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‘Green VI Converts to biofuel, thanks to Sol & others’ – Ms Charlotte McDevitt
This was indeed a noteworthy initiative and providing further details Ms McDevitt said they have been collaborating with a number of local restaurants specifically in the Cane Garden Bay and Road Town communities of Tortola which have been donating their used vegetable oil to the entity as opposed to throwing it away.
“We are using biofuel for one piece of our equipment and for the furnace we are still using propane and that’s where Sol is helping us,” she explained speaking with this news site.
Getting it right Green VI has been collaborating with another studio in Mexico. “It is a special burner that we have, so we filter the oil, we clean it, and then it’s put through the burner,” she said. Ms McDevitt said that this is one of several things that are counted as marked achievements as they enter their fourth season being in operation in the Virgin Islands.
“I think the most significant thing is that we are still here,” she said. In the execution of what they have been doing over the past three seasons in the VI the entity has been training local apprentices according to Ms McDevitt. One of the apprentices has been in training with them for over three years and today they are very pleased at the level to which his skills have been developing.
Green VI employs experienced glassblowers to train local apprentices. Daryl “Lion” McLean is learning the art of hot glass blowing whilst Andrew is learning flamework and is specializing in pendants.
Up to five years will be required to transfer basic skills for the hot glass, while torch work takes a year of training. In time, Green VI hopes to train more BVI apprentices to ensure that the Glass Studio becomes a local commodity. In September 2013, Green VI raised funds to send Mr McLean to attend Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State USA and in a further effort to train apprentices and expose them to the world class skills of Charles Lowrie.
“It's a very expensive project but I am thinking that this year we’ll make a profit that will be put towards other environmental projects since we are a non-profit that’s where the funds are allocated to when we get them,” she said.
Ms McDevitt said that they are happy for the fact that they can safely say that they have been meeting all their objectives.
“In education and awareness we had all the school groups come through to get the concept of what recycling means and that you can do something here," she said.
She said that Sol has been assisting Green VI as they go greener. In a release Ms McDevitt said that Sol was the major local sponsor of Green VI’s Glass Studio at its opening on 2011, supplying their initial 10 months of propane.
“As we enter our fourth season, we are pleased to announce that Sol is once again stepping in to assist Green VI’s Glass Studio. Recent upgrades, including a complete rebuild of the furnace and a bio-fuel conversion to the glory hole, have stretched cash flow for the local not-for-profit organization,” she said.
She said that Sol will be helping them cover propane costs for three months until they are back on their feet.
“We believe that the studio will now operate on approximately 40 – 50% less propane due to the bio fuel conversion – using used vegetable oil as a fuel source - and better efficiencies.”
Liz Wyatt, Country Manager at Sol Petroleum, stated, “Green VI has our full support, as part of giving back to the community and working toward a brighter future. I have seen the results of the projects and training programs that they have undertaken. Their studio produces truly remarkable works of art and I hope many more people will become involved in the vision of the organization.”
Ms McDevitt said that Green VI would like to commend Sol for supporting the community it serves. “We thank them for working with us toward a greener, cleaner and healthier BVI.”
Why a Glass Studio?
Glass waste is particularly problematic in the BVI as melted glass adheres to the inside chambers of the incinerator and clogs up the equipment. Every six months the incinerator has to be shut down for at least ten days so that this glass can be manually chipped off. It is essential for the health of workers and the proper functioning of the incinerator that glass be removed from the waste stream. When applying the concept of waste as a resource to glass, many applications exist. Whilst not a solution for all the glass waste on Tortola, on a small scale, Green VI’s glass studio in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, is an example of this “trash to treasure” concept. These are the benefits our Glass Studio promotes:
See more at: http://www.greenvi.org/Green-VI-s-Glass-Studio.aspx#sthash.A71Nabvu.dpuf
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11 Responses to “‘Green VI Converts to biofuel, thanks to Sol & others’ – Ms Charlotte McDevitt”
It is a NOT FOR PROFIT organization that was established to make use of waste glass and to initiate other "green" projects that assist in reducing waste throughout the territory.
If a local wants to start a "for profit" business doing the same thing, go for it!
Wow, some people are so blinded by their sense of entitlement, they can't seem to comprehend what they are reading!
Thanks you Ms. McDevitt. Some of us do appreciate what you and your staff are doing FOR THE BETTERMENT of our community!