What do Taylor Swift, a tank of captured carbon dioxide and used cooking oil have in common? They’re all part of the conversation about making flying less of a climate problem.

In this episode of Positive Charge, hosts Lisa Stiffler and Laura Scott pull on flame-resistant jumpsuits, strap steel-toed caps over their sneakers and head inside Twelve’s new sustainable aviation fuel-making facility in Moses Lake, Wash. There, a maze of shiny pipes and tanks turns captured carbon dioxide, water and renewable electricity into something surprisingly ordinary-looking: clear liquid that can help power an airplane.

Then we meet Montana Renewables, which has given part of a century-old oil refinery a new job: making aviation fuel from ingredients including used cooking oil, beef tallow and oily seeds. And Alaska Airlines’ sustainability leader explains why airlines are betting on fuels that work with the planes and airport equipment they already have.

Along the way, we unpack the big questions: How does burning fuel made from recycled carbon help the climate? Why does cleaner jet fuel cost more? And what actually happens when you chip in for sustainable aviation fuel while booking a flight?

Come for the industrial jungle gym. Stay for the science, trade-offs and possibilities of cleaner flying.

Sources and references

Interviews:

• Nicholas Flanders, CEO and co-founder of Twelve
• Ryan Spies, managing director of sustainability at Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines
• Matt Upmeyer, vice president of commercial for Montana Renewables
• Cody McNaughton, plant manager for Twelve's manufacturing facility
• Michael Donaldson, director of environment, health and safety at Twelve's manufacturing facility

Sources:

• "Sustainable aviation fuel is taking off. What is it, exactly?", Canary Media, Nov. 21, 2024
• "Pragmatic assessment of meeting the 2030 U.S. sustainable aviation fuel goal," Biomass and Bioenergy, March 2026
• "Europe Widens Its Lead Over US, Asia in Switch to Cleaner Jet Fuel," Bloomberg, Aug. 13, 2026