After four awesome days at Bonnaroo we packed up the bus and headed north, dusty and filled with good music. Our first stop brought us to The Ohio State University’s College of Engineering, where we talked to students and faculty on their first day of summer classes. Along with local radio station CD101, we were set up with two OSU engineering projects. One, the Buckeye Bullet, set the world record for land speed by an electric car, while the other was a recently converted gas Chevy now running on a bio-diesel hybrid.

Next we headed to meet our friend Michele at the local Whole Foods to stock up on fresh foods and supplies. Columbus’s Whole Foods was quite a sight for sore eyes after our sojourn through Bonnaroo, where fresh fruits and veggies were hard to come by.
Pulling ourselves away from Whole Foods, we headed to the Bodega Bar to be greeted once again with great food and an awesome, young atmosphere. Owners Sang and Collin allowed us to park outside their open-air patio and speak with customers, pedestrians and nearby store owners about our project while enjoying good drinks and $1 grilled cheese.

The following morning we woke up from a great night’s sleep, thanks to hometown friends Jimmy and Talie, to head towards Cleveland. There we visited the Great Lakes Brewing Company, a testament to how environmental stewardship can be incorporated into everyday business practices. We got a tour of the brewing facilities from Ray Holan, president of BioDiesel Cleveland and a pioneer in vegetable oil conversions and sustainable energies. We had lunch with the co-owner of Great Lakes, Pat Conway, who talked with us about his travels around the world and his dedication to sustainability. Their practices range from vermicomposting to current construction on a sustainable beer garden utilizing radiant heat and hay-bale insulation to powering the Great Lakes "Fatty Wagon" with their waste vegetable oil. An added bonus, we got to visit with friend and busser emeritus Saul Kliorys ‘05, now happily a Great Lakes employee.

All-in-all, an awesome few days. Sadly, however, our friend Ross Virginia has returned to our beloved Hanoverian plane. Ross, you are awesome and we love you. But we continue moving along, rolling past hurdles and chatting with folks about alternative energy. You can't really beat fueling up at your local Waffle House diner then drinking cold beers with friends at an environmentally conscious brewery.

- Steph