Dear Friends,
This past week, Second Nature received two very special awards from the New England Region of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , and we want to share those with you.
Second Nature was selected for the EPA Environmental Merit Award in recognition of significant contributions toward preserving and protecting our natural resources. We consider this award to be the result of our work with others – an approach that fundamentally asserts that we achieve together, not separately. To us, this award reflects the work that we have all done, especially the signatories of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC).
We would have loved to gather all 92 signatories of the ACUPCC from New England to accept it together. Given the difficulty of that approach, we thought it would be appropriate to invite the University of Maine, Colby College, and Bunker Hill Community College to participate in the recognition in honor of all of our Higher Education partners, public and private, large and small, across all the Carnegie classifications.
In a larger sense, this award is to every signatory of the ACUPCC and to our corporate and organizational partners. Second Nature’s successes are team successes based on a transparent and strong commitment to sustainability, cooperative actions, and shared experience.
The second award was a Lifetime Achievement Award to Second Nature’s founder, Tony Cortese. Tony’s citation is on the EPA website, and it summarizes an amazing story of vision and commitment. The only amendment we would make is that we consider it to be a Life Achievement, but not yet a lifetime. Tony’s not done yet, and after a sabbatical for much of the past year, he will be rejoining Second Nature on a more regular basis as a Senior Fellow.
Sincerely,
David Hales, President