What Is a Vegetarian Car

Grease cars are automobiles with diesel engines which run on oil as well as diesel fuel.  In 1898 German Rudolph Diesel
patented his diesel engine to run on vegetable oil. Therefore all diesel fuel vehicles can run on vegetable oil. Also,
Vegetable oil straight from the grocer’s shelf can be used.  Using vegetable oil over petroleum reduces all car emissions
(except nitrous oxide) by 80%.

For the last six years, Agape’s VW Jetta diesel has run on vegetable oil given to us by a friend who manages a
99 Restaurant. We filter this frialater grease and pour it into the grease tank in the trunk. We start the car on
diesel fuel and the vegetable oil is heated in the grease tank.  After a few minutes we switch the fuel line from
diesel to filtered grease.  Both new vegetable oil and restaurant French fry grease can be used as fuel.

Using this vegetable oil system requires installing a grease tank in the car and running an alternate vegetable oil
fuel line to the diesel engine. This conversion costs approximately $1800.  The fuel is free.  At 50 mpg this adds
up to 750 miles worth of “fuel” in exchange for an hour and a half of labor filtering.

Restaurants have to pay to get rid of the used oil they accumulate after deep-frying foods, so Agape does them a
favor by taking it.  Agape gets between 40-50 miles per gallon using vegetable oil.  The bumper sticker on the
Agape Jetta reads: “Drive Vegetarian.”

The Politics of Oil

As the war in Iraq seemed imminent we at Agape saw oil as the source and symbol of a lifestyle of privilege
leading to our military violence.  Non-cooperation with oil, we reasoned, cold starve the war at its source.

Agape encourages people to start converting their lives to other forms of energy.

Eating a vegetarian diet is a good start because the meat industry is a major source of pollution.

Agape Community Reduces Dependence on Oil with “Grease Car”

by Terence Hegarty Catholic Communications staff

HARDWICK. Powered by vegetable oil?

That’s what the white lettering on the rear windshield says, but most don’t believe it; at least not at first.
Looking at the 1997 Volkswagen Jetta, the statement on the back of the vehicle is the only indicator that the car
doesn’t operate on a traditional fuel. But, aside from the start up and shut down of the engine, fossil fuels are
not needed for this vehicle.

Rather than burn vegetable oil to prepare fish and chips dinners, husband and wife Brayton Shanley and
Suzanne Belote Shanley, use the fuel to drive what they call a more socially and environmentally responsible
vehicle.

The Shanleys, co-founders of the Agape Community, what they call a ministry of prayer, simplicity and
nonviolent education, have attempted for many years to live simply and employ alternative energy sources.
Their car is one of many what are called “grease cars” in our area.

For the Shanleys, the idea of utilizing this technology came about because they were unhappy driving
conventional vehicles that burn gasoline. “It starts with a profound disenchantment with oil,” said Brayton.
“I don’t think too many Americans have to be talked into a dislike of oil. It’s a substance that we go halfway
around the world to get. We pay a fortune for it, we pollute in getting it and we pollute in using it,” he said.

Agape, a lay Catholic community, celebrated its 21st anniversary October 4. Several demonstrations of the car
were conducted as part of the daylong anniversary celebration, which hosted approximately 150 at the 32-acre
Agape property in this central Massachusetts town. The Shanleys are parishioners of St. Aloysius Parish in
Gilbertville, Mass.

Grease cars are automobiles with diesel engines that run on oil as well as diesel fuel. Used vegetable oil, like
that from a restaurant which cooks fried foods, is suitable as a fuel after it is filtered. Vegetable oil straight from
the grocer’s shelf can also be utilized. The cars also run on a mix of diesel and soybean oil known as bio-diesel.

While the Shanleys may be subject to the occasional joke about their car “Can I get some fries with that”– they
said there are much more serious reasons for “driving vegetarian.” The Shanleys said this brings them closer to
the teachings of the Catholic Church. “We’re Catholic Christians dedicated to Jesus Christ,” said Brayton, “and
he’s all about living simply, to being kind to all living things, to being harmless.”

“It doesn’t make sense to be impassioned in the love of Jesus and be living high and being the number one
polluter in the world.”

