Her dad thought her clean energy idea was just a 'kid's project.' He was wrong. [View all]

[eridani]

http://www.upworthy.com/her-dad-thought-her-clean-energy-idea-was-just-a-kids-project-he-was-wrong

With help from friends, Cassandra launched Turn Grease Into Fuel, or TGIF. Their strategy was pretty simple ... but also sort of ingenious.

You know all that wasted used cooking oil that restaurants just throw away? It can be used as biofuel — energy that contributes significantly less to global warming than fossil fuels.
This magical button delivers Upworthy stories to you on Facebook: TGIF began reaching out to local restaurants to see if they could use leftover cooking oil for the initiative, and — slowly but surely — the idea caught on. The City of Westerly, Rhode Island (Cassandra's hometown) decided to help out, too, setting up a grease recycling site where TGIF could do its work.

And here's where it gets really good: The biodiesel created by TGIF goes toward warming the homes of families in need. Because why not donate the energy to those who could use it most?

“We kind of thought, 'This is a kid's project,' you know," said Jason Lin, Cassandra's father.

"'It will probably last a year or two the most.'"

Boy ... was he wrong To date, TGIF's efforts have helped warm the homes of about 400 families, but that's just the start.