Greasy Rider Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future

by Melville, Greg

• ISBN13: 9781565125957
• ISBN10: 1565125959
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-21
• Publisher: Algonquin Books

Summary

Two intrepid trekkers take on the last great driving challenge and join our nation's fight against petroleum addiction.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.

Author Biography

Greg 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 Contents

Preparation	p. 1
Burlington, Vermont, to Waterloo, New York	p. 15
Waterloo, New York, to Chicago, Illinois	p. 35
The Ultimate Green Home	p. 51
Chicago, Illinois, to Worthington, Minnesota	p. 73
Wind Power	p. 95
Worthington, Minnesota, to North Platte, Nebraska	p. 107
Ethanol	p. 133
North Platte, Nebraska, to Golden, Colorado	p. 143
Find "Fence Swingers"	p. 163
Golden, Colorado, to Little America, Wyoming	p. 175
Heat	p. 193
Little America, Wyoming, to Lovelock, Nevada	p. 203
Green Wal-Mart?	p. 219
Lovelock, Nevada, to Berkeley, California	p. 235
The Final Errand: The Letter	p. 245
Notes	p. 249
Acknowledgments	p. 259
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.