ASUW looks to biodiesel

The ASUW is looking to make the campus greener by helping the University produce some of its own fuel.

The ASUW Board of Directors (BOD) formed a committee to push biodiesel use on campus last week.

The committee wants to persuade the UW Motor Pool to power its vehicles with fuel made from cooking oil, said Karl Smith, ASUW's director of operations.

The task force was formed after the UW Biodiesel Alliance, a student group, appealed to the board for support last week, Smith said.

Members of the group have experimented with making biodiesel from cooking oil since last year, members Albert Chang and Max Silver told the board. Leftover oil from Housing and Food Services (HFS) can be converted to biodiesel fuel by employing the UW Biodiesel Alliance's techniques on a larger scale, Smith said.

"HFS has all the oil from cooking that we could use to make biodiesel for the motor pool," Smith said. "The purpose of the task force is to look into the possibility of having students make biodiesel fuel through the ASUW."

The UW Motor Pool has volunteered to match the money ASUW raises for a new biodiesel processor, Miller said.

One advantage of biodiesel is it produces fewer harmful air emissions than other fuels, Miller said.

Using biodiesel is also less expensive than using traditional fuel, she said.

"It would be so much less money than the trucks are paying for diesel right now, especially with oil prices fluctuating," she said.

The ASUW hopes to find a way to implement a biodiesel production system by the end of spring quarter, said ASUW president Lee Dunbar.

The project will also help ASUW involve more science majors in student government, Miller said.

"ASUW has historically had trouble reaching out to science and engineering students," Miller said. "This is a big first step."