This campaign has ended, but you can still make a gift to the Future Fuels club and their project, by going here
Cal Poly Future Fuels is a project-based club dedicated to promoting information about the use of sustainable and renewable fuels. We see a future for clean energy and, though we understand that the actions of one club alone cannot ameliorate climate change, it only takes a pebble to start a rock slide. Our small group of leaders push to innovate and inspire change through leading by example. That is what Cal Poly Future Fuels is about. We know that it is tough for our actions alone to save the world; however, we also know that Cal Poly is full of smart, hardworking students that can and will create change within their lifetimes. We want to inspire those students to strive for the goal of sustainability for Cal Poly, themselves, their loved ones, and for the future of the planet.
We know we can inspire our students through innovating an industry that is to blame for many of today’s climate issues: the energy sector. Our current step in inspiring the student body is building a waste vegetable oil to biodiesel reactor. The system has a processor that automatically cleans waste vegetable oil from campus dining (we already have a contract to claim used oil) and a reactor that converts the oil into clean, usable biodiesel that is ready to be run in any diesel engine. Not only will this provide a valuable learning opportunity for our students, but it will also create a sustainable option for many student and faculty drivers.
Furthermore, in addition to recycling oil and producing fuel, this reactor will help us in our goal of inspiring change in the student body and local community by demonstrating the feasibility of alternative fuels. This reactor will serve as a functional showpiece on campus: something that we can use to teach current and prospective students about the attainability of a sustainable future. The process of recycling and using waste vegetable oil as fuel will not only be something for Cal Poly Future Fuels to show off, but something that the whole campus can take pride in.
Currently, Future Fuels has about 25 active members and a mailing list of 87 interested students across a wide variety of majors, and we are taking more on everyday. We have a wide range of projects under our belt that we have used to gain technical knowledge and experience that not only helps us succeed in our future projects, but also in our professional futures.
This donation will help us purchase finishing products, such as paint and cleaners to polish up the reactor to show off to campus. To show our appreciation, we will send you email updates about our project, and give you a Facebook shoutout.
This donation will help us take concrete steps towards finishing this project by funding general project expenses like fasteners and electrical connectors. To show our appreciation, we will send you a thank you video.
This donation will go towards purchasing a water system to better clean and purify the fuel. To show our appreciation, we will send you a handwritten thank you note.
This donation will help us purchase tubing and fittings to transfer the material during the reaction process. To show our appreciation, we will send you a Future Fuels sticker with your thank you note.
This donation will go towards purchasing wiring harnesses to support the complex electrical systems of the reactor. To show our appreciation, we will send you a mini Bucket Boss tool caddy with your thank you note.
This donation will help purchase computer systems that we will use to fully automate this process. To show our appreciation, we will send you a Future Fuels fanny pack visor with your thank you note.
This donation will allow us to purchase pneumatic pumps for transferring the mixture between the tanks during the process. To show our appreciation, we will send you a Future Fuels T-Shirt and sticker with your thank you note.
This donation will enable us to purchase the ideal reaction tanks. To show our appreciation for this generous donation, we will give you a tour of our shop with a demonstration of the reactor process (once the reactor is up and running), a lunch with members, and some Future Fuels merchandise!
This generous donation will allow us to fully fund this reactor project. As a sincere token of our appreciation for such a generous contribution, Cal Poly Future Fuels will dedicate the reactor in your name and we will give you a tour of our lab with a demonstration of the reactor process (once the reactor is up and running), a lunch with members, and some Future Fuels merchandise!