Did you know your car can run on vegetable oil?

I have to admit I had never heard of such a thing, but after a friend told me that she hasn’t paid for gas in three years, I quickly scampered to the nearest computer to find out more about this blossoming technology.

This resourceful, green technology seems to be catching on and quickly gaining national attention. The U.S. Department of Energy has recently chosen to award 31 university programs with grants between $2 – $5 million a year for five years for the purposes of improving the nation’s energy security. Some of that funding will go toward finding better ways of turning vegetables into fuel. This is not only a wise decision on behalf of the Obama administration, but a move that promises positive results for both the earth and economy.

Converting used vegetable oil into biodiesel has become a popular trend, as many eco-pioneers have been converting their engines in their own garages for years. Do-it-your-self converter kits are available online for a variety of models, with companies such as Mercedes, Volkswagen and Jeep supplying the necessary diesel-run vehicles. These converters will heat the vegetable oil and filter it, allowing any diesel engine to run on a completely renewable source of energy.

But with people using this underground technology, the government has largely been left out of the economic loop. Unable to tax or regulate green fuel and in dire need of energy security, the Obama administration is willing to spend millions of dollars to get biofuel technology in to the hands of consumers.

The government’s desire to harness the potential of biofuels promises benefits to many sectors of our economy. Besides being a completely renewable source of energy, vegetable oil is an American product. If used enough, we could substantially reduce our dependence on foreign oil, while contributing to the agricultural sector of the economy.

Another advantage would be the reduced amount of “air toxics” and soot released into the atmosphere, according to www.cartalk.com. Vegetable oil reduces tailpipe emissions when compared to most diesel-run cars.

Yet the situation isn’t entirely rosy. Even though vegetable oils reduce most tailpipe emissions, they still increase nitrous oxides that amplify smog amounts, meaning biofuels do not completely reduce greenhouse gases. The polluting byproduct of conventional fuel used to grow plants needed for vegetable oil must also be considered in the net effect. But if the cooking oil has already been used, say at your local fast-food restaurant, then recycling it instead of letting it sit in a landfill is certainly a better alternative.

All in all, the more the government funds research programs to make biofuel a reality, the better off we will be as a nation. The Department of Energy is on the right track to securing renewable, green energy. Although biofuels will not solve all our problems, we must support our nation’s efforts to work toward a completely revolutionized energy standard.