Second Nature

Founding Year: 1993

Staff:

Budget: ~$1.7M (2018)

Timothy Carter (President)

A national non-profit that is committed to accelerate climate action in, and through, higher education and has worked with over 4,000 faculty and administrators at more than 600 colleges and universities. It was founded by Dr. Anthony D. Cortese, Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA), Teresa Heinz Kerry, Bruce Droste, and others to push “innovative solutions among leadership networks in higher education so that students would be prepared to be of the character to value citizenship as well as commerce… We envision humanity thriving through healthy, just, and sustainable living within a dynamically changing earth system. We see higher education playing a prominent leadership role in shaping research, learning, and communities that inspire and operationalize this positive future.”

Objectives:

  • Enhance, leverage, and mature the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, currently involving 680+ schools
  • Designing and supporting complementary commitments of carbon neutrality and resilience, which encourages holistic climate leadership
  • Catalyze collaborative partnerships across institutions and sectors
  • Communicate shared and consistent messages through a variety of media
  • Create cross-sector sustainability data and information exchange.

Programs:

  • The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (institutional commitments to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from specified campus operations, and to promote the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate);
  • Campus Sustainability Day (an annual celebration of sustainability in higher education that recognizes the achievements of, and challenges for, the tens of thousands of students, faculty, and staff working to instill sustainability principles in their institutions and surrounding communities)
  • Capacity Building (with significant focus on minority-serving institutions);
  • Higher Education & Climate Resilience (tailored resources for higher education on climate impacts, tools or examples for resilience implementation, and clear guidelines and analysis for the most usable and responsible approaches.) Many publications including a white paper series (e.g., “Climate Change: Investment Risks and Opportunities for Higher Education”), links to the U.S. National Climate Assessment, a monthly newsletter, and a couple of hundred blog posts.

Initiatives:

  • UC3 Coalition – The University Climate Change Coalition, or UC3, is a bold new coalition of leading North American research universities that will prototype a collaborative model designed to help local communities achieve their climate goals and accelerate the transition to a low-carbon future.
  • Carbon Pricing Toolkit
  • Colleges and universities are important leaders in preventing the worst impacts of climate change. This toolkit provides recommendations, examples, and tools to guide schools through the process of exploring, designing, and implementing a carbon price on campus.
  • C2P2 – The Carbon Credit and Purchasing Program (C2P2) is an initiative to support colleges and universities in developing and marketing carbon offsets as a way to accelerate their progress towards campus carbon neutrality.
  • CRUX – Climate Resilience in Urban Campuses + Communities (CRUX) is a cohort of six campuses sharing learning with the Climate Leadership Network to accelerate resilience progress across the country.

Publications:

 


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Second Nature contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals


  • SDG 1 - No Poverty
    Calls for an end to poverty globally by 2030 and promotes increased access to basic services and social protection.
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  • SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
    Aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
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  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well Being
    Aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, by reducing mortality rates and increasing access to equitable health care for men and women.
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  • SDG 4 - Quality Education
    Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
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  • SDG 5 - Gender Equality
    Aims to end gender discrimination in all forms and promote equal opportunity for all women and girls in terms of education, career, and sexual/reproductive rights.
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  • SDG 6 -Clean Water and Sanitisation
    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by promoting global access to adequate sanitation and hygiene.
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  • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by promoting affordable and reliable energy sources.
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  • SDG 8 -Decent Work and Economic Growth
    Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
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  • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
    Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.  
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  • SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
    Aims to achieve economic growth by reducing inequalities regarding social, economic and political opportunities and freedoms.
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  • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    Aims to promote the globalization of sustainable cities and communities in turn providing universal safe and affordable housing.
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  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    Aims to create responsible and sustainable practices involving consumption and production through efficiently using natural resources.
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  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
    Calls to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts through global awareness, education, and integration into government policies.
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  • SDG 14 - Life Below Water
    Calls to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and prevent and reduce marine pollution in order to protect ecosystems and achieve healthy oceans.
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  • SDG 15 - Life on Land
    Aims to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
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  • SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    Aims to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Calls to reduce all forms of violence and deaths related to violence and to end abuse and exploitation
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  • SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
    Aims to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development by mobilizing domestic resources in order to provide support for developing countries.
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