Alternative fuel is one thing that we should be focusing on if we’re going to be responsible stewards of the environment. Between pollution and diminishing supplies, petroleum and other conventional energy sources are becoming nonviable. If we’re going to leave this world in better shape than we found it, it’s time to start looking at alternative fuels. Here are a few of the options.

The conventional and traditional fuel sources are becoming more and more expensive to extract and their indiscriminate use in the past century has resulted in their depletion of oil stores. Alarm bells have already started ringing that these storehouses of natural fuels will reach critically low levels and precipitate a crisis much earlier than we think.

Fortunately, there are a number of other options that could be a viable solution. Science may be able to offer us a great commercial solution that will be readily available, friendly to the environment, and not too expensive.

For instance, bio-diesel, an alternative fuel extracted from plant material, can be used in a conventional diesel engine. A related fuel is E-85. Made from eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline, it can significantly cut our reliance on traditional fuels.

Although such alternate fuel sources like E 85 score above gasoline, they still pollute and require a vast amount of corn to be grown which in turn translates into availability of lesser land for growing food for people.

Presently, electric cars seem to be the best alternate fuel source that we have, if we are to conserve our natural fuel sources. They are efficient because all of the electricity that they need can be generated at one central location. It is a much better option than consuming petroleum derivatives and polluting more by using small and inefficient combustion motors. Electricity can be produced in any manner that suits the needs on a particular location depending on the resources it has. One can use coal, hydro-electric or wind to produce this electricity that is required for electric cars.

Of course, one of the ultimate alternative fuel sources is muscle power. Changing over to a bicycle or walking is one excellent way to conserve fuel and get in shape. Since fuel prices keep rising as availability continues to decrease, many people are turning to pedal power in an attempt to curtail their usage. Bio-diesel and E-85 aren’t readily available, and electric cars have their own problems. For a short to medium commute, the bike is an ideal solution.