Van Conversion Day
June 13th at around 12 (noon) onwards at Monument, Newcastle

Leading environmental artists Heath Bunting and Kayle Brandon will convert a diesel van to run on vegetable oil. This will take place immediately prior to the opening of the World Summit on the Arts and Culture in Newcastle-Gateshead, and be a practical demonstration of how one of the primary causes of climate change - vehicle emissions - can be dealt with at low cost using ordinary technology and a sustainable fuel.

This DIY action challenges a monolithic model of the economy, and threatens the power of the global oil industry, by using simple vegetable oil (as used in frying potatoes) in place of diesel - a fossil fuel.

The conversion will be done with the help of an expert in van conversion, in full public view, making the action a Conversion Carnival with street decorations, food, free music, and a demonstration of a technology with far-reaching implications which can be available to anyone. After the conversion, Bunting and Brandon will drive the van on vegetable oil, stopping at roadside cafes and filling stations to distribute leaflets, and creating a document of their journey. Duo.irational.org currently have a series of events about training and preparing in event of disaster. http://duo.irational.org van conversion is part of this series.

The long term intention for the converted van is to provide a mobile project premises for collective irational.org to use. Installation of living and working tools will provide persons with a diverse project past. Irational.org is a collective based on-line; the van would create an offline model.

Click here to download a guide on how to run a vehicle on Vegetable Oil >>



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