Article here. We need to see more of this schools everywhere.
BIODIESEL USE CELEBRATED
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 12:03 AM CST
BY LOUISA MURZYN
Times Correspondent
GARY | Cameras flashed into the smiling eyes of kindergartner Anthony
Blasdell as he stepped off his school bus into a crowd of Indiana
dignitaries and got a movie star's red carpet treatment from the Clean
Air Club.
"There's
a lot of people outside," he said as he walked single file with his
friends receiving accolades from every teacher along the long walk to
his classroom. "And look, I've got two stickers."
Students at
Grissom Elementary School were learning what it means to be "green" and
breathe clean air by celebrating the use of biodiesel fuel in seven of
the contracted school buses that transport them daily.
Kickert
School Bus Lines Inc, in Lansing, is owned and operated by
Cook-Illinois Corp., an Oak Forest-based company, which operates 1,800
buses that service more than 200 school districts.
Chief
Operating Officer John Benish urged the students to join the Clean Air
Club by going to the eco-friendly, interactive Web site to learn about
biodiesel and the environment.
"The health of our children is
of the utmost importance and by using biodiesel fuel in our buses,
we're sending a message that we care about our children and the
environment," said Principal Anne Wodetzki.
The alternative fuel
is 80 percent petroleum diesel and 20 percent vegetable soybean oil.
The fuel reduces exhaust emissions, minimizes black exhaust smoke,
odors, carbon monoxide and other pollutants.
Benish said the
cost for the fuel is slightly higher than regular diesel. but can be
partially offset by federal grant funds and state tax breaks.
No
engine modifications are required and emissions are reduced by about 30
percent. The company is in its third year of using biodiesel and last
year alone it lowered nearly 1000 tons of toxic emissions by switching
to biodiesel.
Sheila Batka, of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said 450,000 buses are used daily in the country.
South
Shore Clean Cities Inc. is a St. John-based nonprofit group that urges
reduction of petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by
advancing the use of alternative fuels and vehicles.
Coordinator
Carl Lisek said locally there has been a 1000 percent increase in
alternative fuels. Locally, U.S. Steel is using biodiesel, as well as
such municipalities as LaPorte, Michigan City and Valparaiso.
Cook-Illinois get its fuel from Paulson Oil Co. in Chesterton.
Lisak
said there are only 11 biodiesel pumps in Indiana. Chicago's Clean
Cities group could not be reached for Illinois availability.
Large
industries typically have their own tank and distribution systems,
Lisak added. However, efforts are being made to bring pumps to more
area retailers.
