Making Biodiesel

Today during environmental science class, we're having a lab of making biodiesel. Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable oil. The fuel we usually use are fossil fuels, which are non-sustainable and non-renewable resources that our current society has become heavily dependent on. Unlike fossil fuels, biodiesel can simply be made in lab with chemical reaction. We mixed the oil, alcohol and sodium hydroxide, and heat the mixture, which produces biodiesel. I was wondering if making biodiesel is such easy and simple why do people still pump out fossil fuel. Producing biodiesel must uses up many farm lands and potentially harm the river by spray of pesticide. Since I took environmental science, I have learn many thing about how we harm the environment and how people try to mild the damage in many different ways including by laws. However, I somehow think the most effective way is to require everyone to take environmental science! :D