Biodiesel bus ends its sustainability tour

With the smell of fried corn oil wafting from its tailpipe, the bus that carried four people on a 12-week renewable energy tour pulled up to its final stop for the summer at Missoula’s PEDal Fest in Caras Park on Saturday.

With biodiesel coursing through its gas lines, the modified school bus logged more than 7,000 miles while stopping at 60-plus events throughout the west as part of a Homegrown Prosperity Renewable Energy Tour. The tour, sponsored by the Western Organization of Resource Councils, presented solutions for reducing greenhouse gases and pollution and promoting good-paying jobs and income for rural communities.

Laura Becerra and Derek Kanwischer, graduate students in the University of Montana environmental studies program, participated in the seven-state tour.

Becerra said part of what the team promoted was how to build more efficiently and less costly. Making use of south-facing windows and better insulation, for example, are two ways to cut down on energy use.

“We had a really great reception everywhere we went,” Becerra said.

Becerra said the tour was a chance to teach, as well as learn from others along the way.

She said they discovered the Miles City Community College is starting a biodiesel degree program and is working on a model to teach local farmers and ranchers how farm-scale biofuels can promote economic development.

Biodiesel isn’t as readily available as petrol diesel, and since the team was buying commercially, much of the fuel had to be lined up ahead of time, Becerra said.
They purchased fuel from a co-op in Livingston, as well as in Denver.

“A lot of times it was word of mouth,” she said, referring to where they found biodiesel.

Kanwischer said the tour is over for the summer. Now is a period of analysis as the team and their sponsors examine the feedback and try to determine what would make the tour more effective.

“People enjoyed having us there and we enjoyed being there,” Kanwischer said.

He said it was a good feeling to finally be able to show their family, friends and coworkers what they’ve been doing all summer.

“It’s a fun way to end the tour,” he said.
jeff.osteen@umontana.edu