Second Nature hosts many webinars (and often with our partners) every year. It’s an additional way that we are able to provide information and resources relevant to the higher education community (and others who may be interested) in regard to climate action. If you would like to receive information on any of our upcoming webinars in your inbox, please subscribe to the email list.
For any questions, please contact us at: [email protected].
Please check back soon for new webinars!
Presented in partnership with Sustainable Endowments Institute
Check back soon for our next Community Conversation.
11.9.23
Join Second Nature, the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3), and the Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organizations (RINGO) constituency to discuss key issues on the negotiation agenda.
8.22.23
This book discussion with Dr. Ife Afriye Kilimanjaro about her new book, “Re-Membering Purpose,” was an important exercise in how those in the BIPOC community can think about their work in sustainability and climate action as the intermeshing of logic and spirituality. So much of what brings BIPOC people to this work is the intangible, and a calling that has been built through generations of wisdom and attunement to the environment. During this call, Dr. Ife, a writer, healer, and climate and environmental justice advocate speaks to this experience in an open-hearted discussion.
5.15.23
Strategically engage stakeholders along your climate action planning journey to embed Implementation. Join the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to learn how they have embedded stakeholder engagement to build trust, forge new connections on campus, and grease the wheels for implementation in their Climate Action Planning.
10.20.22
Higher education institutions play a crucial role in preparing future leaders to adapt to, and help solve, the climate crisis. Rising college/university-aged students demonstrate intense interest in social justice issues, civic engagement, and climate change. This interest factors into school choice and can translate into campus sustainability movements, such as fossil fuel divestment campaigns. Activating this powerful student energy allows universities, as cultivators of future climate leaders, to have an impact both locally and globally.
10.11.22
Higher education institutions play a crucial role in preparing future leaders to adapt to, and help solve, the climate crisis. Rising college/university-aged students demonstrate intense interest in social justice issues, civic engagement, and climate change. This interest factors into school choice and can translate into campus sustainability movements, such as fossil fuel divestment campaigns. Activating this powerful student energy allows universities, as cultivators of future climate leaders, to have an impact both locally and globally.
9.28.22
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) represents the largest investment in climate solutions in our nation’s history. This webinar will present the major elements of the legislation, and discuss the ways they directly connect with the higher education sector.
3.3.22
With the clear benefits of energy efficiency and the still untapped potential, the question arises – why haven’t organizations more fully exploited opportunities to use energy more efficiently?
11.16.21
This webinar introduced the 30x30 initiative and its connection and importance to climate, environmental justice and human health and make the case for why and how academia should expand their current sustainability goals to include biodiversity goals. We call on institutions to pivot to an outward stance to engage in their communities, regions and nationally to be involved in land stewardship and conservation as natural climate solutions. We will articulate the importance of academia advancing biodiversity and land conservation together with their other sustainability goals.
9.30.21
This webinar featured Andrea Frank, an ambassador for a climate change solutions simulation tool developed by Climate Interactive, Ventana Systems, and MIT Sloan known as En-ROADS. This tool is a transparent, free climate solutions simulation model that provides users a chance to design their own scenarios to limit future global warming.
8.26.21
This webinar featured a new approach to offsetting that effectively takes action on climate change quickly while minimizing the challenges and uncertainty that come with traditional voluntary offset programs.
4.15.2021
This webinar examined the importance of managing cultural and process change to support the implementation of deep decarbonization initiatives on campus - focusing on the critical roles of stakeholder engagement and internal processes and policies as enablers along the net-zero pathway.
12.14.2020
December 12th marked the five-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement, and coinciding with this, is a renewed opportunity for the future of U.S. climate action. With this anniversary and hopeful opportunity presented by the Biden-Harris administration, it felt fitting to share how four higher education institutions joined the Climate Leadership Network during a tumultuous 2020. In this webinar, you’ll learn how and why four higher education institutions joined the Climate Leadership Network and about the benefits, opportunities, and challenges each have experienced in their climate action journey.
