You're Putting What in There?

By Clayton Neuman

Scientists are grappling with what President Bush admitted last week were "mixed signals" from his Administration about alternative energy. While calling in his State of the Union address for research into renewables--he advocated turning switchgrass into ethanol--Bush sent a budget to Congress that cuts $28 million in funding for such projects. Yet that isn't stopping folks from seeking creative ways to help solve the nation's energy woes.

As part of San Francisco's campaign to recycle 100% of its waste by 2020, the city's private garbage hauler, Norcal, last week announced plans to develop a system for turning waste from dogs and cats into methane, which could be used to heat homes or power turbines for electricity. The idea is to create a giant bio-digester to make better use of the waste generated by the city's 240,000 pets; Norcal plans to place receptacles in parks in a pilot program scheduled to start within a year, at the behest of city officials. "Some day we're going to be an energy company," says Norcal spokesman Robert Reed. As for the smell, Norcal says the bio-digesting process acts as a deodorizer.

Meanwhile, Willie Nelson is promoting the idea of running cars on recycled vegetable oil. Last year the country singer launched a fuel called BioWillie, a blend of diesel and vegetable oil that he says is more efficient and burns cleaner than conventional diesel. Any diesel engine can run on BioWillie, which is available at gas stations in four Midwestern states. "It's better for the farmer to grow fuel than for us to go around starting wars to get it," says Nelson, who concedes that cars powered by his diesel blend emit fumes that can smell like French fries. Vehicles that run on grease have crossed the Atlantic too. Trucks used by the British supermarket firm ASDA advertise the slogan THIS VEHICLE IS POWERED BY CHICKEN FAT.