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More copies of this ISBN:Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Futureby Greg Melville
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:Is it possible to drive coast-to-coast without stopping at a single gas pump? Journalist Greg Melville is determined to try. With his college buddy Iggy riding shotgun, this green-thinking guy — who's in love with the idea of free fuel — sets out on an enlightening road trip. The quest: to be the first people to drive cross-country in a french-fry car. Will they make it from Vermont to California in a beat-up 1985 Mercedes diesel station wagon powered on vegetable oil collected from restaurant grease Dumpsters along the way? More important, can two guys survive 192 consecutive hours together? Their expedition on and off the road includes visits to the solar-powered Google headquarters; the National Ethanol Council; the wind turbines of southwestern Minnesota; the National Renewable Energy Lab; a visit to one of the first houses to receive platinum certification for leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED); an "eco-friendly" Wal-Mart; and the world's largest geothermal heating system. Part adventure and part investigation of what we're doing (or not doing) to preserve the planet, Greasy Rider is upbeat, funny, and full of surprising information about sustainable measures that are within our reach. Review:"Early on in this eco-travelogue, mechanically-disinclined magazine writer Melville notes, 'I simply needed to look at my reflection in the rearview mirror to realize that nearly anyone can operate and maintain a french-fry car.' Indeed, it turns out Melville is easily able to convert a diesel-engine Mercedes into a vehicle powered entirely on fryer oil, collected (usually for free) from restaurant grease dumpsters. Joined by his college friend, Iggy, Melville embarks on the first oil-powered cross-country road trip. There isn't really much suspense to the quest, especially once it's clear that they can use oil purchased at the supermarket. Unfortunately, greasy restaurant backlots don't make for great anecdotes, and the duo's banter isn't as funny or insightful as Melville seems to think. What keeps it from reading like a padded magazine article are Melville's side trips: he learns how Fort Knox has converted to geo-thermal heating and cooling, investigates just how eco-friendly Al Gore's mansion really is, and talks to representatives of various 'green' U.S. Government agencies. These insights, and the simplicity of his grease-powered transport, propel an otherwise slight read into a thought-, and perhaps action-provoking lesson in alternative fuel." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) About the AuthorGreg Melville is a freelance journalist who's written for such publications as Men's Journal, Outside, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, the Wall Street Journal, Money, and National Geographic Adventure. Table of ContentsPreparation Burlington, Vermont to Waterloo, New York Waterloo, New York to Chicago, Illinois Errand 1: The Ultimate Green Home Chicago, Illinois, to Worthington, Minnesota Errand 2: Wind Power Worthington, Minnesota, to North Platte, Nebraska Errand 3: Ethanol North Platte, Nebraska, to Golden, Colorado Errand 4: Find 'Fence Swingers' Golden, Colorado, to Little America, Wyoming Errand 5: Heat Little America, Wyoming, to Lovelock, Nevada Errand 6: Green Wal-Mart? Lovelock, Nevada, to Berkeley, California The Final Errand: The Letter Notes Acknowledgments What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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