Add new comment | Second Nature

Join Second Nature and the ACUPCC at AASHE 2013!

October 1, 2013

posted in:

Sarah Brylinsky

By Sarah Brylinsky, Director of Climate Resilience & Educational Programs

Join us at the following sessions during AASHE 2013 in Nashville TN, October 6th-9th! Second Nature will be presenting on topics important to you, including ACUPCC implementation, student leadership, climate resilience, and power-purchasing agreements on campus. The Second Nature staff would love to meet you if you are attending - be sure to say hello at our sessions and networking events!

Click here to see the AASHE schedule

Climate Resilience Sessions

Roadmap to Resilience: Assessing Tools and Strategies for Climate Preparedness on Campus
Panel Discussion Room #101C, Tuesday, October 8th, 1:30pm 2:30pm
Sarah Brylinsky, Director of Climate Resilience & Educational Programs, Anne Waple, Program Manager, Second Nature

While campuses have made great strides in mitigating dangerous greenhouse gas emissions, the climate is changing in a way which will require alterted strategies for building, maintenence, investment, teaching and learning in the 21st century. Institutions must take measures to assess their vulnerability and risk to climate impacts, and begin to plan and implement strategies for resiliency accordingly. Using information from the 2013 National Climate Assessment and other risk assessment, vulnerability, and climate adaptation tools, this session will cover the necessity and available strategies for understanding climate risk in higher education, and begin to explore tools and opportunities for better preparedness.

A Framework for Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Leadership
Panel Discussion Room #204, Tuesday, October 8th, 11 a.m. - Noon
Sarah Brylinsky, Second Nature, Jaimie Van Mourik, USGBC, Meghan Fay Zahniser, AASHE

With an eye to the future, AASHE, the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council and Second Nature will share their vision for resilient and sustainable campuses. More specifically, they will define resiliency and climate adaptation, explain the imperative for action for campus leaders, outline a framework for climate adaptation and address the largest barriers and opportunities for meeting institutional goals. Upon providing this framework for consideration, campus stakeholders will be invited to share their perspective on how they have approached these issues in the past and how they hope to address them in the future. Participants who are interested in having a candid conversation about balancing idealism with the pragmatic realities of campus life are encouraged to attend.

ACUPCC Implementation Sessions

ACUPCC Implementation Liaison Networking Meeting
Networking Event, Room #201A, Tuesday Oct. 8, 2013, 4:45 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Brett Pasinella, Kresge Implementation Fellow

The ACUPCC Implementation Liaison Networking Meeting is an interactive workshop designed to allow personnel at signatory institutions of the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) to make connections, share stories, and create a comprehensive learning network across the ACUPCC. The meeting is an opportunity to participate in intensive group discussions to identify opportunities, and explore solutions to implementation of the ACUPCC, including reporting challenges, leadership transitions, Climate Action Planning, greenhouse gas inventory completion, and tracking ongoing progress of mitigation and education programs. This meeting is open to Implementation Liaisons and other staff involved in implementation at ACUPCC campuses.

On-site Power Purchase Agreements 101: What you really need to know
Panel Discussion, Room #207D, Monday Oct. 7, 2013, 2:50 p.m. - 3:50 p.m.
Joel Thomas, Business Development Manager, Community Energy, Blaine Collison, EPA GPP Program Director, Sarah Brylinsky, Director of Cliamte Resilience & Educational Programs, Second Nature, Keri Enright-Kato, Project Manager, Yale University

In an effort to address climate change universities across the nation have made formal commitments and set targets to reduce campus greenhouse gas emissions. They are now grappling with how they can achieve their reductions while at the same time growing in gross square footage and population. Offering outstanding economic and environmental opportunities for universities, on-site renewable energy generation may be the way to achieve both. With the advent and evolution of third-party financing via Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), universities are able to access private capital and turn-key deployments, fundamentally changing the nature of financing renewable energy. A PPA allows a third party developer to own, operate and maintain the renewable energy system while the university makes a commitment to host the system and purchase the electrical output through a long term contract.

Colleges and universities are highly-desired partners for this model and in this session, panelists from Yale University, Second Nature, Community Energy, and the EPA will address questions surrounding PPAs and provide insight on how to navigate negotiating an agreement that meets your university’s needs. Some of the questions that will be discussed include:

What are the economic and general benefits of a PPA? Who owns the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)? How do I achieve to scale? What criteria is important to determine if this model would work for my campus? What happens to the system once the contract expires? How do I communicate our PPA relationship if we don’t retain the RECs Is this legal in my state? How do I “sell” this concept to my administration? What is the best way to incorporate a University’s PPA into the educational curriculum?” What are examples of real-time resources for teaching the student’s the importance of PPAs to driving the development of new renewable energy?

Student Leadership Session

Building an Inclusive Climate Justice Movement on Campus across Race, Class, and Gender Lines
Workshop, Sunday Oct. 6, 2013, 9:00am - 11:00am | Room #202B
Axum Teferra, Kresge Recruitment & Engagement Fellow, Sarah Brylinsky, Brett Pasinella, and Gabriela Boscio, Second Nature

The climate isn’t just for the 1%. How can students ensure their climate planning and action are gender, race, and economically inclusive? The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) is a framework for empowering students to become partners with senior leadership, faculty and staff in ensuring the fulfillment of the commitment to climate neutrality and integration of sustainability principles into their academic experience. How can students ensure their ideals for a just and sustainable future are included in this collaborative vision?

Taking this leadership to the next level raises big questions. How do we ensure students are critical partners in planning, implementing and assessing climate action on campus. This workshop will help students build, assess and strengthen their communication skills and knowledge-base in order to effectively collaborate with senior administrators to implement campus-wide climate action, and work collaboratively and inclusively across peer networks to ensure climate action represents all voices. Facilitators will mentor and guide participants on how to engage key stakeholders – such as Presidents, Chief Financial Officers, Board of Trustees, Facilities Staff, faculty, and students – by successfully communicating the importance and institutional benefits of making a serious commitment to climate neutrality. The session will also provide room for open and honest conversation about the challenges of creating an inclusive movement. Students will develop a “pitch” to present to their institutions during this session. The facilitators and audience will offer feedback to help students strengthen their message.

Second Nature Blog Newsletter