Power up your computer and get ready to help East Burke High School win $20,000 as students participate in Wal-Mart's "Earth Day Every Day School Challenge."
East Burke, which had a team of students produce biodiesel this year, is one of 20 finalists in the national competition, and online voters select the winner. The school with the highest number of votes wins the grand prize.
The voting starts today at www.earthdayeverydaychallenge.com and ends on at 11:59 p.m. June 19. Individuals must be 18-years-old and must register with the Web site to cast a vote.
Juniors and seniors Ethan Hull, Nathan Maltba, Kelly Triplett, Mucheng Yang, Nou Yang and Porter Yang along with science teacher Robert Smith, began in October the daunting task of producing biodiesel. The group had received a $1,000 grant from Rutherford EMC to start the project.
Two malfunctioned processors and many months later, the students had pieced together a 5-gallon processor. Spending three days a week after school working on the project, the students found success in January with their first batch of biodiesel.
They made more than 90 gallons of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil that Granny's Kitchen donated.
In February the students tested the biodiesel in the activity and yellow school buses, using, in increasing increments, a mixture of 5 to 15 percent biodiesel and diesel.
The students found the biodiesel managed to improve the buses' mileage, created less pollution and created less friction in the engine.
In March, the students presented their findings to Burke County Public Schools administrators and board members, local biodiesel experts, Sen. Jim Jacumin and their parents.
The test results from using increasing amounts of biodiesel in school buses led the students to recommend building a biodiesel manufacturing plant for the schools to save money and to comply with a state law that went into effect this year which requires diesel school buses to use at least 2 percent biodiesel.
The entire fleet of Burke County Public Schools buses uses 1,200 gallons of fuel per day, Burke County Public Schools Superintendent David Burleson said at the presentation. The system purchases the required amount of biodiesel through its fuel contract.
Teacher Bob Smith said since the presentation, the students have put together an economic study showing how the school system can save money by producing its own biodiesel. The students have submitted the report to Burleson.
Three independent judges selected East Burke as a finalist from 439 nominations. The finalists each submitted a three- to five-minute long video showcasing their environmental activities and projects.
Smith said the students were not allowed to be in the video, but Burleson and Principal Rexanna Lowman have cameos.
As the Magic Fuel Bus team awaits the schools' decision on whether or not to use biodiesel in its buses, the juniors involved have already roped Smith into a new project for the summer and fall: studying kinetics, which is the rate of chemical processes. Smith said they hope to compete for a national Siemens scholarship that awards $100,000 to the students.
Vote at www.earthdayeverydaychallenge.com.
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