Greg Melville had a mission: he converted his diesel car to burn waste oil. He knew he could drive that way, but how far...and for how long? He decided to set off with his friend Iggy on a trip from Vermont to California to find out.

He burned waste oil collected from restaurants along the way. It was a new twist on the great American road trip. And Melville wanted to follow in the footsteps of Horatio Nelson Jackson, who also departed from Vermont, in 1903, to become the first person to travel by car across the United States.

Melville chronicled his journey in the book, "Greasy Rider," which he'll be speaking about at St. Michael's College tonight.

Melville says the technology is actually fairly simple.

Click listen to hear the interview.