Dartmouth’s Big Green Bus is on the Road Again

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Dartmouth’s Big Green Bus takes to the road on its seventh annual cross-country trip to promote awareness and enthusiasm for sustainability come June 19, 2011.

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President Jim Yong Kim with the 2011 Big Green Bus crew. From left to right: Laura Coyle ’12; Meegan Daigler ’14; Erik Skarin ’14; Jules Valenti, Thayer ’11; Joey Gabianelli ’14; Matt Knight ’11, Thayer ’12; Morgan Curtis ’14; President Kim; Joe Coleman ’11; Hannah Iaccarino ’12; Jen Fownes ’11; David Garczynski ’12; Nick Devonshire ’11; Sarah Hakes ’12. (photo by Joseph Mehling ’69)

The 10 week trip will unite a crew of 13 Dartmouth students from diverse backgrounds who share a mutual enthusiasm for the environment and educating the public about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

The bus departs Hanover on June 19 and returns to Hanover early in September. The crew will stop in Boston, Tampa, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Chicago. The full schedule can be seen on the Follow the Bus page of the Big Green Bus website.

“Our goal this year is to bring momentum and enthusiasm for the environmental movement,“ says Laura Coyle ’12, co-general manager and crew member. ”By focusing on how successful different towns and companies have been at embracing their commitment to the environment, we hope to inspire others to do the same. We are excited about the progress happening in our country, and we want to share this excitement with people from all over the map.”

With a newly donated Greyhound bus equipped with sustainable features such as solar panels and an engine that runs on waste vegetable oil, the crew will focus on innovative environmental success stories as they travel through 40 states. The crew hopes that highlighting such stories will bring the regional accomplishments of individuals, small businesses, and corporations to light in an effort to foster collaboration and connect local communities with the green initiatives of their neighbors.

The bus itself will serve as an educational tool as the crew will use it to explore technologies involved in sustainable transportation, the power the bus gains from solar panel use, and the sustainable appliances the crew will use.

The crew will maintain a blog and education page dedicated to their travels as well as the success stories they encounter along the way.

If you have any success stories you would like to share, the Big Green Bus crew want to hear from you. Email your stories to thebiggreenbus@dartmouth.edu or post them on their blog.

Corporate sponsors of the 2011 tour include: Waste Management, Greyhound, SunPower Corporation, Anchor Qae, EcoDirect, GreenSmart, Honest Tea, Cabot Cheese, Annie’s Homegrown, Boloco, Clif Bar, Red Bull, Eco Usable, Playback Clothing, LL Bean, Sixth South Street Hotel, Stonyfield Farm, and other generous contributors.

2011 Big Green Bus Crew

David Garczynski ’12Hometown: Atlantic Beach, N.Y. Major: environmental studies

Erik Skarin ’14Hometown: Sunapee, N.H. Majors: engineering and environmental studies

Hannah Iaccarino ’12Hometown: Shrewsbury, Mass. Major: neuroscience

Jen Fownes ’11Hometowns: Amherst, Mass. and Honolulu, Hawaii Major: biology (ecology), Minor: Spanish

Joe Coleman ’11Hometown: Poway, Calif. Majors: chemistry and economics; Minor: international studies

Joey Gabianelli ’14Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Majors: engineering and geology

Jules Valenti Thayer ’11Hometown: Canaan, Conn. Major: mechanical engineering

Laura Coyle ’12Hometown: Waitsfield, Vt. Major: biology (biochemistry)

Matt Knight ’11Hometown: Bronxville, N.Y. Major: electrical engineering

Meegan Daigler ’14Hometown: Gorham, Maine Major: biomedical engineering

Morgan Curtis ’14Hometown: London, England Majors: biology and environmental studies

Nick Devonshire ’11Hometown: Lake Forest, Ill. Majors: government and environmental studies

Sarah Hakes ’12Hometown: Oxnard, Calif. Major: studio art (architecture); Minors: geography and environmental studies

Tiffany Pollack