I decided to study mathematics at Montclair because I was good at math, not because I knew what kind of job it could lead to. But the degree served me well, teaching me to think methodically and logically and grounding my understanding of data.

As part of the inaugural class of interns at the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies at Montclair, Laing-Waliyaya was engaged in transdisciplinary research and community projects well before launching her career. This, along with her involvement in Alpha Kappa Alpha, helped her develop leadership and communication skills that have also been crucial to her success.

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Today marks a milestone – a decade of collaboration, innovation and student-driven sustainability solutions.

Since its inception, Montclair’s Green Teams program has grown into a powerful model of experiential learning and real-world problem solving. Hundreds of impactful deliverables have supported sustainable solutions for municipalities, nonprofits and corporations across New Jersey and beyond.

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Since its inception in 2016, the Green Teams program has served as a . Community partners host teams of undergraduate students, who conduct sustainability research, collect and analyze environmental and economic data, and make recommendations to help shift corporate and organizational culture toward sustainability.

To date, 420 students from across the country have completed over 350 real-world projects supporting 53 local communities, nonprofits and both national and global companies in advancing their sustainability goals.

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We’re thinking big, we’re thinking long term, we’re thinking locally. We’re thinking through an environmental justice and a social justice lens.

Since 2016, the Green Teams program has been a platform for launching students into internships, green jobs and graduate programs. Community partners sponsor teams of undergraduates who provide research, analysis and marketing to shift corporate culture. To date, that has included 290 real-world projects, with 370 students overall assisting 50 local communities, nonprofits and national and global companies advance their sustainability projects.

For corporate and nonprofit partners, this summer’s projects will include creating a plan to influence land-use laws in Northern Jersey as part of an environmental justice initiative, evaluating the effects of greenhouse gasses and aviation and detailing how a hospital could reduce emissions by introducing a fleet of electric vehicles.

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“My twin sister had already decided to go to Montclair,” she recalls. “At the time, I was getting ready to take a gap year after high school. But when I joined her for a campus visit, I changed my plans.”

Although Viasus had originally considered studying international business, her passion for the environment led her to the University’s programs in sustainability science and geography. She chose a concentration in urban studies and became fascinated with geographic information system (GIS) mapping.

“Data has a deeper application when you are able to observe its geographic references,” Viasus explains. “Whether you are tracking pollution or the spread of disease, GIS mapping provides context that supports efforts to create a solution.”

The PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies (PSEG ISS) Green Teams internship program provided Viasus with the platform she needed to fully experience the application of sustainability science and impact of GIS mapping in driving business decisions.

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The five-year , led by Institute Director Amy Tuininga and funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), will train undergraduate participants from diverse backgrounds to enter the agriculture industry and prepare them to be competitive for advanced agricultural science and related technology degrees.

Through this paid experiential learning opportunity, participants will also study ethical and sustainability-oriented agricultural practices and processes, and receive cross-training on urban and rural agricultural practices via an exchange program between New Jersey and Kansas.

The project will directly impact 50 students with agriculture-specific training opportunities, and will indirectly impact 1,500 additional students involved in concurrent training and partner programs, providing increased exposure to potential agricultural careers and the need for sustainability and data science professionals within the industry.

As part of the hands-on training, the project incorporates novel and sustainable technologies including machine learning or artificial intelligence, web design and data dashboards, robotics and process automation, sustainable or renewable energy source integration, cost benefit analysis and circular economic processes, and geographic information systems.

We are excited to partner with Kansas State University on this new ag-tech initiative. In a time when so many people are fighting food injustice, and technology is advancing so quickly, it is imperative to train a new generation of agriculture workers to use technology to address these disparities, build resilient food systems locally and nationally, and provide ready access to healthy food for all. This is exactly what the transdisciplinary Green Teams Program does.

The research is part of NIFA’s Research and Extension Learning Experiences for Undergraduates program, a $15 million investment that supports the development of new members of the agricultural workforce and provides opportunities for students, including those from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged groups, minority-serving institutions, community colleges and universities.

Sara Reper, a senior Sustainability Science major at ����vlog, passed up an internship opportunity to do outdoor recreation planning in California this summer to participate in the 2023 PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies (ISS) Green Teams Program. “I’m glad that I did Green Teams instead,” she says.

A junior English major at Montclair, Emily Christian grew up “with a sustainability mindset” near Atlantic City.

Anything we did in the area I grew up in affected the water, affected the plants, affected the beaches. I didn’t know that there was a whole school of thought around sustainability until I received the email about the Institute. So that’s a really big reason why I got involved, because I feel very passionate about it. And I knew that I had skills to bring to the table that aren’t just about my major.

Christian says she wasn’t the only humanities major in the 50-member cohort but she was the only English major. “I would 100% recommend it to anyone but I would say if you’re a humanities major, they need you,” she says. “In order for anything to get done anywhere, you need to make a case for the money. Period. So, if you’re good at persuasive writing, if you’re good at persuasive speaking, if you are good at any type of writing or telling a story, your teammates need you because you’re the yin to their yang.”

Christian used her English expertise to help with writing and editing a script for a short video featuring Montclair pupscot Pebbles for the “Fill it Forward” initiative. She also did the voice-over for the video campaign.

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Organized by PSEG ISS, the initiative brings together aspiring environmental leaders and decision-makers to tackle pressing environmental challenges in the community.

This year, a group of 50 environmentally conscientious students are divided into 10 teams and aligned with host partner organizations to survey, research, analyze and report on sustainability projects. The organizations include PSEG; Hackensack Meridian Health; New Jersey Resources; NJ Transit; Stryker; Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; DSM-Firmenich; Newark Community Food System; and ����vlog Facilities.

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I took on a leadership role within the team and that brought along learning opportunities. I started delegating assignments, learning how to handle conflicts between team members, and working to increase our productivity.

Lamboy worked on a different project, conducting research to inform the preliminary stages of designing a new park in Newark. It was a perfect fit for her, because improving infrastructure is what drives her passion for sustainability.

It’s easy to suggest putting solar panels on your house or growing a garden in your backyard, but what if you live in an apartment and don’t have a roof or a yard? The system needs to be changed.

Lamboy hopes to someday have her own firm that would retrofit existing buildings to make them more sustainable.

Why tear it all down when you could just tweak it a bit?

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