Would you steal used kitchen grease?

The Detroit News ( April 9) reports that 2 men were busted in Westland, a suburb of Detroit, for trying to steal nearly 1,000 pounds of so-called "yellow grease" from a coney island restaurant. They were trapped in the alley behind the restaurant by a legitimate grease disposal company employee, who blocked them in with his car. They are apparently part of an organized ring of grease thieves operating in souheastern Michigan. The grease would have been worth about $160.

This kind of used cooking oil can easily be used for biodoesel, and it's market value closely parallels the price of crude oil. In Ann Arbor Michigan, the enterprising owners of some Mexican food joints have put 2 used car rental company minibuses on the road as "Party Buses" around the University of Michigan campus. They installed biodiesel conversion kits in them, painted them red, and provide discount transportauion in the campus/downtown area. They are also available to fraternities, sororities, and other organizations who need group transportation.

The exhaust from these vehicles is reported to smell like chimichangas.

The Age of Alternative Fuels

Yes, we are there. It is now the age of alternative fules for a lot of things - cars, trucks, electricity.
I drive a cab part-time, and it is a Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle, averaging close to 4o mpg combined mileage.
That beats the heck out of the Crown Victoria ex-police cars most cab companies use, which get somewhere around 10 to 12 mpg in the city......

Tune in again for more news of this brave new world!

Elliott