Political concerns added to the Shanleys motivation to begin driving a grease car. “As the war in Iraq seemed
imminent, we at the community sought to look within, to see where our lifestyle was fueling the madness of this
aggressive, pre-emptive war,” said Suzanne. "We began to see oil as the source and symbol of a lifestyle of
privilege leading to our military violence. Non-cooperate with oil, we reasoned, and you starve this war at its
source,” Suzanne said.

Even before the most recent conflict in the Middle East began, the Shanleys were attempting to divest
themselves of their dependence on oil and “electricity from the grid.”

“Oil is such a precious material that we get into political disagreements and empire building," Brayton said.
“So, the question is ‘Do we want to just keep using oil?" The answer, for the Shanleys, is a resounding “no.”
Several years ago, they built and began living in a straw bale house and utilizing solar panels for electricity.
They grow much of their own food for their vegetarian diet. They have a compost toilet, which uses no water,
and burn between 15 and 20 cords of wood each year, for cooking and heating both houses on the property.

With all of the lifestyle changes the Shanleys have made, they said nothing has gotten the response that the
grease car has. “People are enchanted,” said Brayton Shanley. “Of all the things we’re doing, nothing strikes the
imagination as much.”

He said he doesn’t expect everyone to follow their alternative energy lifestyle example fully, but that people can
make gradual changes. “You want to put oil out of business progressively,” Brayton Shanley said. “And you
will make a more peaceful planet. Start converting your life over to other forms of energy.” He said eating a
vegetarian diet is a good start because the meat industry pollutes heavily.

According to Brayton, restaurants have to pay to get rid of the used oil they accumulate after deep-frying foods.
“So you’re doing them a favor (to take it),” he said. “It’s a good deal all around.”
In March, the Shanleys had a 15-gallon fuel tank installed in the trunk of their four-door sedan to accommodate
the oil. Filtered oil is pumped into the tank, allowing the diesel engine to burn vegetable oil.
The Shanleys said they get between 40 and 50 miles per gallon using either diesel fuel or vegetable oil. The
performance of the vehicle varies little between the fuels. “It runs as good or better (on oil) than on petrol,” said
Brayton.
According to Justin Carven, owner of Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems in Florence, there are many reasons
his customers choose to “drive vegetarian.” He said grease cars make great economic sense, since there is no
cost for used vegetable oil, although it takes roughly an hour and a half to filter a tank-full of used oil. Grease
cars have been in use locally for about five years, said Carven and are increasing in popularity. Greasecar
Vegetable Fuel Systems is a manufacturer of conversion systems that enable any diesel-powered vehicle to run
on unprocessed vegetable oil.

See Plant Drive

http://plantdrive.com

VEGETABLE OIL Cars and Converting Your Car to VEGETABLE OIL

http://plantdrive.com
http://www.greasecar.com
http://www.vegpoweredsystems.com
http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com
http://www.goodgrease.com
http://www.vegpower.com
http://www.elsbett.com
http://biocar.de
http://www.enviofuel.com
http://www.frybrid.com
http://www.vegiecars.com
http://www.theorganicmechanic.org
http://www.fattywagons.com
http://greasebenz.com

http://www.vtvegcar.com

http://www.vegengine.blogspot.com

http://www.greenconversion.net

http://www.alaskavegoil.org

http://www.ehow.com/how_2004136_vegetable-oil-fuel.html

http://www.vegdvw.com

http://www.greendiesel1.com

http://vegwerks.wordpress.com

http://www.vegiecars.com

http://vegetablepowersystems.com

http://danalinscott.netfirms.com

http://www.bebioenergy.com

http://www.instructables.com/id/Biotour.org-Waste-Vegetable-Oil-Conversion-Diesel-/
DVD LIQUID GOLD 2
Learn the Do’s and Don’t's of Gathering and using Waste Vegetable oil as a fuel. Perfect for anyone who is currently
using, or planning on using SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil) or Bio Diesel as a fuel!

These questions and more are answered on this DVD:

• The legality of collecting waste vegetable oil and burning it as a fuel.

