Climate Luminary Honors

Selected honorees will receive public recognition at the 2026 Climate Leadership Summit. Their climate action will be shared with Second Nature’s network via various communications channels, including emails to over 4,600 subscribers, social media, and the Second Nature website.

Your institution must be an active member of Second Nature’s Climate Leadership Summit, including signatories to the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments, members of the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3), and Affiliate Members. For more information on Second Nature membership, please contact Steve Muzzy.

Additionally, to be most successful, you need to demonstrate that your climate action project:

• is currently active or was completed in the past three years
• involves more than one stakeholder (on or off campus)
• shows measurable impact
• took a risk, broke convention, and/or is on the leading edge
• leveraged limited resources to execute
• is translatable outside of your specific instance

The 2026 application period is closed, and recipients have been announced. Stay tuned for the application dates for 2027. The Climate Luminary Honors program uses a self-nomination model.

Yes! Submissions can include an optional  “digital story” that showcases the project entry. Digital stories about your project are highly recommended as they give application reviewers a great visual overview of your climate action work. All digital stories must be submitted via a YouTube or web page link. Videos must not exceed two minutes in length. If you do not have a digital story ready at the time of application submission, submit it to [email protected] no later than 11/30/2025 with the subject line: “CLH digital story – Your Institution Name.”

Yes, submissions can be in one or more of the following five categories of climate action. However, an institution can only receive one award.

Decarbonization

The path to campus decarbonization includes technical solutions and coordinated planning across the institution. Submitted projects must show that they have made tangible decarbonization efforts. Examples include:

• Technical Solutions: Integration of renewable energy, wide-scale energy efficiency, energy systems transformation, etc.
• Emissions Reductions: Significant emissions reductions demonstrated in the past couple of years
• Increased Ambition: Targets have been updated to be more rigorous and communicated to the campus
• Inclusive Governance: Broad involvement in climate action planning
• Educational Integration: Curricular involvement in decarbonization efforts

Justice

The project demonstrated that their campus has integrated justice into campus climate action plans or projects in transformative ways. Examples include:

• Justice Prioritization in Campus Planning: Racial, social, and disability justice planning is integrated into campus plans and real-world project implementation, highlighting such planning considerations.
• Empowerment: Collaboration with non-campus groups and organizations with an environmental justice focus; advances leadership roles for those disproportionately impacted by climate change and/or centers their voices.
• Transdisciplinary/intersectional justice: The campus is engaged in transformational work with internal or external populations to support equity and justice.
• Student support: To what extent does the campus support student success (health, curriculum, workshops, training, research, organizations and clubs, demands, etc., and student leadership?

Community

The project demonstrates the campus has collaboratively engaged with local communities and government to address environmental challenges. This may include outreach programs, community-based projects, and partnerships with local organizations. Examples include:

• Community Resilience Initiatives: Programs that build the resilience of local communities to climate change impacts. Projects could focus on disaster preparedness, climate education, or sustainable resource management.
• Community partnerships: The institution engages with the community through meaningful partnership and support of justice priorities
• Sustainability Events: Community events focused on sustainability, such as eco-fairs, environmental workshops, or renewable energy expos, that foster awareness and action on climate issues.
• Climate Advocacy Partnerships: Partnerships with local environmental organizations to advocate for climate-friendly policies and initiatives within the community.

Workforce

Projects that foster a skilled workforce ready to tackle climate-related challenges. This includes promoting sustainability-focused curricula, research, and career development opportunities. Examples include:

• Sustainability Innovation: Projects that develop replicable and scalable green technologies, practices, or policies.
• Climate Career Fairs: Career fairs where companies and organizations focused on climate solutions can connect with students seeking job opportunities in the green sector.
• Sustainable Internship Programs: Campus-wide internship programs that offer hands-on experience in sustainability-related fields, providing students with valuable skills and exposure to real-world challenges.

Research

Projects that conduct climate solutions research that meets society’s needs, particularly those who are most vulnerable and who are impacted “first and worst” by climate and extreme weather events. Examples include:

• New technology, innovative process, or novel application of an existing theory that results in real-world climate solutions
• Policy or behavioral studies that demonstrate a deeper or new understanding of how individuals or institutions can be motivated to solve climate-related issues
• Climate Communications: Impactful communications of climate science research to the public and policymakers – translating complex scientific information into accessible, visually compelling, and actionable insights.

Climate Resilience

The project demonstrates that the campus is preparing for and adapting to the impacts of a changing climate while actively supporting community resilience. Projects should show how institutions are helping their campus and surrounding communities withstand climate-related disruptions through proactive planning and capacity-building. Examples include:

• Adaptation Planning: Development and implementation of climate resilience or hazard mitigation plans that address future climate extremes (e.g., flooding, heat, storms).
• Resilient Infrastructure: Investment in buildings, systems, or landscapes designed to reduce vulnerability to climate risks.
• Community Capacity-Building: Collaborative efforts with local communities to strengthen regional resilience, especially for vulnerable populations.
• Climate-Informed Decision-Making: Use of climate data, projections, or vulnerability assessments to inform institutional or community planning.

You may submit your questions and updates to [email protected] with the subject line “CLH inquiry or update – Your Institution Name.”