The Cost of Going Green

Although I come from an area that seems to be constantly locking horns with folks at the EPA, I am beginning to realize the importance of leading an environmentally responsible lifestyle.While bringing a few Bean totes to the grocery story is a very minor first step, I recently decided to roll the dice and give E85 fuel a try.

From a price standpoint, it seems like a no brainer, as the E85 typically runs around .50 cheaper on the gallon than regular unleaded fuel and was even offered at .69 per gallon on Earth Day. My father has spent the majority of his life in the automotive industry and warned me that it wouldn't perform as well, but I decided to give it a chance for myself. Lexington is still playing catch up from an environmental perspective, with only one station in town carrying the fuel. Unfortunately, my trial left me disappointed as it proved my dad knew best, with the ethanol fuel averaging around 5 miles or 20% less per gallon. I believe that alternative fuels will certainly have their rise and it won't be long from now, but in the meantime I am going to stick to my tote bags at Whole Foods, as using E85 simply can't be justified if it's costing me money in the process!


Thank you for your time, JBH