With the spread of chaos around the world and the need for improvement all around, the United Nations’ 193 member states adopted an agenda for sustainable development to complete by 2030. These goals provide guidelines for the world in order to reach peace and prosperity not only for the people but for the planet as well. Every year, the UN Secretary-General presents an annual SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) report, which, with the cooperation of the UN system, provides global data explaining the framework needed to continue working and progressing. The 17 SDGs recognize that an action in one area will affect another, therefore, for development, the world must balance social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The member states have committed to prioritizing progress for those countries that are further behind and lack the resources to do so. This means that to achieve these goals by 2030, both technology and financial resources are necessary.
It was on September 25, 2015, that the 193 countries of the United Nations General Assembly created a large agenda with broad intergovernmental agreements to work towards the goals. The implementation of the SDGs officially started in 2016. The UN’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a global call for a Decade of Action in order to deliver these goals by the deadline of 2030 with a plan to convene on an annual platform. The two main types of actors for the SDG implementation include state and non-state actors; this makes society participation and empowerment important. Since the SDGs are not legally binding they allow countries to interpret the goals and face them differently in relation to what best applies to them. The goals are all organized using a structure meaning that while each goal focuses on a specific area of sustainable development, they also have a set of targets and indicators that provide measurable objectives to track the progress of each country.
At Graded, there have been several changes made to promote sustainability on a school level. Did you know that 100% of Graded energy is clean energy? All of Graded’s power comes from wind, solar, and biomass power sources. Several of the new initiatives and changes to the school have been to develop sustainability such as the kiosks that obtain solar energy, or the charging stations for electric cars in the parking lot. All sustainable development is labeled with a poster to explain how it’s helping the environment. Graded also has composting boxes that separate waste, making students more conscious of their waste and consumption, and ultimately, helps to regenerate the soil with nutrients and organic matter in a way that plants can easily utilize. In addition, there is also a committee for sustainability at Graded, that takes into account every area of the school including students, teachers, staff, maintenance, and security. This allows everyone in the school to have a voice, communicate, and develop ideas regarding sustainability. After meeting with Elaine Gabor, head of sustainability at Graded, Ms. Camargo, the head representative for teachers in the sustainability committee, and Gabi Quiroga, current senior and E-Gin leader, several projects are being created to make Graded grow along with sustainability. These include an initiative that works in recycling materials used in the classroom such as pencils, erasers, whiteboard markers, etc.
There are many ways to get involved with the subject of sustainability at school. Some of these include: joining the E-Gin club, reaching out to anyone on the sustainability committee, giving ideas for sustainability initiatives that could be applied at Graded, and involving the Student Council.
In addition, Graded is very successful in informing the student body about the SDGs and the United Nations. An example of this is 10th grade social studies, IB Economics, and the Model United Nations club where there is a large focus on the goals and their impacts on society. Furthermore, there are articles published in the Graded Gazette mentioning the sustainable advancements at the school each month as well as a separate page on the Graded website talking about those in charge of sustainability at Graded and what they are doing for the school.
The thing that makes the SDGs so appealing is that anyone can contribute and help, no matter how big or small, any action brings us closer to fulfilling these goals. This cause has already raised so much awareness and funding that it allows even the developing countries to be involved, eventually coming closer to achieving these goals. The SDGs provide an outline for sustainable development and ethical actions, for a more equal, prosperous future while preserving our planet for future generations. By placing an emphasis on international collaboration, inclusivity, and working together, we can finally reach a blueprint for a sustainable future.
Sources:
https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