11.19.2020
Climate action and sustainability are growing priorities for universities around the world. Many are responding by developing strong operational sustainability goals and targets, and placing an increased emphasis on teaching and research related to climate change and sustainability. This webinar will explore the approaches that several global universities are taking to transform their campuses and position themselves as change agents in society with respect to climate action and sustainability.
11.16.2020
In November 2021, heads of state, climate experts, and campaigners will convene in Glasgow, Scotland at COP26 to reflect on their countries’ progress towards their Paris Agreement goals, and work towards a better future for our planet.
International collaboration on climate issues is more important than ever. The UK government, co-hosting COP26 with Italy, is committed to joining forces with civil society, companies and people on the frontline of climate change to inspire action ahead of COP26. This webinar will help researchers understand where their research can be most impactful throughout the COP process, as well as understand how the US and UK academic communities can work together on these important issues.
11.12.2020
For this webinar, sustainability leaders from four of the ten schools that received Climate Solutions Acceleration Fund monies – Agnes Scott College, Central Community College, Colgate University, and University of Pittsburgh – presented information about their diverse climate action/climate resilience projects, such as how they moved project idea to action and implementation; who has been involved; interruptions (such as COVID-19) they have run into along the way; how Acceleration Fund monies are supporting their projects; current progress; and more.
10.22.2020
Learn how colleges and universities can reduce carbon, improve building health, and improve their bottom line through energy services agreements (ESAs) that focus on sustainability.
10.13.2020
Countdown and Race To Zero are global campaigns to rally leadership and support from governments, businesses, and other institutions for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth. Hundreds of colleges and universities from around the world have committed to the Race to Zero’s goal of Net-Zero by 2050 at the latest. Many have also signed onto interim goals or have committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 or before. UN Environment Program, Second Nature, The Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education (EAUC), and others are working with campuses worldwide to achieve their carbon reduction goals and serve as a catalyst for others to take action. This program is part of that work.
9.24.2020
Many campuses are considering the electrification of heating as a decarbonization pathway. Today’s status quo for heating – energy distributed through high-temperature networks – not only is over-designed and costly to maintain but also is basically incompatible with the low-carbon economy. Electrification is a proven route to enable lower-carbon buildings, led by heat pump strategies. Join us for this webinar to learn more.
7.30.2020
Join Second Nature in partnership with the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) and SIMAP for a webinar to preview GRITS Goals, a new suite of features within the GRITS project-management platform.
7.22.2020
This webinar will engage participants in a conversation about how colleges and universities can become involved in the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative – an unprecedented collaborative and partnership between Climate Mayors, the Electrification Coalition, and Sourcewell aimed at accelerating the transition to electric vehicle fleets by removing barriers to purchase.
7.20.2020
The social contract between universities and the societies they serve is changing. It used to be enough for universities to do research and educate students. Increasingly, however, we are being asked to engage tangibly and actively with the problems faced by the societies which fund us. This webinar will: explore those challenges and opportunities facing universities, outline an agenda for transforming the campus into a living laboratory/agent of change in the community, and involve participants in a conversation about how universities can integrate climate action across the college or university curriculum.
7.16.2020
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis and the response to it offers lessons for addressing other global problems, particularly climate change -- and solutions must take into account the kinds of racial disparities that were brought into bold relief by the killing of George Floyd and its aftermath.
Higher education has been, and can continue to be, a leader in researching and implementing solutions for these issues. With COVID-19, higher education demonstrated in real-time how it could mobilize to meet an immediate challenge. What does this indicate about higher education’s capacity to respond to the other crises that we face?
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7.15.2020
This webinar will involve participants in a conversation about how universities can engage local and state/provincial government officials in cross-sector climate action, drawing on the experiences of several of Second Nature’s University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) members.
7.9.2020
The Offset Network, now hosted by Second Nature, presents a new pathway for colleges and universities to develop carbon offset methodologies. New methodologies can undergo a technical expert review process to obtain approval for use through the Offset Network. Learn about this new pathway, and the first protocol to complete the technical review process.