• Overview of how diesel engines burn waste vegetable oil as fuel.
• How to identify good waste vegetable oil.
• How to identify bad waste vegetable oil.
• How to ask a restaurant for their waste vegetable oil.
• How to fuel up on the fly with the automated One Shot Filtration Unit.
• How to setup your own waste vegetable oil accounts.
• How to collect large quantities of oil for later filtration at home.
• How to filter waste vegetable oil using filter bags.
• How does salt, sugar and animal fats affect waste vegetable oil for fuel?
• How to tell if there’s water in the oil?
• How to filter the oil once it’s been gathered.
• Cold Weather gathering techniques and tips.

http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com

DVD S.V.O. Seminar 2006

Lately there's been a lot of talk about the effects of Global warming due to our love of gas guzzling vehicles and our
dependency on foreign oil. Scientists and entrepreneurs around the world are busy developing what they hope will be
our answer to cleaner burning vehicles. What many people don't realize is that this technology already exists and it's
been around for quite some time now.

This DVD was Shot during a seminar on Straight Vegetable Oil at Ecoversity in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is packed with
2.5 hours of valuable information. Listen along while many of the most frequently asked questions about this technology
are discussed and answered.

These questions and more are answered on this DVD:

• The History of Straight Vegetable Oil

• Different Alternative Fuels
• Straight Vegetable vs. Biodiesel
• Straight Vegetable Oil Facts and Fiction
• Diesel Engines vs. Gasoline Engines
• How a Straight Vegetable Oil System Works
• The Importance of a Vehicles Air Filter
• Increase Power and Economy/Computer Mods
• Oil Gathering 101
• Filtering on the Fly with the One Shot
• Using Filter Bags
• What to do with leftover Nasty Oil
• Diesels Available in the USA

http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com
DVD GREASY RIDER

Picture a cross-country road trip powered by vegetable oil in a 1981 Mercedes-Benz. Greasy Rider follows the two
filmmakers, Joey Carey and JJ Beck, as they meet with fellow Greasecar drivers, friends, and critics. Traveling as far south
as New Orleans and as far north as Seattle, the car is fueled by used cooking grease collected at restaurants along the
way.

Interviews include Morgan Freeman who is opening up a Biodiesel plant in Mississippi. Political analyst Noam Chomsky,
“You're supposed to believe we would have liberated Iraq even if its main product was pickles,” appears along side Yoko
Ono, “This whole world is now ruled by corporations and their greed,” and Tommy Chong, “You guys figured it out. You
got your little bio-car, and there you go.” Additional interviews include the founders of the four major vegetable oil
conversion kit companies, Greasecar, Greasel, Neoteric, and Frybrid, as they discuss the reality of vegetable oil as a fuel.

The heat is felt in this political documentary as America's energy consumption continues to grow. With gas prices on the
rise and the reality of global warming setting in, Greasy Rider points to vegetable oil as one part of the solution to our
energy problems.

http://www.goldenfuelsystems.com

JOURNEY to FOREVER
http://www.journeytoforever.org

The Film:   FUEL

http://thefuelfilm.com

FUEL is an insightful portrait of America’s addiction to oil and an uplifting testament to the immediacy of new energy
solutions. Director, Josh Tickell, a young activist, shuttles us on a whirlwind journey to track the rising domination of the
petrochemical industry — from Rockefeller’s strategy to halt Ford’s first ethanol cars to Vice President Cheney's
petrochemical company sponsored energy legislation — and reveals a gamut of available solutions to "repower
America" — from vertical farms that occupy skyscrapers to algae facilities that turn wastewater into fuel.

Tickell and a surprising array of environmentalists, policy makers, and entertainment notables take us through America’s
complicated, often ignominious energy past and illuminate a hopeful, achievable future, where decentralized,
sustainable living is not only possible, it’s imperative.

DVD :   Biodiesel #2

Filmed at the National Biodiesel Board Conference and Expo in Palm Springs, CA, this 45 minute video helps qualify the
emissions benefits of biodiesel and illustrates how biodiesel can reduce cancerous diesel emissions.

http://fryertofuel.com

DVD:   Biodiesel 101

In this 45-minute presentation, biodiesel author Josh Tickell provides an economic, social and practical context for
biodiesel. "Biodiesel 101" goes deep into the technical world of the biodiesel production, showing how the fuel is
chemically formed. This video also examines current data and trends within the biodiesel industry to illustrate growth
patterns and future potential.

