Win-Win Relationships
Mount Vernon Nazarene University has partnered with the American Dairy Association (ADA) Mideast to obtain the 2,500 pounds of butter used in the large display. This year’s buttery depictions are especially important as the fair attempts to “go green” in a variety of ways. Just as they inspire awe in onlookers, the sculptures will continue to inspire by spreading the importance of recycling and reusing as it is converted into biodiesel.
Additionally, MVNU will receive all waste vegetable oil (WVO) from the fair itself. All the used oil from those delicious fair treats like corndogs, French fries and elephant ears will be put to good use. Plus, fair operators are saving the cost of disposing of the oil.
MVNU's Biodiesel
The butter and WVO will be heated and water content and waste solids will be removed. After undergoing a chemical process, an estimated 300 gallons of biodiesel fuel will result. As an eco-friendly alternative fuel, it is cleaner and less expensive than fossil fuel diesel.
Since December 2007, MVNU has used biodiesel in its snow and lawn equipment, generators, a campus bus and other vehicles. The University can generate 90 gallons in a 24-hour time period and saves over $2 on each gallon. Glycerin is the only by-product which is composted and mixed with mulch to use across campus.
"We’re excited to receive this year’s butter sculptures and WVO to transform them into biodiesel. It’s a small way we can partner with the American Dairy Association to benefit the environment, while educating fair-goers about how biodiesel works and its great potential,” said Director of Communications Carrie Crouch. “Colleges and universities around the country have special opportunities, and the obligation, to partner with local organizations and events to make a similar impact.”
Recycle, Reuse
Scott Higgins, CEO for the ADA-Mideast, explained, “Dairy farmers are the original conservationists, recycling and reusing resources to protect the land, air and water. For example, water used to clean the milking parlor is often reused to clean feed alleys and then to irrigate fields, potentially recycling water two to three times on a dairy farm.”
See It For Yourself!
The butter display can be found in the Dairy Products Building at the Ohio Expo Center, home of the Ohio State Fair, and is sponsored by the American Dairy Association Mideast, Ohio’s dairy-farmer funded marketing and promotion program. The Ohio State Fair runs through Sunday, Aug. 10.
For more information, call (740) 397-9000, ext. 4341.
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