Second Nature's Implementer | November 2020 No images? Click here Accelerate Your Climate Awareness. The Implementer | November 2020NOTABLE NEWSSolutions Center: Pro Bono ConsultingAccelerate Your Climate Action with the Help of Pro Bono Technical AssistanceExclusive Opportunity for Climate Leadership Network signatories and/or University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) members Network signatories and/or UC3 members have the opportunity to apply for pro bono technical assistance to help speed up implementation of climate solutions on your campus. This effort is being sponsored by Brailsford & Dunlavey and CustomerFirst Renewables, and up to six campuses will be awarded strategic advisory services worth up to $10,000 to help you accelerate your climate action. Timeline: For additional information - including how to apply - we encourage you to attend an upcoming informational webinar on Tuesday, November 24th (click on button below), and to visit the Solutions Center: Pro Bono Consulting webpage. Mark Your Calendars & Sign-Up to be in the Know Join Us for Climate Action Pursuit 2021Second Nature and the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) are excited to announce that throughout 2021, we will lead an ambitious pursuit of climate action, justice and resilience. The Climate Action Pursuit is a brand new concept - a series of check-in points with flexible programming that supports your work to act, and lead on equity and climate on our campuses, in our communities, and across our society and economy! The virtual program will be designed to fit our networks’ busy schedules and competing priorities. Registration for this event will be open soon. In the meantime, you can sign-up (through the button below) to get "first dibs" on registering once it's available, and to get on the list to receive updates! Additionally, be sure to visit our Climate Action Pursuit website for more information (will continuously be updated). MONTHLY MERITVassar Signs the Climate Commitment In September, Vassar College joined the Climate Leadership Network, by signing the Climate Commitment - one of three Commitments of the Presidents' Climate Leadership In 2016, Vassar set a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. As a Climate Leadership Network signatory, they will receive support from Second Nature to help reach their goal, while also being connected to a Network of peers all working to eliminate operational greenhouse gas emissions and to increase their capacity to withstand climate impacts. Congratulations to Vassar College and welcome to the Network! Radford Re-Signs the Carbon Commitment In 2009, Radford University President Penelope W. Kyle signed the Carbon Commitment, which is one of the three Presidents' Climate Leadership Commitments. We are happy to share, that most recently, Radford University's current president, Dr. Brian O. Hemphill, re-signed the Carbon Commitment to reaffirm their commitment to eliminating operational greenhouse gas emissions. President Hemphill announced that he had signed the Carbon Commitment in his 2020 State of the University Address. We look forward to continuing to work with Radford University as they work toward achieving their climate goals. Second Nature welcomes the opportunity to work with Presidents and staff at other campuses on a re-affirmation of their commitment. Please do not hesitate to contact us about doing so. RELEVANT RESOURCES*NEW*: Case Study: Evolution of Proxy Carbon Pricing Implementation at Princeton UniversitySynopsis: Since its first Sustainability Plan in 2008, Princeton University has implemented a proxy carbon price to evaluate physical infrastructure decisions for both capital planning and energy conservation projects on its campus. Princeton uses the proxy carbon price as a strategy to bias cost study evaluations toward more energy efficient systems in order to advance carbon reduction goals...more. This case study looks at the evolution of the carbon pricing implementation at Princeton. *NEW*: Case Study: University Air-Travel Offset PolicySynopsis: California State University East Bay (CSUEB) established a University Air-Travel Offset Policy (the policy) to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from university-funded air travel. The policy went into effect on July 1, 2020. CSUEB now charges a $9 carbon fee for every air-travel round trip funded by the university or affiliate. The monies are deposited into the university’s Climate Action Plan Fund. The Campus Sustainability Committee will invest the funds in on-campus projects that reduce GHGs. *NEW*: Putting a Price on Carbon: A Primer for University LeadersTo bring higher education leaders up to speed on carbon pricing, the primer covers a brief rationale for carbon pricing, common approaches and definitions, as well as highlighting examples of what university leaders have done to put a price on carbon, with notes on additional economic and social considerations. Co-Benefits of Carbon Offset ProjectsThe benefits of carbon offsets go beyond emissions reduction. Co-benefits are any positive impacts, other than direct GHG emissions mitigation, resulting from carbon offset projects. This document highlights the positive impacts that can be generated by carbon offset projects, and how this may influence a college’s or university’s decision to purchase offsets. Guide for Hosting Cross-Sector Climate ForumsPhoto by Daniil Kuželev on Unsplash The Guide for Hosting Cross-Sector Climate Forums was developed in collaboration with members from Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Network and University Climate Change Coalition (UC3) to provide guidance to campus climate leaders on how to plan for and host a cross-sector climate forum. GRITS Goals Now AvailableAs part of Second Nature's partnership with the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI), we are able to offer Climate Leadership Network signatories with free access to GRITS - a platform that helps you analyze and track your sustainability projects. We are excited to let you know that GRITS Goals - a new and additional feature of the GRITS platform - has launched and all signatories get free access to it! To access GRITS Goals, signatories can login to their GRITS accounts to access the new GRITS Goals features. If you have any questions, or need to get access to GRITS, please email GRITS support. Note: an integration with SIMAP® which will allow you to automatically import data from SIMAP® to GRITS Goals, is coming soon. Visit the GRITS website to learn more about GRITS Goals. Find out more about the launch and hear about a case study at Vassar College. Watch a July 2020 webinar we did about GRITS Goals. OPPORTUNITIESHappening Today - Still Time to Register!
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