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Change Your Life! |
U.S. Earth Day festivities to use `clean' energy |
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April 23, 2000 WASHINGTON, APR 22 (AP) - Those celebrating Earth Day on the National Mall in the U.S. capital Saturday may find the smell of popcorn or sizzling french fries in the air, but it won't be coming from food stands.
The smell will be coming from a number of electric generators that will provide much of the power for the Earth Day festivities, including stage lights and power for musical instruments.
The generators will be running on soybean and recycled cooking oil collected from thousands of restaurants, according to Earth Day celebration organizers. Known as biodiesel, the biodegradable fuel is part of a broader effort to use only clean energy at the festivities.
"The technology to produce clean, renewable energy is here," said Dennis Griffin of Griffin Industries, which is providing the generators and the BioG3000 fuel that will run them.
"Our BioG3000 is unique among the alternative fuels in that it contributes almost zero carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and significantly reduces toxic emissions from conventional compression-ignition (diesel) engines," he added.
It's not the only alternative energy source on display. A giant Jumbotron screen will be lit by microturbines powered by natural gas and other tents and lights on the Mall will be powered wind turbine and portable solar panels, celebration organizers said. |