Membership
The Higher Education Associations Sustainability Consortium is an informal network of higher education associations with a commitment to advancing sustainability both within their constituencies and within the system of higher education itself. The purpose of HEASC is to support its members' work in advancing sustainability by:
- supporting each others' sustainability programming
- meeting on a regular basis to share information and exchange ideas
- engaging in joint projects as appropriate to each organizations' mission
- contracting the services of a coordinating agency to serve as a resource for participating higher education associations
The benefits to members include increased success in sustainability efforts due to:
- reduced redundancies in association planning and products
- increased quality and synergies on sustainability projects
- an ongoing community of support for higher education associations
- building the capacity of HEA's to make sustainability a foundation of their programming and practices
- on-going availability of sustainability expertise
Your membership in HEASC is voluntary and the degree and speed to which your organization pursues sustainability issues is ultimately up to you.
Reasons to Join HEASC
- You want to add or strengthen your member programming on sustainability by developing sessions at your association's meetings, and you want access to the best resources in the field;
- You want to create or overhaul the section on your website that provides information for your members who are interested in learning more about sustainability;
- You want to learn more about opportunities to collaborate with other associations on sustainability programming;
- You want your association to be a better model for sustainable practices;
- You want to support the development and maintenance of resources that will strengthen and advance the higher education community's commitment to sustainable practices.
You can join HEASC by making an annual contribution of $4,000. These funds will go towards the annual costs of a coordinating agency that will provide HEASC with logistical support and sustainability expertise. Your commitment is for one year and may be reviewed at the end of each calendar year.
The HEASC coordinating agency will:
- Assist HEASC and your association in defining and launching new sustainability projects;
- Provide guidance and access to resources that can help you carry out your projects (such as greening conferences, modeling sustainability in your operations, etc);
- Organize and facilitate HEASC Annual meeting and planning process;
- Coordinate and distribute a bi-monthly electronic News Digest that disseminates information on what members are doing and provides examples of new ideas/models/projects in higher education sustainability;
- Maintain a website that highlights member sustainability news and links to member websites;
Who Will Serve as the HEASC Coordinating Agency?
The coordinating function will be handled by Second Nature (SN). SN was founded in 1993 to work with college and university campuses across the country as they make sustainability an integral goal of learning and practice. SN works with administrators, faculty, staff and students at colleges and universities and with higher education organizations across the country to make the principles of sustainability the foundation of all learning, practice and collaboration with local communities. More than any other single organization, Second Nature has led the way in helping over 500 colleges and universities throughout the country begin to move towards sustainability. The primary contacts for HEASC members will be SN President Anthony Cortese, and University Leaders for a Sustainable Future senior fellow and U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, Higher Education co-chair, Debra Rowe.