6.25.2020
Hear how the West Valley-Mission Community College District and SunPower worked together to install an integrated solar and storage project in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley.
5.14.2020
During this webinar, you will learn more about Saint John’s multi-faceted role in renewable energy, which includes serving as the project host landowner, solar subscriber, clean energy community advocate, and educational leader.
5.12.2020
Second Nature has partnered with CFR and Brailsford & Dunlavey to launch the Solutions Center - a platform that helps campuses quickly review the solutions available and to help build a presentation for decision makers to more easily assess and prioritize decisions faster in order to accelerate climate action.
5.7.2020
Learn how Lehigh University, Lafayette College, Muhlenberg College, and Dickinson College banded together to achieve the scale needed to build a solar project big enough to supply 100% of their renewable energy needs.
4.23.2020
Brailsford & Dunlavey (formerly Fovea), the University of New Hampshire, and Second Nature have partnered to analyze the Climate Leadership Network’s collective progress towards reaching GHG emissions reduction targets. This team used data from the Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform (SIMAP) system cross-referenced with the Second Nature reporting system to measure and compare progress of signatories versus non-signatories towards carbon neutrality.
10.17.19
Do you ever feel like your are on a never-ending yellow brick road when it comes to understanding energy industry acronyms? Before you start clicking your heels three times, and chanting, "there's no place like home", watch this webinar. Campuses need to buy electricity, and the energy industry can feel complex.
9.26.19
"Catalyst," currently under construction in Spokane, WA, is at the leading edge of certified Zero Energy buildings. The five-story, 159,000 square feet innovation hub will house portions of Eastern Washington University's STEM program, private sector firms and places to eat and relax, once construction is completed in 2020.
6.13.19
How Wells College worked with Metrus Energy to launch a project that will deliver significant energy savings and a more comfortable living and learning environment—with no upfront cost to the college.
5.1.19
Learn first hand from Second Nature staff about our range of climate services to assist campus sustainability teams in reaching climate action goals.
12.13.18
Second Nature, Siemens Building Technologies, and Arizona State University came together in this webinar to discuss an applied methodology on how to transform campus energy management through onsite generation: meeting sustainability goals, while controlling energy use and cost.
12.12.18
Explores the current landscape for financing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in the higher education sector featuring speakers from Chesapeake College, Michigan State University, and the University of Virginia.
12.8.18
Learn how to incorporate GRITS, an online platform useful for tracking the energy, financial, and carbon savings data from sustainability projects.
12.7.18
View this webinar to hear a conversation with Hunter Lovins and Eban Goodstein about the newly published book, “A Finer Future: Creating an Economy in Service to Life.” Learn how the principles written about in A Finer Future can help chart the course for your campus climate action.
11.19.18
Put together to help participants navigate the UNFCCC and COP24.
9.6.18
Learn strategies for coordinating campus resilience planning through effective partnerships spanning campus and community.
8.25.18
Learn about financial considerations campuses can include while planning for increased resilience.
8.9.18
Learn how campuses can use the U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit, its adaptation planning framework, and Second Nature resources to support local resilience planning.
7.10.18
This webinar will focus on how the higher ed sector has been engaging with government, businesses, and the community to lead on climate.
5.29.18
Learn about the pathways for creating Innovative or Peer Reviewed Offset Network projects.
4.4.18
Does your campus purchase or generate renewable energy? Are you confident that you are reporting these purchases correctly? Don’t miss opportunities to make a bigger impact and expand renewable energy purchases in your institutions’ Climate Action Plan.
1.25.18
Introduction to purchasing carbon offsets through the voluntary carbon market.
1.18.18
Portland State University and Arizona State University are completing their initial Campus-Community Resilience Assessments through the Climate Resilience at Urban Campuses (CRUX) program. The webinar will also cover requirements for the Campus-Community Resilience Assessment report that signatories of the Climate and Resilience Commitments should complete.
