This is so freaking cool. My cousin and his friend have turned this bus that use to use gas as power into used vegetable oil power. He was been doing this for awhile. Him and his buddy are not the only ones doing this. There are other people around the US, doing it to. If you can help, make a donation towards helping them build and convert more cars and buses to used vegetable oil. Yeah they look like hippies don't they but this is so cool. If you want to see my cousin go to the crew page and his name is Michael Carter. If you can please spread the word about this program, and help them out.
Here is some general infor bout them and there program.

[B]Mission[/B]:To travel from California to Costa Rica in vehicles powered by used vegetable oil, creating forums for information exchange with already-existing grassroots efforts in the USA, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. We aim to highlight the importance of seeking alternatives to current energy consumption and agricultural practices. We promote local solutions and demonstrate the effectiveness of existing responsible technologies and land management design systems that encourage sustainable development and promote biodiversity.

[B]Who are we?[/B]We are people from diverse backgrounds, including sustainability experts, eco-technologists, farmers, entertainers, multi-media specialists, vegetable oil conversion mechanics and others who share the common vision of helping to create a healthy way of life for generations to come.

[B]Timeline[/B]:November 10-December 20, 2003

[B]Educational Focus[/B]:To promote the importance of sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and protection of natural resources to educators, farmers, students, and children.

[B]How are we going to do this?-[/B]By using the medium of theater, art, and music to create sustainability teach-ins that are both innovative and educational! -By providing an interactive space at community centers, eco-villages, and organic farms where locals can share already existing sustainable solutions that are pertinent to their communities! -By hosting workshops, such as permaculture and diesel to vegetable oil engine conversion, and by building gardens, sharing seeds, and, overall, helping to make these sustainable solutions a realistic option!-By connecting communities throughout North and Central America (and ultimately the world) so that we can all learn from each other's problems and solutions!

[B]Means of Spreading Information[/B]:-Physical demonstrations throughout California, Mexico and Central America .-Ongoing documentation for future educational material, including a full length documentary video and downloadable curriculums and student activities.-Live Web Updates .

[B]How YOU Can Help[/B]:-Follow our progress. Spread the word. Teachers, please pass our site on to your students.-Provide contacts to educators, donors, people with eco-vehicles, writers (for curriculum), people/projects in Central America and Mexico, news/television, radio people…-Donate funds. For $200 donation or more, you get a free week at Punta Mona, our Sustainable Living Center/organic farm on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.-Help create content by donating time or equipment for video and web development. We could especially use a web guru.-And most importantly, find sustainable solutions in YOUR life and start making them a reality!

[B]Contact Us:email[/B]: [email]contact@sustainablesolutionscaravan.org[/email]

That pretty much sums up the general infor about the program. You can check out the web for more info. Also the website has videos, picture and documteray of their journies. Feel free to talk about this subject, i think this is a good way to help the environment. Thanks and help them out.

Here is the website: [url]http://www.sustainablesolutionscaravan.org/flash/index.html[/url]

Edit# 1
Here is some pictures of the bus that was taking at my ranch. It is located about 50 miles south of San Antonio, Texas
[url]http://community.webshots.com/user/sfft_2108[/url]

Woah. Hippies.

Diesel engines run on vegetable oil. There are a few celebrities who have restaurants pay them to get rid of their grease and oil, and it powers their cars. It's kind of cool.

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Yeah, they are a bunch of hippies all right. My cousin is one of the main ones who converts them in to being run by vegetable oil. I am really proud of my cousin and his friends. But the bad thing is that, he left his Computer Science major behind to work on vegetable oil conversions. So it is a good and bad thing. Quite your Computer Science Major-Bad. Working on Vegetable oil conversions.-Good. So he is doing a good or a bad thing.

At least it's a Gillig (they still make city busses, especially some comfy low-floor busses that I rode between campuses in college), and they've been one of the big ones to try for reduced emissions or alternative fuels on their busses). He probably should have them contact Gillig and let them know what he did to the bus :).

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What do you mean call up Gullig and let them know what he did. Do you mean like tell him what they are up to and doing to their buses. Any body have any comments on the photos? I think some of them are pretty cool.

