The Vanishing America Project NEEDS YOUR VOTE!

This is the chance The Vanishing America Project has been waiting for... a chance to win $50,000 toward the completion of this project.

The top 20 winners of the popular vote move on to professional judging, and the competition only runs for 30 days, so we need 100 VOTES PER DAY to make this happen!

If you haven't voted already, it only takes a minute. Just register here:

http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/VanishingAmerica/the-vanishing-america-project/

activate your account, log in, click the button that says “PIC IT” next to The Vanishing America Project, and you're done!

And, as always, check out the full-blown Vanishing America Project website at www.VanishingAmerica.net for travel updates, galleries, and all sorts of great information!

Collecting Used Vegetable Oil...

Many of you have asked me how I get the oil that I use to run my vehicles. Well, read on...

Now, keep in mind, you can't just pull up to any restaurant and take what you want. Most restaurants have contracts with renderers (oil collection companies) for exclusive rights to pick up the oil. That's why I avoid the chain restaurants (they are less likely to bend the rules) and focus on the independently-owned eateries (who tend to be friendlier and more interested in helping out the little guy... like me).

But, simply finding the mom and pop shops won't guarantee that you'll get your oil. With used veggie oil being such a commodity these days (what with it being used to make biodiesel, animal feeds, hair products, cosmetics, etc.), simply taking what you need without permission amounts to stealing, as most places have a bin (often provided by the renderer) outside near the trash dumpsters where they dump the oil and the renderer comes to collect it.

But, if you get permission, or make arrangements ahead of time to get the oil before it is dumped into the renderer's container, then you can have whatever the restaurant is willing to give you.

This photo series is from a recent collection visit to a country club in the Southeast (names have been withheld to protect the innocent.) :-)

Getting the oil from the dumpster to the fuel tank:

Obviously the process is easier if I collect the oil in the Land Rover because I can maneuver it closer to the container. But, sometimes I have to collect in BABS (which requires a lot more room).

To get the oil from the dumpster to the tank, I use a pump. Some people use buckets, but many dumpsters now have grates on them, and a bucket just won't fit through those little holes.

I have two types of pumps: one is an electrical pump (from an RV water system!) The other is what's called a "Barrel Pump" and is, essentially, a hand-cranked turbine. Obviously, the electrical pump is easier to use, but requires a power source... in this case, the Land Rover itself. I use the barrel pump when I have to collect oil in the motor home. There is plenty of power to run the electrical pump, but I can't get the motor home close enough to the dumpster, and the hoses simply won't reach.

To use the electrical pump, I connect the pump's electrical wiring to the Defender, connect one hose to the bladder tank in the Defender's bed and another hose to the siphon tube that goes into the oil dumpster. Then I just flick the switch and let it go. I can get up to 85 gallons in the bladder tank.

If I have to use the hand pump, I just pump directly into 5 gallon plastic containers and then dump them into the filter tank on the motor home. It's a lot messier, and definitely tiresome, but using the barrel pump is a lot faster than the electrical pump, so there is a trade-off.

And, whether I'm using the barrel pump or the electrical pump, I always cover the end of the siphon tube with a couple of layers of chiffon fabric. It's strong, lightweight, and the perfect mesh for keeping debris out of my oil.

It's a fairly simple process... I just pump the oil out of the restaurant's container and into mine. And, once I have the oil in the filter tank on my motor home, I turn on the tank heater, warm up the oil, then turn on the centrifuge to spin out the finer particles and the water. After an hour or two (depending how dirty the oil was to begin with), I have clean oil that I can use to run my engine. I transfer the newly cleaned oil into my clean veggie tank, and I'm on my way (well, after I clean up my mess, of course...)

Gettin' Greasy...

In the photos, you can see how dirty and sticky the used oil is. And, it gets everywhere. If you ever want to return to your source for more oil, you definitely have to keep your workspace clean. So, I lay down some cardboard (when I can find it) and always clean up any spills (no matter how small). The best products I've found for cleaning up a veggie oil mess is Clean-Rite's Purple Power and Scott's Shop Towels.

Let the Purple Power sit for a minute, and it will clean oil off of anything. And the Shop Towels are absorbent and tough enough not to fall apart even when wiping grease off of concrete. (And, when I'm done, I put the towels in a jar and use them as fire starters for when I'm camping! How's THAT for recycling?)

As I stated before, it's a messy job. So, if you're a neat freak... forget it. Get your gas at the gas station. But, if you don't mind getting dirty, and want to do your part to lower vehicle emissions... then get greasy!

The Vanishing America Project

"What will our country be like 100 years from now? Will there even be wild horses, bears, and mountain lions that aren’t confined to a zoo? Will still there be vast tracts of undiscovered natural wilderness? Will there be such a thing as a small town? Will our descendants even care? If we continue to let Progress go unchecked, these, and other cherished aspects of our country and culture, will be lost to us forever.

