Our Mission
OUR INITIATIVE
Second Nature, a nonprofit organization advancing sustainability in higher education, has launched a new initiative in partnership with The Kresge Foundation, Advancing Green Building in Higher Education, to assist Minority-Serving Institutions, community and technical colleges, and the US Department of Education’s Title III and V institutions to build green on their campuses.
The mission of the Advancing Green Building in Higher Education Initiative is to build the capacity of under-resourced colleges and universities to construct and renovate campus buildings in ways that save money, reduce negative health impacts, and serve as community models for environmentally sustainable design, construction, and operations.
The Campus Green Builder web portal is one of the principal activities within this Second Nature initiative.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Kresge Fellowships
The Kresge fellowships assist college and university senior managers in acquiring the skills and technical information they need to be effective champions for green building at their institutions. College and university campus planners, facilities directors, and vice presidents of finance or business are eligible candidates for the fellowships. As fellows, they participate in learning and networking opportunities with their peers and industry experts. Funding is provided to fellows for attendance to a national green building related conference.
Discount Programs
We are providing under-resourced higher education institutions with membership discounts to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). In partnership with Building Green, Inc. we are providing discounts to schools wishing to access their comprehensive Building Green Suite. And in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, we offer discounts to their on-line Green Building Basics and LEED® course.
Green Building 101 for Building Contractors
Second Nature, with funding from The Kresge Foundation, is inviting colleges and universities in states with relatively low numbers of green building projects, to apply for technical assistance grants of up to $2000 each. These grants will fund green building training opportunities for the external building professionals (i.e., construction contractors, architects, designers, engineers) that work with their schools. Minority-serving institutions, community and technical colleges, smaller inner city, rural religiously-affiliated institutions, and public universities in under-resourced states are encouraged to apply. Please click here for more information.
Regional Summits
Second Nature offers regional summits for networking and information sharing among under-resourced higher education institutions in regions poor in green building. This program is conducted in tandem with the capacity building institutes offered by the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) to advance the understanding and familiarity of Minority-Serving Institutions with the green building practice and issues related to sustainability.
Campus Green Builder Web Portal
This Campus Green Builder on-line portal to green building information for academic institutions provides a one-stop resource on campus green building that is free and accessible to all higher education institutions. The Campus Green Builder aims to level the playing field for all institutions of higher education in terms of accessing funding and technical resources for green building. For more information on the launch of the portal please click here.
Integration of Green Building in the Curriculum
Second Nature has partnered with the US Green Building Council (USGBC) to develop a strategy document exploring the role of the built environment in advancing education for sustainability.
Funders’ Collaborative
Second Nature is also working to develop a new funders’ collaborative to support high-leverage projects to advance sustainability in higher education.
SECOND NATURE
Second Nature is a Boston-based national non-profit organization that works to accelerate movement towards a sustainable future by helping senior college and university leaders in making healthy, just, and sustainable living the foundation of all learning and practice in higher education. Please visit Second Nature’s website for more information on its programs.
