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Propel Brings Clean Fuel to Downtown Seattle, Offers True Choice at Pump
SEATTLE-(Business Wire)-June 27, 2008 - Propel, a leading retailer of renewable fuels, announces the grand opening of its newest and largest Clean Fuel Point, offering consumers and businesses an affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum fuel. Located in South lake Union at the corner of Westlake Avenue and Valley Street, the station is unique in its use of environmentally-friendly standards for design, construction and operation - all while selling fuel made from renewable and sustainable sources. The location officially launches June 28, and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, accepts all major credit cards and will sell B20 and B5 at a price competitive with petroleum diesel. In additional, the site offers a high flow dispenser and accepts fleet fueling cards for Propel's business fleet customers.
"It's never been more clear that we are being held hostage by our reliance on imported petroleum. Record high prices are crippling our economy while carbon emissions are threatening our environment," said Rob Elam, founder and CEO of Propel. "Continued reliance on oil will only make both matters worse. The good news is that right here, right now, is an economic and sustainable alternative to petroleum fuel. Propel offers customers something they've never had - true choice at the pump. And with choice, comes power."
Biodiesel is a clean-burning fuel, derived from renewable resources including soybeans and canola, as well as waste products such as recycled cooking oil and tallow. Studies have shown biodiesel to reduce carbon emissions compared to petroleum diesel, while providing significant air quality benefits. In addition, Propel biodiesel delivers increased lubricity and higher cetane, key contributors to better engine performance.
"Propel has shown that it's possible to raise the bar on environmental responsibility - from the design and construction of their carbon-neutral facility, to the fuel they sell," said Ada M. Healey, vice president of real estate at Vulcan Inc., owner of the Propel biodiesel site. "Their presence is a welcome addition to South Lake Union that aligns well with the neighborhood's longstanding commitment to sustainability."
In building the station, Propel incorporated sustainable best practices to minimize environmental impact. Green features include:
— Canopy & Cistern: The station's canopy is designed to conserve water and reduce storm runoff. Rainwater is collected in a cistern integrated into the canopy's western column. The cistern provides a water source for foliage, while irrigating the feedstock planters via an underground pipe. In addition, the station's canopy was constructed utilizing aluminum composite derived from 95 percent recycled materials. The canopy is equipped with energy conserving LED lights with photocells that provide illumination only as needed.
— Landscape Green Roof Technology: The station's garden landscape uses resource-conserving green roof technology to collect excess water from the canopy and cistern. Constructed with 100 percent recycled materials, the system actively stores water irrigating the landscape as needed and reducing dependence on the city's water supply. Collecting and filtering water with green roof technology helps prevent the spread of particulates into Seattle's groundwater and into Lake Union. The resulting runoff is clean filtered water.
— Urban Agriculture - Feedstock Planter: The Fuel Point also features planter boxes, constructed out of recycled material, that grow crops such as canola, camelina, soy and sunflower. These represent the types of plants used to create the fuel Propel sells at the location.
Propel also offers customers CleanDrive, the industry's first integrated carbon emission tracking platform. By creating a CleanDrive account with Propel, purchasers of its fuel can get real time reporting of the volume of carbon emissions reduced by using biodiesel. Clean Drive graphically displays the positive impacts of biodiesel: reductions in CO2, imported oil displaced and equivalent annual CO2 reduction of mature trees. Members can display their reductions on their blog or company website with the CleanDrive widget. Since inception, Propel drivers have collectively removed more than 1 million tons of CO2 from their use of biodiesel.
About Propel
Propel builds, owns and operates a network of Clean Fuel Points - stand-alone, self-serve filling stations providing drivers convenient access to renewable, clean-burning fuels. The Seattle-based company was founded in 2004 to offer drivers, station owners and fleet operators a cleaner fuel choice that both reduces carbon emissions and America's dependency on foreign oil. Propel currently operates Clean Fuel Points in Ballard, Kenmore, Factoria, Mt. Vernon, West Seattle and South Lake Union. More information is available at www.propelfuels.com.
Editor's note: High resolution photos and artist's renderings/sketches are available
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