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College grads create green RV out of old school bus

January 2010 RV Industry and Lifestyle by Rich Howard

Two friends from Washington state have created an environmentally friendly RV to fit their needs as recent college grads looking to live "cheaply and lightly."

The American-Stateman newspaper reports that Dave Weaver and Thomas Ruble have converted a 1979 Bluebird International bus into a hip motorhome they can live in while parked in a yard in Austin, Texas.

The bus, which runs on recycled vegetable oil, sleeps six and contains a hot-water shower, kitchen, refrigerator and freezer. The interior is outfitted with floor-to-ceiling wood paneling and features a fireplace, and a music studio with a stand-up piano.

The men have also created what they call "the penthouse" by attaching the shell of a 1979 Volkswagen camper bus onto the roof.

The 40-foot-long, 13½-foot-tall vehicle has four 50-gallon tanks - one for conventional diesel and three for vegetable oil - and gets seven miles to the gallon. It carries a 50-gallon water tank and two 10-gallon propane tanks that power the water heater, fridge, stove and fireplace.

Besides two starting batteries on the engine of the bus, the Bluebird has solar panels and two golf-cart batteries, which power the fluorescent lights, guitar amps and computers when the bus is on the road.

The two purchased the bus for $1.500 and have put another $20,000 into renovations.

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College grads create green RV out of old school bus

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