Define surplus?

'It is certainly a vintage vehicle. And now Prince Charles' beloved 1970 Aston Martin DB6 is running on vintage too,'' according to a recent article in thisislondon.co.uk. ''A nice little white from a vineyard in Wiltshire, to be precise.'''

As part of cutting his carbon footprint, the prince has converted the 38-year-old classic car - a 21st birthday present from the Queen - to run on 100 per cent bioethanol fuel distilled from surplus British wine.

"The car - which is kept at Highgrove and clocks up just 300 miles a year - averages ten miles a gallon, the equivalent of 4.5 bottles of wine for every mile."

Personally, I'd rather stay in one place with 4.5 bottles of wine. Call me a soak if you must.

I'd much rather sacrifice a bushel of precious, power-packed soy beans than an ounce of vino. Soy beans can be brewed to form biodiesel in as little as nine months, and is a product that can help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, stimulate the local economy, and is significantly more environmentally friendly than traditional petroleum.

As of September 29, 2005, all diesel retailers in the State of Minnesota began offering 2 percent biodiesel. The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association also has some great information on their website regarding the creation and use of soy-based biodiesel as well as a list of retailers who offer a higher blends at the pump.