President's Sustainability Task Force
Our Mission
The President's Sustainability Task Force supports and creates sustainability initiatives at Kean through four key areas of focus: Academics and Research, Planning, Operations, and Engagement.
The Task Force seeks to engage the campus community in sustainability initiatives for the benefit of the surrounding area and the planet. Sustainability efforts at Kean are supported by policies and planning designed to facilitate governance and transparency. At Kean, both formal education and meaningful campus experiences reflect our ongoing commitment to building a more sustainable future.
Learn more about Kean's sustainability programs below.
25%
25% of Kean courses include elements of sustainability.
70
Over 70 faculty from 23 departments are currently engaged in sustainability research.
Climate literate
Kean prepares students to be climate literate citizens.
Student and Employee Involvement
Kean students and employees support the University's commitment to sustainability by participating in university-wide recycling and composting initiatives. They also utilize the vehicle charging stations on campus and participate in planting trees and environmental cleanup.
Our Initiatives
Kean's ongoing commitment to sustainability is reflected in longstanding campus initiatives like our composter and hydroponic greenhouse. Kean's Plant Ecology Laboratory conducts mechanical plant research and studies the influence of human activity on plant biodiversity.
Academics & Research
Kean is New Jersey's urban research university. Our dedicated faculty are pioneering innovative solutions to environmental problems facing our communities and the world. Kean's earth, environmental and sustainability science programs are educating the next generation of scholars and leaders.
Kean Skylands
The newest campus at Kean University is located in the Oak Ridge section of Jefferson Township in Morris County. A living laboratory nestled among the trees, Skylands offers a diverse array of wetlands and woodlands for exploration, observation and study.
Center for the Urban Enviorment
The Center for the Urban Environment strives to protect communities Of Color and low-income communities from disproportionately high amounts of pollution by addressing environmental justice issues on the local, state and national levels.
Human Rights Institute
The Human Rights Institute at Kean was established to shine a light on human rights issues and violations across the globe, while inspiring the next generation to create a more just and peaceful world. The Human Rights Institute promotes environmental justice by promoting equity and supporting initiatives targeting at increasing access to clean air and water.
Kean Sustainability In The News
What Is Environmental Justice? with Kean University's Nicky Sheats, Ph.D. | TapInto | November 2023
Shore Research In Keyport Could Help Many Two River Communities | The Two River Times | February 2023
Closed landfill contamination causing significant concerns for this NJ waterway | 92.7 | February 2023
Kean University to help Keyport with erosion, pollution research | Asbury Park Press | February 2023
Kean Makes History as Urban Research University with Funding for Three Initiatives in Federal Spending Bill | Insider NJ | January 2023
Kean Environmental Science Classes Are Reducing Plastic Waste | Kean University | November 2021
Kean Researchers Seek Environmental Solutions in the Trash | Kean University | November 2021
Student Work
Kean students are passionate about preserving the planet for future generations. Kean's sustainability initiatives include student-led and student-supported projects. The following sustainability resources were developed by Kean students enrolled in Professor Allison Edgley's Community Building class.