Precious aspects of our country and culture are in danger of vanishing within the next 2-3 generations, and photographer/writer Holt Webb is using his artistic eye to show the world what is at stake when we let Progress run rampant.

Beginning in May of 2007, and continuing through the end of 2012, Artist and writer Holt Webb will be driving an ecologically-friendly motor coach, powered by Vegetable Oil and Solar Energy, around the United States documenting and publishing images and stories of American treasures that could be lost to us during our lifetimes.

Holt’s Vanishing America Project looks to enlighten Americans on the fragile nature of our wildlife, our landscapes, and our own ways of life. Subjects include the great, but vulnerable, Okefenokee Swamp, the dying shrimping industry of the Atlantic coast, the uncertain fate of the Wild Mustang, and the search for authentic small-town life. Visiting 49 states, and traveling only by back roads, Holt seeks to capture scenes of America and American life that are all too easily forgotten in this age of technology, reality shows, and global commercialization.

The images and stories he brings back are both beautiful and shocking as we are shown man’s encroachment on nature, nature’s changing ecosystems, and our own forgotten cultural icons.

“America is changing fast. And, often, change is good. But sometimes change destroys the things we love about our country. Hopefully these images, and the ones that will follow as I travel across the United States, will remind people how precious, how ephemeral, and how important these aspects of our country and our culture are.”
-- Holt Webb

Articles, presentations, photo essays, books, Fine Art gallery exhibitions, a documentary, and a TV show will be forthcoming. Holt’s progress can be followed at www.vanishingamerica.net.

Veggie oil versus other fuels...

Want to know how vegetable oil compares to other types of fuels?

Popular mechanics put a great chart up on their website relating the costs of various types of fuels that we can run in our vehicles... Gasoline, Diesel, biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, electricity, etc.

Well, I added a third: Used Vegetable Oil!

Click on the chart for a larger version

Land Rover Monthly Magazine

The Vanishing America Project is on the cover of Land Rover Monthly Magazine!

I promised I'd post the entire article once the issue came off the shelf, and I'm a man of my word, so here it is! The Vanishing America Veggie Rover (or what I like to call the Greasy Beast) profiled in the October 2008 issue of Land Rover Monthly Magazine

It's a great 5 page spread with photos and copy by some guy named Holt Webb. Who knew? :-)

If you want a copy of the entire magazine, you can order back issues online at the LRM website (http://www.lrm.co.uk/). Also check out the Land Rover Monthly page on Facebook (http://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Land-Rover-Monthly/12828212721).

Click on any image to enlarge it so you can read the text.

Below are some additional images that didn't make it into the publication, but show a little bit more of the procedure and the details.

PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES AVAILABLE!

Back by popular demand!

I will once again be offering photography classes while I am in Georgia. The first of these classes, PHOTO 101, teaches novices and amateurs alike the basics of camera operation and photographic technique.

Please send me an email if you are interested. Space will be limited to 10 people on a "first come, first served" basis.

Details below:

PHOTO 101

Introduction to Photography

In this class, you will learn the following:

1. What is a camera? (Types of cameras, parts of the camera.)
2. How does it take pictures and how do I take pictures with it? (Camera functions and photographic technique)
3. How can I control the camera to get what I want? (Camera controls, metering, lighting)
4. Special bonus: Simple portrait lighting setup.

• You will learn the basic functions of cameras, how they “see” and how to change the way they see.

• You’ll become familiar with those strange-sounding photography terms: “aperture”, “f-stop”, “depth-of-field”, and “shutter”, and others, and you’ll learn how to use them.

• You’ll learn how to see light as it falls on your subject, and how to record it.

When you complete this class, you will feel more comfortable with your camera and with your ability to take photos – and it will show in the pictures you take.

This will be a two-evening class with time spent in the classroom and in the field.

Dates: TBA
Time: TBA
Price: $75

Send me an email at holt@vanishingamerica.net if you are interested in signing up!

New Website!

The new Vanishing America website is up and running!

It still has a lot of work to be done... images to be uploaded, stories to tell, videos to post... but the basics are there. And it looks great, if I do say so myself. It was designed and built by one of my best friends, Jim Evans. Jim is the guy you saw me getting muddy with in the go-kart in my "Rednecks" video.

With the new website activated, this blog site you are reading now will be put into a state of limbo. I haven't yet decided whether I want to maintain two blog sites (as the new website has its own built-in blog pages), but I'll weigh the options and let you all know.

In the meantime, all new entries will be posted on the blog at www.vanishingamerica.net. And, all the older blogs (at least until I get them transferred over) will still be here at www.holtwebb.blogspot.com

It is very easy to subscribe to the new blog pages, too. Just go to www.vanshingamerica.net, click on the "Blogs" link, and then enter your email on the right-hand sidebar, click on the "subscribe" button, and you're in!

