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As a result of new technologies, financial pressures, growing student activism, and shifts in federal and state climate policies, campus climate and sustainability efforts continue to evolve. Join Second Nature and the American Council on Education (ACE) in a new series of webinars—Charting Opportunities and Challenges in Higher Education’s Climate Action Journey—tailored to help campus leaders, sustainability staff, and climate advocates anticipate challenges and identify opportunities to lead in this rapidly shifting policy landscape. Featuring higher education and climate experts, the conversation will explore how higher education can continue to lead on climate action by advancing clean energy, equity, and innovation while preparing students for a changing world.
This webinar series is hosted in partnership with the American Council on Education (ACE).
Sustainability has undergone major policy realignments over the past year, with a huge shift at the federal level from the Biden administration’s support to the Trump administration’s hostility to sustainability policies. This stage-setting webinar explored emerging trends, shared institutional perspectives, and laid the groundwork for the conversations to come.
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This session reviewed and discussed Second Nature’s Higher Education Clean Energy Projects Map. This new map resource showcases the breadth of clean energy projects since 2021 that could have qualified for or used the Direct (Elective) Pay provision in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the lessons learned along the way. The webinar also highlighted geothermal installations as a case study for scaling clean energy solutions, exploring how institutions navigated technical, financial, and policy challenges.
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Colleges and universities are leading efforts to prepare the next generation of climate and clean energy workers across the continuum from apprenticeships to degree programs. This session will highlight workforce development models, funding opportunities, partnerships with industry and labor, and innovative approaches to equipping students with the skills needed to power this critical sector.
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The Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability recognizes institutions that integrate sustainability and climate action into their academic missions. The framework supports institutions in assessing and strengthening sustainability efforts across curriculum, research, campus operations, and community engagement, while encouraging institutions to connect these efforts to broader societal and environmental challenges. This session will spotlight pilot institutions that are leading this work and provide examples of how institutions can implement climate action.
Additionally, this webinar will provide insight into the opportunities, challenges, and transformative potential of participating in the Sustainability Elective Classification. Our panelists will give a clear overview of the current application cycle, including the process, timeline, and what to expect from the institutional self-study and review process.
This webinar is meant to be a comprehensive review of the Carnegie Elective Classification for Sustainability and how various universities are leading in order to achieve this distinction. Additional panelists may join to ensure this.
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How can higher education maintain its commitment to climate justice as it comes under scrutiny and faces targeted punitive actions? Federal climate and DEI policies have recently undergone massive shifts that threaten the higher education sector’s long-standing commitment to creating equitable climate solutions. This webinar will unpack the challenges the sector faces to center climate justice. Panelists will present strategies and tactics that institutions can use in uncertain times to remain accountable to the core principles of climate justice and to continue centering the experiences and knowledge of communities disproportionately impacted by climate change.
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