Sustainability on campus
Students aim to use bio fuels

Alex Legere | staff writer

In the near future, the St. Michael’s shuttle bus may be equipped to run solely on biodiesel fuel, following in the footsteps of buses operated by other universities in the area, such as Middlebury and University of Vermont.

The gas is always greener...

Senior Seth Gallant and first-year Randall Northrop are planning to speaki with a biodiesel manufacturer in Winooski called Green Tech about converting used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel.

Gallant and Northrop, both members of Green Up on campus and part of the sustainability committee, would like to work with Sodexho to have access to their used cooking oil in Alliot.

The fleet of shuttle buses for the University of Vermont are biodiesel fueled. Larry Frisoli, photo

“Alliot only produces 30 gallons [of cooking oil] a week and that is only enough to run the shuttle bus for one day,” business professor Roger Putzel says.

“It is still a work in progress, but in the long run it will end up saving the college money,” Northrop says. “Here on campus we already have the fuel, we just need to put in the initial cost to purchase our own equipment to mix our own diesel fuels if that is a path we decide to go down.”

Before this can happen, Northrop says the interested students have to convince the administration this is a positive step.

“If the administration would agree to start buying biodiesel from a local company, conceivably, we could be using our own oil,” Putzel says. “As of now, the advisory committee is working to secure cooperation with Sodexho so things will move forward in the future.”

At this stage, in order to make the sustainability project into a realistic goal, Green Up is trying to spread the word and do the necessary research.

“The first thought that comes to mind is that our buses will smell like french fries, but if it is saving energy and it is renewable then I think it is well worth it,” sophomore Molly Salt says.

“The president (John Newhauser) is very environmentally conscious, and he is on board with this project,” Putzel says. “We need to work this idea through the system, and set up something that will be easy to run. The current diesel price is at $3.55 a gallon; the higher it goes the easier this will be.”

Making the shuttle run on biodiesel fuel is making a statement that everyone can do their part, Putzel says.

“This is a great way to help make our campus a little more green,” Northrop says.

“It would be really neat if we had a bus running on biodiesel, people would say, ‘Hey, we’ve really done something,’” Putzel says.

Biodiesel bus rides

CCTA buses have been running on biodiesel fuel since the spring of 2007, according to the transit company's Web site.

Green Technologies, a business located in Winooski that converts used vegetable oil into useable fuel for diesel engine is growing each year by 100 percent. The increase in revenue and popularity is due to the interest of the community, says Scott Gordon of Green Technologies. People are looking for more energy efficient alternatives, he says.

“People pay us to pick up their waste [oil], or sometimes we pick it up for free,” Gordon says.

In the near future, Gordon says he looks forward to helping the college get its shuttle buses running on bio diesel fuel. Gordon has been working closely with Putzel and has spoken with Northrop about ways to start the process.

Parked behind the newly constructed Davis Center, UVM shuttles are docked and charged. Larry Frisoli, photo

The school needs to find a supplier of waste, Gordon says, and then Green Technologies can turn the used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel in their refineries.

Statewide effort

Vermont consumes more than 300 million gallons of diesel fuel annually, according to the Vermont Biofuels Association Web site.  The purpose of this organization is to promote renewable energy and make it part of an affordable reality for residents of Vermont.

Biofuels are agriculture and forest derived fuels like corn and  that can be used to run vehicles, heat homes and generate electricity, Gordon says.

Since 2003, Vermont has been a part of the Biofuels Initiative, and is currently in phase II. This project, put on by the Vermont Biofuels Association, is aimed to reduce the import of foreign sources of energy, and can aid in reducing the build up of green houses gases. This growing industry also creates job opportunities for Vermonters, according to the Vermont Biofuels Association Web site.

“The idea seems to be still taking off, but the time is now,” Gordon says.