ACTR to fuel awareness with biodiesel Fundraiser for eco-friendly transportation organized by SGA

Author: Jennifer Shapland

Need a ride? A white and yellow Addison County Transit Resource (ACTR) bus, the county's public transportation service, can take you there free of charge - both for you and soon for the environment.

Waiting at any of the on-campus stops at Adirondack Circle, Old Chapel, McCullough Student Center and the Center for the Arts at the scheduled time will give a Middlebury student free access to the rest of campus and downtown Middlebury. From the main transfer stop at the Middlebury town green, any student may then ride one of the bus routes to Bristol, Vergennes, Chittenden County, Burlington (on week days) and, during the winter, the Snow Bowl and cross-country ski trails for no charge. ACTR is able to continue providing free transportation for Middlebury students and citizens through government funding and its volunteer driver network.

However, due to the overwhelming demand by students in past years for the shuttle to the Snow Bowl, especially during J-Term, ACTR has determined that a larger bus needs to be purchased for the coming season. The board of directors at ACTR, which includes SGA president Eli Berman '07.5, is looking to pick up a 26-passenger bus at some point in the next few weeks. The bus will be more equipped to handle the loads of students riding to and from the Snow Bowl than the other 10 and 14 passenger buses currently in service and will also allow for more standing room. At the suggestion of Berman, if surveys determine a demand for weekend service to Burlington, the bio-bus may make that trip when the skiing season comes to a close.

Not only will the bus's size accommodate more passengers and reduce the need for alternate forms of transportation, the College and ACTR are also teaming up to run this bus on biodiesel fuel. In keeping with Middlebury's green standards, biodiesel helps to reduce fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions. Biodiesel fuel is compatible with the bus's current diesel engine, but currently there is no local provider of this alternative. ACTR is in the process of working with the Vermont Biofuels Association in order to acquire a biofuel provider in town.

While biodiesel will cost five to 10 cents more per gallon than regular diesel fuel, engines running on biodiesel are more fuel-efficient and have better gas mileage, which will make up for any cost differences at the outset. Said ACTR Executive Director Jim Moulton, "I am really excited about this opportunity to implement an alternative energy source right here in Middlebury. We at ACTR want to be as environmentally-friendly as possible."

However, in order to put the bus into service and start running eco-friendly shuttles back and forth for students' skiing pleasure, the SGA is looking to raise the $2000 needed to fund the new bus. With a pledge from ACTR board member and Middlebury College Treasurer Bob Huth to match any amount raised by students, Berman and the SGA have already begun to brainstorm fundraising efforts potentially including a raffle for Snow Bowl passes. Moulton has been encouraged by the response of the College community to the plans for the new bus. "It is a tribute to people's awareness about these environmental issues. The more people that are willing to look at a bus schedule before jumping in their cars, the better, especially when we have eco-conscious, fare-free public transportation available right in town and on campus."