STAUNTON, Va. –A group of environmentally conscious Dartmouth College students spent much of the day in Staunton on Wednesday showing off a large green bus fueled by used vegetable oil.

The students, who are touring 24 states over a three-month period, are continuing a seven-year-old tradition at the Ivy League school.

Dartmouth rising senior Rob Collier said the students on the traveling bus seek to educate the community about a cleaner environment and sustainable living.

Collier showed off a bus interior that features floors with recycled wood, counter tops made from renewable bamboo and fluorescent lights.

Solar panels on the roof of the green bus help power the electronics inside.

Dartmouth rising senior Sam Parker said she hopes the students can impact the communities they visit with green initiatives and the start of compost bins.

“The ultimate goal is to get people to look at green initiatives in their own community and to connect people to things in their own community,’’ she said.

Transition Staunton Augusta promoted the students’ visit to Staunton.

Transition Staunton Augusta is an organization promoting locally grown food, clean energy and local economic development, said Co-Founder Lindsay Curren.

Curren said she learned of the group’s visit to an Augusta County farm, and persuaded them to come to Staunton’s Wharf area.

During the afternoon Wednesday, the students traveled to the community garden in the Newtown Historic District and performed a community project that included installing rain barrels.

The students also planted pumpkins and sunflowers.

Copyright 2012, newsvirginian.com

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