Secretary Gets Energized

Chuck Zimmerman

Secretary of EnergyOur Energy Secretary found out firsthand what it feels like to crank up the RPM’s in an Indy Car. He took a couple laps with driver Davey Hamilton in a 2-seater.

Afterward as he got out of his gear he remarked about how just 3 laps took a toll on him. He could really feel the stress of the turns and they were only going up to about 180 mph. The fastest lap of the day looks like it was done by Sam Hornish Jr. who turned in a lap of 226.789.

With his “Ethanol Fast Lap” of the day Hornish receives a check for $2,500 which is sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

The Indy Cars are running on 10 percent blend of ethanol this season before converting to 100 percent next year. With speeds like the ones we are seeing here I think they’ve proven how much of a high performance fuel it is.

EPIC, Ethanol, Government, Promotion

Interview With Energy Secretary

Chuck Zimmerman

Ethanol CarWell I’m here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on “Ethanol Day.” The day started out wet but dried up just before the Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman arrived. He was able to see the Ethanol Car take a couple laps.

I got to interview Secretary Bodman on his way to the track. He is very impressed with what Ethanol Carhe’s seen here today and says that his visit here means a great deal to him personally. As for his department, he says they’re seeking more and more ethanol to be used all through our country. The Secretary is from Illinois and this is his first visit to the track. He also made the point that ethanol helps make sure that the money spent by consumers on gas, stays here in the country. The Secretary is pictured trackside (r) with Tom Branhan, CEO of Glacial Lakes Energy and President of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council.

You can listen to my interview with Secretary of Energy, Bodman here: Listen To MP3 Secretary Bodman Interview (3 min MP3)

Audio, EPIC, Ethanol, Government, Promotion

From Phoenix To Indy

Chuck Zimmerman

EPICI know that Cindy already mentioned this but I’m getting ready to leave one alternative fuel event for another one. The Clean Cities Congress is over but tomorrow is “Ethanol Day” in Indianapolis. I’ll be attending all the events and collecting audio and pictures to share with you. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council folks are working hard on getting the event organized. I look forward to seeing them there. There were several people here in Phoenix that said they’ll be there. Should be interesting.

EPIC, Ethanol

Concluding With Ecological Humor

Chuck Zimmerman

Clean Cities CongressThe Congress is over but posting won’t stop. Well, maybe for a while today.

The office is being packed up around me and I think it’s time I do the same.

Our closing session featured ecological humor from Lori Weiss. She is a very funny person and she’s passionate about the environment.

To get to know more about her and hear a little bit of her humor listen to my interview: Listen To MP3 Lori Weiss Interview (6 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage of the Clean Cities Congress is made possible by the following sponsors:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Southern California Gas Company

Audio, Clean Cities Congress

How to Win Over the Media

Lauren Ciemniak The Alternative Fuels Media Training Workshop was a wonderful session to attend. During these three hours, Jenna Higgins as well as a couple guest speakers, talked about how to have a successful interview with the press.

Jenna gave some wonderful tips and advice about having a clear and concise interview with the media. Here are some of the key tips you should remember when you are doing an interview.

The Media is the best way to get your message out about alternative fuels.
Remember to relate your message to your audience, you have to make an impact on them. You should always be prepared before an interview. Make a couple notes to yourself on the questions you might need to answer and always have 3-4 strong sound bites. Communicate with your body not just words. But most importantly, relax and don’t forget to breathe! When completing an interview, remember to answer in complete sentences and relate it to your audience. Be enthusiastic and correct a reporter if a question is based on incorrect information.

I learned a lot in this wonderful media training workshop and hopefully after reading this, you did too.

Domestic Fuel coverage of the Clean Cities Congress is made possible by the following sponsors:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Southern California Gas Company

Clean Cities Congress

Next Year’s Congress Location

Chuck Zimmerman

Stage AnnouncementThe big announcement at Alice Cooper’s Town was next year’s Congress location. You can hear it in the announcement audio I have for you in this post.

It might be hard to tell from the picture but we had some masked characters from the city in question.

They all have something to do with “Tinseltown.”

Which means that next year we’ll be in Los Angeles. Listen To MP3 Closing Reception Announcement (5 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage of the Clean Cities Congress is made possible by the following sponsors:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Southern California Gas Company

Audio, Clean Cities Congress

Energy Bill Roundtable

Chuck Zimmerman

Energy RoundtableOur energy bill discussion this morning covered a lot of ground.

Over the coming days I’ll try to bring you segments of it.

To get started here’s a selection which includes each participant answering the question of what he thinks is most important piece of legislation and why.

Here’s their response: Listen To MP3 Energy Bill Roundtable (12 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage of the Clean Cities Congress is made possible by the following sponsors:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Southern California Gas Company

Audio, Clean Cities Congress, Legislation

Guest Speakers Speak about Alt. Fuels

Lauren Ciemniak Senator John McCain, future presidential candidate, delivered a wonderful speech on the future of alternative fuels. The United States is deeply dependent on foriegn oil. The U.S alone uses about 7.6 billion barrels of oil a year. By using alternative fuels, you reduce the greenhouse emissions. An option proposed to help our environment and economy is to raise Corporate America Fuel Efficiency standards. There are currently 5 million flex fuel vehicles on the road but more are on the way. James D. Boyd talked about domestic fuels and its problems. California is the 5th largest economy and consumer of energy in the world. California is the second largest consumer of gas and diesel, the largest consumer is the United States. Many alternative fuel vehicles will be taking up the roads in California within the next year.

Domestic Fuel coverage of the Clean Cities Congress is made possible by the following sponsors:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Southern California Gas Company

Clean Cities Congress

Clean Energy CEO Remarks

Chuck Zimmerman

Andrew LittlefairOur energy roundtable moderator this morning was Andrew Littlefair, CEO of Clean Energy.

Before getting into the discussion he gave an overview of energy legislation.

You can hear his introduction here: Listen To MP3 Andrew Littlefair Introductory Remarks (5 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage of the Clean Cities Congress is made possible by the following sponsors:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Southern California Gas Company

Audio, Clean Cities Congress

Let’s Hear From The Executive Director

Chuck Zimmerman

Annalloyd ThomasonThe Executive Director of the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute is Annalloyd Thomason.

We heard from her on stage earlier this week and to get to know her better and learn a little more about AFVI I sat down with her for a short interview.

Annalloyd explains how she and her husband Leo, started their own company and had the opportunity to take over the production of the Clean Cities Congress a couple of years ago.

You can listen to my interview with Annalloyd here: Listen To MP3 Annalloyd Thomason Interview (6 min MP3)

Domestic Fuel coverage of the Clean Cities Congress is made possible by the following sponsors:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute Southern California Gas Company

Audio, Clean Cities Congress