After growing up in a small, progressive town, I don’t think I truly understood the global climate crisis until I was released, aka went to college, from what felt like my bubble. I was shocked, and unpleasantly surprised, about how common daily practices for me, such as recycling, using reusable water bottles or shopping local, […]

2023 Community Conversations Series Community Conversations are back for 2023! Last year, the Sustainable Endowments Institute in partnership with Second Nature, announced the 2022 Community Conversations Series.  This monthly peer-to-peer video conference provides an opportunity for sustainability and facilities professionals at higher education institutions, municipal/county/state governments, healthcare institutions, and K-12 schools to make new connections […]

My name is Evelin and I am a climate and environmental justice fellow at UC Irvine. Currently, I am a second-year graduate student pursuing a Master of Public Policy. Originally from the Salinas Valley, my upbringing in a predominantly Latino community largely influenced my decision to pursue a degree in policy. My interests are centered around ways […]

Audrey Choong is a graduate student at the University of British Columbia pursuing a Masters degree in Community and Regional Planning at the School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP).  As the UC3 Climate Justice-in-Action fellow at UBC, she is investigating the ways in which climate justice is incorporated into transportation planning at UBC, by studying travel behaviour […]

To launch this program, Second Nature’s regional program staff partnered with Agnes Scott College’s sustainability team. Second Nature provided funding to host a campus visit and tour at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia with Bennett College’s CFO, Elizabeth Waugh, and Anne Hayes, Executive Director of Global & Interdisciplinary Programs at Bennett, who is a […]

El informe 2022, “Acción Climática en las Instituciones de Educación Superior en América Latina y el Caribe”, es un esfuerzo único en su tipo para revelar el estado actual de la acción climática en las instituciones de educación superior en América Latina y el Caribe y evaluar los mayores desafíos y oportunidades para catalizar una […]

This report, “Higher Education Climate Action in Latin America and the Caribbean,” is a first-of-its-kind effort to reveal the current state of climate action at higher education institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean and assess the greatest challenges and opportunities for catalyzing greater climate action at these critically important institutions.

Second Nature announces a new initiative engaging higher education institutions across the nation to shape guidance and innovation with respect to carbon offsets: The Offsets Advisory Council. Carbon offsets are an important part of many Climate Action Plans. As campuses take diverse approaches to meeting climate goals, questions and tensions abound when it comes to […]

Climate Justice Working Group Second Nature’s Climate Justice Working Group brings together dedicated and engaged peers from across the higher education sector to: (1) build community, (2) share best practices, and (3) develop new tools and resources to advance campus-community climate justice initiatives. The Working Group’s mission is to connect peers from across the higher […]

Multimedia Climate Justice and DEIAJ Tools Below are additional resources to consult on the journey towards advancing climate justice and DEIAJ in higher education and cross-sector partnerships. Return to DEIAJ Toolkit

Stakeholder Engagement and Recommendations for Action In many instances, college/university practices actively hinder progress on climate justice, particularly as it pertains to centering and empowering surrounding communities that have been marginalized and made vulnerable through past and present systemic injustices. Opportunities to address this need abound. The following perspectives and recommendations, informed in part by […]

Climate Justice is Key to Building Campus-Community Resilience Higher Education’s Role in Advancing Climate JusticeDownload and share this working paper about Higher Education’s Role in Advancing Climate Justice including best practices and case studies for integrating DEIAJ principles into climate action planning. Access Working Paper Here   The resilience of any one campus is intertwined […]