The Green Way Up is an ambitious environmental project based in Sydney.
Nick Hadland: So, Chuck, tell me a little bit about how you got involved with The Green Way Up.
Chuck Anderson: Anzac Day last year it was when Bob (Miles) came to me and put the thought to me just to see if I was into it. He needed me to build the first processor to see if the bio-diesel was going to work. So I said, ‘Yeah I’m keen to give you a hand,’ and at this stage it was nothing compared to what it’s turned into now. So, yeah I had to help him build the first one; weld up a few things and the diesel was easier than we thought and I think he had a bit of a moment and thought ‘why don’t I drive around the world on a sustainable fuel source.’
NH: At that stage there would have been little to no funding. How did you raise the capital?
CA: We got to the point where we knew how we wanted to make it happen we just needed money and we all believed in the concept enough so we thought bugger it we’ll all get our hands on the initial money to get it to start up so we all went to the bank and borrowed a heap of money each to get the ball rolling. But that’s all exciting, that’s the way we want to do it, we’re all in the red zone and it keeps you on your toes. Hopefully one day it will get fixed up [Laughs]. But you know if it doesn’t well, who cares? As long as the trip can happen - that’s the goal. We just want to be able to leave and it’s getting close to the stage where we can.
NH: So, what exactly is the goal of this project?
CA: So the plan is to leave from Tasmania and drive to the top of Norway without filling up at a petrol station. So, that’s 50,000 km we cover and we never pull in at a petrol station for fuel. That’s the main goal.
NH: And if you’re not filling up at a petrol station how are you providing the fuel?
CA: We’re fuelling ourselves I guess, sourcing our own waste oils the whole way and through the processors we’ve built converting that into diesel that can run in any diesel vehicle.
NH: But where then do you find the oil?
CA: We’re basically pulling up at pub bistros, fish and chip shops, I guess in Australia that’ll be the case, and knocking on the door to the kitchen and saying can we have your old vegetable oil. Out of a 20L tin I think, it depends how busy they are, but they go through a few of them a day and you just can’t cook with that crap anymore so it goes out and a lot of it ends up in landfill.
NH: There must be a science behind this. Is it complex? Can you explain it in layman’s terms?
CA: Well with that we can get these old tins, poor them into our convertor, we add a couple of chemicals, spin it round at 60 degrees for an hour, let it settle and we’ll get 20% glycerine which is essentially soap – if we can add fragrance to that we’ve got a nice little product on the side there, keep us clean going through all those dodgy joints – and then the rest will be 80% usable diesel.
NH: It is definitely a worthy issue that the team is tackling. Do you hope to promote awareness of the green message as you travel through these different countries and continents?
CA: It’s not so much awareness. A phrase that’s been thrown around a fair bit, I guess – what we’re trying to do is more create conversation, not so much awareness. As soon as there’s awareness there’s like that stigma of it being ‘greeny’ or hippy or boring and that’s exactly what we want to go against – kind of give the same information but just deliver it in a way that normal people are interested in and make it interesting.
NH: Well you have made it easier to become more involved, especially with the new interactive website. It’s a very savvy idea to become more user generated.
CA: Yeah, we want to make everyone worldwide be able to contribute to this whole thing and get involved in it. We’ve got a general route but then off this thing (website) from people’s ideas and from what they think would be a cool thing to go and see we can then veer off our track and go and see these initiatives that people have got going.
NH: The clock is counting down. How are you feeling and how are the final preparations coming along?
CA: At the moment it’s nothing but nerve racking for me. Just planning it’s hectic. There’s so much red tape you’ve got to get through and stuff but we’ve got through most of that now so, now’s the time it’s just starting to build and it’s becoming a reality. We’ve got material turning up and that’s going to be really exciting.
The Green Way Up expedition will leave in late March/early April from Hobart and travel the East Coast to Darwin. Check out www.thegreenwayup.com for more information.
