Have you heard about the Big Green Bus? It’s a 40-foot-long, veggie-oil-powered bus that travels the country to teach people about green energy and sustainability. Students from Dartmouth College, including Lake Forest’s Nicholas Devonshire, are driving the bus, and they’re coming to town on Sept. 2. They’ll arrive at 5 p.m. at The Church of the Holy Spirit’s parking lot. Nicholas said the group will give tours of the bus and presentations about going green. At 6:30 p.m., there will be a discussion on faith and stewardship of the environment.

Here’s a press release:

The 2011 Big Green Bus Tour

13 Students, 12,000 Miles, and 1 Veggie Oil Powered Bus on a Mission for a Greener Tomorrow

The Big Green Bus hits the road on June 19th for its 7th annual trip around the country. This year the bus will travel more than 12,000 miles powered by waste vegetable oil. In just 11 weeks, the bus will travel through 31 states and along both coasts before returning to its home in Hanover, New Hampshire.

This year’s crew of 13 enthusiastic Dartmouth students is prepared take on the challenges that face an 11-week long bus trip. Their newly converted Greyhound bus is in the capable hands of four student engineers, two of whom converted their own cars to run on waste vegetable oil while still in high school. Students from many different hometowns, academic departments, and student organizations are represented on the bus. However varied their interests, they are united by a common passion for environmentalism.

Big Green Bus crew educates and inspires people across the country.

“Our focus is two- fold: to discover the environmental success stories of individuals, small businesses, and corporations and to share these stories with the communities we visit across the country,” says junior Laura Coyle, one of this year’s Directors. “With every mile, we are building momentum for environmental enthusiasm and innovation.”

During the trip, the Big Green Bus will serve as a classroom on wheels. In a new bus outfitted with an unprecedented amount of sensors and tools designed to help understand and cultivate information on the inner workings of the bus, the crew is more prepared then ever to educate, learn, and spread its message. According to senior Jen Fownes, Education Director of the 2011 Tour, the educational materials will focus on “spreading ideas and teaching people how to educate themselves. A lot of great work has already been done on the front lines of sustainability and we want to make it easier for people to get involved–that all starts with being informed.”

In the past, the Big Green Bus has been featured by Good Morning America, MTV, CNN, Newsweek, NPR, USA Today, and numerous local newspapers. These media outlets allow the Big Green Bus to reach a wider audience and increase the visibility of its message.

This year’s tour is made possible from donations from: Waste Management, Greyhound, SunPower Corporation, Caesar’s Entertainment, Anchor QEA, EcoDirect, GreenSmart, Honest Tea, Cabot Cheese, Annie’s Homegrown, Boloco, Clif Bar, Shape.net, Playback Clothing, LL Bean, Six South Street Hotel, Capital Wraps, IceStone,
Home Depot, Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering, Lebanon Airport, Sparkfun, Rosedale, Senix Corporation, Xantrex, Instrumart, Iaccarino & Sons, Coleman Center for Cosmetic Dentistry, Galvin Foundation, ClassWatch, and other generous contributors.

For more information about the 2011 Tour, Crew, and Sponsors, please visit:
www.thebiggreenbus.org.

I have included a link to our press release and wanted to fill you in on
what we will be doing in Lake Forest.

http://www.thebiggreenbus.org/images/stories/pdf/biggreenbus.pressrelease.2011.pdf

Attached find a photo of the Bus in Savannah, GA where we did sustainable materials reclaim in 19th century homes.

http://www.thebiggreenbus.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=3

Starting at 5pm we will be giving
tours and presentations of the Big Green Bus at Lake Forest’s Church of the
Holy Spirit. At about 6:30 we will have a discussion with those interested
on faith and stewardship of the environment. We’d love for you to stop by
and please let me know what questions I can answer for you.

http://www.thebiggreenbus.org/images/stories/pdf/biggreenbus.pressrelease.2011.pdf