FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2010
Contact: Ulli Klein, 617-722-0036 ext. 206, uklein@secondnature.org

The national organization Second Nature announced today that it has awarded Green Building 101 Technical Assistance Grants to 15 colleges and universities. These grants of up to $2000 each will provide building professionals working on campus facilities projects with training in ‘green building.’ Located throughout the US, the recipients are under-resourced colleges and universities, including community colleges and minority-serving institutions.

Workshops, webinars, online courses, and other activities will provide building professionals who work with the schools with an overview of the benefits of green building and retrofits, case studies of campus green building projects, an introduction to third-party certification, and exposure to innovations in the field. Suggested workshops, organized by various organizations nationwide, include: “How to Benchmark Energy Performance,” “Introduction to Sustainable Design,” and “The Sustainable Building Series: Retrofits."

Grant awardees were chosen based on a Second Nature committee’s assessment of the institution’s level of need, statement of interest, and campus sustainability capacity. Said Ashka Naik, Program Manager of Second Nature’s Advancing Green Building Program, “We are confident that the schools receiving these grants will quickly turn their training into results that will benefit their entire campus community.”

Many under-resourced colleges and universities rely heavily on local and regional building contractors, including architects and engineers, to provide the technical expertise necessary to carry out green building projects. Institutions located in remote areas or in regions where green buildings are few and far-between are often subject to higher premiums charged by contractors with little training in green building. The purpose of these grants is to boost the capacity of schools so they are better able to plan and carry out sustainable building projects.

Buildings account for an estimated 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to global climate change. In the higher education arena, many institutions are constructing high-performance, healthy facilities that reduce or eliminate harmful emissions and waste. However, many religious, community, technical, minority-serving, and state-supported institutions have fewer resources to spend on bricks and mortar projects and less in-house knowledge about green building. Many are unaware that environmentally responsible construction can result in 10-20% annual energy savings over the long-term.

Institutions that are building sustainably are also favored for many philanthropic gifts - such as the facilities challenge grants offered by alumni and private foundations, including The Kresge Foundation, which has funded Second Nature’s Advancing Green Building initiative.

Second Nature is a national Boston-based nonprofit organization that works to accelerate movement towards a sustainable future by helping senior college and university leaders in making healthy, just, and sustainable living the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education. Second Nature began its Advancing Green Building initiative in early 2009 and launched the CampusGreenBuilder.org web portal last fall. Second Nature is the lead supporting organization of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment, which has been signed by more than 670 school presidents committed to eliminating carbon emissions on campus and training students to help society address the climate change.

For more information on the Advancing Green Building in Higher Education initiative, contact Ashka Naik, Program Manager. 2010 Recipients of the Green Building 101 Technical Assistance Grants:

Blackfeet Community College (MT), Curtis D. Henriksen, Maintenance Supervisor
Bunker Hill Community College (MA), Paul Righi, Manager, Buildings & Grounds
Campbellsville University (KY), Todd Parish, President, Pro-Services
Cape Cod Community College (MA), John T. Lebica, Assistant VP, Facilities & Sustainability
College of Menominee Nation (WI), Dana Boivin, Maintenance Supervisor
Edmonds Community College (WA), Kao L. Saeteurn, Associate Director of Facilities
Flathead Valley Community College (MT), Steven Larson, Director of Physical Facilities
Gaston College (NC), Orlando Angeles, Director of Facilities
Hilbert College (NY), Gary Dillsworth, Superintendent of Physical Plant
Leech Lake Tribal College (MN), Michelle Carpenter, Carpentry Instructor
Luzerne county Community College (PA), Amy Colwell, Facilities Manager, Project Architect/Engineer
Northwest Arkansas Community College (AR), James C. Hessler, Associate VP for Operations
Northwest Bossier Parish Community College (LA), Linda Sonnier, Instructor and Program Director, Construction Technology
Northwest-Shoals Community College (AL), Charles Hardy, Instructor, Carpentry/Cabinet Making
The California State University, Monterey Bay Corporation (CA), Kathleen Ventimiglia, Director for Campus Planning and Development

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