalism: The Obama Effect
Safe Harbour for Endangered Species

Letters to the Editor

Letter from Cape Farewell:
David Noble
Cape Hopeful
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The Year in Review 
Alternatives sums up major environmental stories of 2008.

In Praise of Mundane Nature         
Lenore Newman and Ann Dale
The unsung nature in alleyways and backyards plays an important – and undervalued – role in urban lives.
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Reviews
The Honest Broker: Making Sense of Science in Policy and Politics by Roger A. Pielke, Jr.
Environmental Justice and Racism in Canada: An Introduction by Andil Gosine and Cheryl Teelucksingh

Brain Mulch 
Andil Gosine
Eat Your Car

Publication of this issue was made possible by funding from Canada’s International- Development Research Centre (www.idrc.ca) and support- from our many subscribers.
We acknowledge the financial support of Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada; Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation; The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation; Ontario Media Development Corporation; Ontario Work Study Plan; Suncor Energy; TD Friends of the Environment Foundation; and the government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program and Canada Magazine Fund toward our mailing and editorial costs.
The support of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo and the Waterloo Environmental Studies Endowment Foundation is appreciated.