Building Thriving Communities Through Public-private Partnerships – a Look at Why We Support the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies at Montclair State University

Last week, I had the privilege of welcoming the talented and passionate Green Teams from the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies at Montclair State University as they presented their business- and environment-impacting projects to leaders from across New Jersey.

PSEG has a longstanding relationship with Montclair State University, including significant support for the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies that helps to bring the global principles of sustainability to an on-the-ground municipal level.

The PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies is an exemplification of what Public Service founder Thomas McCarter wrote early in the 20th century that would become our company’s mission: “To help make New Jersey a better place to live.” That’s a guiding principle for our company that still holds true today – to build thriving communities.

Today, we work toward this goal by helping people to use less energy, to ensure that the energy they do use is generated in a way that is clean, green and climate-friendly, and to do these things while ensuring that delivery of that energy is as reliable and resilient as ever.

We call this our “Powering Progress” vision – and it’s that vision that brings us together with organizations like Montclair State University.

Green Teams

The fundamental role of the Green Teams and the talented, committed students who take up the challenge is to help public and private organizations apply the benefits of sustainability at a local level.

Thanks to PSEG’s ongoing support, the Green Teams, recently completing their fourth year, have contributed to the breadth of New Jersey, from to government agencies, such as New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, the Board of Public Utilities and Department of Labor, to local agencies such as the Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority. And the students’ work has benefited New Jersey’s cities such as Newark, Jersey City, Princeton and Montclair.

Their work has also benefited the fields of:

• • Higher education – at Rutgers University, Fairleigh Dickinson University and New Jersey Institute of Technology;
  • Nonprofits – including Northern New Jersey Community Foundation and Sustainable Jersey;
  • The energy sector – with PSEG and NJ Natural Gas;
  • And more – including Hackensack Meridian Health, Tyson, Quest Diagnostics, Stryker and Wyndham.

This year’s Green Team for PSEG leveraged the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to help illustrate and explain PSEG’s role in the world as a leader in sustainability to help us better communicate to a wide variety and rapidly expanding universe of stakeholders, which enables those stakeholders to make better, more informed decisions for the long-term.

At the end of the day, the many organizations that have benefited from the PSEG Green Teams all have at least one thing in common: A shared commitment to sustainability for the benefit of the community.

Public-Private Partnerships

At PSEG, building thriving communities and making New Jersey a better place to live is part of our DNA. But we cannot do it alone.

We need partners.

The role of the modern utility is, at its core, a partnership. It’s a partnership between a company – in this case, PSEG – and public and private entities, whether it’s state or local government, their agencies or many of state’s higher education institutions or our state’s many successful private organizations, and ultimately with the citizens of the state.

By working in partnership with organizations like the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies at Montclair State University, we ensure that we provide the services that are most important to the communities we are committed to serve.

Clean energy future

Today, as we confront the urgent need to address global climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we know we need to do more.

For years, PSEG has had one of the lowest carbon emissions intensity rates among the largest US generators. At PSE&G, we have proposed a $3.5 billion investment with our Clean Energy Future program, which features significant programs for energy efficiency, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, energy storage and advanced metering to help our customers use less energy.

Recently we also announced that we plan to reduce the carbon emissions from our power fleet by 80% by 2046 and that our vision – given the right advancements in technology and public policy – is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

PSEG’s longtime association with Montclair State University, and our support for the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies and for the student-led Green Teams, is another example of a public-private partnership that works to benefit New Jersey and its communities. It’s also a standout example of PSEG’s continuing role as a leader when it comes to furthering clean, sustainable energy for the benefit of the many, many communities we serve.