Students saw a few environmentally friendly alternatives to the normal car at the clean car show on Tuesday.

The parking lot between the Design Building and Howe Hall displayed electric hybrid models of a Toyota Prius and a Honda Accord, a Chevrolet Tahoe designed to run on an ethanol-gasoline mixture and a CyRide bus that runs on soy diesel. There was also a Segway and a normal bicycle on display.

“We really just wanted to show the student body alternate modes of transport they can use that uses less gasoline and is better for the environment,” said Eleanor Kahn, senior in architecture.

Kahn is the media coordinator for ActivUs, the student activist group that held the show.

“We have a lot of statistics about the cars shown; things that you wouldn’t think about normally,” Kahn said. “Too often today, students don’t realize or think about what they can do to help the environment. We’re trying to change that.”

ActivUs also invited a guest from the American Lung Association of Iowa.

Jessica Zopf, environmental health coordinator for the American Lung Association of Iowa, was on hand to answer questions and share knowledge.

“These hybrids really do work great. Pizza Pit uses some for their delivery cars, and they love them,” she said.

The most ambitious new fuel is the ethanol-gasoline mixture, called E85, from the mixture being 85 percent ethanol. It is receiving great support from American auto manufacturers. President Bush has even met with a few large automakers to discuss E85. Cars have to be made specifically for E85, but it only costs about $100 more than a normal gasoline engine, and the car is able to use plain fuel if there are no E85 pumps around.

“E85 kind of gets mislabeled, because the media doesn’t make a distinction between E10 – which is the gas we have now at most gas stations – and E85,” Zopf said.

Zopf is a firm believer in alternative fuels, and as a health coordinator, she loves to promote how these fuels are better for the environment than normal gasoline, especially now that they are increasing in popularity.

“It’s great that they’re becoming more well-known, but I still need to promote them,” Zopf said. “It’s not going to be like ‘Field of Dreams;’ people are not going to come and learn about it on their own.”

Meghan Brodersen, freshman in liberal arts and sciences-open option and volunteer at the event, can personally attest to that.

“I’ve really had an interest in environmental issues most of my life. I learn all I can about them, and then I stand up and promote what I believe in,” Brodersen said. “I think that Americans, with our free speech, should do that more often.”

Alternative fuels have risen in popularity recently because of an increased focus on the damage humans cause the environment. Politicians especially are leading the charge, mostly thanks to Al Gore’s film about global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Brodersen thinks this is a good trend, but more can be done.

“Yeah, it got people talking at a national level. But if there was a regional interest, or a local interest, there are so many more things that could be done,” Brodersen said.