Commentary

Run Willie Run

FOB:Run Willie RunAs Sarah "Drill, baby, drill!" Palin toured Midtown Manhattan photo ops, two charismatic biodiesel missionaries were preaching renewable energy at NYU - along with the spirit (and namesake biodiesel) of Willie Nelson. Nik Bristow and Brian Pierce, copywriters for Fitzgerald & Co., prepared Willie One, a Volkswagen Jetta fueled by BioWillie, for the first-ever "green" cross-country Cannonball Run, dubbed WillieRun.

Basically, it's an innovative, pro bono PR stunt on behalf of Earth Biofuels, producer and distributor of BioWille. Made from a blend of soybean and petrodiesel, BioWillie is the label for the fuel, available in the South and California.

"This is a gesture of good faith [to Earth Biofuels]," Nik says, "but more importantly, the world has a huge energy crisis, and we believe we can change the way people view biodiesel."

Pierce adds, "We like driving like Americans, but we're not burning fuel like Americans. And by the way, the VW is an awesome car. You don't need to drive a dustbuster to run on biodiesel any more."

The lads made it to LA in just over 38 hours, three more than the record. They didn't stop once, thanks to BioWillie, German engineering, and a supply of Stadium Pal condom catheters, which enabled them to relieve themselves en route without using the sunroof ("My urine reacts with a powdery substance, creating a gelatinous substance," said Nik).

Energy experts tend to agree that, in a country that uses 20 million barrels of oil a day, biodiesel isn't a scaleable alternative to a liquid-fuels crisis. It's viable on a small scale, emits less CO2 and gets far better gas mileage. But biodiesel also has implications for the world's food supply and cost.

America has a legacy of fighting for cheap oil. "They want to put another band-aid on a bullet," says Brian. We'll either continue bombing and subjugating nations for black gold, scrape the bong in Sarah Palin's backyard, or spend war-chest and Wall Street-bailout kind of dollars on renewable energy and efficiency.

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