Iowa College Students Tour the Country in an E85 Vehicle

ANKENY, Iowa, March 3 -- Students from Iowa Central Community College are gearing up to head cross-country in an E85 FlexFuel Chevrolet. The students are working to educate the nation about the potential and opportunities of using only E85, a cleaner-burning alternative fuel containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, during their coast-to-coast drive.

This adventurous student organization, known as the Iowa Central Aggies for Renewable Energy (I.C.A.R.E.), will fly to Washington, DC on Sunday, March 5, where they will pick up their 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche, donated by General Motors and Chevrolet, to start their journey. I.C.A.R.E. will travel approximately 3,114 miles to Los Angeles, CA, stopping at no less than 15 gas stations to refuel with E85.

Of the 29 E85 refueling locations in Iowa, I.C.A.R.E. will be making a pit stop in Ankeny, IA, on Wednesday, March 8, at the Kum & Go on Southwest White Birch from 6:30 to 9:00 a.m. The American Lung Association of Iowa, partnering with Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Renewable Fuels and the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, will welcome the group.

"The students have been working diligently to plan this event," said Jim Richardson, lead coordinator and professor at Iowa Central Community College. "These students will no doubt be taking with them invaluable life experiences."

I.C.A.R.E. students calculated, down to the last tenth of a mile, how often to refuel, the minimum gas tank size, and how much money the trip will cost. "We feel that the time has never been better to promote E85 and show the nation that there are more uses for Iowa corn than food," said Tami Davis, a member of I.C.A.R.E.

The significant environmental and health benefits of E85 forged a partnership between the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition and the American Lung Association of Iowa. Renewable-based E85 reduces harmful emissions by 30 percent and helps protect the air we breathe. "We are lucky to have such a dedicated group of young people working to promote clean air and better lung health for the nation," said Jessica Zopf, Environmental Health Coordinator for the American Lung Association of Iowa.

For more on regional developments of cleaner-burning E85 and vehicles that use it, visit the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest at http://cleanairchoice.org/ and for updates on E85 across the United States, visit the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition at http://e85fuel.com/ .

About the American Lung Association

Beginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is "improving life, one breath at a time." For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work its does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to http://www.lungia.org/ .