HOMER, N.Y. -- It's not your typical school bus. Its roof has been raised 18 inches and it has four sliding compartments, all because it's in the process of being turned into an environmentally friendly tour bus.

"My ideals were kind of clashing with the ideals I was trying to pursue as far as being a musician burning a bunch of gas across the country while paying for apartments in places that I wasn't living in," said Chris Merkley.

Merkley bought the bus from someone in Kentucky for $3,500. With a little help from his dad, he'll convert it to run on vegetable oil, install skylights and make other adjustments to create a sustainable vehicle for his music career.

"Just to consolidate everything I need as far as traveling, living expenses, eating. I wouldn't have to eat out all the time. I could cook meals in the kitchen," said Merkley.

One of the things Merkley says he's most excited about is the installation he'll use inside the bus because it's very environmentally friendly.

"Part of their brand and the low-E brand of this installation is all about sustainability and lowering heating and fueling costs and carbon footprint things," said Merkley.

Each step Merkley takes is a learning experience.

He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in landscape design and does a lot of investigating before he started modifying the bus.

"I did a lot of research up front to get a general idea of what would go into the bus and then I've been narrowing in on more specific topics as I get there, like with the insulation, studied up on heat transfer and everything associated with that just to try to understand the science of it before deciding what products would be best for it," said Merkley.

He says he hopes to have the bus up and running next year.

To learn more about Merkley's bus and to see pictures of its transformation since 2006, visit his website at chrismerkley.com.