Sustainable Jersey – Karen Correa – 2021

Goals

Sustainable Jersey aims to identify opportunities for systematic reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for hundreds of municipalities and school districts across New Jersey. Sustainable Jersey enlisted Karen Kanan Corrêa to uncover energy management barriers and corresponding solutions by establishing energy auditing processes and identifying funding sources during the 2021 certification cycle. 

Solutions

To guide municipalities and school districts through the Sustainable Jersey certification process, Corrêa endeavored to:

• Identify opportunities for systematic reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Uncover energy management barriers and corresponding solutions by establishing energy auditing processes.
• Connect municipalities and school districts to funding resources for energy modernization.
• Act as both subject matter expert and project manager, enabling groups to accomplish certification goals and identify sustainability projects most likely to succeed via environmental and financial analysis.

Corrêa then developed recommendations for each municipality and school district based on their goals. These recommendations included guidance on purchasing renewable energy, installing on-site solar, purchasing electric vehicles, installing EV infrastructure, and completing a carbon footprint.

Potential Impact

Corrêa identified opportunities for systematic reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for two New Jersey municipalities and one school district. In order to do so, she established energy tracking and management systems, identified opportunities for energy efficiency improvements, and accelerated sustainability projects.

As a result of Corrêa’s work, these entities will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and see financial gains. Energy tracking and management systems allow these entities to better analyze the environmental and financial impact of energy efficiency upgrades and sustainability projects.