Cellulosic ethanol from the nation’s largest ethanol producer is powering a cross country road trip of the non-profit EcoTrek Foundation to showcase renewable fuels and educate the public about environmental issues.

The cellulosic ethanol made from corn cobs and stover will be provided by POET, which has a pilot plant in Scotland, S.D. that has produced cellulosic ethanol for more than two years and tests equipment for commercial use at Project LIBERTY, POET’s planned 25 million-gallon-per-year cellulosic ethanol plant, which will be built in Emmetsburg, Iowa.

The EcoTrek “Best of America Tour” started today at the Santa Monica pier (the start of Historic Route 66) and will travel to cities on the East Coast, including Washington, D.C., and New York with stops in-between at national parks, farms, cities and other venues. Driver and EcoTrek founder Tom Holm will demonstrate how a renewable, American-made fuel can green our nation’s transportation system.

“We’re taking a regular American-made pickup truck, outfitting it with American-made accessories and powering it with American-made biofuels in order to emphasize our ability to be gentler to the environment, while bolstering American’s economy, national security and independence from foreign oil,” Holm said. “My hope is that the use of clean biofuels made here at home will begin to minimize our sacrifices and lead to a more prosperous America admired for the innovations for which Americans are noted.”

Holm will work to spread the message about renewable fuel at every stop on his trip, including visiting farms and refineries that produce cellulosic ethanol in South Dakota and Iowa. The tour concludes March 11 on the pier at Santa Monica.