Project R.O.S.E. receives oil education award

Students in Randolph county schools received a lesson in motor oil recycling while earning money for their schools.

Barbara Ibrahim, staff reporter

Project R.O.S.E., the used motor oil recycling program for the state of Alabama, recently received the 2003 Best Environmental Education Program in Alabama Award for the Environmental Education Association of Alabama.

Project R.O.S.E., which stands for Recycled Oil Saves Energy, has its headquarters in the chemical engineering department of the University of Alabama’s College of Engineering and has been operating since 1977.

The project was conducted in collaboration with the Upper Tallapoosa Watershed Committee and the Randolph County Extension System and awarded for their efforts. Randolph County previously had no collection sites for do-it-yourself used motor oil. Project R.O.S.E. purchased and supplied the county with eight tanks throughout the area. These tanks were purchased with proceeds from the annual Run for the R.O.S.E.S. 5K Race.

During the program, Randolph County residents learned about the Project R.O.S.E. used motor oil collection program through educational materials printed for classroom distribution. A contest was developed to reward schools for collecting the most used oil and taking it to collection locations.

“What was good about the project was that it not only got the kids involved, but also the whole community involved in the effort,” said Charlotte Nix, assistant coordinator for Project R.O.S.E., said.

Approximately 739 gallons of used oil were collected from the contest, which was held from Nov. 2001 to April 2002. The schools that collected the most used oil received cash rewards. Woodland High School won first place and received a check for $ 650 for collecting 399 gallons of used oil to be recycled. Wadley High School won second place for a reward of $ 450 and collected 160 gallons of used oil.

“We began by talking with 4-H programs about the project, and they continued it by educating students and going out into the community,” Nix said.

The Randolph County project involved many community elements, businesses, local media, state and county agencies, as well as concerned individuals.

Currently, all eight collection sites remain in operation and continue to collect used motor oil.

“Our goal is to educate the public about recycling oil,” Nix said. “It’s an ongoing process.”

An estimated 200 million gallons of used motor oil is improperly disposed of each year in the United States. This can cause a number of problems and result in pollution, as well as unsafe drinking water.

Recycling used oil would save the United States 1.3 million barrels of oil per day. According to the American Petroleum Institute, if you recycle just two gallons of used oil, it can generate enough electricity to run the average household for almost 24 hours.

“Our motto is, ‘Used oil never wears out, it only gets dirty’, Nix said.

Nix said close to 500 locations exist across the state and 13 counties lack collection centers. She also said that one of the project’s goals this year would be to provide new locations for rural communities with the proceeds from the 5K race.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs’ Science, Technology and Energy Division funds Project R.O.S.E. For more information, visit Project R.O.S.E.’s Web site.

This story was written by Barbara Ibrahim, ibrah002@bama.ua.edu, and was edited by Jennifer Coakley, Jennifercoakley1@hotmail.com.