"Ethanol kicks gas" is the motto emblazoned on the sides and tail of the ethanol-powered aerobatic plane flown by professional air show pilot Greg Poe. Poe agreed to use ethanol blends—sometimes as high as 85 percent—in his show plane after Fagen Inc. approached him with a sponsorship deal. In terms of performance, "I see no difference," Poe said. Although when I fly through the exhaust, I can smell [the ethanol]."

This isn't Fagen's only means of promoting ethanol use. In addition to Poe's air shows, the company sponsors the No. 17 Team Ethanol Indy car driven by Jeff Simmons. This is the first year that the IndyCar Series has used 100 percent ethanol in its Honda Indy V-8 engines and in the Honda hybrid pace car. In mid-April, this switch to ethanol was featured on the Sundance Channel's documentary series, "Big Ideas for a Small Planet."

For Poe, using a renewable fuel in his plane is also a personal choice. "Because I travel so much, I see the effects of pollution in various parts of the world," he said. "We should do anything we can to improve our environment, and it seems to me that ethanol use is one of the easiest ways to accomplish that." Poe has logged over 5,000 hours as a pilot, performer and instructor. This summer, you can catch him in his MX-2, dancing through the skies across the country to an original musical score called, "Attitude is Everything." For show information, visit www.gregpoe.com.