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Take this course as part of the NJ Recycling Certification Program, or to earn CRP and CPWM credits, while exploring the topics of sustainability, climate change, and industrial ecology.
Open to Recycling Certification Series Students Only!
Registration for this course is only open to students who are currently enrolled in the NJ Recycling Certification Series. If you would like to enroll in the program to become a Certified Recycling Professional, please contact Pamela Springard-Mayer at pam.mayer@rutgers.edu or 848-932-7463.
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Register Now
Contact Pamela Springard-Mayer to Register
Email: pam.mayer@rutgers.edu
Phone: 848-932-7463
In addition to those enrolled in the NJ Recycling Certification Series, this course can be taken by active CRPs who would like to earn CRP recertification credits.
Course Details
Course Name: Understanding Sustainability Management
Course Code: ER0113WA27
Date: December 10, 2026
Time: 8:30 am – 3:30 pm EST
Location: Online
Format: Live, instructor-led
Registration Fee: $125 per person
Recycling Series Discount Fee: $100 per person (Save when you register for all courses in the Recycling Certification Series!)
Registration Closes: December 7, 2026
Paying with a check, money order, or purchase order?
Payments should be made out to: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Checks and money orders should be mailed to: Office of Continuing Professional Education, Attn: Registration Dept., 102 Ryders Ln, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8519
Purchase Orders can be mailed to the address above or electronically sent to registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Course Overview
This class is part of the NJ Recycling Certification Series.
This program has been designed to help individuals better understand how economic activity – and the programmatic decisions it drives – may impact the health of the environment and society. The course will examine how and why natural resources are often undervalued or ignored completely by traditional accounting practices and economic data. It also will discuss why natural assets, such as clean air and water, tend to be abused precisely because they are the “common property” of society at large.
Featured Topics
- What is sustainability—and why should we care?
- Why people, communities, and nations overwhelm natural resources
- Global climate change—real numbers and predicted costs
- Industrial ecology—how does it fit in?
- Systems analysis and process improvement—evaluating what YOU do
Who Should Attend?
If you are completing the NJ Recycling Certification Program in order to become a Certified Recycling Professional, you must take this course. Current Certified Recycling Professionals and Certified Public Works Managers can also take this course to earn recertification credits, as well as anyone else who is interested in learning more about the topic of sustainability.
Meet Your Instructors
Dr. Paul D. Gottlieb, Rutgers University
Paul D. Gottlieb, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. He is also an extension specialist, with college-wide responsibilities related to smart growth, land use policy, and economic development in rural communities. He received his Ph.D. in public affairs from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, where he concentrated in urban and regional development. Prior to entering Princeton, he served for three years as a researcher for the New Jersey Office of State Planning (now the Office of Smartgrowth). He authored numerous technical reports for the agency and has published articles on growth management in various journals. Dr. Gottlieb joined Rutgers in 2002.
Dr. Kevin Lyons, Rutgers University
Dr. Lyons conducts research on developing and integrating global environmental, social, economic, ethical criteria and data into supply chain/procurement systems and processes. His research work includes the environmental and economic impacts on raw material extraction, logistics, manufacturing, consumption, consumer of multiple products and services research, designing and implementing local, national and international environmental economic development systems, waste-to-energy systems and environmental and sustainable social policy and financial impact forecasting (e.g. Sarbanes Oxley Corporate Social and Environmental Impact Reporting). He has also created the supply chain archeology and supply chain waste archeology research disciplines and has researched and written extensively on conducting environmental health-checks on global supply chains and the resulting benefits of reduced risk management impacts and costs. Dr. Lyons also serves as director of the Rutgers Business School Public Private Community Partnership Program.
Lisa Johnson
Bio coming soon!
Student Reviews
“Very informative and easy to understand. Dr. Kevin Lyons had a very interesting conversation on supply chain and procurement. I learned about the tangible benefits that sustainability can bring to a community and I will be able to use this for not only locally but hopefully globally in the future.”
– Kevin Bucceroni, Gloucester Township
Supervisor, CPWM“Very useful information, great for anybody looking to be more involved in benefiting the environment both in a personal and community level. It is a very important topic to help maintain our planet for future generations.”
– Daniel Murray, NJDEP
Environmental Engineer“Very thorough education on sustainability and LCA’s was accomplished. [Most useful aspects were] case studies, real life examples and the use of visual models.”
– Ali Baranowski, NJ Department Of Military And Veterans Affairs
Environmental Specialist IIContinuing Education Credits
The Understanding Sustainability Management course is approved for 0.6 Rutgers CEUs (6 contact hours), as well as the following credits from professional organizations.
New Jersey
NJ Certified Public Works Managers (CPWM): 3 Technical and 3 Management Contact Hours
NJ Certified Recycling Professionals (CRP): 6 Classroom Recertification Credits
Course Requirements and Policies
Technology Requirements
This online course will be delivered via Zoom.
Equipment you will need to access this training:
- A laptop or desktop computer is required for this class.
- You must have a camera and a microphone to participate in this class.
- Speakers and microphone are not necessary as a call-in option is available.
Once you register with OCPE, you will receive an email from “Rutgers University Canvas” saying, “Click here to finish the registration process,” to create your new account in the Canvas Virtual Platform. If you do not see this message in your inbox, please check your junk/spam folder.
Email Requirement
A unique email address is required for each registrant to register and access our courses.
- If this is your first time registering with us, please provide your own unique email address when registering; do not provide an email address that you share with co-workers.
- If you have previously taken classes with us and have used an email address that you share with your co-workers or supervisor, your account must be updated with a unique email address. To do this, please send an email to us at registration@njaes.rutgers.edu stating that your email address needs to be changed and include:
- Your full name
- The shared email address that needs to be changed
- Your unique email address
- A phone number where you can be reached if we have any questions
Cancellations and Substitutions
A $50 cancellation fee applies for this course. Substitutions are permitted for only non-series recycling individuals. View our cancellation policy.
Program Questions? We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about Understanding Sustainability Management, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Senior Program Coordinator: Pamela Springard-Mayer
848-932-7463
pam.mayer@rutgers.edu
For registration assistance, please contact our Registration Department at 848-932-9271, option 2 or email registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.