When you check out the new site, drop me a line through the "contact" page. I'd love to know what you think (good or bad)!

Big Fish

Life is best tasted in small bites...

Sometimes you want to just jump into something with everything you've got. Go for it 100%, no matter what the consequences are.

But, beware... you just might bite off more than you can chew.

Just like this bass I saw wriggling on the surface of Lake Chicamauga in Tennessee...

We were able to bring it on board the boat and remove the (still alive) fish from its mouth, but the poor bass was so exhausted from his attempts to either swallow or expel his potential meal that, despite our best efforts to get him swimming again, he didn't make it.

His plight reminded me that, although it can be tremendously beneficial to go for the "whole enchilada"... if you're not prepared to handle it, you'll wind up choking on it. Just like Mr. Bass here.

WRCB-TV Chattanooga!

Another trip to Chattanooga!
Who would have guessed?

Actually, I enjoy going up there. I get to see my friends, my goddaughter, and some of the most beautiful scenery in the nation.

AND... I got to do an interview with Jed Mescon from WRCB-TV, Channel 3!

Here's the link: http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8486940

(Just go to the bottom of the written story and click on the video link (it may have a tiny red video camera icon). I'll be embedding the video in the blog in the near future when I get the DVD from the studio.

Land Rover Vegetable Oil Conversion

You paid HOW MUCH!? Why bother?

That's what some folks say when I tell them how much it cost to convert the Land Rover Defender to run on vegetable oil.

While most people (mechanics, environmentalists, and laymen alike) are simply thrilled to know that this kind of conversion exists and stand in awe of such an ingenious and beautifully designed engineering feat, there are a few who simply can't justify the cost with the return. And, I understand their concerns.

Now, I'll admit, this conversion was expensive. We removed the gasoline engine and stock transmission and replaced them with a diesel engine and a better transmission. That added a tremendous cost to an already expensive conversion.

So, if saving money is your goal, don't do what I did. You could do it yourself and spend as little as $200 converting a car that already has a diesel engine. But, we were after bigger game. We sacrificed some fuel economy and horsepower for reliability, torque, and automation (I didn't want to spend half my day scrounging and filtering nasty oil.)

So, I didn't gain much in fuel economy; The Defender's lack of pep will make you cry; Used oil is getting harder to find; And, that diesel engine is pretty noisy. So, with all these drawbacks, why on earth did I do this conversion?

Well, we actually had two different goals in mind: One - free fuel. And, Two - an earth-friendly fuel source.

Now, keep in mind that going "green" fits very well into my Vanishing America project. I can't, with good conscience, go around documenting a Vanishing America and be a carbon-belching contributor to it at the same time. So, the decision was largely an environmental choice. But, let's talk specifics...

Reason Number one: Free Fuel.
The free fuel issue does seem to be changing due to the fact that waste oil is becoming a commodity. However, at this stage, it's still attainable, and at $5 per gallon for diesel, it's rapidly paying off. As a matter of fact, I just got back from two round trips to Chattanooga, TN (a total of 500 miles solely on used veggie oil). That means, at a 15mpg average, I saved over $160 in fuel. Multiply that over the course of a 10,000 mile year (with diesel prices continuing to climb), and we're talking about a conservative potential savings of $3500/year. Not much compared to a $30,000 conversion, but it adds up over time. But, money wasn't the only reason for the conversion. Which brings me to...

Reason Number Two: Earth-friendly fuel source.
Petroleum-based fuels are bad for the environment. We all agree on that. And, they come from a limited resource. (It may take a hundred years or more before all the oil is gone, but eventually it will be gone.) Waste oil, on the other hand, is completely renewable. And, since it comes from restaurants, it has already been used once. That means we don't have to pump oil from wells, we don't have to use crops that reduce the food supply, and, most importantly, we don't have to burn other fuels to process this waste into something that can be reused. It's a beautiful, efficient system.

Now, what about the waste oil becoming more difficult to get. Well, that's definitely the case. Every day, I see evidence that the cycle is progressing. It began with restaurants paying to have the oil hauled away. When renderers realized they could profit from the oil, they began to pick it up for free. Now, with more competition, some renderers are actually paying the restaurants for the oil. This cycle was expected. But, the good news is that the engineers responsible for creating new biofuels have not been sitting idly by. They have come up with ways to get fuel from waste wood, plant waste, tree bark, and even algae. And their progress is phenomenal. I expect that right about the time that everyone has to pay for waste oil, these engineers will have perfected these new ways of obtaining fresh oil, effectively collapsing the bubble created by the demand for waste oil. And, that puts guys like me back in the driver's seat. And, I see all of this happening within 5 years.

So, yes, the conversion was very expensive. And, on the surface, seems like a waste of money. But, I'll save at least $3500/year on fuel, there are still literally tens of thousands of places all over the US who will give me free oil, and my consumption of this product actually has a positive effect on the environment. And, that, to me, is priceless.