“This is a way to deal with people one-on-one,” Connor said. “I hope I play a small part in elevating the discussion.”

Connor has been scrambling to sporting events throughout the nation as part of the Autotrader.com Green Power Sports Tour, which aims to promote awareness of renewable fuels.

For Tony Martin, a 1986 MSU alumnus, Connor’s trip plays an important role in educating the public about alternative fuels. Martin, however, isn’t sold on alternative fuels.

“I think that buying a biodiesel car isn’t feasible right now,” Martin said. “Down the road, ideas like this car will take off and they will be part of the solution.”

Connor, a San Diego-based freelance sports writer, said the idea came after watching a news report on alternative fuels in August 2005 that discussed their economic and environmental benefit.

Since then, Connor said he has visited 273 baseball parks throughout the U.S. and Canada, spent 215 days on the road and logged more than 50,000 miles.

Now, in the midst of his second tour, Connor is hitting football, basketball and hockey games.

Ralph Schlaff, a 1987 MSU graduate, talked with Connor from his Spartan green school bus.

Schlaff said fuels like ethanol and biodiesel are putting the pinch on his pizza business.

The emerging market for ethanol is one of the reasons the price he pays for a case of cheese has increased from $35 to $50 a case, Schlaff said. Ethanol increased the demand for corn, which drives up the price of corn-feed for dairy farmers.

Research to develop the alternative fuels more efficiently could help, Schlaff said.

“Something needs to be done to eliminate our dependence on third-world oil,” he said. “There has to be some happy medium out there.”