A big blue school bus drew the attention of students when it parked outside the residence halls yesterday afternoon. The bus, powered by used vegetable oil, is part of a campaign by a group called BioTour to spread the word about alternative energy sources.
The bus arrived on campus on Wednesday and parked outside of Java Junction. BioTour's co-directors, Ethan Burke and Alan Palm, gave a presentation to students to raise awareness about the importance of developing alternative fuel source technology.
They discussed peak oil theories, as well as environmental problems associated with traditional fuel sources. Burke and Palm stressed that legislation is a key component to developing better energy technologies and practices.
Melissa Barnes, a senior, attended the presentation. She said, "I appreciate that they're well informed and not trying to say that this is ‘the answer,' but rather a campaign for broader education and excitement for new technology."
Burke, Palm and their photographer, Jenny Sherman, live on the bus, and travel from town to town, visiting schools and other groups to share their story and knowledge. BioTour has been on tour for five months, and they will wrap up this tour Dec. 23, but will launch another tour early next year.
They plan to expand their campaign to four buses in the near future.
The bus runs on straight used vegetable oil that BioTour collects from restaurants along the way. The oil is pumped into three 55 barrel drums, and with full tanks the bus will run approximately 2,000 miles. The group also has solar panels on the roof that supply the bus with electricity.
A blog of their travels and more info can be found online at
www.biotour.org.
