Alternative fuel cars have been developed over the years to reduce enviromental impact, and especially to reduce imported oil from politically problematic regions, but most have significant disadvantages. Ethanol has been proposed but has been criticized as using too much energy to produce. Hybrid cars reduce gas consumption but still burn gas and are still only as fuel efficient as a diesel.


Recycling waste vegetable oil (WVO) after cooking gains many of the desired benefits:
- replaces petroleum oil and reduces imports hence reduces the trade deficit
- is enviromentally friendly with lower soot production than diesel,
- releases no sulfur into the air,
- creates no increase in global warming gases,
- and most importantly, is indepedent of the angry islamists in the middle East.

Recycled food oil does not increase carbon dioxide levels in the sense that growing the source of the oil removes the CO2 from the air, such that returning it a year later results in a net even balance.

Veggy oil can be used with three strategies:

- treated chemically to reduce the viscosity (called Biodiesel). This allows the oil to be used as a direct replacement of diesel fuel.
- Mixing the chemically treated oil with standard diesel fuel to create "greasel". This reduces some of the advantages.
- Modifying the car to use the recycled oil without treatment. This requires heat tracing of the car fuel lines to preheat the oil before use.

This project uses both biodiesel untreated recycled food oil in a specially modified VW Jetta diesel.

The Cost of Oil
The purpose of this project is not to save money on gas since I don't drive enough to make a financial return on the startup costs. The purpose is to make a political statement against corruption in our government and to keep my money out of the hands of the Persion gulf countries who will use it to further oppression of their countrymen and neighbors. Why would I wish to give money to someone who wants to destroy our way of life and our freedoms?

Arlington Cemetary
I live about I mile from Arlington cemetary, we will sometimes ride our bikes down there on a nice day. Section 60 is where the Iraq dead are buried. These pictures were taken a year ago, when the bodies were showing up quicker than the tombstones could be carved. When I first went there in 2003, I had to walk a 50 yards off of the paved path to get to the first Iraq dead. Now however, the graves have made it all the way to the path started a new row and made it back to the path again.