Michelle Knapik, Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program

Michelle Knapik is chair of the Greater Philadelphia Clean Cities Program and director of energy policy in Philadelphia's Municipal Energy Office. She is a fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program. Michelle Knapik wrote about her experiences at the National Clean Cities Conference, held last month in Philadelphia.

At 7:30 a.m., the awards breakfast is about to get underway, but I'm on my way to the Ride & Drive site. Blue and yellow banners printed with the slogan "Road to Alternative Fuels -- Clean Cities" line Arch Street. (Three cheers to our brilliant graphic designer who made every banner, brochure, pamphlet, invitation, and schedule a visual feast.) We need to line up about 30 alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) on three city blocks. We set up stations for each manufacturer, where conference attendees will soon have the option to sign up for test drives. We have everything from electric scooters to biodiesel trucks. We even have a propane-powered Schwan's ice cream truck filled with treats. (Shouldn't every food delivery truck use alternative fuels?)

During the Ride & Drive, I sneak away to get a glimpse of ScienceFest, where conference organizers are ushering in more than 600 elementary school children. I am tickled by the joyous shrieks coming from the expo hall. There are children piling in electric vehicles, marveling at the liquefied natural gas tanks (about twice their size) on the over-the-road UPS truck, begging to ride the electric bikes and scooters, pretending to make deliveries from the electric postal truck, and playing educational games at the interactive GM science exhibit. Other children are in sessions learning about clean transportation choices with EPA staff with the aid of the 4-H "Going Places, Making Choices" curriculum. Still other children are listening to Bill Nye's presentation in the theater. I'm amazed this is all happening. I knew GM had taken some children through the expo hall at last year's conference, and I thought a full youth program would have just the kind of visibility, excitement, and energy that Clean Cities needs. It is my hope that ScienceFest will become a permanent part of the Clean Cities conference.

At the same time, conference attendees can choose to attend any of a myriad of sessions, including "Airports Take Off," "Movers and Shakers: Heavy-duty Product Roll-out," and "It's in the Air: Promoting the Health Benefits of AFVs." I know that I will need to go to the website to study all the presentations I'm never going to get to today.

Near the end of the afternoon sessions, I need to sneak away and take two other drivers to refuel the natural-gas vehicles. The closest natural-gas station is about 15 blocks away, at the site of our utility gas works. The ride is through one of the roughest sections of North Philadelphia, and the station is at the back of a gated utility lot. I know there are not too many consumers who want to make this trip. But the driver of the biodiesel bus had to go to Medford, N.J., to refuel, and the ethanol people had just enough fuel to make it through the conference (they would have had to go to Maryland to refuel).

I also know that if consumer demand started to peak, there are plenty of companies who would be oh-so-happy to install a natural-gas "pump" and other alternative fuel outlets at convenient sites. I also think about the recent announcement of the first AFV refueling mall in California, and I'm jealous that we don't have all the alternative fuels under one site. Over the rumble of the compressors, I talk to the drivers about their refueling adventures. As it turns out, they've never refueled with natural gas, so I launch into my fueling demonstration and smile because the girl is showing the boys something about cars.

The alternative fuel caravan leaves for the closing reception around 6:30 p.m. At 8:30, I notice a table of people talking about the environmental vehicle (EV) rental-car situation at the airport. EV Rental is trying hard to break into the Philadelphia market -- it is a perfect match, since there are lots of business travelers who could rent natural-gas and hybrid vehicles. The business also provides consumers with an opportunity to try out AFVs. (EV Rental operates in a partnership with Budget at several airports across the country.) The catch right now is that the airport has been slow to draft an agreement that would grant EV Rental access to its natural gas station. A few minutes later, the president of the company tells me about a new solution.

As I'm waiting to take a shuttle back to the convention center, I'm drawn into a conversation about propane. The propane industry has been slow to promote their fuel for vehicles -- it works just fine, but they are playing catch-up to the strong natural-gas industry promoters. An industry representative shares a marketing strategy -- he says that the alternative fuel industry sees and treats the refueling of an AFV as a "process." He thinks this is all wrong for the consumer market. He says pumping gas is second nature to most people -- not a "process." Therefore, to be successful, AFV refueling has to be as easy and mindless as going to the corner gas station. I guess we still need to get our free coffee with every tank refill.

Another day of the ups and downs that continue to shape my industry perspective. Tomorrow, we close the conference. Physically, I think I'm ready, but intellectually, emotionally, and philosophically, I want this up-front and close examination of the industry to continue. I love the access I've had, and I'm sad that it is about to end.