teach a woman to veg

Pittsburgh's Steel City Biofuels, where I serve as Education and Outreach director, teamed up with local SVO system installer Fossil Free Fuel this summer to produce Basic Mechanics and Biofuels for Women, a workshop for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

The Intermediate Unit, a state education agency that provides programs for Pittsburgh schools, came to us looking for a good educational experience to enable high school girls to explore non-traditional job opportunities.

The program we created was a three-day workshop including presentations and hands-on work experience. From laboratory scale production of biodiesel to SVO systems to the inner workings of an engine, the young women got a good dose of job experiences available through mechanics and biofuels.

The workshop was three full days. The first day I gave a presentation on biofuels and entertained the crowd with flaming peanuts and fiery shots of vodka (a good visual for ethanol).

After lunch, which was provided, we sat down for a discussion about educational opportunities and the possibility of employment across the spectrum of educational attainment.

The next morning we got down and not-too-dirty and made several small batches of biodiesel using several different sources of oil. After the morning lab, Colin Huwyler of Fossil Free Fuel presented on the history and development of internal combustion engines.

The third and final day was a full day at Huwyler's shop where everyone learned about waste oil processing and car care and maintenance.

Our goal was to provide these girls with a dynamic experience, surrounding them with ideas about the biofuels world and what sorts of jobs are available.

When given a chance and a few instructions, these young women were happy to crank a wrench and learn a bit about cars and grease. S