BARBADOS
- Lester Vaughan School - Bio Diesel project
Date February 27, 2006 Compliments of the Nation
News
LESTER VAUGHAN SCHOOL has joined the environmental
effort into creating biodiesel.
The school's environmental club is collecting used
oil for conversion into the fuel, which is a non-toxic, renewable
diesel substitute derived from fresh or used vegetable oil.
The project is being funded by the Global Environmental Facility Small
Grants Programme of the United Nations Development Programme, Counterpart
Caribbean and Native Sun NRG.
Volunteer at Counterpart Caribbean and managing director
of Native Sun NRG, Hendel Callender, said the project sought to educate
the children on a greater awareness of the environment.
"We want them to be creative by not just getting the oil from
just their own homes, but from anyone they come into contact with,"
he said.
Callender was speaking at the school last Friday during an oil recycling
drive. He said letters were also written for the students to carry
to companies asking them for used oil.
The goal is to have 300 students bring in 1.25 litres each for a total
of 100 gallons a week. So far they have not met that goal, but Callender
said it would take time to get them involved.
He said one of the things they planned to have in the future was
a popcorn machine running on biodiesel.
Native Sun NRG will process the oil and sell the biodiesel. Part
of the proceeds will go back to the school club. (CA)
Handel Callender indicated that the
funds raised by the school would provide the school's environmental
club with an income to undertake projects aimed at facilitating
a more environmentally friendly attitude at the school.
At home and at school cooking vegetable oil is always
available.
Callender pointed out that once the project gets
off the ground, they intend to expand it to the wider school body
and then branch out to other schools.
The oil is collected and containerised.
The project also has the potential to reduce the
large amounts of vegetable oil that restaurants dump annually.
Any machine that uses diesel can use bio-diesel,
which is not only non-toxic, biodegradable and reduces carbon dioxide,
but has the potential to contribute to the saving of foreign exchange
used to buy the traditional petroleum diesel, the price of which is
continually rising.
It is essential to take the waste that Barbadians generate and turn
it into a valuable resource or product.
With respect to the bio-diesel, Handel intends to
focus on niche markets such as the fishing industry, given the severe
effect petroleum diesel can have on the marine ecosystem and our
reefs.
This makes sound sense.
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