On March 2, Ponaganset science teacher and aviator Ross McCurdy fueled his Cessna airplane with 100 percent biofuel made from recycled cooking oil, and took off from North Central Airport in Smithfield, RI, for a 500-mile flight to Kitty Hawk, NC, the birthplace of aviation. This is the first flight of a piston-fired, single engine aircraft, powered exclusively by biofuel, in the United States.

It just goes to show that American ingenuity, coupled with an eye for sustainability, can revolutionize even something as complex as air travel. It also demonstrates that Rhode Island can, and should, be a leader in sustainable energy technologies.