Jersey City, N.J. – March 14, 2014 – Saint Peter’s University today announced that it is the winner of the 2014 Garden State Green Awards in the category of individual college or university. The Garden State Green Awards are granted annually in conjunction with the Garden State GreenFest, an expo dedicated to educating, inspiring, and empowering individuals to come together to create a more sustainable planet. The award will be presented at the GreenFest on Saturday, March 15 at Kean University.
“The University community is thrilled to receive this honor,” said Eileen Poiani, Ph.D., special assistant to the president at Saint Peter’s University. “Saint Peter’s has a long history of working to develop a sustainable campus and we continue to make greater progress everyday. Protecting our finite resources takes collaboration and we are grateful to be recognized and aligned with an organization such as GreenFest that is dedicated to that goal.”
Saint Peter’s has maintained a commitment to sustainable energy. In 2011 the University entered a $6.3 million energy services contract, which involved the installation of solar arrays above a number of buildings on the campus to generate electricity and a cogeneration plant that produces both low carbon heat and electricity. Another component of the contract was the Green Energy Command Center, which contains software and equipment that tracks the amount and type of energy being used on campus. The Center also serves as an educational tool for students. The University recently opened the Mac Mahon Student Center, which is a LEED-Silver building. Previous green projects at Saint Peter’s include the implementation of 100 percent renewable energy generated by wind power as the sole source of purchased electricity and in 2008 President Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D., joined more than 650 others in signing the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The commitment acknowledges that the University will continue to be an early adopter of environmentally friendly solutions. Organizations such as Students Against Violating the Earth (SAVE) also exist on campus in order to engage students in sustainability efforts.
“We always receive a large number of nominations and it is encouraging to see how much so many do on behalf of the environment,” said Ruth Coules of the Garden State GreenFest. “We are very pleased to name Saint Peter’s University this year’s winner out of all of the impressive submissions.”
The Garden State Green Awards honor individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the environment through preservation, reclamation, conservation and support or develop sustainable energy.
# # end # #
Saint Peter’s University, inspired by its Jesuit, Catholic identity, commitment to individual attention and grounding in the liberal arts, educates a diverse community of learners in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs to excel intellectually, lead ethically, serve compassionately and promote justice in our ever-changing urban and global environment. To learn more, please visit www.saintpeters.edu.
Media Contact
Angeline Boyer
(201) 761-6238
aboyer1@saintpeters.edu