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Veggie-Fueled Bus Tours Country, Educates Students

BioTour_Veggie_Powered_Bus.jpg Not your average ordinary school bus, the BioTour bus is on a mission. Instead of driving kids to school, this growing non-profit organization is driving school to kids (and adults). This veggie- and solar-powered bus is traveling the country to raise awareness of sustainability issues and educate people about renewable energy.

By promoting sustainability, civic participation, and community organization, BioTour hopes to “build a stronger democracy” by challenging misconceptions and informing citizens of alternatives to oil and “environmental degradation.”

The bus, complete with solar panels to power on-board electronics, runs on filtered vegetable oil from restaurants. This is a great deal for both the bus and the restaurants. Rather than pay someone to remove the veggie waste, restaurants are happy to donate the grease needed to fuel the bus. Interesting fact: the BioTour crew has found oil from vegetarian and Chinese restaurants to be the cleanest and easiest oil to filter.

BioTour stops at high schools, colleges, and other events to spread the message of sustainability by giving talks, demonstrations, and tours of the bus. Check here for the bus schedule — it’s currently visiting the Southwest. If you’d like to ride the bus, you can apply to be an honorary crew member and travel with BioTour for a week.

If you’d just like to follow along online, visit their blog, the BioTour Vagabond Journal.

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