The Ranger (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, April 18, 2008 Page: 2 of 35
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Photos by D. A. James
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www.theranger.org • The Ranger
2 • April 18, 2008
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engineering
freshman
Alex
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plan to continue the tour until September.
On the outside of their RV, they have a sign that says, “Live
Lightly Tour, sustainable living in an RV powered by veggie
oil.”
Thursday, they made a stop at this college to promote their
ways of living along with allowing students to go inside the RV
to see how they-live.-' -.......
“We want to educate people on alternative fuels and alterna-
expensive.”
“If it gets to $5 a gallon, I think I’m going to ride a bike,”
Ramirez said.
She said she always tells her mom to buy organic food when
they go grocery shopping. “I tell her it’s cheaper to buy organic
food, and it’s better.”
Ramirez’s friend, nursing freshman Crystal Callaway, agrees
with Ramirez.
“For some reason, everything that is better for you costs
more,” Callaway said.
“I think it’s worth paying the extra money, even if it does cost
more,” Callaway continued.
For more information about sustainable living or to learn
more about the Janssen family, visit their Web site, www.live- •
_lightlytour.com.
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Matt and Sara Janssen along with their 4-year-old daughter, Bella, live in this motor home fueled by vegetable oil. When the vehicle is running, the exhaust smells kind of like whatever was cooked in the oil.
Couple's RV goes green on educational tour
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The motor home is fueled by vegetable oil. The
two containers on the ground represent the
holding tank of a restaurant that is giving the oil
away. The oil is pumped into two filters before it
is deposited in to the fuel tank. The vehicle must
be started on regular diesel and then switched
over to the vegetable oil. He must switch over
to diesel before shutting the engine down. The
system must also be purged of the vegetable oil
before it can shut off.
Matt Janssen answers questions by environmental science sophomore Melissa
Acosta about life in a motor home fueled by vegetable oil. Janssen said that he
gets most of his vegetable oil from small restaurants. He also said that 2,100
gallons of vegetable oil will take the mobile home about 17,000 miles.
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Sustainable living/ft'^rRV powered by veggie oil
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"I think it's
just a fad. I'm
waiting for the
hydrogen fuel
cars to come
out."
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tive ways of thinking,” Matt Janssen said.
“We started setting up our RV last June, but didn’t start the
tour until September,” Janssen said.
The Janssen family has been invited to share their thoughts
everywhere from colleges to green fairs.
Even private corporations have asked them to speak to their
employees about ways to “go green.”
“We enjoy going to colleges the best
because it’s easier to speak to students,”
Janssen said.
Although this way of living is better
for the environment, not everyone agrees
with it.
“This isn’t for everyone, but they do like
the idea of it,” Janssen said.
Some students don’t agree with the
alternative way of living, saying it is just
a fad.
Engineering freshman Alex Valdez says
he will not join in on the “green” way of
living.
“I think it’s just a fad,” Valdez said.
“I’m waiting for the hydrogen fuel cars to
come out.”
Janssen gave a short presentation on
how it really works to live the “green” life-
style by opening up the hood of his RV and
showing how the motor works differently
from a normal RV.
Engineering sophomore Willie Sielbeck
said he would not participate in “going
green,” either.
“You have to go out of your way to do
all of this, but you don’t have to with gas,”
Sielbeck said. “I think it has advantages and
disadvantages.”
“Technology is coming along with more
cars like hybrids, and better versions are
coming out every year, and I would rather
wait to get one of those,” Sielbeck said.
Janssen had two large plastic tubs full
of vegetable oil a Chinese restaurant gave
him.
• “People are very receptive to all of this,”
Janssen said.
He even gave students examples of
which restaurants are better to get the oil
from, saying that Chinese and Thai restau-
rants are the best oil to use for cars.
“Right now, diesel fuel costs $4 a gal-
lon and we’re driving for free because we
get our fuel from restaurants,” Janssen
said.
Inside the RV, Sara Janssen was speaking to students about
the interior.
On the kitchen table, she had stickers and pamphlets for stu-
dents interested in learning more or just showing their support.
There also was a laminated newspaper cutout that featured
the family and their story.
Science freshman Bianca Ramirez was excited about the idea
of “going green.”
“I think it’s really good for the environment,” she said. “My
mom always tells me to ride the bus because gasoline is so
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S r S r1 STith the environment in the condition it is now,
.la Jia jy. people are trying to think of new and better ways
\ W\y/ t0 ^eeP the world a clean and healthy place for
\_/ W generations to come.
Sustainability is the buzz word being
used.
It is also referred to as “going green,” a
way of life for many people now for years.
Even celebrities with endless amounts
of money have jumped on the bandwagon
with many of them driving hybrid cars that
are more gas efficient and better for the
environment.
Former Vice President Al Gore made
a film documen-
tary titled “An
Inconvenient
Truth,” that was
dedicated to
“going green.”
He even won a
Nobel Peace Prize
for his work on
the film because
of the dedica-
tion he showed
to improving the
environment.
Pollution has
been an issue for
the United States
for years now
because of the
effects it has on
the ozone layer.
There are dif-
ferent ways peo-
ple choose to do
their part for the environment like recycling
daily products, driving hybrid cars instead
of sport utility vehicles and not littering.
The state of Texas is known for the
motto, “Don’t Mess With Texas,” which
reminds people not to litter and keep the
state beautiful.
Matt Janssen along with his wife, Sara,
and their child, Bella, show their dedica-
tion to “going green” by driving around
the country in the RV they remodeled with
green materials.
The Janssen family has been living this
way for four years.
They have been touring the country since September 2007 and
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Environmental science sophomore Michiko Daniels asks CPS engineer Jesse
Torres, public relations representative, about the difference between incandescent
light bulbs and the new fluorescent light bulbs that use one-third the amount of
electricity.
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San Antonio College. The Ranger (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 82, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, April 18, 2008, newspaper, April 18, 2008; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1354400/m1/2/?q=WAR+DEPARTMENT: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting San Antonio College.