Running on Algae: To the Sears Tower and Back
Teach for America's David Levine wanted to give his students a first-hand experience that illustrated the energy crisis facing the United States. His class from Al Raby High School for Community and Environment on the West Side of Chicago is part of a generation facing the complications of a century of oil dependence.
Although Levine had his class investigate the problems — climate change, two wars in the Middle East, an economy tethered to petroleum — he also wanted to have them look at the solutions.
That’s how he came up with the idea to manufacture their own biofuel using algae the class cultivated in the classroom. The goal was to manufacture enough biodiesel to drive a 1982 Vanagon Diesel Westfalia Camper from the downtown high school to the Sears Tower and back.
Algae makes for an attractive alternative fuel because it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (in other words, it negates the energy used to grow it in the first place) and it is not a food crop, like corn is. The class spent much of its junior year growing enough algae to refine one gallon of fuel. The gallon did indeed take the Camper from the West Side to the Sears Tower and back without a hitch.
Levine wanted to use the project to give his students an example of how they can contribute a solution for the country and the world rather than just hearing about the problems. In addition to this, however, he also saw a marked improvement in the science portion of their ACT test scores. How much this particular project had to do with those improvements is impossible to calculate, but Levine certainly deserves credit for taking a new approach to teaching about science and energy.
Oh, and there’s the fact that a bunch of high schoolers developed fuel from algae!
Sears Tower or Bust: My Algae-Powered Car Adventure (Jalopnik)
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Funny how in an election year it's a "Energy Crisis". The only crisis we are facing is the lack of leadership in the beltway. Dems prevent drilling and the Repubs are happy to go along as it increases big oil's bottom line.
Wait until you see the Dem-effect from preventing Nuclear development. Get ready for your electric bill to triple over the next two years. Naturally the Repubs will go along with that too as big energy is the next big oil.
Thank God I made a fortune off of energy and mineral stocks. I really feel sorry for the average American Joe who is so naive.
dems against drilling is a canard. "domestic" oil production in Alaska won't lower the cost of gas. oil is a global commodity, and American oil costs the same as Saudia oil. but true, there is no oil crisis. there is a stupid driving crisis, because we waste millions driving back and forth to the same places every day, alone, in a vehicles built for 5-8 people. if we hadn't spent the last 50 years building infrastructure dependent on cars, we wouldn't be in this mess. i have a beautiful house with a yard, a block from a train that takes you right downtown, but so many of my neighbors must drive to suburban office parks for work. Makes no damn sense.
No matter how you see it, things need to change and we as Americans must work towards using less energy for the environment, and more urgently, for our pocketbooks.
I read recently that event he best hopes of what they'd find with new drilling projects wouldn't make a sizable impact on domestic production and that's the real reason it isn't happening.
I agree with most of Arnold's post except for the part about feeling sorry for the average Joe. Furthermore:
1. Dave, I don't know where you get your information from in regards to drilling as the WSJ recently interviewed four of the five top oil co CEO's. All stated that they would like to see drilling rights approved in Alaska, off the coast in CA, and in the Gulf.
2. "American" oil is not the same as Saudi oil and such a statement only proves the lack of education on the topic that the majority of Americans like Rob have. Saudi oil does not have the same richness of crude that American oil has and it does cost more to not only refine but also to transport.
3. I trust Oil companies that put forth the millions of capital it takes to conduct exploration (drill), that they know with a certain certainty the return v. risk. How anyone can speculate that the oil in the ground is not sufficient enough is beyond me. But I guess if you read it, it must be accurate.
As a shareholder I look forward to $5 a gallon gasoline. And to think it's only a prime for natural gas and water to rise significantly too. I've never seen a better time to invest.
Jack,
Yeah why shouldn't we listen to those CEO's, I mean what has ever gone wrong with doing that? Oh just Enron, Comcast to name a few. And even if American oil is "richer" (I'm sorry but I think that is a crock) how do you know what the oil around Alaska will be like? Really how much certain certainty does it take to know what is good investment?
It is very nice to have people like you out there who are so compassionate to those average Joe's, those same folks who make those cars (or at least used to) people drive in, work to keep the lights on, and those who give their lives for their and your (& my) country. You think most of them would have money to buy enough stock to offset the cost of gas?
I don't understand the Comcast reference and fail to see the link between Enron and "Big Oil". If "Big Oil" is willing to shell out millions of dollars, assume the risks associated with drillig, then we should let them do it. It would only result in lower gas prices.
^CJ no equal Cj