Wednesday, July 2, 2008
U.S. Rep Dennis Moore (D-Kan.) helped celebrate the grand opening of the Zarco 66 Earth Friendly Fuels Station, 900 Iowa St., by describing his collaborative approach to environmentalism.
It was only fitting that he carpooled to the event with Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator John Askew.
Moore, Askew, Lawrence Mayor Mike Dever and Kansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Adrian Polansky spoke Monday morning to recognize the station’s innovative “green” technology. The EPA also gave the station an award for working to reduce pollution.
Zarco 66 owner Scott Zaremba
“We value innovation and collaboration, and this kind of project shows many organizations working together,” Askew said. “The EPA intends to provide funding to evaluate the benefits of this project and help develop a framework that other stations who want to go ‘green’ can go by.”
The station offers conventional gas, ethanol and biodiesel fuels along with 10 renewable fuel blends. Most standard vehicles can use fuel blends that include no more than 10 percent ethanol or five percent biodiesel. Zarco 66’s conventional gas, “E-10”, “B-2” and “B-5” blends will work in most vehicles.
Polansky said gasoline prices would be 15 percent higher if biofuels did not exist and that the station would help provide efficient energy.
The station’s biofuels aren’t its only green attraction. The owners made the lighting scheme more energy efficient and installed a “green roof” to filter pollutants and retain storm water. The station uses a solar power system that could reduce its emissions. A botanical garden and a small-scale wind turbine are in the works as well.
“If we come at this from 40 different directions, we can find a way to solve these problems for future generations in our country,” Moore said. “This is about the future of our world.”
Askew said the partnership between the EPA, the city of Lawrence, Zarco 66 and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment was an important part of the process.
“The network of individuals, businesses and community is voluntarily working to reduce pollution beyond regulatory requirements, and that’s key,” Askew said. “We can regulate all we can, but it takes strong people, innovative people to go beyond compliance.”
— Edited by Jesse Temple
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Comments
Gas station brings energy efficient ideas to Lawrence
Though I appreciate the attempts by the Lawrence station to address our energy issues, I would love to see the Daily Kansan have some kind of balance in their reporting. I know many articles where they find professionals on both sides of an issue but here they have dropped the ball because they are blinded by the prospects of energy solutions.
It is becoming increasingly evident that corn based Ethanol was not the way to go. What about its effect on hyperinflation of food prices around the world and the hungry? What about the inefficiency of this solution in both its processing (energy used to create) and the result of its yield (failure to perform like petroleum)? What about its contribution to C02 levels? Why not sugar cane or industrialized hemp based ethanol? Why should corn be king? Corn based ethanol is a pipe dream and it has catastrophic consequences to our nations economy because of the haste it was adopted by Congress as a viable alternative.
I think the UDK really needs to do some research and address these issues honestly in a future edition.
Gas station brings energy efficient ideas to Lawrence
BaneMaler,
I don't think the article was a debate about the pros and cons of Ethanol. It was a compliment to a business trying to help the environment. No reason, and actually would have distracted the story to talk about the pros and cons.
Gas station brings energy efficient ideas to Lawrence
While it's exciting that a local gas station is addressing environmental concerns, what's most concerning is the amount of greenwashing being done here. I'm glad Zarco has energy efficient lighting, a green roof, etc., but its main source of revenue is one of the most environmentally destructive and carbon intense products ever created: gasoline.
What would be truly energy efficient? Not using gasoline.
More information on greenwashing: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenwashing
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