Nestled away in a far corner of Stockton’s Galloway campus, unbeknownst to many students, sits the facilities building. Within its walls, Justine Ciraolo has been striding into her new role as Stockton’s first-ever Director of Energy and Sustainability. The Argo sat down with her to learn more about her position, plans for the future, and thoughts on sustainability’s relevance to Stockton’s continued development.

“I am a proud alum from Stockton,” began Ciraolo. She first got her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry before coming back for her Doctor of Education (EdD). She also boasts a portfolio of several past positions at Stockton, including the Executive Director of the NAMS School Laboratories. “I was in NAMS for over 20 years. Then this opportunity of Energy and Sustainability Director came my way and I couldn’t turn it down,” she continued.

When asked how she got started on this path of renewable energy, she responded, “I’m gonna blame Dr. Hossay – he kind of geared me towards my passion for energy and sustainability,” she admitted, referencing the long-time Professor of Sustainability at Stockton who played a huge role in designing the program.

Tasked with overseeing projects regarding energy and sustainability issues within Stockton’s facilities, Ciraolo intends to attack her assignment head-on. “I want to do so much. I know that Stockton has always had engineers, technicians, and some part-time employees, but never anyone to oversee the whole program,” she mused. “I’m so grateful because we can bring all of that together… and start bridging gaps between facilities and academic affairs so we can get more students engaged.” Her first priority concerns cutting back on energy usage. “It’s expensive to go to a university… So, one of my biggest goals is energy efficiency. The utility expenses here on campus are quite astounding… The biggest area of concern is monitoring the energy usage. There’s lighting initiatives, and more minor things like caulking windows. One of our big concepts is monitoring the controls… So we’re gonna be working on a schedule. It’s not just saving money but it’s also being more energy efficient.”

She also gave a glimpse into what her daily schedule might look like, and how it aligns with her long-term plans: “It is something very different every day. It’s very exciting. We’re always monitoring the utility bills. We have to make sure that we’re getting a baseline of where things are and where expenses are exceeding. We’re making sure that the solar panels are all functioning,” she offered. “Our big goal now is making sure the EV charging stations are working effectively. We’re gonna be constantly maintaining the EV charging stations and hope to get more because there are more electric vehicles being registered now campus-wide… We’re working with an engineering company to get more for the students and faculty,” continued Ciraolo. “Here, we’re always full speed ahead. There’s really not a lot of downtime because there’s a lot happening; I love it. I love the action, I love being part of it and helping the faculty, staff, and students.”

Ciraolo also expressed a strong desire to work with students in furthering sustainability efforts on campus: “I want to collaborate with the students. I want to hear their voices and see how we can move forward together…because you’re the eyes and ears of this school.” Though the position is still young, several ideas for student involvement are already being fleshed out for possible implementation. These include utilizing sustainability students during energy audits of facilities, opportunities for involvement on a committee to aid in sustainable decision-making processes, on-campus jobs related to green efforts, and more. Possible friendly competitions between housing units in order to see who can make the most energy savings were another idea for bringing sustainability issues to the attention of the entire campus.

Though it’s unclear at this point which of Ciraolo’s ideas could come to fruition, the overarching theme between each is the prioritization of student-forward philosophies.“It’s really necessary to get the students engaged. The problem is that we need buy-in. If we don’t get buy-in from the community, you really can’t move forward. My goal here is to make the community aware of how important (sustainability) is for energy efficiency and for protecting the future of our environment.”

Ciraolo leaves students interested in becoming involved with sustainability on campus with a few choice words: “Don’t always listen to what is posted in the media… Do your research, stay focused, and be passionate about what you do.”