(SLOAN, IA) The Westwood School District is trading in its blue and gold for green. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association gave the district a $2500 Biodiesel Backer grant last month. 

Westwood converted all of its buses to biodiesel to 3.5 years ago. And the community paid nothing because federal and state grants covered the cost. Now the district is paying for the fuel with grants like the one from Iowa RFA.   

The Westwood Community School District buses some 230 kids daily. Nine permanent routes cover 234 square miles plus activities.

"Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 gallons a month," says Douglas Winters, Transportation Supervisor.

So the district jumped at the chance to make its busses just as energy-efficient as its buildings.

"But our busses were the next step to make sure they're safe. As knowledge increased on biodiesel, it became the way for us to go," says Kirk Ahrends, Westwood Superintendent.    

In a district where every dollar matters, the benefits of biodiesel outweigh the cost.

"That's probably one of the biggest parts about running transportation is the fuel cost," says Winters.     
  
"It's cleaner for us in the long-run. It's renewable energy source so we're planting something and growing it every year to recover it. And it's money that's local," says Ahrends.    

And Westwood is saving in the process, hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, every week.

"Per bus, per fill up, probably $45-50 per fill up easily," says Winters.    

The Iowa farming community lead the way for the Westwood biodiesel bus makeover.

"It's in the Midwest here that those crops are being grown, not overseas where oil suppliers are," says Ahrends.    

And now Westwood is paving the way for other districts and local farmers.

"Well jeez, if a bus can run on it, a tractor certainly can run on it," says Winters.
 
Keeping the green in Siouxland while going green at the same time.
 
All of the other Westwood vehicles run on biodiesel as well like its bobcats and pick-up trucks. One issue with the fuel: biodiesel tends to gel up in cold weather, but Winters says adding in a little ethanol solves the problem.

Reported by Erika Thomas. You can contact her at ethomas@kmeg.com.