Envy the driver stuck in traffic behind this bus. Instead of choking on foul exhaust, he's enjoying the aroma of popcorn and french fries.

Or rather, envy the drivers of the bus itself. As the rest of the country grits its teeth and pays more than $3.00 per gallon at the pump, these travelers are sailing down the highway on a fuel that's both easy on the wallet and easy on the nose: recycled vegetable oil (RVO).

The use of vegetable oil in diesel engines is not a new idea, but it has gained increased popularity over the past few years as environmentalists have launched bus tours to promote alternative energy. The bus that stopped at Bennington on Wednesday, May 10 is operated by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) , a non-profit school that runs wilderness expeditions and outdoor education courses.

The bus gets its fuel from restaurants, which are more than happy to donate the used vegetable oil they would otherwise pay to have removed. Because the quality of the oil at fast food joints is too low to provide the reliable, efficient fuel the bus needs, the NOLS staff usually stop at Chinese and Mexican restaurants, which tend to have the highest quality oil. Whatever the source, vegetable oil is not only cheaper than petroleum diesel, but cleaner as well: it emits no sulfur dioxide (the compound responsible for acid rain), and markedly reduced amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

In addition to its converted diesel engine, the bus features solar panels that power its computers, lights, and audio/visual equipment. That includes the screen and projector that nightly transform the bus into an outdoor theater showing films about NOLS and its expeditions. At each stop on the tour, NOLS staff members also run a variety of activities, including wilderness first aid workshops, fly fishing demonstrations, and climbing on the 8' by 15' bouldering wall mounted on the bus.

Curious students who ventured out to examine the 36-foot vehicle parked in front of Commons also found a wealth of information about the Bennington College Outing Club, which organized the event. Lorin Alder '01 was among those providing information about upcoming trips and job opportunities. As a student at Bennington, Alder organized backpacking trips through the Outing Club, and after graduating he went on to work as the director of the summer wilderness programs for the American Youth Foundation--an organization he first encountered through a Field Work Term internship. Now back at Bennington as the Assistant Director of Student Life, Alder is once again helping to coordinate the Outing Club's busy schedule of hiking, kayaking, canoeing, and other outdoor activities.

Alder first made contact with the NOLS bus when it passed through the town of Bennington last year on its nationwide tour, which has lasted nearly two years and visited every state in the lower 48. "I had seen the bus when it stopped at Nature's Closet, an outdoor gear shop in town. Steve, who owns the store, is doing a lot to make Bennington a major outdoor destination, and in the future we're planning to work together to bring speakers to campus and coordinate other activities. On the day the NOLS bus visited the College, Nature's Closet came and set up a table with a schedule of their events and classes."

Making students aware of the variety of outdoor opportunities available to them was just one of the benefits of the event. "It was also exciting to overhear the conversations it sparked," says Alder. "To see students getting interested in alternative energy--even saying 'Maybe I'll look into transitioning my car into one of those.'"

Bennington College was the last stop on the bus's two-year tour, and the journey back to its home base in Wyoming is more than 2,000 miles long. Fortunately, it has some good fuel to kick off the trip. The tank was running low when the bus arrived at Bennington, but it departed with 60 gallons of high-quality used vegetable oil from the College Dining Halls.

Check out:

• Fitness and recreation at Bennington
• A list of clubs and organizations at Bennington, including the Outing Club
• The campus events calendar

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