Mission: To wean the United States off petroleum using the drive of communities to improve their surroundings and the world.
What we do: SmartFuel helps communities turn waste oil into fuel for use in municipal and school fleets. SmartFuel engages middle school, high school and college students who gain practical knowledge and confidence.
Why we do it: Every day this year, Americans will burn 20.7 billion barrels of oil. We will burn even more next year. Over nine billion barrels per day will be burned by cars , emitting sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrous oxide, volatile organic compounds, and mercury. These emissions cause smog, acid rain, and global warming; they exacerbate health conditions such as asthma and allergies, and increase cancer risk. According to EPA, roughly half of Americans live in counties that do not meet healthy air standards. Yet, each city sits on raw materials for a cleaner alternative fuel that they can use in their existing vehicles.
Meanwhile, the United States faces a seemingly unrelated problem. Youth face a crisis of disenfranchisement. Schools are under-funded, parents are over-stressed, and many teenagers are left with little hope that they have the power to change their lives or the world around them. This is especially true in our inner-cities. SmartFuel gives students the opportunity to be successful by learning a set of skills that yield a product that benefits them, their schools and their community. They and their communities become part of a larger movement to wean the country off fossil fuels through a commercially viable alternative.