Bad luck for Big Green Bus

Vehicle powered by veggie oil comes to halt outside Englewood home, as students attempt cross-country trip to show advantages of biofuel

John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 9, 2007 at midnight

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A group of Dartmouth College students on a cross-country trek in a big green bus to tout the advantages of biofuel hit a bump in the road Sunday in Colorado.

Their bus broke down.

The students had planned to meet with lawmakers and the media on the east steps of the state Capitol.

Instead, they showed up a bit late in their Volkswagen Jetta (like the bus, powered by vegetable oil) after their 1996 International school bus limped to a halt outside a home in Englewood.

"It had a long good life before we even got hold of it," said Brent Butler, who graduated from Dartmouth this year. "It still looks good. It just won't go."

The students were quick to add that the problem - a leak in a seal in the fuel injector pump - is more related to the wear and tear on the bus than the fuel it happened to be using, which in this case was vegetable oil obtained for free from various fast-food and mom-and-pop restaurants along the route.

But for now, the students plan to take a detour to a service garage this morning.

It's all part of the adventure, explained the students, who described their journey on their Web site, thebiggreenbus.org as "11 Dartmouth students, one veggie-oil powered bus and 12,000 sustainable miles."

Once their fuel injector is fixed, they plan to push on to Telluride and Mesa Verde National Park. They hope to reach Portland, Ore., by July 30 and then double back to Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H., by Aug. 30.

At Sunday's Capitol stop, the students chatted with Rep. Debbie Benefield, D-Arvada, who peppered them with questions about how the veggie oil fuel is stored and heated. Heat is required because otherwise the oil is too thick to flow through the fuel system.

Benefield said she was curious because rural school districts in Colorado are seeing their budgets gobbled up by increases in the price of diesel fuel. At the same time, she wants to know more about possible safety issues or other potential problems that could make it difficult to use vegetable oil as an alternative fuel.

Butler said biofuels are not for everyone but said the group has been able to get 45 miles per gallon running the Jetta on vegetable oil.

Still, others on the bus were more concerned that it is only able to limp along until the fuel injector is fixed.

"We're all sad," said Hayley Kennedy, 20, of San Diego. "It was like part of our crew was dying."

Few creature comforts on cross-country crusade

The 11 Dartmouth students crossing America in a veggie-oil-powered bus have brought along lots of amenities: computers, cell phones, even a flat-screen television. The Rocky Mountain News asked some of the students what creature comforts they most miss on their tour. Here are their responses:

• Brent Butler, of Milwaukee

"Access to a swimming pool. It's been hot this summer. It can get really hot on the bus. When we were in Texas and Louisiana, it was hot. It was very hot.

We love it here in Colorado because we can at least sleep here at night and it's cool."

• Hayley Kennedy, of San Diego

"A refrigerator. We have all our food in coolers. A refrigerator would be nice. I don't get milk in the morning."

• Merritt Jenkins, of Radnor, Pa.

"A hot shower. That could be so easily fixed because you can get these five-gallon black bags, but we just haven't had a chance to do that yet. (Instead) we stop at other people's houses."

• Frances Vernon, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Being on the bus has taught her how she can live out of one box instead of the eight it took to store her belongings back at Dartmouth. But some things you can't pack.

"My friends (back on campus). It's nice to talk to them (by cell phone or via e-mail) but you can't even begin to tell them about all the stories and all the people we've met along the way."

Some energy (and cash) saving tips offered by the students on the Big Green Bus

• Adjust your thermostat. A two- degree increase in summer and decrease in winter can save $100 and 2,000 pounds of CO2 emissions each year.

• Unplug appliances. Appliances draw power even when not in use. Unplugging one computer when it's not in use can save $75 per year.

• Switch light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use up to a quarter of the energy of traditional bulbs and last six to 10 times as long.

• Insulate your home. Extra insulation and storm windows are some of the most effective ways to save energy.

•Save hot water. Insulate your hot water heater by wrapping it in an insulation blanket to reduce your electricity bill.

•Use electricity at the right time. Some places charge less for electricity during off-peak hours. Save laundry and dishwashing for night, when there is less demand on the grid.

• Travel smart. Vacation close to home. Bike. Car pool. Use mass transportation.

ensslinj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5291

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