EcoTrek

POET cellulosic ethanol 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 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. “Of course, we’re also doing this to highlight the magnificence of America’s natural and cultural beauty. These are things our forefathers fought and died for, and our servicemen continue to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect. 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.”

“What better way to learn about renewable fuel than to see it in action?” POET CEO Jeff Broin said. “We’re proud to be able to showcase clean, green, homegrown POET cellulosic ethanol to people all over the U.S.”

POET’s cellulosic ethanol is made from corn cobs and light stover (leaves, husk, some stalk) at a pilot plant in Scotland, S.D. The pilot plant 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.

Holm will work to spread the message about renewable fuel at every stop on his trip. In South Dakota and Iowa, the Tour will visit farms and refineries creating cellulosic ethanol as well as Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. Feb. 15-16, Holm will meet with Automakers in Detroit. March 2-4 the Tour will visit the Tensaw Delta and New Orleans to assist in Gulf Coast research and clean up efforts. The Tour concludes March 11 on the pier at Santa Monica.

EcoTrek will track its progress with blog updates and video at www.EcoTrek.com. To learn more about POET’s cellulosic ethanol project, please visit https://poet.com/innovation/cellulosic/index.asp.

About POET
POET, the largest ethanol producer in the world, is a leader in biorefining through its efficient, vertically integrated approach to production. The 23-year-old company has a production capacity of more than 1.7 billion gallons of ethanol and 9 billion pounds of high-protein animal feed annually from 27 production facilities nationwide. POET also operates a pilot-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, which uses corn cobs and light stover as feedstock, and will commercialize the process in Emmetsburg, Iowa. For more information, visit http://www.poet.com.

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