Campus Green Builder

By Katrine Eriksen, former Second Nature Intern

ACPCC Facebook Page
Photo Credit: Facebook

From January to June of this year I had the pleasure of participating in the Northeastern University Co-op Program and work for Second Nature. During my six months there, I learned about the many various projects Second Nature has developed and implemented and was able to jump right in and was given my own responsibilities.

One such project was the transition of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) “Group” on Facebook to a “Fan Page.” I was given the responsibility of managing the page and soon began to see how using Social Networking sites can be a vital resource for getting messages out to the public, especially for the companies and non-profits like Second Nature who are promoting environmental and sustainability education.

Using sites like Facebook allowed the ACUPCC to reach new audiences and allowed me to become in contact with people who had never heard about the ACUPCC and wanted to know if their school was a part of it. I was able to post updates about the ACUPCC, articles that had appeared in student newspapers as well as bigger name newspapers, and interact with the fans of the page.

The page also allowed the fans to get in direct contact with me, which created a more personal relationship, since they had someone who could answer questions almost instantly. Fans could also post their opinions and reactions on the page, and it allowed for an open forum of discussion.

Having the ACUPCC be a part of Facebook allowed me to view Facebook not just as a personal site in which I could have a profile and share parts of my life, but also as an important tool for people and ideas to get heard. Watching the number of fans continuously increase and interact showed that Facebook is one way for the ACUPCC to spread its message and can allow for future growth with more people becoming a part of the online community we created.

Visit the ACUPCC Facebook page and become a fan.