2.4.18-2.6.18
Electricity customers in 17 states are able to choose who they buy their electricity supply from. This “retail choice” has become important as campuses look to fulfill their sustainability goals through clean energy supply.
12.7.17
Second Nature and FOVEA Services have partnered to analyze the Climate Leadership Networks GHG emissions and reduction targets.
11.30.17
Learn about Powersuite, a platform developed by the Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) tracks and aggregates the latest state and federal policy documents, legislative bills and regulatory issues from 52 state legislatures, Congress, every Public Utility Commission (PUC), and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
10.26.17
In late September, 400 energy buyers, service providers, developers, financiers, NGOs, and utilities convened to identify opportunities to accelerate procurement of renewable energy at the Renewable Energy Buyer’s Alliance (REBA) Conference.
10.3.17
An introduction to SIMAP’s features, including how users of the Campus Carbon Calculator and Carbon Map can transfer data to the new tool.
8.17.17.
With waning federal support of climate research, climate solutions, and climate leadership, the higher education sector has stepped into a new climate action role through an emerging subnational coalition called We Are Still In (WASI).
7.18.17
This webinar is designed for facilities directors, energy managers, sustainability directors, and finance officers at colleges and universities to help get a handle on complex decision-making processes regarding major efficiency upgrades and new construction projects on campuses.
6.6.17In March of 2017, Eastern Connecticut State University hosted a Community Resilience Building Workshop in partnership with the Town of Windham, Second Nature, and the Nature Conservancy.
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5.18.17
Representatives from Second Nature and the Business Renewables Center (BRC) give participants a behind-the-scenes look at the tools and resources available through this partnership.
5.2.17
Hosted in partnership with BuildPulse, participants will learn how to leverage data to set, measure, and achieve goals proactively with both aspects in mind.
4.19.17
Hosted in partnership with Optimum Energy, presenters will cover the basics of HVAC Optimization, how software-based optimization can you reach your climate action goals, and examples from higher education campuses including University of Texas Austin, Columbia University.
3.22.17
American colleges and universities are well-suited to utilize renewable energy, but many renewable energy projects are larger than needed by most campuses, and often require commitments of 15-20 years. This webinar will focus on a power purchase agreement (PPA) that specifically addresses these barriers. Altenex, an Edison Energy Company, has developed an innovative, new PPA structure called PowerBloks™.
3.14.17
Presented in partnership with CustomerFirst Renewables (CFR), speakers will discuss the opportunities and challenges of large-scale renewables and aggregation, and provide guidance on how to successfully pursue these opportunities.
12.6.16
Your school can take advantage of carbon markets to generate revenue as you work to reduce your carbon footprint. This webinar will help you understand the steps involved in developing a carbon-credit-funding opportunity through the Voluntary Carbon Market
10.27.16
The need to build community resilience to hazards is strikingly evident. This webinar, brought to you in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, will help you better understand the process and assess the applicability to your own communities goals.
10.18.16
Second Nature, with the help of signatory institutions, recently updated their carbon offsets guidance– a resource that helps campuses understand how offsets can play a role in meeting their climate goals.
9.22.16
Hosted in partnership with the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA), this webinar will focus on four case studies highlighting higher education investment in solar energy projects.
8.30.16
An introduction to the Campus Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency methodology, a carbon credit protocol approved by the Verified Carbon Standard.
6.14.16
This webinar, hosted in partnership with Eaton Corporation, will introduce participants to resilient energy design.
5.26.16
This webinar, hosted in partnership with Van Ness Feldman LLP, will focus on how a campus can develop a checklist for approaching district energy.
4.13.16
Provides an overview of the opportunities involved in signing one of the Climate Leadership Commitments, and being a part of the Climate Leadership Network.
3.17.16
Presented by Second Nature and Altenex, this webinar will help participants learn more about how to kickstart renewables on their campus and how to grow their efforts in accelerated and impactful ways.
