Why Does Being Green Have to Hurt?

Biodiesel cost in Carbondale, COOuch! See that price per gallon? That was for B20 biodiesel in Carbondale, Colorado. Now, do the math to figure out what it cost to fill our 34 gallon tank.

I was thrilled to finally be able to fill our tank up with biodiesel for the first time since leaving California, but what a painful experience it was. This was B20 for cristssake, not even the primo stuff. Once, we wanted the kind biodiesel, so we paid $3.74 a gallon for B100 at Real Goods in Hopland. Pure as gold, and worth every penny to find out how our Dodge would perform on it. But B20? In Arcata, CA, we paid $3.05 a gallon for B20, and we were OK with that. But $3.53?

Why does doing the right thing have to hurt? Can average people truly afford to be “green”? Not completely, not in this universe. Would you pay that?

Being Green Hurts!

We hadn’t been able to find any biodiesel since California. There was none in Northern Arizona, and in Moab, a Chevron was in the process of installing biodiesel but wasn’t pumping it yet. I picked Carbondale as our next destination, because they did have one station pumping it.

Also, my logic dictated that any town that has biodiesel at the pump, and one manufacturer nearby, is a town that probably has progressive leanings and worth checking out. And it was. We loved Carbondale.

8 thoughts on “Why Does Being Green Have to Hurt?”

  1. Yeah, I forgot about that Bridgeport gas. $4.09 a gallon I believe.
    Sara’s right, it’s way more fun not paying for fuel, SVO here we come!

    Reply
  2. Eventually, fast food places or other grease pits will realize the resource they have and start charging.. SVO takes more work to convert. here’s a link:
    http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html

    Another note, you can make your own Bio-D with the proper equipment:
    http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html

    There are several small scale kits:
    here’s one: http://store.homebiodieselkits.com/homeprocessors.html

    (note: may require you to upgrade to a ‘toy hauler’ for the lab space however 🙂 )

    Last note: How about adding two more Bio-D tanks in your truck bed, say 50 gallons on each side. However, @ 8 lbs per gallon, might put you over your vehicles GVW ( +800 lbs). Not to mention the extra $350.00 per tank fill up. Maybe you can get a price break above a certain # of gallons? What mileage differences between the different types of Bio-D and Straight diesel are you seeing?

    Just musin’….Hey to Jerry…!

    Where are you headed in the next few weeks?

    Reply
  3. I think you definitely need to convert to SVO. It’s much more fun not paying for fuel 🙂 And as much as you are traveling, your conversion cost would pay for itself in no time.

    Reply
  4. When you empty the fat fryer at Wendy’s and put it in your car, it’s called “SVO” or Straight Vegetable Oil. The process is different than Biodiesel. To run SVO, you need a conversion done to your vehicle. To run biodiesel, you just need a diesel engine (basically).

    Regular Diesel #2 up here is as high as $3.29. So yeah, we too are regularly looking at $92 a tank. Ouuuuch!

    Reply
  5. ahhhhhh… grasshopper, perhaps your expectations are misinterpreted based on a previous existence. We all do the best we can to save the planet for future passengers. As long as you are conscious of what you do and strive to improve and lessen the impacts of your visit, you will create harmony within…and influence many to follow…

    listen for the sound of three legs running…

    and yes, I would pay $5.00 a gallon for bio-D and have enchanting odysseys…

    Reply
  6. Hi Jim, Rene,

    Can’t you pull up to a Wendy’s and empty the friar into the tank? I heard stories of something close to that. I saw regular as low as 2.98 but you had to buy a $17.00 car wash to get that price… Most Arco’s are $3.07 for regular. Once when Dipshit in the White house wanted to buy his buddy in Texas a new 747 it cost me $92.00 to fill my tank… feel yer pain…

    Reply

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