From Field to Future: Duke Farms Leads New Jersey Into Climate Week 2025

To kick off climate week, Duke Farms hosted climate and conservation luminaries from across the state of New Jersey to elevate real-world solutions to the challenges and opportunities ahead. Land stewards, innovators, and changemakers gathered in Hillsborough to test-drive the future, tackle tough energy questions, and build the networks needed for lasting climate progress.

Getting Our Hands Dirty with Clean Tool Tech

The week kicked off with "It's Electric! Drive & Decarbonize," a hands-on showcase that answered the question every land manager has been asking: can electric equipment really handle the job? Attendees tested everything from autonomous brush mowers to fully electric tractor loaders, getting behind the controls of equipment that's already transforming how Duke Farms maintains its 2,740 acres.

"Over the years of using electric equipment, our team has discovered that it can do everything we need it to and in some cases it's easier to use," explained a Duke Farms staff member. "The team is no longer struggling to start a chainsaw—instead it's up and running with the simple push of a button."

Representatives from over 30 organizations across New Jersey experienced firsthand what companies like Mapi AGRI, Green Climber, and Performance Ford brought to market. When asked what drew them to the event, attendees consistently pointed to the electric tractor and landscaping equipment as their primary interest. Many came with specific goals, particularly looking to replace zero turn mowers with electric alternatives.

The concerns that often hold back electric equipment adoption seemed to fade after hands-on experience. As one attendee noted, they had no concerns about using the equipment “we just need to convince our purchasing department." The biggest surprise for many was discovering the range of what's available with electric power and “how much Duke Farms has done to incorporate electric equipment." The event helped demonstrate that electric equipment solutions are available, effective and will drive down carbon emissions for every public or private entity that puts them to work. 

Navigating the Clean Energy Reality

The conversation shifted to broader energy challenges with "Keeping the Charge," a panel discussion featuring some of New Jersey's most influential clean energy voices. Duke Farms' unique position as one of the state's only private entities with onsite solar, battery storage, and rapid EV charging stations provided the perfect backdrop for this critical conversation.

The panel was moderated by Margaret Waldock, Executive Director, Duke Farms and featured perspectives from state agencies, renewable energy companies and advocacy groups:  

Veronique Oomen, Head of Clean Energy, Board of Public Utilities

Pam Frank, CEO, ChargEVC

Grace Power, General Counsel & EVP of Government Affairs, Solar Landscape

Mark Warner, Senior Vice President,  Gabel Associates

Ed Potosnak, Executive Director, NJ League of Conservation Voters

The discussion addressed pressing challenges head-on. Federal clean energy rollbacks, rising utility costs, offshore wind setbacks, and federal tariffs are creating real headwinds for clean energy momentum. Yet panelists like Mark Warner from Gabel Associates brought perspective from his decades of experience in the renewable energy industry: "The only consistent thing about the clean energy market over the past 25 years is that it has been deeply inconsistent because the policy whiplash has always been a factor. Even though the projects we want to work on are stuck, there are other opportunities to make progress like with battery storage."

"Solar is the cheapest form of energy globally," noted Oomen, and a critical component of accelerating adoption is to shrink the timeline and streamline the upfront costs that can be a barrier to getting renewal projects online.  

Pam Frank of ChargEVC emphasized the need for "radical regulatory reform" and regional collaboration to build market power. Frank highlighted three key focus areas for states and regions: working together across states, counties and municipalities to build market power, shifting from talking about incentives to creating actual markets, and implementing radical regulatory reform to overcome the numerous obstacles.

A lot of discussion focused on the astronomical rise of utility costs in New Jersey this year as an opportunity to elevate solar and renewable energy and battery storage as a solution. 

Warner emphasized a crucial point often overlooked: energy is unique among commodities in that it must be used instantly, unlike other traditional commodities like wheat or corn that can be stored until it’s needed which also factors into market prices. If we approached battery storage in the same way the market incentives would improve, peak energy usage would smooth out,  and grid reliability would improve.

Ed Potosnak from the NJ League of Conservation Voters provided encouraging context about momentum. When Governor Phil Murphy committed to clean energy goals in 2017, only 1% of the country had similar commitments. Because federal policy has swung from one extreme to another and back again, local government has stepped up and now 40% of the country has made similar clean energy commitments, demonstrating that leadership creates followers and the opportunity for local governments to step in the vacuum created at the federal level.

Grace Power from Solar Landscape, who also has experience as the former chief of staff at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities emphasized that "we need to find a different way to process projects and new ideas" given the barriers with grid operators, utilities, and state and local policies.  

Building the Network for Change

The events concluded with "Rooted in Resilience," an informal reception that recognized a fundamental truth about climate action: it happens through relationships. This gathering brought together representatives from state agencies, conservation organizations, and community groups working across land, energy, infrastructure, access, and equity.

Brief lightning presentations from changemakers like: 

Nicholas Angarone, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Chief Resilience Officer and Manager of the Office of Climate Resilience

Olivia Glenn Carpenter, President & CEO,Baobab Blossom Consulting/ NJCF Clean Cities Working Group and Former Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Equity, U.S. EPA Region 2

Nicole Miller, Co-Chair, Jersey Water Works Steering Committee

Jenn Rogers, Executive Director, Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space

Keion Walker, Urban Education and Outreach Coordinator, NY NJ Baykeeper

The evening sparked conversations that continued over local food, drinks, and music. It was relationship-building with purpose, creating the networks essential for the coordinated action climate challenges demand.

Headwaters to Bay: Watershed Collaboration in Action

Another highlight of Climate Week at Duke Farms was the Headwaters to Bay Collaborative, a day-long roundtable focused on the Raritan River watershed. Conservation leaders, land managers, scientists, and policy experts came together to share insights, align priorities, and explore how headwaters-to-estuary restoration can build resilience across entire regions.

The program featured voices from across the watershed community, including the Raritan Headwaters Association, NY/NJ Baykeeper, The Watershed Institute, NJ Water Supply Authority, Rutgers Water Resources Research Institute, and NOAA. 

Breakout sessions dug into five key themes—restoration and stewardship, monitoring and data, basin-wide policy advocacy, education, and community support—sparking conversations that connected technical expertise with community needs.

As one participant put it, “Water doesn’t recognize boundaries. When we align our work across the basin, the impact multiplies.”

The collaborative reinforced a core lesson of Climate Week: climate resilience depends on working across boundaries. Water connects us all, and by sharing data, best practices, and resources, we can strengthen ecosystems, safeguard communities, and accelerate solutions that ripple from headwaters to bay.

The Momentum Continues

These events represented more than a pre-Climate Week gathering—they were a blueprint for how climate action happens at the ground level. By combining hands-on experience, honest dialogue about challenges, and intentional community building, Duke Farms demonstrated that meaningful climate progress starts with bringing the right people together around shared solutions.

As the world's attention turned to New York City for Climate Week, New Jersey has already rolled up its sleeves, modeling how conversation can drive action. The connections made and the learnings shared will drive climate solutions across the Garden State.