As a result of air pollution and the ever-increasing gas prices, some Americans are looking elsewhere for their fuel needs.

One of the many fuel alternatives that Americans have turned to is clean burning bio-diesel, made from vegetable oil pressed from the seeds of soy, sunflower, coconut, and/or hemp plants. Bio-diesel shares the same fuel economy as what you would get at the pump, but unlike petro-diesel, bio-diesel is renewable and can be made domestically.

Non-toxic and biodegradable, bio-diesel can be used in any unmodified diesel automobile, promising lower emissions and reducing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air.

In October 2001, Hempcar Transamerica, an organization promoting the benefits of the environmentally friendly bio-fuels, drove 13,000 miles around North America in a Mercedes Benz station wagon powered solely by hemp bio-diesel. Scott Furr, a member of the Hempcar organization, says that using bio-diesel could quite possibly save drivers money in the long run.

"Bio-diesel is relatively inexpensive and safe to make. If you can make a deal with a local source for fryer grease (for example, a restaurant, convenience store, or school cafeteria) you're half way there", Furr said. "All you need now is an old diesel auto and some supplies."

After learning about the advantages of using bio-diesel, some Marist College students like Joe Stampfel, junior, and Jeff Varecka, senior, say they may soon be in the market for their very own hemp-fueled car.

"If it's good for the environment, then it's good for me", Stampfel remarked.

"A lot of people aren't interested since they can already get gas, and so they don't really think about it much", Varecka said. "But if they can make an efficient fuel and can provide it cheap, then I would use it."