"If you were the Lego-set type as a kid, you have the skills to convert a diesel car or truck to run on straight waste vegetable oil (WVO) from local restaurants," writes author David de Rothschild in The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
You can also use biodiesel produced from specific crops -- like corn -- but it's not the perfect alternative fuel answer we were once led to believe. With food shortages all over the world, it's hard to justify using limited farm land to grow plants for fuel instead of plants for food.
So Essential Skill #56 seems to be the best alternative fuel answer for your car:
Drive a frybrid.
"Any car that runs on diesel fuel can be converted into a grease car (or 'frybrid')," writes de Rothschild, "but old, built-to-last Mercedes are a popular choice.... Expect to pay at least $2,000 for an old Benz. Veggie oil conversion kits start around $500. Some shops specialize in grease-car conversions; expect a complete installation to cost at least $1,500."
Best of all, there's a huge supply of grease -- an estimated 3.8 billion pounds produced at restaurants each year in the U.S. alone. All it takes is a little effort on your part to reach out to local restaurants and secure your own regular source of frybrid fuel.
Learn more at GreaseCar.com and Treehugger's How To Convert Your Diesel Car to Run on Food Grease.
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