Public health major and rising senior Leana Zeidan, who was a member of corporate partner Greener by Design\u2019s team<\/cite><\/footer>\n<\/blockquote>\nThe program benefits host companies, as well as students, by providing an opportunity to explore and develop custom-tailored sustainability solutions. For example, various departments within NJM Insurance were able to assess the sustainability of their operations and identify areas where they might improve efficiencies \u2013 while pinpointing ways to better align initiatives with their mission, vision and values.<\/p>\n
Making the World a Better Place<\/h2>\n
The way rising senior and sustainability science major Ralph Olacio sees it, the Green Team pilot program is a bold step for the University. \u201cIt\u2019s the first program of its kind in New Jersey to bring academia and the private sector together to promote and implement a truly sustainable future for all,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n
The Cox Printers team developed ideas that could help reduce the company\u2019s carbon footprint and initiate green programs to share with the surrounding community. As a team member, Olacio created a printable 3D design for a rooftop mini-golf course. \u201cIt was refreshing to see the future of sustainability from the perspective of a business,\u201d he says. \u201cAlthough many economic barriers inhibit true sustainability in all industries, it was great to see such institutional forward-thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to PSEG\u2019s Ortiz, the energy company was seeking a fresh and unbiased perspective on new trends in sustainability reporting \u2013 and what should be publicly available and reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has been a great experience,\u201d says public health major and PSEG team member Julie Attys. \u201cIt showed me sustainability is not only about recycling but about people and making the world a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attys learned something new every day. \u201cI\u2019m in a group with geology, political science, biology, and sustainability science majors. Working with them and with a large electric company was an eye-opening experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teammate Abdiel Jimenez valued the opportunity to work with PSEG. \u201cAs students, we don\u2019t have enough experience to understand the corporate world,\u201d the sustainability science major says. \u201cBut through this program, my team and I have learned to understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putting Theory into Practice<\/h2>\n
Students seldom participate in corporate boardroom conversations and presentations at a Fortune 500 company, but at Prudential Global Investment Management Real Estate (PGIM Real Estate), Karthika Priya Jayaprakash and her teammates were able to do just that.<\/p>\n
According to Jayaprakash, the experience benefits students and companies alike. \u201cThe corporate partners interacted with students who are truly passionate about sustainability, conversant with best practices and want to make a real difference,\u201d says the computer science major. \u201cStudents got beyond theory to practice and got a ringside view into how corporations operate, how every decision has to be quantified, how risk assessments are performed, and the factors that drive policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur participation in the MSU intern program provided us with the opportunity to engage in projects outside of our typical day-to-day activities and also challenge the students to find solutions for real-life sustainability issues,\u201d recalls David DeVos, PGIM Real Estate VP, Global Director of Sustainability. \u201cAs a result of our collaboration, we have developed new tools to improve the implementation of our sustainability initiatives and streamline the reporting of our sustainability program.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seeing Green<\/h2>\n
NJM Insurance calls their Green Team students their \u201cA Team.\u201d The students worked collaboratively to identify and roll out easy-to-implement, cost-effective, environmentally beneficial programs that have been well received by the company. Some of the students\u2019 ideas may eventually be incorporated into NJM\u2019s ongoing sustainability efforts.<\/p>\n
Jurisprudence, law and society major Emma Lavin joined the program for a hands-on experience that would teach her about energy efficiency. \u201cWe worked to help solve NJM\u2019s sustainability issues such as finding new ways for them to decrease the yearly amount of energy they use,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
As an unexpected benefit, the internship has Lavin considering a career in environmental law.<\/p>\n
A Win-Win Program with a Bright Future<\/h2>\n
Encouraged by the pilot program\u2019s success, Tuininga expects to offer it again next summer. \u201cWe offered a great resource and practical deliverables to our corporate partners, while we brought students together from different disciplines who are able to build their resumes and network,\u201d she says. \u201cThey learned hard and soft skills, from industry best practices to corporate social responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tuininga believes that all businesses could benefit by taking a closer look at their sustainability practices. \u201cOur students have shown they are eager to help. So far, the program has been a win-win situation all around and we anticipate an even brighter future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read More on the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education Website<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Whether majoring in political science or sustainability science, public health or accounting, the 35 Montclair State student PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies \u201cGreen Team\u201d members shared a common purpose: to address sustainability issues facing leading regional and global businesses. Every time I talk about this program, I smile. This initiative has been very important in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":1720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1719"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1722,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1719\/revisions\/1722"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/pseg-sustainability-institute\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}