FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amanda Belles, Communications and Marketing Manager, Second Nature
(617) 221-9671; [email protected]
Second Nature Supports the Higher Education Sustainability Act
Boston, Massachusetts (November 25, 2019) – Second Nature stands in support of the Higher
Education Sustainability Act ( S.2928 ) introduced last week by U.S. Senator Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-RI), and co-sponsored by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Cory Booker (D-NJ),
and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) so far. S.2928 calls for the expansion of sustainability initiatives on
higher education campuses, and would reauthorize the University Sustainability Program (USP).
Second Nature helped get the original version of this bill included in the Higher Education Act in
2008. It received an appropriation of $5 million in FY2010, but has not received funding since
then.
As colleges and universities continue to accelerate climate action on their campuses and in their
communities, support from programs such as the University Sustainability Program and the
Higher Education Act, is vital to those efforts. As an organization that supports the higher
education sector’s acceleration of climate action through initiatives such as the Climate
Leadership Network , and The Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments , Second Nature
has been a long-time advocate for the USP.
“We know that there is urgency to accelerate climate solutions and that higher education has
some of the longest-standing commitments to take action,” said Second Nature President Tim
Carter. “The Higher Education Sustainability Act helps institutions expand their pursuit of
possible solutions to society’s grand challenges.”
About Second Nature
Second Nature is committed to accelerating climate action in, and through, higher education.
This is accomplished by mobilizing a diverse array of higher education institutions to act on bold
climate commitments, to scale campus climate initiatives, and to create innovative climate
solutions. Second Nature aims to align, amplify, and bridge the sector’s efforts with other global
leaders to advance urgent climate priorities. Secondnature.org .
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