BioBus Expeditioners Return to Midd

It was a few days before the end of fall term. While most Middlebury College students were cramming for finals and preparing to travel their separate ways, a group of 12 friends had just arrived back from a semester-long bus trip across the country.

This was no ordinary road trip. The bus on which these students traveled was fueled entirely by biodiesel, an environmentally friendly alternative to regular diesel fuel. On the bus were students Charles Archer '05, Dan Dunning '05, Julia Proctor '06.5, Stephen Swank '05.5, Brian Reavey '05.5, Thomas Hand '05.5, May Boeve '06.5, Leland Bourdon '05.5, Kyle Von Hasslen '05.5, Liz Rolerson '03, Sam Stevenson '05.5, Jon Overman '06 and Lindsey Corbin '05.

The trip was made possible by a grant the students were awarded in the spring to travel to schools and universities and give educational presentations promoting the use of biodiesel as a substitute for fossil fuels. Over the course of three months, the BioBus team traversed the nation, hitting about 150 schools and venues and reaching an estimated 6,000 students with their message.

About two years ago, the same group of friends drove a bus to California to go rock climbing. They used veggie oil to power their bus, but found it difficult to use because they had to create the fuel themselves. Soon, they began to formulate an idea for a follow-up venture - this time with a much larger goal in mind. A year and a half later - after having put much time and effort into grant-writing, fundraising and research - the team began making the final preparations to embark on their journey. They spent the month of August preparing the bus and creating a PowerPoint presentation and video featuring interviews with biodiesel producers and specialists. Thanks to an $800 sponsorship from Whole Foods, the BioBus team also prepared for their trip by stocking up on sushi and other luxury food items. This time, the students' bus relied on commercially available biodiesel and focused much more on education, whereas the first trip focused more on rock climbing.

Biodiesel, according to the students' website, is a "safe, renewable, clean-burning, domestically produced fuel made from vegetable oils...that can be used in existing diesel engines without modification." The use of biodiesel as a substitute for diesel would result in dramatic reductions of many harmful pollutants that contribute to problems such as global warming, acid rain and various human health risks. It would also rid the air of 95 percent of cancer causing agents. Currently, biodiesel costs about $1 per gallon more than regular diesel. However, under the Job Creations Act of 2004, producers will get that $1 back from the government for every gallon of biodiesel they produce. Inspired by this recent development, the BioBus team set out on their educational mission. On the road, the Biobus team stopped to present their research to students throughout the country. They expounded on the harmful effects of fossil fuels, focusing on the economic strain caused by oil dependence as well as health risks resulting from harmful emissions. They also demonstrated how to make biodiesel.

Reactions to the biodiesel presentations were generally very positive. "One of my biggest concerns was whether we could measure results," said BioBus member Stephen Swank '05.5, "but it seems like people were interested and ready for change." Students were fascinated and inspired to see a group of their peers who had set off on a road trip not only as an adventure, but to promote a cause. In addition, many teachers and faculty members demonstrated a remarkable interest and devotion to alternative energy. At one school in Chapel Hill, N.C., a faculty member was so impressed with the presentation that she decided to donate a bus to the school for the children to conduct experiments with biodiesel. At the University of Georgia, one professor incited a movement for the school to use 20 percent biodiesel in all on-campus transportation.

Swank admits that the project had a rough start. The first presentation was to a group of 30 kids in a "garage" at Middlebury Union High School and it went "pretty poorly" due to problems with the PowerPoint presentation and general nervousness. The transition between that and their second scheduled presentation, to an assembly of 700 students at Deerfield Academy, was pretty intimidating. But with newfound confidence bestowed by the addition of slacks, polo shirts and belts - and a lot of practice in between - the second presentation was a huge success.

All in all, the members of Project BioBus agree that the trip was a highly rewarding and fun experience. "We were a group of friends at the start, and ended up a group of friends," said Dan Dunning '05. Last fall, Associate in Science Instruction in Environmental Studies Amy Siedl and five Middlebury Environmental Studies students including Charles Acher '05, Brian Reavey '05, Leland Bourdon '05, Nick Janson '05 and Thomas Hand '05 were awarded a People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. Entitled "Demonstrating the feasibility of a biofuel: Production and use of biodiesel from waste oil feedstock and bio-based methanol at Middlebury College," the grant will allow the researchers to explore the idea of replacing 20 percent of the College's diesel fuel with biodiesel. Charles Archer '05 says that he hopes "in a couple of years, 20 percent of vehicles at Middlebury will run on bio-diesel." For this dedicated group of individuals, the battle to make the switch to alternative energy has only just begun.