A Croydon environmentalist is taking off on a year-long trip around the world in a converted greasy banger fuelled by chicken carcasses.

Andy Pag, from Thornton Heath is going to see if it is possible to drive around the world using bio-fuels made from vegetable oil and chicken carcasses.

He will be starting his journey from Croydon with teams in the second annual Grease to Greece challenge where teams drive to Greece through Europe scavenging chip fat and cooking oil from restaurants and burger bars along the way.

Andy will break away from the groups and continue his round-the-world trip.

He said he got the idea when he did his first long haul journey driving from London to Cape Town.

“I did the journey a few years back.

"It was such an amazing experience but we used vast amounts of fuel.

"I did not want to give up travelling, which I love doing, but I wanted to do it in a more sustainable way.”

Andy’s first venture was driving to Timbuktu in a lorry powered by waste chocolate.

“It showed us that it was possible to travel using bio-fuels but we had to carry all of our fuel with us which was limiting.”

Last year he organised a rally with 30 other eco-drivers who all converted their cars to use bio-fuel.

They drove to Greece begging chip fat along the way.

He said: “We were all quite surprised that we were able to do it so easily.”

Andy was inspired to try a 12-month extended drive in some of the most isolated places in the world.

He said: “I want to visit places where they are investigating alternative fuels so we will go to Malaysia, through Asia, North, Central and South America and then back to Europe.

“We are using a recycled vehicle which we are in the process of refurbishing.

“It is a Mercedes mini hopper bus which we are converting into an eco-home.

"The idea is that it will be energy neutral, we even have a composting toilet which I am assured does not smell.

“There are lots of different ways of making bio-fuels, we are planning on using a variety including those made from vegetable fats and chicken carcasses.”

Andy is looking for sponsors and is hoping that some green Croydon companies might be willing to chip in on his experiment.

“We are starting off from Croydon and would love to do so from the Croydon Airport “It would be highly symbolic, it was the start of the globalised world as we know it.

“Leaving from there would be a tribute to that moment and the move towards a sustainable globalised world.”

• Find out about more local green groups at greenguardian.co.uk