http://www.environmentgeorgia.org/in-the-news/energy/energy http://www.environmentgeorgia.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/opportunities-to-clean-up-our-acts Group: Biodiesel pump in Macon one way to help conserveBy Jennifer BurkMacon TelegraphOctober 27, 2006 It looks like vegetable oil. It smells like vegetable oil. But sometimes sights and smells can be deceiving.The golden-colored liquid is actually biodiesel fuel and one of Environment Georgia's top 10 ways to conserve energy.The nonprofit group announced that list Thursday at the Walthall Oil Co.'s Exxon gas station on Forsyth Road, the first gas station in Macon to offer biodiesel fuel.Biodiesel is a plant-based fuel that can help reduce the amount of petroleum the country uses. Advocates of the fuel say it produces fewer pollutants than regular diesel.Walthall's fuel uses soybeans, said Matt Rhodes, vice president of operations for the company. It has been offered in Macon since July.Biodiesel can be used in any car or truck that has a diesel engine. Rhodes said he hopes to offer ethanol, the gasoline equivalent to biodiesel, in Macon in the near future.The Forsyth Road site is one of four biodiesel stations in Middle Georgia, said Charise Stephens, executive director of the Middle Georgia Clean Cities Coalition, and it's drawing attention.Walt Bish, a financial adviser with Smith, Brown & Groover Inc. in Macon, filled up his red Chevrolet Silverado Duramax with biodiesel fuel for the first time Thursday."My truck can smell like potatoes cooking, as long as it runs," Bish said.Rhodes said the blend of biodiesel he sells should not make anyone's car smell like food, but it is possible with different blends.Bish, who paid $2.47 per gallon, said it cost him about the same amount to fill up his truck with biodiesel fuel as it does with regular diesel.Another way to conserve energy is to use solar power, which is becoming cheaper to obtain, said George Andrews, owner of Solar Power Consulting.Fewer than 1 percent of the world's energy now comes from solar power, he said, adding that the potential is "huge" for solar power to reduce energy needs."It's time to produce our own power and bring our energy back home for the United States," Andrews said.Technology is also making it easier for people to get solar power, he said.Gone are the expensive, bulky solar panels. Now there are peel-and-stick panels for a building's roof.The federal government offers up to $2,000 in tax credits for installing a solar power system, he said, and some states offer additional discounts.Most people do not convert entire buildings into solar power, but use it in conjunction with electricity, he said.Also topping Environment Georgia's energy conservation list is the hybrid vehicle. A hybrid combines two sources of power, generally electric and gasoline.Thomas Glennon, executive director of the Georgia Children's Museum, bought his 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid three months ago for its environmental benefits.He said the car emits less carbon dioxide than other vehicles. The gas is a major factor in climate change, he said.Glennon said he paid around $27,000 for the car. Although he said he'll never make up the cost difference in gas savings - hybrids, on average, get more miles per gallon than other cars - the environmental benefits were worth the extra money.Jill Franklin, an organizer for Environment Georgia, said now is the time to start changing the way Americans consume energy."America already has some of the tools for a new energy future," she said.One of the easiest ways consumers can conserve energy is to change their light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs, she said. Doing so, she said, could cut energy use from lighting in half.Compact fluorescent light bulbs cost more than incandescent light bulbs, but, according to Energy Star, a government-backed environmental protection program, they last about 10 times longer than incandescents.Conserving energy is important for the environment and the country, Franklin said. It makes America less dependent on foreign oil and can curb global warming and climate change.Franklin urged Georgia's legislators to get involved as well and support energy conservation initiatives.A "national commitment" is needed to make a cleaner country a reality, she said. http://www.environmentgeorgia.org/in-the-news/energy/energy/opportunities-to-clean-up-our-acts Sat, 17 Nov 2007 09:56:09 -0600