Veggie Oil Filtration

I had an e-mail glitch and didnt get notified about comments for the last post, so I sincerely apologize for those who commented and got ignored!

As predicted, here's our very elementary video on figuring out the sock filter system of oil cleansing. Its probably too long, and definitely too dark, but amazingly simple! For those of you out there wondering if SVO is too much hassle, take a look and see what you think...


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is a little under 4 min

Technorati Tags: SVO, alternative fuel, veggie oil, vegoil, filter, inner tube, sock filter, new balance, headsoff

VeggieOil Pickup

Still thinking about converting to SVO, and Chad just put a deposit down on a VW Rabbit that has been converted already. So I called up the Green Grease Monkey guys and asked if they'd let me tag along while they collect waste veggie oil and show me the ropes.

The restaraunt we will be collecting from for our car(s) will be considerably more straightforward than the footage you are about to see. Since it's a smaller restaraunt, they won't have the huge drums and all we will have to do is walk in and carry out already-filled cubes of oil!

Next lesson will have to be setting up a filtration system at home...


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is 4 minutes

Technorati Tags: veggie oil, bio fuel, red bones, waste veggie oil, oil collection, headsoff

Bio Diesel Fill-Up

It's official. The new ("new") Jetta is now a green machine!


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

See my previous post Going Diesel for more on what I'm doing and why, and links to more information.

Runtime is 3 minutes plus a bit

Technorati Tags: biodiesel, diesel, alternative fuel, green, funnel, volkswagen, headsoff

Going Diesel

I bought a car in August. It was a Honda Civic, a basic economy car known for its reliability and its gas mileage. Many of my friends live off the subway lines and many miles from me, my work at WGBH is hard to get to without a car, and every job I seem to be applying for requires that I have my own transportation. So I caved.

Despite my good intentions and rationalizations, it became clear that driving this Honda was gnawing at my soul. The automatic transmission confused me and it's all together possible that the unfamiliar territiry simply made me paranoid, but the mileage just never seemed to be what it should be. I felt like I wasn't even making it to 30 miles per gallon, and slowly I stopped visiting people because I felt guilty.

I would be on edge driving to have dinner in Waltham (only a 10 mile trip from my home) because I figure that's probably almost half a gallon of gasoline that I'm using, and by driving all the time and burning so much gasoline I'm contributing to so many problems including health risks associated with the gasoline exhaust, greenhouse effects, and warped political priorities that have arisen to ensure US appropriation of foreign oil.

So after owning the Honda for less than 6 months, I decided it was time to sell it and buy something that didn't stress out my morals so much. Enter, 1989 VW Jetta. For now, this car will run on diesel which is not much better for the environment, but at least is more efficient. I can get approximately 45-50 miles to the gallon, as opposed to just under 30 with the honda. And as it warms up I can transition to biodiesel and eventually, with the help of these guys, to SVO (straight vegetable oil).


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Thanks to Chad for the excellent camerawork, encouragement and company.

For more inspiring videos about running on alternative fuel, check out RyanIsHungry

Runtime is 1:17

Technorati Tags: volkswagen, vw, jetta, diesel, biodiesel, SVO, straight vegetable oil, vegoil, alternative fuel

The ReBuilding Center

We are back now from a great vacation in Washington! During our time there, we found out that a good friend of mine had gotten into a car accident, so we went to Portland, Oregon to see her. Since she was in kinda rough shape, we did a lot of expeditioning on our own. This is one of the places we came across. I couldn't get enough of this place!!!
-serra


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Links in the movie are:
Our United Villages
The cob builder's handbook
What is cob?

Runtime is about 4 1/2 minutes

Technorati Tags: cob, rebuilding, recycling, building, portland

Farmer's Market II

I really appriciated all your comments on the first cut of this mini-doc. We decided that although we loved it, there was some basically inaudible audio in the middle and the story was a bit scattered, so we re-cut it and here is the second cut. Any of you who watched the first, let me know what you think about the changes. I'd love it. Thanks again everyone! enjoy..


Click here for Quicktime movie (in a new window)

Runtime is 2:39

PS: The first cut is here.

Technorati Tags: farmer's market, farm, harvard square, cambridge, headsoff