Months of planning and preparation could finally pay off for members of Miami University's Green Oxford environmental club when their Biodiesel System Proposal is brought before the university next week.
The proposal aims to offset the amount of fuel costs used for Miami Metro buses by recycling used cooking oil from the dining halls and converting it to biodiesel fuel.
Green Oxford president Stefan Linder and members Jared Sheehan and David Britt collaboratively penned the proposal.
According to Sheehan, the university uses approximately 56,000 gallons of diesel fuel annually to run buses on the Metro's seven color-coded bus lines. The potential savings for Miami lie within the price discrepancies between petrol-diesel and biodiesel, which is less expensive.
"It will save the university a lot of money, approximately $12,000 to $15,000 a year," Linder said.
According to Sheehan, the converter will also make Miami a more sustainable campus. He said the university currently uses petrol-diesel, which is less safe, and since it is derived from petroleum, it has a lengthy conversion process that leads to higher prices.
Sheehan said biodiesel runs off of oils like used cooking oils, and is converted through a natural process. The proposal asks for funding to purchase a pre-made converter so the conversion can happen on Miami's campus.
Sheehan estimates the cost of the project to be $14,000 with $20,000 annual operational costs.
"Miami is experiencing a financial crisis. To have the ability to save money and be more sustainable, it's a win-win situation," Linder said.
Former Green Oxford member and 2008 Miami graduate, Elliot Rossbach, initially proposed the idea for the converter system in spring 2008 to Green Oxford, Sheehan said. At the beginning of the 2008-09 academic year, Sheehan renewed pursuit of the idea.
"I started with one contact," Sheehan said. "From there I got a team of four guys together and we talked to everyone from the university's purchasing manager to people at parking services."
Sheehan said everyone he met with was very helpful. From the information he gathered, he knew a proposal would need to be drafted.
According to Sheehan, the proposal also mentions the Revolving Green Fund. The fund would work through an initial investment by the university. The investment would be used to put ideas like the biodiesel system into action through purchases of capital.
