Conferences

Financing the Future of Energy Efficiency Summit - April 2013

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The Sustainable Endowments Institute, in conjunction with The Billion Dollar Green Challenge, hosted the second Financing the Future of Energy Efficiency Summit, at the University of San Diego on Wednesday, April 17.

The Summit’s theme was Transforming Energy Efficiency Upgrades from Expenses to High Return Investments, and it brought together leaders in financing sustainability with presidents, trustees, and senior officials in finance, facilities and sustainability at colleges, universities, foundations and other nonprofit institutions. Participants heard from green revolving fund leaders and experts, networked with individuals from other institutions, and participated in dynamic breakout sessions. The President of the Kresge Foundation, Rip Rapson, delivered the keynote address.

For questions on the Summit, email conference@greenbillion.org.


Invitation Committee

Jennifer Andrews
Deputy Director, Clean Air – Cool Planet

Felicia M. Davis
Director, Facilities & Infrastructure Enhancement
Institute for Capacity Building
United Negro College Fund

David Hales
President, Second Nature
Organizer, American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment

Julian Keniry
Senior Director, Campus & Community Leadership
National Wildlife Federation

Liz Maw
CEO, Net Impact

William F. L. Moses
Program Director, Education
The Kresge Foundation

Mark Orlowski
Founder & Executive Director
Sustainable Endowments Institute

David W. Orr
Paul Sears Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics
Oberlin College

Louisa Plotnick
Deputy Director, Building Retrofit Program
William J. Clinton Foundation

Paul Rowland
Executive Director
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Mitchell S. Thomashow
President Emeritus, Unity College
Director, Presidential Fellows Program, Second Nature

Agenda

Summit Agenda
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MA LEEF Forum - July 2012

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The Sustainable Endowments Institute, in partnership with Healthcare Without Harm, hosted a forum at Harvard University on July 10, 2012, launching a new New England-based initiative, Leaders in Energy Efficiency Financing (LEEF).

Designed to build on the Financing the Future of Energy Efficiency Summit in May, the LEEF Forum outlined LEEF’s mission to establish a network of higher education and healthcare institutions as a national model for sustainable energy efficiency financing. LEEF encourages the creation of self-managed green revolving funds (GRFs) to assist institutional investment in urgently needed energy efficiency building upgrades.

This one-day convening set the stage for the two-year project by bringing together higher education and healthcare administrators, as well as major Massachusetts players in the energy financing arena. Participants shared their own sustainability progress and learned from peers and specialists in the field. Thanks to the generous support of the Barr Foundation, there was no registration fee.

Please email LEEF@GreenBillion.org with any questions about the event.

Co-Hosts

Heather Henriksen
Director, Office for Sustainability
Harvard University

Mitch S. Thomashow
President Emeritus, Unity College
Director, Presidential Fellows Program, Second Nature

Invitation Committee

Gary Cohen
President and Co-Founder
Health Care Without Harm

Douglas Foy
President and CEO
Serrafix Corporation

Mark Orlowski
Founder & Executive Director
Sustainable Endowments Institute

Mariella Puerto
Senior Program Officer
Barr Foundation

Michael K. Thomas
President & CEO
New England Board of Higher Education

Agenda

Forum Agenda
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Summit - May 2012

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The Sustainable Endowments Institute and our 15 partner institutions held the Financing the Future of Energy Efficiency Summit at Harvard University on May 15, 2012.

This one-day gathering brought together national leaders in sustainability and finance with presidents, trustees, and senior officials in finance, facilities and sustainability at colleges, universities, foundations and other nonprofit institutions.

The Summit’s theme was Transforming Energy Efficiency Upgrades from Expenses to High Return Investments; the focus was on colleges and universities as pivotal points to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to demonstrate the groundbreaking budget benefits of green revolving funds.

Please email conference@greenbillion.org with any questions or inquiries about the Summit.

Co-Hosts

Heather Henriksen
Director, Office for Sustainability
Harvard University

Mitch S. Thomashow
President Emeritus, Unity College
Director, Presidential Fellows Program, Second Nature

Invitation Committee

Anthony Cortese
President, Second Nature
Organizer, American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment

Felicia M. Davis
Director, Facilities & Infrastructure Enhancement
Institute for Capacity Building
United Negro College Fund

Julian Keniry
Senior Director, Campus & Community Leadership
National Wildlife Federation

William F. L. Moses
Program Director, Education
The Kresge Foundation

Mark Orlowski
Founder & Executive Director
Sustainable Endowments Institute

Paul Rowland
Executive Director
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Participant List

Here is a list of a few of the current educational institutions, foundations and other institutions that have representatives who have already registered:

Educational Institutions

Agnes Scott College
Arizona State University
Auburn University
Bard College
Bentley University
Berkshire School
Boston College
Brandeis University
Bridgewater State University
British Columbia Institute of Technology
Connecticut College
Cornell University
Denison University
Edgewood College
Emerson College
Ferrum College
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Guildford College
Hampshire College
Harvard University
Lane Community College
Lasell College
Lethbridge College
Middlebury College
Northeastern University
Princeton University
Tufts University
Unity College
University of Buffalo
University of Chicago
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Massachusetts
University of New Hampshire
University of North Carolina
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
University of Saskatchewan
University of Southern California
University of the Pacific
Virginia Tech
Washington University in St. Louis
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Western Michigan University

Foundations and Other Institutions

ActionAid International
Clean Air-Cool Planet
David Rockefeller Fund
Department of Energy
Energy Future Coalition
Environmental Defense Fund
GreenerU
ICF International
IDEAS
Jesse Ball duPont Fund
Kresge Foundation
National Wildlife Federation
NewWorld Capital Group
United Nations
United Negro College Fund (UNCF)

Donation to HEET

In lieu of purchasing carbon offsets for participant’s travel to the Financing the Future of Energy Efficiency Summit, SEI made a donation to the organization Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET). HEET, based in Cambridge, MA, provides assistance for local nonprofits in the Cambridge community through reduced weatherization services for their buildings and empowers local citizens by training them in energy-efficiency strategies and mitigating the local energy use.

With a donation of $500 to HEET, SEI’s gift will offset approximately 5.8 metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of more than 6 people flying round trip from San Francisco to Boston. This donation will provide HEET with the ability to assist more nonprofit organizations in the weatherization of their buildings, estimated to provide more than $2,000 worth of cost savings over the lifetime of the building due to reduced electricity, heat, and water use.

Agenda

Summit Agenda
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