Welcome! Are you a subscriber? Click here to receive my weekly newsletter. Thanks for visiting!
American’s have choices at the pump- they just might not know it. Over the last several months I have been delving into one fuel option that is literally growing in my own backyard- ethanol made from corn.
We DO have choices at the pump and one of these choices- ethanol- can fuel our future!
This year I have been learning more about other uses for Indiana Corn, besides food, and it has been fascinating. First I shared what a flex fuel vehicle is and a few of you discovered that you had one and didn’t even know it. Then I had the opportunity to spend a weekend at a NASCAR race to learn how NASCAR runs on ethanol– along with an interview with driver Austin Dillon. So far the NASCAR experience has been my favorite. As someone who knew nothing about the sport of racing- it was an eye opening education.
There are 14 ethanol refineries in Indiana. Between the jobs created through the growth of the corn to the finished product, the ethanol industry in Indiana provides a lot of job opportunities. But how does corn relate to our daily lives? Besides eating it- how does corn fuel how we move about the country?
Cars are a big part of american culture. They are as different as the people driving them. From older more trusted brands to new, racier styles, there is something on four wheels for everyone.
We have access to so many things these days as well as choices in almost everything. Religion, food, clothes, vocation, where we live to even who we date- it’s all a choice. Did you ever stop to think about the things we don’t have a choice in? Like fuel for example?
When it comes to fuel, our options are limited. There is almost a monopoly on our fuel supply. It appears we have few fuel choices and the oil companies seem to have all of the power. Many hope to see oil have less of a strong hold on our country and as years go by we hear more and more about options at the pump.
Our society relies on the freedom of mobility to operate in our daily lives. Is it our most popular mode of transportation. We don’t have the options of even 50 years ago. Trolleys, trains and bus lines are not what they once were. Cheap, public transportation has been eliminated in many areas and replaced with interstate roadways and highways. Americans have a love affair with the open road and to them that means freedom.
An affordable travel system is what drives us. The price of gas and it’s toll on our economic society is the fulcrum in our cost of living equation.
Ethanol gives us choices. Ethanol is a clean, viable, home grown energy source that reduces our demand on foreign oil.
We literally all rely on the price of oil to determine the price of goods, services and basic life activities and whether you realize this or not- the price of oil determines the outcome of every facet of human life. Let me repeat- the price of oil determines the outcome of every facet of human life.
So why aren’t we looking for alternatives?
Many worry that giving up personal mobility ie: driving means giving up their freedom to move about as they see fit. Once upon a time there was a system in place for mass transportation that was affordable and attainable- the trolley system. Do you know what supposedly happened to it? Ask John D Rockefeller.
Affordable gasoline makes the economy go round. When oil prices rise, the average american feels it immediately. Many consumers do not realize that we have an alternative fuel source growing in our own backyards- corn.
I don’t have all of the answers and fortunately, I have access to farmers, scientists, researchers and producers from both sides of the fence (pun intended). I can then speak with these experts in their fields (see- I did it again) and share that with you. I am all for choice- from the food we eat to the fuel in my tank. Choice provides options and options provide growth.
Please visit INCorn.Org FuelFreedom.Org or AmericanEthanolRacing.Com for more information
This post was made in partnership with the Indiana Corn Marketing Association and like all posts on Basilmomma.com all opinions are my own.