3.15.16
Hosted in partnership with Eaton Corporation and Van Ness Feldman LLP, introduced participants to Second Nature’s Resilience Commitment and focus on the relationship with energy systems and decisions.
11.23.15
Hosted by Second Nature, provides an overview of how to successfully plan, organize and submit your Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory for signatories of the Climate Leadership Commitments.
11.9.15
Hosted by Second Nature, will provide an overview of the reporting requirements for signatories of the Climate Leadership Commitments this January 15, 2016.
10.21.15
This webinar will highlight new resources by Second Nature, particularly the Sustainability Planning and Climate Action Guide, which includes new resilience guidance.
10.19.15
Hosted by Second Nature, will present an overview of the newly launched Climate Commitment and Resilience Commitment, as well as the updated Carbon Commitment (formerly known as ACUPCC).
8.26.15
This webinar seeks to increase sustainability professionals’ comfort and familiarity with financial management terms beyond simple payback.
8.11.15
This non-technical presentation on data center energy efficiency will: 1) Explain savings opportunities in an easy-to-understand manner; 2) Empower anyone to spot ways to reduce energy costs in a data center or server room; and 3) Describe free resources you can tap for further assistance. In partnership with ENERGY STAR and AlterAction.
6.16.15
How to drive computer and office equipment energy savings in your own organization — even if you don’t work in IT. This webinar is sponsored by ENERGY STAR and hosted by Second Nature and AlterAction, a US EPA ENERGY STAR Technical Support Contractor.
3.12.15
This interactive webinar is aimed at College and University faculty and staff working to complete and submit a Climate Action Plan as part of their institution’s reporting requirements for the ACUPCC.
2.11.15
Hosted by Second Nature and the American Meteorological Society (AMS), this webinar is aimed at promoting the importance of basic climate science education at all colleges and universities.
12.4.14
This interactive GHG Report Troubleshooting webinar is aimed at College and University faculty and staff working to complete and submit a GHG inventory as part of their institution’s ACUPCC reporting requirements.
8.5.14
Hosted by Second Nature, this webinar features a representative from Ball State University sharing their pilot experience participating in Chevrolet’s Carbon-Reduction Initiative using a specially-developed carbon credit methodology.
1.23.14
This webinar, a partnership of Second Nature and the American Meteorological Society (AMS), aims to promote the importance of basic climate science education at all colleges and universities.
11.20.13
This webinar will address questions such as: What are the current impacts, and the plausible climate impacts in the next few decades to century? Etc
8.28.13
Second Nature and The SEED Center invite you to join a webinar for community colleges interested in enhancing campus sustainability efforts, and providing hands-on learning opportunities to the campus community, through integration of the “living laboratory” concept.
5.14.13
This webinar will discuss Energy Reliability and how solutions such as a Micro Grid will lessen the impact of future blackouts.
To date, the majority of colleges purchasing wind power have been through short-term contracts (1 – 3 years) for utility products or renewable energy certificates (RECs). Only recently have a few purchased wind via long-term (10+ years) PPAs. This webinar will use the experiences of The Ohio State University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Oklahoma to explore long-term green power contracts, and questions & issues that schools investigating this option should consider. For a recording of this webinar, please visit EPA (linked)
Visit EPA for Webinar
2.5.13
Second Nature is partnering with the American Meteorological Society (AMS) to promote the importance of basic climate science education at all colleges and universities. Join us for a webinar overview of the opportunities offered by the AMS Climate Studies Diversity Project to minority-serving institutions (MSIs) nationwide.
12.13.13
This webcast will review the third-party financing models, discuss best practices and common questions, and a case study of how one university used a PPA to install more than 2,150 solar photovoltaic panels across six campus buildings resulting in the largest solar power system in the District of Columbia.
11.29.12
Second Nature and the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership are collaborating to identify the barriers to expanding renewable energy use among colleges and universities, identify solutions, provide education and training on green power procurement strategies and explore the possibilities of joint purchasing opportunities.
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