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, […]

This document gives a brief overview of common types of carbon offset projects and provides examples of each. Understanding the types of activities that can generate carbon offsets can aid campuses in evaluating offset purchases and deciding which projects to support.

This decision tree is designed to help campuses determine which types of carbon offsets (peer-reviewed or innovative through the Offset Network, or traditional 3rd party verified through the voluntary carbon market) are best aligned with institutional goals. It is also designed to help campuses consider whether they should develop new carbon offset projects, or purchase offsets through existing projects.

This guidance page includes Frequently Asked Questions about purchasing carbon offsets in the context of the Climate Leadership Commitments.

The Carbon Offset Procurement Resources aid institutions in understanding carbon offsets and in deciding which carbon offsets best suit their goals. This page provides a variety of tools that supply background knowledge, selection guidance, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Higher education institutions engage in many different types of emission reduction activities to achieve campus carbon neutrality. Recently, many schools have become interested in purchasing carbon offsets to counteract their unavoidable travel-related Scope 3 emissions. Data Analysis I looked at the data that Signatories, higher ed institutions that have signed commitments to climate action, reported […]

Planning for Mitigation Reducing the output of greenhouse gas emissions is one of the most critical responses to climate change, which is why it plays a central role in implementing the Carbon and Climate Commitments. The direct reductions of on-campus emissions is often a tangible and highly successful demonstration of sustainability policy; something to bring […]

The NextGen Committee of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation has awarded a $90,000 grant to Second Nature to provide the tools necessary to allow universities to collaborate and pool their financial investments, to increase the number of large-scale renewable energy projects in the national grid, and to achieve climate neutrality on more U.S. campuses.

About The strength of the Climate Leadership Network lies in its diversity and collective knowledge. To tap into these resources, Second Nature periodically convenes Working Groups that tackle relevant topics and help to create new tools. These working groups are composed of volunteers from signatory institutions, and the work and conclusions they draw are harnessed […]

Purchase Offsets Join C2P2 Templates FAQs About C2P2 The Carbon Credit and Purchasing Program (C2P2) is an initiative to support colleges and universities in developing and marketing innovative carbon offsets as a way to accelerate their progress towards campus carbon neutrality. Eligible schools […]

This toolkit is a joint project of many authors at several schools and institutions. We look forward to hearing your feedback, answering your questions, and helping you explore carbon pricing options.

Frequently asked questions about carbon pricing.