Alumni Profile
Jennifer (Jaynes) Hankey (’93) and children at Healthy Green Schools partner Saint Anne’s Day School in Atlanta enjoy King of Pops organic popsicles.
Jennifer (Jaynes) Hankey (’93) & Reagen (Lowrey) Lozar (’99) Leading the charge to ‘go green’
Jennifer (Jaynes) Hankey (’93) and Reagen (Lowrey) Lozar (’99) have found a mutual calling, making it their personal mission to educate children and parents on the adverse effects of unnecessary chemicals. Their collaborative effort to enlighten others on healthier living, however, did not come from a connection as friends at Darlington, teammates on the soccer field, undergrads at the University of Georgia, or even as sisters in Phi Mu. In fact, at each juncture they would completely miss each other by just a few years.
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It was not until Lozar reached out to Hankey on social media to seek her expertise that the two figured out they shared more than just a concern for the safety and welfare of their little ones. “I was really surprised to learn that in the past 50 years, only 200 chemicals out of 80,000 on the market had ever been adequately tested for safety,” Hankey said. Both alumnae had life-changing experiences living in different locales as they pursued graduate degrees – Lozar in Colorado and Hankey in California – forever altering the way they saw the environment around them.
“I was a macaroni-eating, bleach-using southerner, just like everyone else,” said Hankey, who has since returned to Atlanta as founder, president and CEO of Healthy Green Schools. “It completely opened my eyes to what was going on in our world. California had indoctrinated me into a healthy lifestyle.” This effort to help spearhead a paradigm shift of sorts may come as no surprise to those who knew the alumnae during their years at Darlington, as both held and maintained respected leadership positions as students. Hankey was a leader in the dorms, and Lozar served in student government. “So many of these chemicals are not even legal in other countries, or are at least regulated for their use,” said Lozar, a director at Beautycounter, a company that creates and sells safe skin care products and cosmetics. “There are legitimate studies out there that link so many of these chemicals to cancer. It’s becoming an epidemic.” The two have become experts on “eco-living,” sharing tips, ideas, and research through blogging, speaking engagements, and social media in order to help schools, homes, and other businesses to become less toxic environments. “There is no legal definition of ‘green,’ and many ‘green’ products can be just as bad as others,” said Hankey, mother of two, author of the “Healthy Snack and Lunch Guide,” and resident “Green Queen” on 11Alive’s “Atlanta & Company.” Healthy Green Schools began when Hankey started tackling personal concerns at her children’s Atlanta preschool. Like many other places, she found that the use of strong, often harmful, disinfecting all-purpose cleaners was not uncommon. Instead of going at it alone, she partnered with the school to transform the environment so that everyone could make the green transition together. They took a multi-faceted approach that included a critical look into cleaning products, food, personal care items, recycling and reducing waste. This led to the eradication of,
Darlington Magazine