Image by Barbara L. Slavin  

Well, this is kind of a two-sided question….unfortunately due to the crashing economy many families are being forced to choose what they pay for and what they don’t. It’s not a pleasant choice, but when there isn’t enough money to cover everything, there is no other choice. And based on reports indicating more people are using public transportation (see this article from Green Car Congress), then I hope those same people are saving enough on fuel costs that they are now able to afford the food their families require.

Then there is the other side to that question…when we are trying to make a greener, healthier environment for ourselves and our children, do we really have to make a choice between being able to use corn for fuel or for food? According to this article on Wired.com, bio-fuels have contributed less than previously thought to rising food prices. And with an apparent 2,500 million metric tons of grain and oilseeds produced each year, U.S. ethanol production uses about 79 million metric tons of corn.

Now, I don’t want to see a shortage of corn, but I do want to see resources used efficiently to make biofriendly products that actually reduce harmful emissions, lower fuel costs and make a greener environment for me, my kids and eventually their kids too.

With all the bio-fuel options (ethanol, fuel additives, bio-diesel, etc) there should be a way to ensure Americans, and the rest of the world, can have both food and biofriendly fuel.

Image by acnatta

According to this article from in.gov the I-65, which runs through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama, is America’s First Biofuels corridor. With stations selling the biofuels planned to be located every 100 miles or so along the length of the I-65 to make filling up with biofuels a reality in this part of the country.

If the midwest can do it, what about the rest of the US? There is a wide variety of different ideas and companies that are testing and working out the best biofuels or fuel additives. I’d like to see America’s first fuel additive corridor using the Green Plus® liquid fuel catalyst produced by Biofriendly Corporation. Or how about America’s first algae biofuel corridor? Per this article the next generation of biofuels could be made from algae. Now that’s one that I probably wouldn’t have thought of myself, but it’s definitely an abundant resource, which is always key.

The point is, that resources don’t have to be scarce and there are so many ideas out there but unless they are put to the test, they are just ideas. Making a greener environment isn’t just a matter of talking about it, but taking the steps needed to make it happen.

And as an added bonus, think of how much money we could save on gas!

Image by dave_mcmt

Now, I’m going to say right off the bat that I don’t pretend to be knowledgeable about which would be better, a bio-fuel or a fuel additive, but it’s a good question, don’t you think?

Take a look at this article from Macon.com regarding Alterra Bioenergy.  This company started off wanting to make and distribute a bio-diesel product and then due to supply and distribution problems, switched and are now producing a diesel fuel additive.

Is it safer? Is it more cost efficient? I would think that to put bio-diesel into gas stations across the US would be a feat in itself, considering you would have to replace or add new pumps at each station. That’s not to say it won’t happen at some point, but it would get very expensive, whereas with a diesel fuel additive, you just add it to the diesel itself.

But does a fuel additive reduce emissions? Will it make a greener environment? Take a look at this description of Green Plus®, a fuel additive produced by Biofriendly Corporation.  Based on the description of how this fuel additive works, it breaks down the gasoline and diesel in order to both reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency.

Well, from my viewpoint, either one has got to be more biofriendly than the pollution that is being let into the environment right now. Reducing emissions and cleaning up the air are key and any steps taken to do that are steps in the right direction.

So…bio-fuel, fuel additive or both?