Large Marg - The Veterans Green Bus
I'm sharing this with you in hopes that you will pass it on to someone interested in either
1. Veterans; helping people affected by a weather disaster like Hurricane Katrina, or Hurricane Sandy which hit New Jersey and New York;
2. or promoting a successful program of helping Veterans figure out where they fit in once they become civilians again.
3. The Veterans Green Bus has done and will continue to do all of that and more. In addition the bus serves as a demonstration test bed for Green energy.
The Veterans Green Bus ready to roll
At a cost of 1/10th of the fuel bill compared to a normal bus, The Veterans Green Bus runs on used cooking oil [
waste vegetable oil or WVO ] and carries 250 gallons of it enabling it to drive coast to coast without refueling. Having all of that
WVO aboard avoids long lines at the gas pumps in disaster zones, if those pumps are working at all.
While that is a neat trick, the practical application is that once called by FEMA or Team Rubicon, the Veterans Green Bus can pick up its' volunteers along the way, drive as far as 1,100 miles to the disaster site, spend 3 weeks working there supplying diesel powered electricity, and return home without refueling at a cost of $40.00. That's no typo.
Everything accomplished so far has been an extended test of an experimental project. Weaknesses have been detected or experienced and corrected. When the bus emerges from the shop it will be ready to function dependably for a long time. At that point The Veterans Green Bus shifts from the support of individual contributions to corporate sponsorship.
Gordon Soderberg, project manager of the Veterans Green Bus, has raised over $18,000 over the last 7 months to upgrade the bus from straight diesel to WVO/diesel power, repair $4,500 in fire damage to the engine caused by a mechanic, and repair or replace items affected by age or normal wear and tear.
According to Gordon, "We spent the last month at Kent's Custom Diesel having a complete service done on the electrical system, engine, transmission and fuel injection. We also replaced many warn out parts, including oil coolers, and oil lines. Our goal is to be sure we are ready to respond for the next hurricane with a vehicle that is reliable and safe as it is sustainable."
Soderberg is approximately $1,500 short of paying that mechanic's bill. That's an immediate need. At that point the project is ready to move to corporate funding.
To make a tax deductible donation for that purpose please click here:
The Veterans Green Bus
I hope this is my final request for individual donations. Many of you reading this diary have helped in the past, and I am asking once again. We hope that you can share this with your friends. This is one project that benefits victims of natural disasters as much as is does the scores of Veterans who have shown up to work out of Large Marg.
What's on the road ahead for The Veterans Green Bus
In addition, Gordon will take the bus from Oregon down to San Diego by the end of August with a number of stops in between. He hopes to solidify his schedule as soon as the bus is ready tomorrow. He just has to get
Large Marg out of hock. He and
The Veterans Green Bus crew have accepted an invitation to a commemoration of Hurricane Sandy in New York this October. Of course, between now and then he will be meeting with potential corporate sponsors for sustainable funding. Five have expressed interest, but each of them wants to see
Large Marg first.
Thank you very much, and don't forget to forward this, please.
PS: I'll try to keep you update about The Veterans Green Bus