A week after New York celebrated Wind Energy Day on October 14, Saint Peter’s College Jersey City campus announced that beginning January 1, 2010, it will purchase 100 percent renewable energy. The New Jersey college will implement this green energy plan for a minimum of one year.
Instead of using a non-renewable resource, such as fossil fuels, to generate electricity, the college will rely solely on the use of wind power to produce electricity. Fossil fuels currently provide more than 85 percent of all the energy consumed in the United States, including two-thirds of our electricity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The Department reports that by 2030, wind has the potential to provide more than 20 percent of America’s energy needs.
Saint Peter’s College is the second private college in New Jersey to make green energy its main source of electricity. Saint Peter’s College has received certification from renewable energy certification company Green-e Certified Energy. The college is also equipped with MINI E cars, which are zero emission, 100 percent electric cars. For the next year, the college will be using these vehicles as part of BMW Group’s official field trial of the environmentally friendly cars.