Monmouth University will go carbon neutral on Earth Day and help students and area residents to do the same. On April 22, 2013, Hess Corporation’s Energy Marketing division is providing the University with Verified Emission Reductions (VERs). The carbon off-sets are the equivalent of taking eight passenger cars off the road for ten years.
On April 22, Monmouth University will host an Earth Day Celebration on the patio of the Student Center from noon to 4 p.m. with the University’s Environmental Club. The event will have live music, giveaways, environmentally themed games, a raffle for Hess Trucks, and information tables. Employees and students are invited to stop by and exchange an incandescent bulb for a CFL bulb. Also on April 22, TechniArt, a division of NJ Clean energy, will hold a lighting fair at the Student Center Pit from 12 to 4 p.m. The Lighting Fair will provide Monmouth University employees and local residents the opportunity to purchase energy efficient lighting. The use of this lighting will help them save on future residential electric bills.
On Saturday, April 20, in observance of Earth Day, Monmouth University’s Community Garden will open so that participants can plant. Volunteers should contact Robin Mama at (732) 571-3607. The Garden is located on the corner of Beechwood and Brookwillow Avenue in West Long Branch. Volunteers should bring garden gloves and tools if they have them.
The Monmouth University Environmental Club in conjunction with Facilities Management will hold an “Earth Day Planting” event on Tuesday, April 23, starting at noon. Native trees will be planted on campus to replace trees lost during Superstorm Sandy. In addition, on April 24, the Environmental Club will be restoring the Rain Garden from the damage caused by Sandy. Volunteers are needed for both events and can contact Brett Gilmartin at (201) 341-3982.
Monmouth University has distinguished itself as a leader in demonstrating energy efficiency among academic institutions. Monmouth University is the first independent university in New Jersey to sign a comprehensive green operation agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The University was named the New Jersey Clean Energy School of the Year in 2006 by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and received a 2007 Merit Award from the Monmouth County Planning Board for its Solar Panel Installation Project. This January, Monmouth University was awarded The New Jersey Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award for Environmental Leadership. Monmouth University was featured in the 2013 Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges.