Laura Goldhamer

Senator Lieberman is proud to announce Laura Goldhamer of Middletown, Connecticut as one of Joe's Heroes. "I commend Ms. Goldhamer for her innovation and successful conversion of a diesel bus to one which runs almost entirely on vegetable oil. Not only is she part of an environmental solution to this country's fuel and environmental crises, but she is using this project in other community-serving endeavors," said Lieberman.

Laura Goldhamer is a Wesleyan University senior majoring in Religion and Music. Recently, with help from some friends, Laura converted a retired diesel short bus from West Hartford to run on used cooking oil.  By adding a secondary fuel tank for the vegetable oil and altering the route of coolant and fuel lines, Laura explains, any diesel vehicle can be converted to run on the economical and more environmentally-friendly fuel.

Born in Denver, CO, Laura came to Connecticut for college and soon became interested in the hands-on alternative fuel technology of biodiesel as well as straight vegetable oil fuels. Biodiesel is a form of used vegetable oil, chemically altered with methanol and lye to create fuel that will run in any diesel engine without altering the vehicle. She currently gets her used vegetable oil supply from a Thai restaurant in Middletown. She hopes to use the technology in community projects such as a biodiesel processing co-operative, and also in conjunction with Middletown's Hunger Task Force, using the blue vegetable-oil-powered short bus as a traveling farm stand. She plans on using the farm stand to distribute and promote organic produce grown at a Wesleyan student-run, organic, community-supported farm, called Long Lane Farm.