Why don’t we know this stuff?
I’m still amazed at how many people think that it’s necessary to do a mechanical conversion to get a car to run on Biodiesel — some new friends of mine couldn’t quite wrap their heads around the fact that Biodiesel can be put directly into a Diesel engine with no modification. I think that the first misconception was that I am running my car on “Vegetable Oil”. I started to explain the difference between that and Biodiesel, but I think I lost them early on, around “SVO”. Perhaps my skills of explanation are somewhat lacking. I have possessed at least a general, broad base knowledge of these things for a couple of years now (although I am in no way an expert at any of it). But it got me thinking back to the time when I knew nothing about alternative fuels. Frankly, I don’t think I knew that there was even an application for diesel engines other than in big trucks or semis. I remember being surprised to learn that many of those cute old Mercedes Benzes that I saw driving around were not run on gasoline. Maybe I’m hankering for the days when ‘Shop’ and ‘Auto Mechanics’ were courses offered in high school. What happened to that? I’m sure vocational studies still exist in high schools…but why weren’t they offered in mine? I wish wish wish that I had had the opportunity to study about the workings of my own car at an early age. No one told me it was important. So silly how much I took for granted then; and what I take for granted now, assuming that alternative fuel and energy are known about by everyone.
I feel empowered learning about these things now, teaching myself, selecting what I’m going to study. Guess it’s all part of growing up. And when I’m the first to inform a new friend that change is just around the corner, that alternative fuel options aren’t really that complex or futuristic — and I see the light bulb go on — it’s really a satisfying feeling. Word of mouth is the only way we’re gonna make this happen more quickly. Grassroots!
–Refined gOil
