Sustainable Jersey – Marriele Robinson – 2017

Goals

Sustainable Jersey provides tools, training and financial incentives to support communities as they pursue sustainability programs. The program culminates in a certification award to municipalities and schools that have documented meeting a set of rigorous standards. EDF Climate Corps fellow Marriele Robinson was hired to assist three New Jersey schools implement energy initiatives. Since none of the schools had completed any major energy upgrades, the goal was to evaluate current use patterns and determine the best strategy for reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Solutions

Due to high utility costs, each district was motivated to develop an energy reduction strategy. However, confusion surrounding program eligibility, as well as finance and subsidy availability, had resulted in slow progress. To overcome this, Robinson worked with school leaders to apply for the appropriate state program and finance opportunities. For projects that did not fall within the state scope, various grant applications were completed specific to each school’s desired project. Robinson also trained staff on energy benchmarking tools and analyzed utility history to determine the best opportunities for savings.

Potential Impact

If completed, the recommended projects have a combined savings of 400 tons of carbon dioxide emission, 665,000 kilowatt hours, 3,861 therms of natural gas and over $105,000 in utility costs for public schools. Each school has successfully submitted the necessary program and grant paperwork, and has received a next-step guidebook to ensure initiatives are successful into the future.