Fill the tank with liquor? This alcohol, made from corn and other starchy grains, can be used as a natural, renewable fuel. It is commonly blended with unleaded gasoline (10 percent ethanol, 90 percent gasoline) to make it cleaner and less costly; some studies show that these blends, which are used in ordinary automobiles, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions 12-19 percent over conventional gasoline. Blends of 85 percent ethanol (and even higher) are also available and qualify as alternative fuels, though they must be used in specially designed, flexible-fuel vehicles. As with moonshine, there's a downside. Here's the ethanol hangover: Some have started to question whether ethanol and other biofuels are as good as promised, as at least one recent study has shown that if ethanol replaced conventional fuel in all vehicles, smog would in fact worsen and human health would be harmed. And the amount of fuel needed to grow and harvest corn means it's not the most efficient source of energy.

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