MEET French Fry
Hey, this is FRENCH FRY. Thanks for checking me out. I’m excited to share my story.
How does Veggie-Fuel work?
I run on vegetable oil that Bruce filters himself. He uses diesel fuel only to start my motor and to purge it at the end of every drive. I can drive about 350 miles for every gallon of diesel fuel. This is (almost) as good as a TESLA. And a whole lot cheaper to buy!
I may not be the best-looking machine on the road, but I’ll bet I’m one of the greenest. Everywhere I go, I get noticed. People are constantly wanting to look under my hood.
My owner, Bruce OConnell, bought me 13 year ago. Bruce owns the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He feeds hundreds of customers every day. They love the corn fritters, the fried chicken, the super crispy French fries. Yep, that’s a lot of oil used that gets thrown away.
One day, Bruce thought, “Why should I throw this waste oil away if I can use it to fuel a car.” Once he thought it, he made it happen. I became a veggie-fueled machine - a sleek golden colored vehicle that smelled deliciously of…you guessed it…FRENCH FRIES!!
Now, I drive all over the district with Bruce who, by the way, is running for congress. He believes in protecting our environment, but also believes the United States needs to be able to fuel and feed itself. “It’s commonsense,” as Bruce likes to say. At the Pisgah Inn, he started 35 years ago to create energy efficiency, water-conservation, and healthy best practices.
Bruce loves these Western North Carolina Mountains. He loves the outdoors. He is a passionate cave diver, hikes our mountains, loves dogs (ok, I slipped this one in here cuz the dog is cute), and he even grew hemp to produce CBD oil. It wasn’t his most successful endeavor, but he learned a lot about organic farming.
Check-in here to read about my adventures on the campaign trail. Drop me a line and tell me what you care about.
I’m just an easy-going car, but I’m proud of Bruce’s accomplishments. As long as I’ve known him, he has been recognized for his innovation and hard work in protecting the environment.
“You are to be commended for the environmentally friendly manner in which you manage the facility. Keep up the good work.”
Waste Reduction Partners
“Rick has mentioned on many occasions the environmental improvements and efforts you have undertaken at Mount Pisgah. These are efforts over and beyond those required at all facilities or enhancements included in improvement projects. It is clear you feel a personal responsibility in this area and have made environmental management a priority at your operation…On behalf of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I congratulate you on your efforts at being a leader in environmental management.”
United States Department of the Interior
“Pisgah Inn promotes recycling. Program could become model for entire Blue Ridge Parkway.”
Parkway Inn, Inc.