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Alternative Fuel Gas Station

Mike Lewis is doing his part to end our dependence upon foreign oil. At the first-of-its-kind gas station he co-owns in San Diego, he offers just about any kind of alternative fuel you can think of: ethanol, propane, hybrid-recharging stations – even something called BioWillie, a type of diesel fuel made from soybeans, promoted by (you guessed it) Willie Nelson.

The station, which offers nine types of fuel all together, shares space with the EcoCenter for Alternative Fuel Education, which provides tours and information about the benefits of choosing alternative fuels. More than 11,000 children have been bused to the Center since it opened in 2004.

Though the station has yet to turn a profit, Lewis is hopeful that may soon change. The higher that oil prices climb, the more Americans are willing to try alternative fuels. Such fuels have also gained more attention in recent months, following President George W. Bush’s call for Americans to reduce their dependence on foreign oil.

Others choose cleaner-burning fuels because they produce less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

While the Fuel Depot is the only gas station of its kind so far, that doesn’t mean you can’t buy cleaner fuels at a station in your neighborhood. Many stations now offer a fuel mix that includes 10 percent ethanol, which can be used in just about any car on the market as well as in lawn mowers, motorboats and other small-engine vehicles.

In Montana, every gallon of unleaded gasoline contains 10 percent ethanol. But it is also easily found throughout the Midwest, where it is produced, and in major East Coast markets.

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To learn more about alternative fuels, go to http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/. To learn more about ethanol gasoline, visit http://www.ethanol.org/e10.html.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org