PRESS RELEASE: Veggie Vehicles to Parade through Town
CONTACT: Robin Lopez-Grignon, Coordinator,
Evansville Community Partnership, 608-882-0598
ecpi@eishome.com
DATE: April 13, 2007
ATTACHED: 2.) Mike Clark shows off his veggie car at Evansville’s Earth Day Energy Fair
Veggie Vehicles to Parade through Town
“Looks Great, Smells Better….”
That’s what Norah Cashin says about her 1983 Mercedes Benz 240D named Ethyl. Ethyl runs on used vegetable oil and will be part of a parade of twenty biofuel vehicles that will pass through Evansville on their way to the fifth annual Earth Day Energy Fair on April 27th.
“The kids always ask for the car that made it smell like French fries”, notes Butch Beedle, energy fair committee chair. This year’s fair at the fieldhouse, 320 Fair Street, has attracted progressive energy enthusiasts from all over the Midwest including Mike Clark of Prairie Fire Biofuels cooperative who organized the BioFuel Vehicle Parade. Mike says, “This is a fun family and community oriented event, and every participant makes a big difference.”
Biofuel on Board…
“I love my biodiesel and the 45 mpg it gets”, declares Renee Exum, local Evansville resident and proud owner of a blue 2003 VW Jetta TDI, “I drive it all around Evansville with a big PrairieFire ‘Biodiesel Powered” bumper sticker on the back!” Renee and 19 other biofuel vehicle owners will begin their parade in Madison at 3 pm. They plan to regroup at a local business parking lot on Hwy 14 by 3:45 pm. With the help of the local police department they will drive together and arrive at the fieldhouse by 4:00 pm to set up. The participants will show off their ride to the public at this free event from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Big Body Benz…
The biodiesel and veggie oil Parade invitation read, “Join us on the way to Evansville to show what you can do to change the world from behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.” Sara Wrzesinski quickly responded, “Our car has a personality of its own!” Sarah will show her 1984 Mercedes Benz 300SD with 365,600 young miles. “We originally purchased the car almost as a joke…we had heard a little about being able to run a diesel on vegetable oil which was interesting.” Now Sara Wrzesinski uses the Benz as her daily driver. “Thanks to the mechanical help at PrairieFire….as long as we use the block heater on cold days, it starts right up every time.”
Pumped up….
With at least 20 vehicle entries and some coming from as far away as Milwaukee,
I wondered why these drivers were so enthusiastic to educate others about biofuel vehicles. Mary Eberle, who will participate with her 2002 Volkswagen Jetta GLS TDI sedan which runs on a blend of 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent petroleum diesel, quickly answered , “34 mpg city, 45 mpg highway!” She didn’t have to say any more with the prices at the pump going up every day lately.
Evansville’s Progressive Energy Brand….
The mission of the Evansville Initiative is to serve as a catalyst for interest in an array of energy projects that make Evansville known as the place for progressive energy applications. This year’s fair has been an effective component to that goal. The fair’s theme ‘Living Energy” has attracted over 70 registered exhibitors on a variety of topics from energy efficient appliances to wind energy to sustainable agriculture. The 5th annual Evansville Earth Day Energy Fair is on April 27th from 4:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the fieldhouse, 320 Fair Street in Evansville. The fair is free to the public and sponsored by Evansville Water and Light, the Evansville Community Partnership, the Evansville Initiative, and the Evansville Community School District. For more information, contact Robin Lopez-Grignon, ECP Coordinator, at 608/882-0598 or ecpi@eishome.com.
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