Brooklyn high school becomes first in NYC to heat entirely with vegetable oil biofuel. Here's how it works.
A Brooklyn public high school is making history by heating its entire campus with vegetable oil biofuel, becoming the first in New York City to fully convert to the renewable energy system.
In the basement of Edward R. Murrow High School, four boilers power the sprawling school of roughly 4,000 students. Instead of relying on traditional fossil fuels, the system runs on vegetable oil biofuel, a low-emission alternative that school officials say could be scaled across the city.
"We can implement that in other buildings in the city [where] it makes sense, in your local hospital, your libraries, even your apartment complexes," said Jesse John, Murrow's sustainability and greenhouse coordinator. "If we implement that across all of those buildings, we could really save a lot of carbon emissions."
"Think of it as maybe French fry oil"
John said the fuel source is familiar to most people, even if its application is not.
"Think of it as maybe French fry oil. And that oil is repurposed into our boilers with a catalyst and a couple of additives. And we actually make it into diesel fuel," he said.
Murrow is the first school in the city to install the renewable energy system, part of a broader effort to explore ways to reduce emissions in the surrounding community. The school sits in a neighborhood where school staff say vehicle congestion and truck routes create air pollution.
"If you ever leave here around 3 p.m., you'll see that it's one of the most congested neighborhoods in the city. There's a lot of legacy fuel being utilized to power cars, trucks all around this neighborhood," John said.
Murrow's system has thus far passed the cold-weather test
This winter marks the first cold-weather test of the system since it was retrofitted last year. Despite recent stretches of brutal temperatures, students and staff report no noticeable difference in heat inside the building.
"We won't have to, like, have so much carbon emissions that ruin our environment and make people like me with asthma, have a rough time, like getting through places and doing sports and other activities," said Adriana Nicholson, a high school junior.
Senior Margaret Dicus said the project reshaped how she thinks about local impact.
"This really showed me that even on small scale, we can make change and that we can make change in a community like Murrow," she said.
The sustainability initiative extends beyond the boiler room and into the classroom. In the school's environmental lab, students grow produce hydroponically using a system powered in part by an aquarium that repurposes fish waste. Nearby, a greenhouse filled with basil and radishes serves as a living lesson on food systems.
"I find it, like, really, really cool. And I think that we're, like, making a difference," said Zoe King, a high school junior.
From the boiler room to the science lab, students say its reshaping how they think of sustainability.
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