Dartmouth's Big Green Bus Embarks on 5th Annual Cross-Country Road Trip - The Big Green Bus: A Vehicle for Change

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From New York to San Francisco, we will be traveling the country helping Americans make energy conscious choices.

Hanover, NH (Vocus) June 18, 2009

Taking the all-American road-trip to the next level, 15 Dartmouth College students embark on a cross-country summer adventure to educate America about sustainability and green living. Dartmouth’s Big Green Bus, once a rag-tag creation of the university’s engineering and ultimate Frisbee communities, is unveiling a coach bus specially-converted to run on waste vegetable oil. This year’s bus has been transformed into a state-of-the-art “green” mobile classroom for sustainable living, suited for the more than 40 educational stops planned across the country. The first scheduled stop of the tour is in New York City, Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

Building on the knowledge and success of four summers on the road, more than 45,000 miles traveled, and 5,500 gallons of waste vegetable oil used in place of diesel, the Big Green Bus team welcomes New Yorkers to see it off on its fifth-annual eco-trek on Wednesday, June 17 in front of the Timberland store in Soho at 474 Broadway from 8a.m. to 10 a.m. Using renewable energy to power wi-fi on the bus, anyone can interact with the students in real time and participate online in the summer tour at http://www.changents.com/biggreenbus where the crew will file regular story updates from the road such as blogs, podcasts, photos galleries, videos, Tweets, action opportunities and more.

“This year, the Bus interior will resemble a ‘green’ living room. We hope to connect with homeowners by presenting environmental and economic issues facing our society today, and how individual action can help mitigate these problems,” according to Merritt Jenkins, a member of Dartmouth’s Class of 2010 and co-general manager of the Big Green Bus. “From New York to San Francisco, we will be traveling the country helping Americans make energy conscious choices.”

Equipped with a specially-modified engine, solar panels, an interior completely constructed of sustainable materials, and a host of other innovative technologies, the bus is a classroom on wheels.

“I’m excited about putting to use all the new teaching tools we have this year to help the public learn about the energy issues facing our society,” said Marissa Knodel, a 2009 Dartmouth graduate and the Big Green Bus’s education director.

The bus serves as a science fair on wheels—a virtual exhibit for sustainable practices. With five key educational pillars in mind, the bus and its drivers will focus on promoting:

1.    Reduction of consumption and recycling
2.    Energy efficiency
3.    Clean and renewable energy
4.    Wise food choices
5.    Personal action through voting

The Big Green Bus leaves the Dartmouth College campus on June 16th and will travel more than 12,000 miles through 40 states from New Hampshire to California and back again, educating Americans of all ages about how to green their homes and their country.

The Big Green Bus would not be what it is today without the continued support from Newman’s Own®, Inc., Waste Management, The Timberland Company, and Changents.com.

About Waste Management

Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposalservices. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more visit http://www.wm.com or http://www.thinkgreen.com

About Newman’s Own, Inc.

Newman’s Own®, Inc. - founded by Paul Newman and his buddy A. E. Hotchner in 1982 - is a successful and growing premium food business. Newman’s Own offers more than 100 varieties of delicious all-natural food and beverage products, which include salad dressings, pasta sauces, salsa, popcorn, lemonade, and thin & crispy frozen pizza. Based in Westport, CT, the charitable mission of Newman’s Own®, Inc. was expressed by Paul in the Company motto: “Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the Common Good.” Newman’s Own Foundation continues Paul Newman’s commitment to donate all profits to charity. More than $265 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982. Visit http://www.newmansown.com for the nearest retailer/s that carry Newman’s Own products and for recipe suggestions using Newman’s Own®, Inc. products. Learn more about the Newman’s Own mission at http://www.newmansownfoundation.org.

About Timberland

Timberland (NYSE: TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland markets products under the Timberland®, Timberland PRO®, Mountain Athletics®, SmartWool®, Timberland Boot Company™, Howies® and IPATH® brands, all of which offer quality workmanship and detailing and are built to withstand the elements of nature. The company’s products can be found in leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland® retail stores throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East. Timberland’s dedication to making quality products is matched by the company’s commitment to “doing well and doing good" -- forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit http://www.timberland.com. To learn more about becoming an Earthkeeper, visit http://www.earthkeeper.com.

About Changents.com

Changents (http://www.changents.com) connects exciting people who are changing the world - Change Agents - with the people who help them. The Changents social media platform empowers agents of change with storytelling and fan-building tools that enable them to be discovered and supported by “Backers” whose actions, big and small, contribute to their Change Agent's success story.    Since launching in June 2008, Changents has helped Change Agents around the world generate hundreds of thousands of story views and team-up with supporters to address a full range of social and environmental issues.

About Dartmouth College

Dartmouth, a private, four-year liberal arts institution, has been at the forefront of American higher education since 1769. A member of the Ivy League located in Hanover, N.H., Dartmouth’s undergraduate residential college environment features the intellectual character of a university, with first-rate graduate and professional programs. The quality of the undergraduate experience is marked by close student-faculty interaction, opportunities for independent and collaborative research, a broad range of off-campus programs, and a diverse student body. Professional schools include the Tuck School of Business, the Dartmouth Medical School, and the Thayer School of Engineering. http://www.dartmouth.edu

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