The Unifried Biofuel Caravan 2004 held a demonstration of their biodiesel and vegetable oil run bus on Volunteer Avenue Tuesday.
The bus, which runs on homemade biodiesel and recycled vegetable oil from restaurants, is running a 40 state tour. Tennessee is the 27th state the bus has traveled to accumulating a total of 45,000 “veggie miles.” The Caravan was invited by Students Promoting Environmental Action in Knoxville or SPEAK as part of the Clean Energy initiative. The group is working with a nation wide movement across college campuses to get the issue of clean energy focused on by politicians.
“I think it is amazing,” Mandi Lawson, senior in theatre, said.
The group heard of the biofuel bus from junior psychology major and active member Tommy J. Bensko who was picked up by the bus while hitchhiking last summer in Oregon. Bensko said that anyone who is interested in building a biodiesel vehicle in Knoxville should come to a Speak meeting.
“I think it is a pretty good idea,” Joshua Reeves, sophomore in journalism, said.
“I’m glad to see someone exploring the use of alternative fuel.”
Trevitt Schultz is the only one of the three founders of the bus who is still with it. The bus began when three friends, including Schultz wanted another way to protest the war in Iraq, which they viewed as a war for oil.
“My friends and I didn’t want to just protest in the streets but we wanted to find a solution,” Schultz said.
Buying a diesel bus the three converted it and hit the road to spread the message of clean energy. While Schultz is the only original founder on the bus people constantly join and leave, living on the bus as it makes its way across the country.
The fuel can be grown by farmers in America taking away the need to import oil as well as burning a cleaner, less expensive fuel. The tour has had a great response from all different types of people wherever they’ve gone, according to two month Caravan member Morgan Kelly. More information about converting diesel engines to biodiesel or vegetable oil can be found on http://veggiebus.com.
