BioTour Bus Raises Awareness
Project aims to help students realize their place on the planet
Alex Wawro
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: News
A big blue schoolbus running on cooking oil, solar power and idealism stopped by campus Wednesday to raise student awareness of environmental concerns.
The crew of the bus spent the day circulating among students, putting on presentations. Later in the day they invited anyone interested to climb aboard and discuss some of the problems facing the environment.
Alan Palm, who co-directs the project with friend Ethan Burke, discussed what he saw as the woeful lack of awareness among today's youth and the goals of the BioTour Bus.
"We want to experience American culture and landscapes," Palm said. "We're trying to educate society to really build a movement."
Palm and the other staffers visited classrooms and hosted informal discussions and mixers for those interested in discussing the future of America's sustainability efforts.
Perhaps the biggest advocate for the potential of eco-friendly living was the bus itself.
Built in 1989, the Blue Bird school bus was renovated in 2006 to run on used vegetable oil collected from restaurant grease traps across the country.
The engine can also utilize biodiesel fuel, and the roof of the bus is blanketed with photovoltaic solar panels to provide a steady source of renewable energy.
On a full tank of cooking oil, the bus is able to travel more than 1,800 miles with enough power to fuel the headlights, computers, television and even a state-of-the-art sound system.
The crew did their best to engage interested students in events that were designed to remind participants of the looming threat posed by environmental degradation and climate change.
Student turnout for many of the events was minimal, likely because of the minimal promotion and positioning of the bus in the staff parking lot just east of the College Center.
"It's like, secluded in the parking lot," complained freshman Robin Kim, "nobody's seen it."
Still, those who did make it out to the various seminars were impressed by the enthusiasm and sincerity of the activists.
The crowd was diverse; business majors mingled with theater students and discussed the BioTour's suggestions for living a more planet-friendly lifestyle.
For many, the pressures of working while pursuing a degree were a deterrent.
"I do care," said Mike Lizarraga, a freshman currently pursuing a career in acting, "I think if I had more time, I would help out a lot more."
When discussing the future of the project, the travelers were optimistic.
The Bus continues its tour of the West Coast, eventually planning to turn east toward Colorado, hopefully in time to attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Held at the end of August, the Project hopes to boost their education efforts by tying their message of hope to the greater goals of government.
"It's not about partisan politics," said Burke, "the idea is to connect democracy and sustainability."
Fernando Ausin, strategic outreach coordinator and newest member of the crew, outlined the group's plan to obtain three more eco-friendly buses in the near future.
With four buses canvassing the nation simultaneously, Project BioTour hopes to take their message of sustainable living to the global stage.
To find out more, visit www.biotour.org.
The crew of the bus spent the day circulating among students, putting on presentations. Later in the day they invited anyone interested to climb aboard and discuss some of the problems facing the environment.
Alan Palm, who co-directs the project with friend Ethan Burke, discussed what he saw as the woeful lack of awareness among today's youth and the goals of the BioTour Bus.
"We want to experience American culture and landscapes," Palm said. "We're trying to educate society to really build a movement."
Palm and the other staffers visited classrooms and hosted informal discussions and mixers for those interested in discussing the future of America's sustainability efforts.
Perhaps the biggest advocate for the potential of eco-friendly living was the bus itself.
Built in 1989, the Blue Bird school bus was renovated in 2006 to run on used vegetable oil collected from restaurant grease traps across the country.
The engine can also utilize biodiesel fuel, and the roof of the bus is blanketed with photovoltaic solar panels to provide a steady source of renewable energy.
On a full tank of cooking oil, the bus is able to travel more than 1,800 miles with enough power to fuel the headlights, computers, television and even a state-of-the-art sound system.
The crew did their best to engage interested students in events that were designed to remind participants of the looming threat posed by environmental degradation and climate change.
Student turnout for many of the events was minimal, likely because of the minimal promotion and positioning of the bus in the staff parking lot just east of the College Center.
"It's like, secluded in the parking lot," complained freshman Robin Kim, "nobody's seen it."
Still, those who did make it out to the various seminars were impressed by the enthusiasm and sincerity of the activists.
The crowd was diverse; business majors mingled with theater students and discussed the BioTour's suggestions for living a more planet-friendly lifestyle.
For many, the pressures of working while pursuing a degree were a deterrent.
"I do care," said Mike Lizarraga, a freshman currently pursuing a career in acting, "I think if I had more time, I would help out a lot more."
When discussing the future of the project, the travelers were optimistic.
The Bus continues its tour of the West Coast, eventually planning to turn east toward Colorado, hopefully in time to attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Held at the end of August, the Project hopes to boost their education efforts by tying their message of hope to the greater goals of government.
"It's not about partisan politics," said Burke, "the idea is to connect democracy and sustainability."
Fernando Ausin, strategic outreach coordinator and newest member of the crew, outlined the group's plan to obtain three more eco-friendly buses in the near future.
With four buses canvassing the nation simultaneously, Project BioTour hopes to take their message of sustainable living to the global stage.
To find out more, visit www.biotour.org.
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