This intern program puts the focus on building sustainability leaders
MONTCLAIR—Student-led “Green Teams” from the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies at Montclair State University recently presented their business- and environment-impacting projects to leaders from across the state, the result of an intensive internship that focuses on issues of environmental responsibility and sustainability.
PSEG has a long-standing relationship with Montclair State University, including support for the PSEG ISS, which promotes transdisciplinary research and community projects to create more resilient communities. According to Angela Ortiz, PSEG’s environmental and social governance and sustainability manager, federal affairs, the environment is at the heart of the institute’s focus, but it is not just about environmental issues. Leaders encourage the development of a much broader view, considering all of the societal issues that affect sustainable development, Ortiz told American Gas. “Its mission is to advance sustainability by developing community-engaged research projects and building educational programs through academic/corporate/public partnerships,” she said.
The PSEG ISS includes a Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center, a public research center devoted to clean-energy development and the many issues surrounding it; the development of—and resources for—sustainable neighborhoods; and the training and promotion of STEM education, including support for the statewide Green Team program, through which students learn to become the sustainability leaders of tomorrow.
“The institute started the Green Team program three years ago,” Ortiz told us. “It is a paid internship opportunity running from May to August where teams of five students each are given a chance to work together as part of a Green Team addressing sustainability problems posed by a specific corporation, local business or government agency. Around nine or 10 teams are selected each year.
“The students can learn how businesses function, [work on] project management, understand and envision how sustainability intersects with different career trajectories, establish a network for future internship and employment opportunities, interact with local community members, gain experience in applied science or management, improve communication skills, etc. All majors are included, as different skills are needed. We’ve participated as a host company for three years in a row and have had wonderful results.”
In fact, 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. Its goal was to help PSEG better communicate to a varied and rapidly expanding universe of stakeholders, enabling those stakeholders to make better, more-informed decisions for the long term.