In 2015, members of the United Nations (U.N.) proposed 17 goals to be met by 2030 to improve global living standards and sustainability efforts, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Some of these goals include climate action, eliminating poverty and hunger, making cities and communities sustainable and providing quality education for all people through global partnerships.
The U.N. has emphasized the significant role higher education institutions play in promoting these goals as they are the ones educating decision makers. The goal of these institutions is to promote development through research, teaching practices and providing resources. The SDGs aim to eradicate many issues, and it will take significant global cooperation and awareness to solve the problems addressed by the U.N.
As a higher education institution, St. Joe’s plays a large role in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs, and they are part of the SDG Dashboard through the Haub School of Business. This dashboard allows higher education institutions to collaborate and share research, information and ideas regarding the SDGs. Students and faculty at St. Joe’s have contributed to putting together information that directly relates to the university’s progress on achieving the SDGs. It shows that St. Joe’s has reported on 15 SDGs, shared 114 activities and impacted two countries. For example, the data mining course allows St. Joe’s to use information to help schools in Bolivia who are in need of assistance, so these courses address SDGs far beyond campus.
Tools like the SDGs Dashboard are a way members of the St. Joe’s community and anyone interested in learning more about SDGs and making progress towards the U.N.’s goals can access information and incorporate sustainable practices into their daily lives. The U.N. provides examples of actions people can take to help achieve the SDGs, such as donating food and decreasing food waste to fight poverty and hunger, using energy-efficient light bulbs to create clean and affordable energy, biking and using public transportation to develop sustainable cities.
Combining information available from St. Joe’s SDGs Dashboard and recommendations from the U.N. can help make progress towards these goals by taking action on both a campus-wide and community-wide level to foster sustainable development worldwide. There is still a long way to go before 2030 to reach these goals. So using information that is directly related to the university and community is one way for students at St. Joe’s to be more aware of ways to improve sustainability measures in the community.