http://fryertofuel.com

Convert GAS Cars to Plug-In ELECTRIC Autos

http://www.electroauto.com http://www.kta-ev.com http://www.nedra.com http://www.evparts.com
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
book: Convert It; by Michael Brown and Shari Prange
DVD: Convert It http://www.electroauto.com

`
Convert HYBRID Cars to Plug-In ELECTRIC Autos
http://www.calcars.org http://www.hybrids-plus.com http://www.rqriley.com/xr3.htm http://www.eaa-
phev.org/wiki/PriusPlus http://www.hybridplugs.com http://www.hybridconceptcars.com
http://www.afstrinity.com http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion http://www.hybridconsortium.org
http://www.energycs.com

LOCAL Groups Supporting ELECTRIC AUTOmobiles

http://www.nicecarcompany.co.uk http://www.greenvehicles.com
http://www.zapworld.com
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
http://www.green-car-guide.com

Electric MOTORCYCLES
http://www.solarmobil.net
http://www.e-max-ltd.com
http://www.topmotorx.com
http://www.patente-erfindungen.de/erfindungen_fahrraeder.htm
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy

Electric BICYCLES
http://nycewheels.com
http://www.myebike.com
http://www.cyclone-tw.com
http://www.powacycle.co.uk
http://www.electricbikesales.co.uk
http://egovehicles.com
http://www.electricbicycle.com.au
http://www.evehicle.com.au
http://www.electric-bicycle.cn
http://www.greenspeed.us
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy

TAX CREDITS
http://www.dsireusa.org

HOME POWER
http://www.homepower.com

SOLAR TODAY
http://solartoday.org

Solar Industry NEWS

http://www.seia.org
http://www.solarbuzz.com

Solar Industry MAGAZINE

http://www.solarindustrymag.com

Recharge your Electric Auto with RENEWABLE ENERGY

http://www.bergey.com http://www.bwea.com http://www.vestas.com http://www.awea.com
http://solarenergy.org http://greendragonenergy.co.uk http://www.lowimpact.org
http://www.scoraigwind.com http://www.greenempowerment.org http://www.grupofenix.org
http://www.solarliving.org http://www.arthaonline.com http://www.the-mrea.org http://www.txses.org
http://www.irenew.org http://www.nmsea.org http://www.azsolarcenter.com
http://www.microhydropower.com http://www.newenergycorp.ca http://www.canyonhydro.com
http://wattsun.com http://www.lorentz.de http://www.etsolar.de
http://www.solargenix.com http://solar.sharpusa.com http://solren.com http://www.spirecorp.com
http://www.windpower.org
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy
http://www.i2p.org
http://www.ises.org http://www.firstsolar.com
http://www.rmi.org
http://www.sourceguides.com/energy

Do not bend over and allow Big Oil to molest your Family, Friends and Community
VOTE SOLAR

VOTE SOLAR
http://votesolar.org
http://www.seia.org
http://www.blackboxvoting.org
http://valparaiso.indymedia.org/news/2006/09/8723.php
DVD: Uncounted; Director: David Earnhardt
DVD: Hacking Democracy; Director: Simon Ardizzone
book: What Went Wrong In Ohio; by Congressman John Conyers
book: What Happened in Ohio; by Bob Fitrakis

IS YOUR CONGRESSMAN IN BED with BIG OIL?

How much bribes (campaign contributions) did your congressman take from the sleazy OIL Companies?

CAMPAIGN FINANCE INFORMATION CENTER

Where does the money come from?
http://www.campaignfinance.org/states

CENTER FOR PUBLIC INTEGRITY

stop the Fat Cats from BRIBING your politicians
http://www.publicintegrity.org

POLLUTION and RACISM, INJUSTICE

book: Confronting Environmental Racism; by Robert Bullard
book: Environmental Injustices; by David Camacho
book: Environmentalism and Economic Justice; by Laura Pulido
book: Pollution and the Death of Man; by Francis Schaeffer
book: From the Ground Up, Environmental Racism; by Luke Cole
book: Struggle for Ecological Democracy; by Daniel Faber
book: No Safe Place, Toxic Waste and Community Action; by Phil Brown

FREE eBook on Oil Spills: Not One Drop

http://www.scribd.com/doc/31483843/Not-One-Drop

Big Oil’s Dirty Secrets

http://bigoil101.insanejournal.com