SN Testimonials

Here is a selection of comments from people who have found Second Nature's programs and services to be helpful in their efforts:

"Without Second Nature, we would not be where we are today. About that, there is no question in my mind... Through our work with Second Nature, we have been able to hold workshops for 100 faculty who have gone on to revise 140 courses in disciplines across a wide range of disciplines. Moreover, we have adopted a new liberal studies program that has at its center a commitment to understanding environmental sustainability. One-third of all the courses in that program (85 out of 240) articulate student learning outcomes that ensure students attain the sophisticated and complex understanding needed to address environmental issues. None of these changes would have been possible without Second Nature."
--Geoffrey Chase, Dean, Liberal Studies and Assessment, Northern Arizona University

"Your expertise with consortia helped us as we developed our initial goals and objectives, governing structure, advisory board, funding sources, operating procedures, and priorities… for the New Jersey Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (NJHEPS). We have been able to quickly leapfrog over many hurdles that it might have taken years to without your help. We have succeeded and take the credit, but the credit is in no small part due to our close working partnership with Second Nature."
--Donald Wheeler Ph.D., President, NJHEPS and James Quigley, Ph.D., Executive Director, NJHEPS

Note: NJHEPS now has 33 schools involved in EFS, sustainable design and operations, and greenhouse emissions.

"...As an organization [your leadership] has consistently been inclusive, progressive and principled...I could not imagine how the transformation of higher education could begin to be accomplished without the leadership and expertise of an organization such as Second Nature. The ability of [Second Nature] to focus on global issues and systemic changes needed in our society while encouraging individuals and institutions to think and work locally (at the campus and community level) is phenomenal. Your positive impact on the HBCU/MI consortium has been immense."
--Kofi Bota, Director, The HBCU/MI Environmental Technology Consortium
and Vice President, Clark Atlanta University

Note: The HBCU/MI Environmental Technology Consortium is comprised of 17 minority serving institutions in the South and Southwest.

"Thanks in part to the help of Second Nature (workshops and consultation), Berea College has incorporated sustainable practices into every area of its operations from its curriculum to its campus master plan to its renovations of campus buildings to areas in between."
--Amy Shehee, Executive Assistant to the President, Berea College

"I want to report to you how valuable Second Nature has been to the Associated Colleges of the South and to our faculty, and through our faculty, to our students. Thanks to the efforts and leadership of you and your exceptionally talented colleagues, we have made remarkable strides forward in expanding our efforts in terms of broadening environmental service, stimulating curricular reform, promoting collaborative research and strengthening campus operations. Without Second Nature's creative efforts and support, our consortium would not have made the extraordinary progress we have made in the last three years…In three years, ACS has brought together faculty, students and staff in new and synergistic ways—in the process improving programs, changing attitudes and transforming lives…"
--Wayne Anderson, President, Associated Colleges of the South

"The other deans, faculty and I at Wingspread are going to do what we can to keep this [sustainable design program] alive…I think I speak for all of the Wingspread participants that we are forever indebted to you and your staff at Second Nature for starting this effort and helping us see how essential it is to the global environment."
--Thomas Fisher, Dean, School of Architecture, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

Note: These comments refer to the Wingspread Conference on Sustainable Design in Architectural Education and Practice, August 2001

"Greening the Crimson" is breaking new ground for Harvard, but we are drawing upon the efforts initiated by Second Nature and which came to our attention through the "clearinghouse" function that Second Nature provides. Many campuses have well-established programs and Second Nature has been our link to the leading institutions."
--John Spengler, Director, Environmental Science & Engineering Program Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University

"Our experience at MIT has shown that Second Nature is a key catalyst for change, through your practices of sustained engagement, consultation, workshops and discussions. We would not have undertaken many of the introspective steps that we have to this point were it now for our relationship with Second Nature, and the people we have met through our relationship with your organization. Your organization has opened the door to a fascinating process, and has introduced us to a network of like minded people and organizations that are undertaking similar processes."
--Jeffrey Steinfeld, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Program on Environmental Education and Research; Center for Environmental Initiatives

"[Participation in Second Nature workshops] has had an impact at two levels—individual and institutional. [Faculty] have incorporated material and techniques from the various workshops in their own courses. Those of us who have been through the Second Nature workshops are 'better' teachers for having had these opportunities. In turn, we have used these workshop experiences, in an 'each one teach one' model, to disseminate what we have learned to other faculty and interested parties. These workshops have been excellent settings in which we have had the opportunity to exchange ideas with other faculty members and others who have been engaged in similar pursuits. These interactions have given us a sense of what has 'worked' in other settings and how to avoid problems that others have experienced."
--Professor George Middendorf, Biology Department, Howard University, and Professor Joseph McCormick, Director, Master of Arts in Public Administration Program, Howard University

"…You've all done yeoman work in keeping the EFS effort alive and moving forward. Others and I have benefited greatly from your work directly and indirectly. I have enjoyed working with [the] staff a number of times and could honestly say that without the work of Second Nature and others like you, I wouldn't be where I am and either would MSU. We are poised here to make some significant lasting changes in how we do business. We're a long way from some mythical finish line, but the rudder is slowly being turned to navigate us in more sustainable directions. Huge vessels like ours turn slowly. Thanks for all the work, all the love and all the passion you and your colleagues have shared."
--Terry Link, Director, Office of Campus Sustainability. Michigan State University

"Second Nature has shown colleges and universities all over the country that a sustainable path is not only possible, but the only responsible choice in educating tomorrow's citizens and leaders. Second Nature's leadership and vision has helped U.S. higher education set a better course for the future."
--Tammy Lenski, Professor of Mediation/Conflict Management, Woodbury College