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MATT: So here we are in Los Angeles, and it’s time to go collect vegetable oil. It’s veggie oil day. “Hi, can I pick up the oil?”
My name’s Matt. I’m a professor of political science and economics. I don’t tell people where I get my oil, because I am afraid they’ll snake it.
The decision that lead me to start doing veggie oil as an alternative fuel: I read about it first in the LA Times. They had these really bold images of people pouring Wesson Oil right into their tank.
Some people think it’s radical. It’s a lifestyle for me.
When you first get the car converted, you have to create that infrastructure. I was hardcore, petitioning everyone. You know I’d just be driving down the street with my family – YUM Veggie Oil – I’d say, hold on, I’ve got to run in and ask. I’d hear things like, “Ahh, you know I’ve got this guy that picks it up and I’m not interested in upsetting that relationship with him.” And, “Oh no, I don’t have a lot.”
It’s just such an amazing thing to consider: the fact that you can do this sort of thing when we’ve been programmed with this idea that we need to go to the gas station and fill up there, and swipe the card, and get our fill.
Let’s see if he’ll let us in. WE’RE IN!
When I show up at a restaurant to pick up the oil, there are two ways of collecting the oil. On the one hand you have the restaurant already putting it into what we in the “waste oil collection industry”, what we call cubies, because they’re shaped in rectangular forms, these plastic containers. Most of the time it’s actually in the cubie ready to go. The place where we’re going right now though, they leave it in a big, big cooking pot.
There’s the good stuff.
What I can do is I’ll take the good stuff off the top, and then I’ll leave the bad stuff and I’ll put it down here.
I’ve always been about being environmental. But these things don’t happen only because of sustainable goals. These things happen because of economics.
This is where they would normally put it if I weren’t around. And I’m still giving some to the company that picks this stuff up. If you were hungry, I’m pretty sure that you’ve just lost your appetite.
Every time the gas price goes up, I feel better and better, you know, about what I’m doing.
Still got that sludge. Whoooh!
You can stuff enough fuel in your car, enough veggie oil in your car, to go from Los Angeles to Portland and back.
This isn’t a wholly legal pursuit. Hauling waste oil in one’s car is actually something you have to be insured for. If I was pulled over, I would simply say that this is not waste oil, it’s stuff I’m going to eat, and would probably eat a little right in front of him. It can smell good. Sometimes it’s not the best. Ah, I’d probably vomit.
When I am collecting veggie oil, it’s a very simple number of steps, but it actually takes quite a bit of time because of the labor involved. I go to the restaurant. I pick up the oil. I put it in my car, and I drive it to the “refining station.”
Hi Mom!
MOM: Hi, Matt. How’s the veggie car?
MATT: I feel very fortunate that I can do this sort of thing. Even though you’re saving money, it’s still something that not everyone can do. I’m using my mother’s garage. Not everyone has that sort of option.
Once I take it there, I let it settle. And depending on how dirty the oil is determines how long it needs to settle. If it’s very dirty, it can take a couple months. It could take as short as a couple of days.
Let’s just see how filthy this oil is. So what you’re looking for is a line – like a distinct line. I don’t see one so maybe this is all pretty good. All right! Wow, this is really clean.
These are the two that I got today. They’ve got to sit. I’m going to swap them…maybe, let’s see.
If it’s really filthy, the cost is I have to clean my filter a little sooner, but let’s just see. That looks all right. I’m going to take the remnants of what I just poured in and then let that settle again. When you pour off the top of that, you combine it with other leftovers again and you let that settle, and eventually you’re going to be left with a base. And the recommendation is that you can either take it back to the dumpster and put it back into the waste oil containers, or because it’ll be a thick sludge, you can put it into your composter and create compost.
I’ll probably put a couple in the car. This is the good stuff. This oil was all used to cook your good greasy food. Now it’s going to fuel my car.
The whole problem with vegetable oil is it’s not highly combustible, it is when you get it to the right temperature, but it’s very thick, so we have to thin it out. When it’s heated, that is much easier to do.
When I did the conversion, Lovecraft was charging about $800. The main component is this. The fuel comes here from the tank, it heats it up, and then it sends it off to the engine. And there is another junction back here. This one goes back to the fuel tank to heat up the oil that’s in the fuel tank, which is necessary.
I let the kids listen to David Suzuki’s DVD. It’s profound. This guy, he talks in very simple terms. He describes the earth, and the water, and everything being a part of you, and you’re basically destroying yourself by not taking care of the environment.
So there is something that’s intuitive about taking these sorts of responsibilities and actions. Collecting veggie oil is a natural extension of that understanding.
KIDS: This is my green daddy and he collects vegetable oil for his car.
MATT: For OUR car!
My name’s Matt, and iTurnedGreen by collecting veggie oil to run my car.
See the episode, “Veggie Oil Car” at www.iturnedgreen.com. When you're there, grab the code to place the video on your website.
Copyright © 2009 Rivet Entertainment LLC
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