Running on Empty

My Reasonable Green (RG) to-do list is literally 38 pages long, so there are a number of projects on my mind. Numero Uno by far, though, has got to be making a decision on a more responsible “ride.”

Former Jackson Browne gal pal Daryl Hannah's early adoption of and commitment to biodiesel has been an inspiration, but options abound.

(BTW Hannah is totally off-grid, which I think is a pretty cool, if not quite RG for most of us.)

The alternative-fuel options’ reasonableness (for me) ranges from totally (!) doable to “maybe someday” – but none on the list have been eliminated as a possibility.

At this point I am most intrigued by the plug-in hybrids . It bums me out that they’re so difficult to get. They seem to combine the best of the most mainstream options. They have hybrid motors with batteries so you can plug them in at home and still run them on gas (or my preference E85).

The most easily achievable (and 100% RG) would be to get a vehicle that runs on E85. There are a number of mainstream vehicles sold in the U.S. that can run on both regular gasoline and mixtures up to 85% Ethanol. In the DC area, we have a few refueling options in the Arlington area, but I’m sure that more will become available and I keep checking here.

Oh, beautiful biodiesel! Its siren song beckons. I dream of driving a car with reclaimed waste oil and having my exhaust smell of donuts or French fries , I really do! You can run pretty much any diesel vehicle engine on biodiesel…but this is probably an option for the more distant future for me personally. If I already OWNED a diesel.....but I digress.

The least palatable option to me are the Hybrids on the road today. I mean, they’re fine. Sure, they’re cute and they’re better than gas-guzzlers and you get a tax break and you can use the carpool lanes, but if I’m going to switch to an entirely new vehicle, I want to reduce my petroleum consumption more than that. Less dependence on oil overall is one of my RG goals!