Donnie Wahlberg Backs Bioheat® Fuel for a Greener Future
Donnie Wahlberg first gained recognition as a member of the boy band New Kids on the Block, when he was just 15. After experiencing sold-out tours and later transitioning into successful roles in films and television, he shows no sign of slowing down. This summer, he sets out on a fresh NKOTB tour while the group releases their first new album in more than ten years.
Donnie speaks with Energy, Oil & Gas about a partnership that, at first glance, may seem like an unusual fit for the Boston native. However, his enthusiasm, dedication, and knowledge quickly dispel any doubts, proving he is the ideal spokesperson for an environmentally friendly and sustainable home heating fuel known as Bioheat® fuel. Partnering with Clean Fuels Alliance America (Clean Fuels), he is eager to raise awareness of the advantages that sustainable fuel, especially Bioheat® fuel for home heating, can offer not just to individual users but also to local businesses and communities.
Sharing how it all began, Donnie explains: “I was first approached by Clean Fuels as someone they thought would be a good representative for Bioheat® fuel, but at that time I was completely unfamiliar with the product. I am not the type of person to do a campaign for the sake of it – first I want to take my time to learn about what it entails. So, I really dove in and became a student before I decided to get involved.
“Also, I am careful not to use my platform to tell people what to do. I have a lot of fans from my work in music and television, and rather than telling my followers what they should think, instead I share things that I’m excited about, and encourage them to follow what they believe. This product and process was one I became enthusiastic about.”
For some context, Bioheat® fuel is a renewable energy source created by blending traditional heating oil with biodiesel, significantly cutting carbon emissions and environmental impact. Biodiesel is produced across America using raw materials and by-products that would otherwise be discarded. Even better, it can be used in modern high-efficiency heating oil systems without any modifications.
“Clean Fuels has done so much work with its members to create a product that is an easy alternative to traditional heating oil,” continues Donnie. “It usually doesn’t require anyone to change their boiler, heating system, or tank, or invest in infrastructure. It’s just a new option that people can choose, that goes in the tank, warms the home, but is sustainable and better for the planet. They can keep the same fuel provider in most cases and just say, ‘Hey, just switch me over to biodiesel instead of the regular home heating oil.’
“It was also interesting to discover that this product is particularly relevant and readily available in the Northeast US where I grew up! People in these neighborhoods may have inherited a home and a way of life from a parent or grandparent and want to maintain their traditions, but this is a small way in which they can modernize. I could see that this product made sense for people living in homes like my old one, that use heating oil to keep their families warm. These are some of the main reasons that pushed me over the top about wanting to get involved.”
A Practical Alternative
One of the aspects that resonated with Donnie was the community-driven nature of Bioheat® fuel. It is supplied by local, family-run businesses that have been serving their areas for generations. This connection to family and heritage was reflected in a promotional video filmed at Donnie’s childhood home. “Growing up in the neighborhood means I understand that the people there have real responsibilities and a lot to manage to stay above water financially. The last thing they want to hear is some famous person telling them what they should be doing.
“Bioheat® fuel offers a feasible choice, in a time when a lot of people feel like they’re being forced to make changes that they can’t afford to make. At the same time, they feel like they aren’t doing enough for the planet. This is an action that can be taken by a lot of people without really changing their way of life. That was important to me.
“We live in a divisive time and there are loud voices at either side of the debate. I would suspect that most people care about the environment, and they want to live on a clean planet, they will make greener choices if the options are there, to enable them to make their home healthier and their environment better. They may not even be 100 percent convinced their home heating oil is hurting the planet, but they might believe it has an effect inside the home. I certainly thought as a ten-year-old kid that the heating tank in the basement smelled bad, and I didn’t think it was healthy. If they use Bioheat® fuel to clean up their home, essentially, they are deciding to also help the environment.”
Turning Waste into Value
Another aspect that caught Donnie’s attention was how Bioheat® fuel repurposes waste that would otherwise end up in landfills. “I appreciate the benefits to be gained from turning used cooking oil into useable fuel – I have even seen some of this waste on a personal level at our restaurants [Wahlburgers, a restaurant and bar chain owned by Donnie and his brothers Paul and Mark]. It’s a step in a healthier direction. The more I learned about the product, the more confident I was to share the story with my fans and people have responded the way I would have hoped.”
Having filmed a promo and now regularly updating his Instagram feed with information about the product, the feedback Donnie receives is that people are curious to learn more. “As soon as I started having conversations with Clean Fuels, I became much more aware of the prevalence of biofuels. I started to notice if the airliner I was on was using it and I saw transit buses in New York advertising their use of biodiesel blends. I think my approach to making changes is to start with myself, so I am going to use biodiesel on my tour bus this summer and I’m going to be talking to people about it at venues.
“This is a great way to get the word out and share information. We also have a lot of shows in the areas where the soybean feedstocks are produced, and I think it will mean a lot to the families who are in one way or another connected to the soybean industry, to hear me supporting this.”
The demographic and reach of Donnie’s fanbase have also evolved with the band, and so now while the original, predominantly female ‘Blockheads’ are returning to the show, they are accompanied by their own children, as well as husbands and dads who appreciate Donnie for his roles in shows such as Band of Brothers and Blue Bloods. Donnie’s own son is keen to accompany him on tour, to see for himself how the biodiesel-powered bus performs and how fans respond. “That’s another reason why supporting this product makes sense to me,” he adds. “Our children are learning so much about how we must take care of the planet and I am glad to have found a bridge between my generation and my son’s generation to say, ‘Hey, look at this product, look at what it can do.’ The simplicity of the product is, I think, a big part of it, in that it allows us to have these conversations.”
Small Steps, Big Impact
Since beginning his journey with Bioheat® fuel, Donnie’s interest has only grown. “I’m invested in this partnership, and I am paying more attention to everything now. I think this product is at the cutting edge, and it has sparked my interest in looking at what else I could be doing and I think the same is going to happen for a lot of people. Start with something that’s not too daunting, where there’s not a lot of jargon, and take the first step. It really motivates me to share this easy option and demonstrate it is available to them.”
Looking ahead, Donnie is eager to meet the farmers responsible for growing the feedstocks that contribute to Bioheat® fuel. “These are family-owned farms, run by people who want to make a difference. I didn’t realize at the beginning that promoting home heating oil in the Northeast would lead me to learn so much and make changes to my tour, like putting biodiesel in my tour bus and no longer using fireworks in our shows. I’m starting with the fuel, but I want to keep building on the foundation of the relationship and discover more ways that I can spread the word and be useful to this product and to consumers.”