July 2, 2013
Contact: Rima Mulla, 617-722-0036, rmulla@secondnature.org
Second Nature and Founder Anthony Cortese Receive 2013 EPA Awards
Region 1 awards honor organizations, individuals making significant contributions
to environmental awareness and problem-solving
BOSTON, MA—Second Nature, a Boston-based national nonprofit that works to create a healthy, just, and sustainable society by transforming higher education, was honored with two awards at the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2013 New England awards ceremony.
Second Nature received an Environmental Merit Award for its 20 years as a leading organization in the Education for Sustainability field. Its founding president and current senior fellow, Anthony Cortese, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for a 40-year career spent actively engaged in large system sustainability and environmental challenges.
Nine organizations and individuals in Massachusetts and 28 across New England received a 2013 Environmental Merit Award. Given out by EPA annually since 1970, the awards honor individuals and groups who have shown particular ingenuity and commitment in their efforts.
“We are deeply honored by this recognition,” said David Hales, president of Second Nature. “We consider these awards to be the result of our work with others – an approach that fundamentally asserts that we achieve together, not separately.”
Second Nature organizes the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Launched in 2007, the ACUPCC is a high-visibility effort to address global warming by garnering institutional commitments from college and university presidents to accelerate the education, research, and community engagement to equip society to re-stabilize the earth's climate, and eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations. To date, 672 colleges and universities in every US state and the District of Columbia have joined the commitment.
“Higher education must lead the way in providing the knowledge and educated citizenry for a thriving civil society—one with an economy that sustains people, community, culture, and nature,” said Cortese. “Higher Education's response to the sustainability challenge over the last two decades has been inspiring. This sector is a beacon of hope in a sea of turbulence. I am delighted that Second Nature has been able to help catalyze many of these efforts.”
Of his Lifetime Achievement Award, Cortese said, “I was surprised, humbled, and honored to be personally recognized by EPA with whom I was privileged to begin my professional career in 1970. It was a moving experience.”
“EPA applauds Second Nature, along with all the people and organizations being recognized as leaders in helping create a cleaner environment and healthier communities,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA New England. “An environmental merit award is the highest honor EPA New England can give to recognize excellent environmental work throughout this region."
About Second Nature
Second Nature works to create a healthy, just, and sustainable society beginning with the transformation of higher education. Second Nature is the support organization of the American College and University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), an intensive partnership among more than 670 higher education institutions committed to climate neutrality. ACUPCC institutions work to accelerate education, research, and community engagement to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate while setting an example by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from their own operations.
Learn more at: www.secondnature.org and www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org.
More information about the EPA New England awards at: www.epa.gov/region1/ra/ema/2013recipients.html
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