New Hampshire college heats campus with used cooking oil
Things are heating up at New Hampshire's Keene State College, which is now using 100 percent used cooking oil to keep more than a third of its campus warm.
Officials say the college's decision to replace their polluting heating fuel oil with purified waste vegetable oil both supports a local business and improves the air quality around campus.
Cary Gaunt, the director of campus sustainability, said he was told by industry leaders that Keene State is the only college in the country using purified waste vegetable oil to heat a campus . The school has about 5,500 students.
"Sustainability is a core value at Keene State College," he said. "We are taking bold steps to demonstrate our values by significantly reducing our greenhouse gas footprint and improving the well-being of the people on our campus and the surrounding community."
The college uses the new carbon-neutral fuel for heat and hot water, and intends to increase its use of the alternative fuel in the coming years.
Officials say the cost is comparable to the old oil once renewable energy incentives are factored in.
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