With the surge in popularity of environmental consumerism, buying green is easier than ever. A Dover business just made it more accessible by building the state's first biodiesel fueling station and "congreenience" store, which opened this weekend.

Green-savvy customers have a choice of biofuels at the Simply Green station, which features gasoline made with 10 percent ethanol (or E10, now the industry standard), and two types of biodiesel - 5 percent and 20 percent blends - that can fill up a tank without a specially converted engine.

Biodiesel prices are higher than the traditional unleaded gasoline-ethanol mix. A gallon of 87 ran for $1.91 there yesterday, while the fuel infused with 20 percent biodiesel cost $2.95 a gallon. The benefits of biodiesel include a less congested engine, better mileage, and a reduced production of carbon dioxide and particulate matter, said Dennis Grzywacz, the store's assistant manager.

"It's a little more expensive, but you're getting a better product that you can feel good about," Grzywacz said. "A lot of states mandate the use of a biodiesel (and gasoline) blend. Hopefully, New Hampshire will follow."

Biodiesel fuels typically come from feedstock, most commonly corn. The store's blend comes from soybean oil and tallow.

Located at 547 Central Ave. in downtown Dover, the store was home to another gas station for many years before it closed about two years ago. The idea of turning it into a congreenience store came from Andrew Kellar, whose Seacoast-based Simply Green biofuels company - founded in 2006 - owns the station.

Although the facility has been revamped and is technically now open for business, the grand opening isn't happening until Dec. 5, Grzywacz said. "So many people are psyched that the store is up and running," Grzywacz said. "We've gotten a great response just over the weekend. People are coming in to check things out and have been very supportive."

The convenience store portion features solar panels, large sun-catching windows, a trendy sitting area for reading the newspaper and sweet-smelling bamboo floors. Patrons can choose from local foods and organic products.

"They're the traditional items you'd find in any convenience store, just a little more localized," said Grzywacz, adding that the store is taking a "100-mile pledge" to supply at least 75 percent of the store's goods with items produced within a 100-mile radius of Dover.

The store is about a 10-minute drive from the University of New Hampshire, one of its local partners. The store hopes to eventually

build a test facility in conjunction with the school behind the station.

The facility would supply biofuel derived from algae, which grows faster than most crops used to produce biofuels, and has a higher oil content, said Jon Spencer, who works at the store and wrote his college thesis on fuel derived from algae.

"Algae has the potential to revolutionize the way fuel is produced and used," Spencer said. "It's amazing stuff."

If people want to make the switch to biodiesel, it's better to start with the 5 percent mix (priced at $2.89 per gallon yesterday), eventually moving up to the 20 percent, Grzywacz said. The store hopes to offer biodiesel that's 100 percent from organic matter, ideally grown at the station.