Beyond having a positive effect on the environment, Lovett students are learning from their surroundings, practicing sustainability, and making respect for the environment second nature.

Biodiesel Fuel Initiative
The Lovett School has a "mini refinery" on campus to convert waste cooking oil from the cafeteria's kitchen into biodiesel fuel. The fuel is used to power 100 percent of the school's diesel maintenance vehicles, which are used daily by the Physical Plant staff. As of December 2007, Lovett has generated 374 gallons of biodiesel.

To convert the oil into fuel, Lovett heats the oil to change its viscosity. Then ethanol and potassium hydroxide are added to the heated oil and the mixture is agitated in a pump. This step separates out the glycerin that is then drained off, leaving the fuel. After "washing" the fuel with water, it is ready for use. The glycerin byproduct from the process is currently being stored for later donation to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, which will use the glycerin to power a building they are constructing. The water used to clean the fuel is reused for landscape irrigation.

Lovett's biodiesel production saves Lovett money related to fuel costs, reduces emissions, and keeps the used cooking oil out of the waste stream. As our "refinery" cannot manufacture enough fuel to run our entire fleet of vehicles, Lovett also purchases fuel that is 20 percent biodiesel.

LEED Certification
Lovett is currently in the design phase of a new 75,000-square-foot Middle School, for which we are seeking silver certification based on the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. A program of the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED evaluates a building's environmental performance on five factors: site selection, water efficiency, energy use, material and resource use, and indoor air quality.

Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling
Lovett contracts with two vendors to properly dispose of the paper, cardboard, plastics, and aluminum that are collected in bins and drop-off points throughout campus. On a monthly basis, Lovett recycles 1.6 tons on paper and corrugated cardboard, the equivalent of saving 325 trees. Students and faculty are reducing the amount of paper they generate, as well, by turning in papers and assignments electronically. This is especially true in the fourth grade laptop program, where much of the work is done online. Most of the paper used in the school's printers, copiers, and publications are recycled post-consumer waste, and more than 380 pounds of plastic and 160 pounds of metal are recycled in an average month, as well. In addition, Lovett recycles 9-volt, AA, AAA, and vehicle batteries.

Students and faculty are aiding in this effort, heading up teams of volunteers after athletic events to pick up plastic bottles that were inadvertently left behind. Students also work to reduce the number of plastic bottles that are used in the first place. All students can now bring (or purchase them for a discount at school) their own reusable plastic bottles and refill them for free using the cold filtered water dispensers in the Lions Den Cafe and the Dining Room.

Sustainability Plan
Lovett has a 24-member Sustainability Committee that includes faculty, administrators, students, parents, and representatives from the business community. The committee's mission is to help develop a sustainability plan for the school, and to support Lovett's efforts to raise environmental awareness and promote ecological stewardship. Lovett's Sustainability Committee has been meeting over the course of the past year and hopes to have the first draft of a sustainability plan this spring.  

To assist the committee in their efforts, Lovett applied for and received a grant from the Sustainable Non-Profits Project, a program of Southface Energy Institute undertaken with private funding from the Kendeda Fund. The project's purpose is to help Atlanta-area non-profit organizations to adopt best-management practices in sustainability. Lovett was chosen, along with The Galloway School and Pace Academy , to work collaboratively to influence successful, long-term change toward sustainability both within and outside their respective schools.

For more information on joining the committee, contact Bill Dunkel.

Organic Gardening
An Upper School ethics class at Lovett is overseeing the development of an organic garden, bringing together students, faculty, and staff members across campus.

Lower School students take the fruit waste (peels, cores, and stems) from their snack and feed it to the mealworms who live in a tank in Mrs. Coleman's science classroom. They also share the waste with their colony of about 700 composting red wiggler worms, whose compost they plan on adding to the garden later this spring. Middle School science students and advisor groups plant and care for their own plots in the garden, augmented by the Lower School's compost, with the help of Upper School botany students who conduct research on organic gardening strategies and best practices. And, the garden is watered using gray water from the Lions Den Cafe and condensation collected from a nearby HVAC unit. The garden is currently located adjacent to the ceramics greenhouse.