Programs
Second Nature initiates and supports high-leverage national initiatives and programs aimed at re-orienting the higher education sector toward more sustainable outcomes. Its key strategies are to:
• work closely with senior leaders in higher education to make sustainability a strategic imperative;
• identify and create opportunities for higher education to lead the way in creating a sustainable society;
• create strong networks and build coalitions among institutions and organizations within higher education;
• foster effective collaboration with other sectors of society;
• enable productive dialogue on accelerating the transition toward sustainability; and
• develop effective methods to transition from awareness to understanding to action.
American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
In partnership with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and ecoAmerica, Second Nature promotes climate action by encouraging and supporting higher education institutions to model ways to eliminate global warming emissions, and to provide the knowledge and the educated graduates to achieve climate neutrality through the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).
Specifically, our team:
• Supports the ACUPCC Steering Committee of presidents
• Coordinates outreach to encourage new presidents and chancellors to join the initiative and make the commitment to climate neutrality
• Manages on-going communication with signatory presidents and chancellors
• Manages the annual Climate Leadership Summit
• Coordinates collective actions including the development of a signatory carbon offset protocol, and the existing buildings energy efficiency retrofit financing partnership with the Clinton Foundation
• Develops partnerships to connect ACUPCC presidents with other sectors in joining and implementing the Commitment, such as with the US Conference of Mayors
Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium
Second Nature coordinates the Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium, an information-sharing and co-learning network of fifteen higher education associations with the goal of accelerating movement toward sustainability in these influential organizations, and enhancing their ability to support their members to carry out their campus roles in a way that is aligned with sustainability principles.
Advancing Green Building in Higher Education
Second Nature, Inc. has launched a capacity-building program, Advancing Green Building in Higher Education, focused on addressing some of the challenges faced by under-resourced colleges and universities to ‘build green’ on their campuses. With a $1,242,000 three-year grant from the Kresge Foundation, Second Nature is helping under-resourced schools learn about and use the financial and technical resources available to construct and renovate campus buildings in ways that save money, reduce environmental and health impacts, serve as educational tools, and increase student enrollment.
Education for Sustainability Think Tank
Higher education shapes the mindsets of the world’s leaders, and our collective mindsets shape the world. To create a healthy, just, and sustainable world, we need leaders, professionals, and citizens in all sectors, fields, and walks-of-life with a deep understanding of the scientific and normative aspects of sustainability and the ability to lead their personal and professional lives aligned with sustainability principles.
The ACUPCC signatories have committed themselves to taking actions to make climate neutrality and sustainability a part of the curriculum and other educational experience for all students. Many other forward-looking senior executives are seeing the exponential growth of the education for sustainability movement and looking for help to answer the question “what next?” Through innovative partnerships with both the public and private sector, Second Nature aims to push the leading edge of education for sustainability thinking in order to accelerate change toward a healthy, just and sustainable society.
This initiative will focus on developing multi-sector strategies for transformative action in higher education and will include an engaged advisory group of leading thinkers and partner institutions employing innovative and effective approaches to EFS. Strategic planning has already begun, and we aim to launch in Q2 of 2009.
Higher Education Sustainability Federal Policy Advocacy
In partnership with the Campaign for Environmental Literacy, we support interested higher education stakeholder in advocating for key education for sustainability policy, in particular, supporting passage of and appropriations for the Higher Education Sustainability Act and funding of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative
The purpose of the Tompkins County Climate Protection Initiative is to establish a model for cross-sector partnerships for high-leverage climate action initiatives. The goal is to demonstrate the measurable strategic advantages gained by establishing and mobilizing a coalition of community leaders, including higher education institution leaders, who are committed to finding mutually-beneficial synergies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The primary focus of this initiative over the next two years will be major energy efficiency projects in Tompkins County, NY that will significantly decrease electricity consumption.
Sustainability Advisory Services, Workshops, and Speaking Engagements
Capacity building on sustainability – what it means and how to get there – is at the heart of Second Nature’s work. Second Nature has worked with hundreds of college and universities, creating tailor-made consultations and workshops to advance sustainability efforts on campus across the country. With the advent of AASHE, the Second Nature team has re-oriented these services toward the executive leadership, and expanded the program to include consultations, workshops, and presentations by the whole team in addition to the highly-sought-after services of Dr. Cortese. Second Nature plans to increase its effective use of social networking and other online communication technologies to advance this work to larger audiences at lower cost.
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