Photos: Getting around on biodiesel

A view into Josh Tickell's backyard, where you'll see an organic garden immediately to the left, his home office, his diesel-engine Volkswagen Jetta and a biodiesel fueling station with extra drums of the alternative fuel, which is made from vegetable oil. Tickell is the author of a book about the fuel, "Biodiesel America: How to Achieve Energy Security, Free America from Middle East Oil Dependence and Make Money Growing Fuel," due for release in February.

A home biodiesel fueling station, complete with pump, trolley and drum of biodiesel fuel ordered from a distributor, Biodiesel Solutions. Biodiesel proponent Josh Tickell plugs a cigarette-lighter adapter into his VW Jetta to power the pump.

Josh Tickell outside his home office, just steps from his organic garden and biodiesel fueling station. Tickell drove a biodiesel vehicle, called the Veggie Van, across the country more than a year ago to promote the alternative fuel.

"If you can make a margarita, you can make biodiesel," Tickell says.

Biodiesel fueling stations are scarce. On Jan. 7, the Biodiesel Co-op--a group of artists, writers and designers living in the Los Angeles area--opened their own, members-only biodiesel fueling station in nearby Marina del Rey. Housed in a trailer behind a group of office buildings off U.S. Highway 90, the station serves as a convenient place for co-op members to fuel their diesel-engine vehicles.