This week an Alaska Airlines plane flew from Seattle to Washington. Nothing extraordinary there. Except for the fuel. This was the first commercial flight made using fuel from residual waste from wood. It's the result of a five-year project developed by the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance. Newsday heard from one of the scientists involved in the project - Professor Michael Wolcott of Washington State University.

(Photo: Swissport fuel truck delivering a 20% blend of biofuel made from forest residuals in SeaTac, Washington state, USA. Credit: Washington State University)