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, […]

In collaboration with Second Nature and The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco State University launched a community-based process to assess extreme weather and climate change impacts and to generate and prioritize solutions to improve the resiliency, sustainability, and equity of their community. This report is a summary of their findings. The Workshop occurred as part of […]

THIRD ROUND Congratulations to the Third Round Awarded Colleges & Universities! Arcata, California Seaside, California Sacramento, California Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Tucson, Arizona Los Angeles, California Chicago, Illinois Oxford, Mississippicc Norfolk, Virginia cc Media Coverage: cc UIC awarded continuation funding from Second Nature’s Acceleration FundDate: April 22, 2022Source: UIC Today Laying the Groundwork for Climate ResilienceDate: April […]

SECOND ROUND Congratulations to the Awarded Higher Ed Institutions!     Thank you to the colleges and universities who submitted applications for this round! A tremendous thank you to the application review committee:Susan Kidd, Agnes Scott College | Kaede Kawauchi, Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) | Terri Taylor, Lumina Foundation | Bre’Anna Brooks, Chesapeake Bay Trust […]

Pro Bono Consulting Opportunity The Pro Bono Consulting opportunity was first announced in Fall 2020, as a new Solutions Center initiative. Provided and sponsored by Second Nature partners Brailsford & Dunlavey and Coho (formerly CustomerFirst Renewables). Through this service, 23 campuses have received technical and advisory support worth up to $20,000 each to help with climate […]

Round One Information Congratulations to the Following Round One Winners: Agnes Scott CollegeDecatur, GA Bard CollegeAnnandale-on-Hudson, NY California State University, ChicoChico, CA Central Community CollegeGrand Island, NE Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY   Institute of American Indian ArtsSanta Fe, NM The University of ArizonaTucson, AZ University at Albany – State University of New YorkAlbany, NY University of […]

This white paper by Siemens, a Second Nature partner, explores in detail how improvements in energy efficiency on campuses, such as microgrids and local renewables, can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and lower energy costs.      

The University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) newly released Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) provides a simple and comprehensive online tool for measuring and reporting a campus’ carbon footprint. This webinar will introduce you to the SIMAP’s features, including how users of the Campus Carbon Calculator and Carbon Map can transfer data to the new […]

Hastily constructed buildings. We’ve all been in them. Built quickly during eras of historical growth, no one could ever get a handle on their clunky radiators or leaky windows. And now, 50 years later, we’re saying, “Why didn’t they think about how this was going to work down the road?” This webinar is designed for […]

This resource is a detailed Summary of Findings compiled by Eastern Connecticut State University following a Community Resilience Building workshop with the Town of Windham, Connecticut in 2017. This was an opportunity for stakeholders from the town and campus to come together and discuss climate resilience. The workshop was facilitated by The Nature Conservancy and Second […]

by Jack Byrne, Director, Office of Sustainability Integration, Middlebury College In December, 2016 Middlebury achieved its goal of carbon neutrality by 2016. This goal had been established by a resolution of the Board of Trustees in 2007. Their commitment followed achievement of an earlier carbon reduction goal and subsequent urging of the College community, after […]

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) are a big portion of campus energy budgets and carbon emissions. But the combination of aging equipment and ever-tightening budgets means campus facilities departments have to do more with less, resulting in inefficiencies that can get worse over time. Automated closed-loop control of campus HVAC systems can help cut energy costs, reduce […]

by Steven Horowitz, Optimum Energy When you’re looking at ways to reduce your carbon footprint, options that usually come to mind include more efficient lighting systems, clean-vehicle fleets, and reducing waste and recycling. However, there’s a big opportunity that is often overlooked or given a low priority: optimizing HVAC systems. Chiller plants, boilers, and air […]