It's "Gillig"... not "Gullig". By telling them, I mean tell them what he was doing to that bus that's in the webshots photos. They might use it as a publicity effort, and who knows, it could mean a job for him (or at least a well paid consulting gig) :).

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This is interesting, but it will unfortunately for your cousin and his friends, it will never catch on.

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[QUOTE=leeloo1953]Hippies?? Ok, I'll go along with "new-age" hippies. Us "orginals" really didn't dress that way. LOL!

As far as if your cousin is doing a good thing or a bad thing, it's really not for any of us to say. He's following his dream. And, since it's a dream that is not going to cause any harm to anybody, as some "past" hippies dreams were meant to do (Charles Manson), I see nothing really bad about it at all. I have to give him credit for at least trying to a good thing.

I'm confused (as usual), about the timeline...2003. Did he already make this trip from California to Costa Rica?

Yes, the pictures were good. So you live on a ranch? Do you raise cattle, horses, etc.? I guess what I'm asking, do you live on a "working" ranch?? Is this ranch your family's occupation? If so, I think that is awesome.[/QUOTE]

Let me answer your questions. I mean a good and bad thing. He could of had a good carrer in Computer Science, and could of earned a lot of money, well maybe, he missed a good opportunity to experience college life and he also wasted a bunch of money because he droped out of college. Those are the bad things. Good things that he is trying to help the environment and find what he really wants to do in life. So i said those are good and bad things.

OK you next questino was about the timeline. Yes he really made the Trip from California to Costa Rica. Back in 2003. I don't know if they are planing on more trips this year or the next year. I hope they plan one soon.

To tell you the truth i don't know really why they are doing this. There could be more to it then i think there is. I just recieved the pictures from my aunt (his mom) and she gave me a website. So i started to get into looking at the site and learning about it. Yall probably know more than i know about this, but it is just something to learn about and learn from. As i talk to my aunt, i will hopefully find out more and maybe i can talk to my cousin about it and he can give me a lot of detail about this. Anyways.

Next question. No i don't live on a ranch. My dad runs it every weekend and i ever so often go out there. I am going to go out there the week to help he do things around there. I am not that much of a farmer/ rancher type of guy and my friends like critize me bout not enjoying that stuff. Yeah my dad is rich and we have like a gator and a mule alos a 4 wheeler. A gator and a mule are vechiles like a jeep. They are not the animals. LOL. as some may think. I just want my friends to realize that i am not the one who likes to work on a farm. I am just an athletic guy who likes roller coaster sports and the computer. They just want me to go out there cause there is a bunch of stuff to do. Well i think i kinda went off the subject there. SO back on.
My dad raises cattle, but not that much. Like he takes cattle to an auction and sells them there. ok. I was just trying to answer your questins in the order that u asked and didn't see the one where you sum it up. SO yeah my dad and his family own a lot of land out there, but he is the one who works the hardest out there and is the only on who works. WOW i am really off the subject lol. OK well i think i have been typeing for a while now. I think that is all the questions. So back to the TOPIC.

[QUOTE=Steven]It's "Gillig"... not "Gullig". By telling them, I mean tell them what he was doing to that bus that's in the webshots photos. They might use it as a publicity effort, and who knows, it could mean a job for him (or at least a well paid consulting gig) :).[/QUOTE]

OK, i am really sorry but i am still lost. I tried to understand it but i think you worded it wrong. I am real sorry.

No, prob No, prob. I know it makes me mad still about my friends. Even my dad wants me to go out there. But it is hard to tell him that i don't want to go. I think that on my dads side of the family it skips a generation if you like to be a rancher or not. Because my grandpa doesn't like it. My dad loves it. I don't like it. Then next my sons, i am only 14 and i don't have kids YET. LOL j/k. well probably like it, like my dad does. Oh well i just always say it skips a generation.

[QUOTE=coasterphil]This is interesting, but it will unfortunately for your cousin and his friends, it will never catch on.[/QUOTE]
Actually, there are several companies doing this right now. Well counting this one, 3. I was going to get a similer kit for my van but as far as I know they are only available for diesel engines at the moment.

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Hello, folks i just added another pic to webshots.com. This one was taking at my grandma's house in Karnes City, Texas. It is a side shot of the bus. Post any comments.

[url]http://community.webshots.com/user/sfft_2108[/url]