Well, I guess it sounds like a trick question or this special kind of jokes, you know: “What do men and women have in common?” – “Both mistrust men.”
But really now… what does have your salad for lunch in common with a journey from North Cape to the pyramid? The German TV Channel Pro7 has the answer: salad oil. The producers of the show Galileo started an experiment in April: the salad oil rally. Two people in one car for 10 thousand kilometres. The car, an old Opel Rekord with a diesel motor built in 1978, was reconstructed to run on natural oil: sunflower, olive, rapeseed – no matter which one, it only has to be edible. What makes the challenge so hard: the two drivers, Alexandra (21) and Markus (31), have to take the outside temperatures into consideration. Salad oil works the best in warm temperatures – a problem in colder regions like their starting point in North Cape. To make it even harder they also have to stick to three rules while taking on the journey.

First: Not one single drop of gasoline or diesel gets in the tank.
Second: Alexandra and Markus are not allowed to carry more oil than what fits into the tank (20 litres).
Third: At the end of their journey the oil left in the emergency tank will be weighed against a price – giving proof of how efficient the two drivers were able to organize the oil needed. That means for the drivers: they are on the hunt 24-7 for oil, for the best price. The result: they really get in contact with the people living in the countries they are driving through.Sounds like fun? It is - but it’s even more. It’s a rally to raise awareness for all alternative fuels – not just salad oil. The producers of this show are aware that salad oil is not the number one alternative fuel. Not all cars can be reconstructed to run on oil. Only diesel cars with a specific kind of motor. It’s also not that environmentally friendly than most people believe. Even though the CO2 released in the atmosphere is equivalent to the CO2 used by the plants for photosynthesis, the production of salad oil takes up fuel in the process. But what speaks mostly against salad oil: even if the whole of Germany would become a giant rapeseed oil field – it would only make enough oil for every fifth car in Germany. Apart from this: the idea to turn the serious topic of alternative fuels into a kind of a treasure hunt is new and exciting, not least of all fun to watch. The success of the show proves that it’s a channel which reaches a lot of people and a fun way to tackle their consciousness.Only one question left: where are Alexandra and Markus right now? Somewhere in Libya – probably bargaining for oil.


Fotos: ProSieben; www.bund-pfalz.de