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Cross-country for a cause Valley resident joins Weaver in alternative fuel caravan to D.C. By Amber Fossen Ashland Daily Tidings Rogue Valley resident Patrick Box is ready to rev up his home-built electric hybrid vehicle for its first cross-country trip. Box and his modified 1991 Toyota pickup are scheduled to travel from California to Washington, D.C., as part of the Institute of Ecolonomics' "Drive to Survive 2003." He will join other drivers with cutting-edge vehicles powered by electricity and a host of alternative fuels, including hydrogen, compressed natural gas, biodiesel, methanol and ethanol in the cross-country convoy. Actor and alternative fuels activist Dennis Weaver will lead the highway charge to the nation's capital. After learning about the alternative fuels tour, Box said he e-mailed Weaver, co-founder of the Ridgway Colo.-based nonprofit Institute of Ecolonomics and former star of classic television series "Gunsmoke" and "McCloud." "I built this electric hybrid car about four years ago and this seemed like an opportunity," Box said. Box said the goal of the cross-country trip is to demonstrate the viability of alternative fuels, with an emphasis on hydrogen. At the end of the tour, a petition will be presented to Congress that supports the use of renewable fuels to replace foreign oil, the increase of fuel efficiency standards by 2010, and the increased use of alternative fuel vehicles purchased by the federal government. Signatures will be collected throughout the 18-city tour, which begins in Los Angeles, concluding at the Tour de Sol in Washington, D.C. Box, a life-long environmentalist, said there are several benefits from driving a more environmentally friendly car. "Typically, when I drive through town, I turn the gas motor off and turn on the electric," he said. "It's a nice feeling sitting there quietly." His re-vamped truck also has better gas mileage. Box said his car now gets 40 miles per gallon as opposed to the previous rate of 20 miles per gallon. According to Box, alternative fuel cars have just as much power if not more than the standard gas-guzzler. "You can be environmentally-sound and still have horse power," Box said, adding his car has more horse power than a V-6 engine. And if a powerful yet quiet engine and better gas mileage wasn't enough, helping the environment is, according to Box. "I absolutely love it. I drive throughout Ashland all the time and I run on electric so I don't put out any pollutants," he said, adding his car can drive up to three days before the battery is depleted. Box will be joining the tour in San Francisco Friday and will return to Oregon in mid-May. More information about the Institute of Ecolonomics log is available at www.ecolonomics.org. For additional information related to "Drive to Survive 2003," log onto www.drivetosurvive.info LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -