Some students said that ASU graduate and presidential hopeful Harry Braun's campaign is just a gas.
The independent candidate spoke on campus Thursday and told students that, if elected, he would wean America from using oil for energy.
"I'm the only candidate between Bush and Kerry who can get our country off of all fossil and nuclear fuels," he said. "All of the bad, polluting energy sources that cause the most serious environmental problems will be rid of completely within five years."
Braun plans to accomplish his goal by "mass producing wind-powered 'windship' hydrogen production systems and modifying every existing engine and vehicle to use hydrogen fuel," campaign literature said.
Braun's multi-trillion dollar plans are detailed in his book, "The Phoenix Project: Shifting from Oil to Hydrogen." He is now an analyst and CEO for Sustainable Partners, a Phoenix-based energy firm.
Ricky Glover, a biology sophomore, laughed when he heard Braun's plan.
"Six trillion dollars? That's a lot of money," he said. "I probably wouldn't vote for him, but it's always good to have another voice [in an election] so it's not two- sided."
But Charles Adolewski, a December 2003 master's graduate of teaching English as a second language, said that Braun's message interested him.
"The current administration says that cleaning up the environment, we end up sacrificing jobs," Adolewski said.
"Harry Braun's talking about having a clean environment and putting people to work," he said.
Adolewski said that he would strongly consider voting for Braun in the upcoming election.
But, the change in vehicles to hydrogen fuel is a short-term strategy, Braun said. In the long term, Braun would like to solve traffic congestion problems by studying the possibilities of developing arcologies -- cities without cars.
Each arcology would serve as a megastructure for work, live and play for roughly 340,000 people.
Braun said that he is starting his independent campaign at ASU in part because it is his alma mater.
In 1971, Braun earned his baccalaureate in history from the University and studied anthropology as a graduate student for a year, while teaching at Thunderbird High School.
Braun was previously registered as a Democratic candidate in the Washington, D.C., and New Hampshire primaries where he garnered a few votes, said Lucille Hays, his campaign manager.
Still, she said, "I think his chances are excellent providing we can get the word out."
Reach the reporter at michael.miklofsky@asu.edu.
