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WORC’s seven-state Homegrown Prosperity Renewable Energy Bus Tour is on the road. The tour is promoting good-paying jobs and income for rural communities and offering solutions to reduce greenhouse gases and pollution.
The 12-week outreach tour offers solutions to reduce greenhouse gases; increase energy efficiency in homes and businesses; clean, renewable energy; small-scale cooperative biodiesel production; local foods production, distribution and consumption; and good-paying jobs and income for rural communities.
A four-person crew, traveling in a converted school bus powered by biodiesel, will visit 40 towns in Montana , Wyoming , North Dakota , South Dakota , Colorado , Idaho , and Oregon .
Besides using biodiesel instead of petrol diesel, the bus is equipped with solar panels to power a laptop computer and a TV, and there is a solar oven and other displays.
“Our use of oil, gas and coal is changing the climate, leading to drought, wildfires, and other problems for people around the world,” said Jeanne Charter, WORC board member from Shepherd, Mont. “Our energy supplies are less reliable and more costly every day. Energy efficiency and homegrown, clean, renewable energy can reduce the pollution causing climate change while creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs and protecting our land, air and water.
“We call on public officials to pass laws and fund programs that reduce climate change and build healthy local economies by increasing energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy. We call on everyone – government, business, and individuals – to make wise decision as consumers, stop energy waste, and reduce climate-changing pollution.”
 Chelsea Hummon is the Bus Team Leader. She is a native of the lower peninsula of Michigan and a student at Central Michigan University . This past winter, she was part of an outreach and education effort using snow kiting – a new ‘extreme sport’ – to demonstrate wind energy and tell the story of renewable energy and climate change across North Dakota .
 Jeff Butts is a senior at Montana
State University-Billings. He has volunteered and been a work study
intern at the Northern Plains Resource Council for 1-1/2 years.
He also has been a photographer for a local television news team.
Like the rest of the crew, Jeff is a dedicated bicycle commuter
and lives the values of a low energy consuming lifestyle.
 Derek Kanwischer is a second year student at the University of Montana Environmental Studies graduate program. He earned his spurs converting and running a biodiesel powered tractor on a fruit and vegetable farm that helps supply Missoula ’s local foods networks. He has converted his own diesel engine vehicle to run on sustainable biofuels.
 Laura Becerra , also a University of Montana Environmental Studies graduate student, brings interest and awareness of the advantages of green building. She has organized in Spanish speaking communities and has done rural development analysis and interviewing in Southern Chile .
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