Staff: Supporting the Global Goals at City

City, University of London is taking action to embed the 17 UN Global Goals into our education, research, leadership, operations and engagement activities. But what are those Goals, and how can you take action to support them too?

The Global Goals

In 2015 UN member states agreed on the 17 goals we need to achieve by 2030 to end poverty, combat climate change and fight injustice and inequality. These are the UN Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, and are commonly known as the Global Goals. Achieving the goals in just 15 years will take unprecedented international, political, scientific business and research collaboration. Everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society, universities and people like you.

Take a look at the 17 goals below. They cover everything from people, prosperity, peace and the planet.

Goal 1: No Poverty End Poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2: Zero hunger End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3: Good health and wellbeing Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4: Quality education Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5: Gender equality Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and clean energy for all

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation

Goal 10: Reduced inequalities Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13: Climate action Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14: Life below water Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15: Life on land Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16: Peace, justice, and strong institutions Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17: Partnerships for the goals Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

Each goal has a series of underlying targets. You can take a closer look at all the goals and each target here.

Supporting the Global Goals at City

One way in which staff can take action to support the Global Goals here at City is to do an Extra Mile project. An Extra Mile project can be any activity, campaign or event of your choosing which engages staff and students to make a positive change at City or in the local community.

Your Extra Mile project doesn’t need to be limited to your team, why not link up with another team or department across City to do a project together? If you’ve got an idea of something that you’d like to do, we can help you find someone to collaborate with.

By completing each Extra Mile project, you’ll also earn up to 5 points in the Sustainable City Challenge. ​To earn points from an Extra Mile project, teams just need to:

• Submit a form outlining the idea and any support/funding you need from the Sustainability team
• Complete your project!
• Send evidence that your project has been completed to the Sustainability team (this could be photos, emails, receipts, posters etc)

At the end of the year we celebrate all the fantastic Extra Mile projects that staff have completed at our annual Sustainable City Awards. We also present an Extra Mile project of the year award!

The Sustainability team offer support and advice every step of the way to help you complete your Extra Mile project. There is also funding available for resources, so get in touch with us at sustainable_city@city.ac.uk and let us know what you want to do!

Looking for inspiration?

We’ve taken a selection of the Extra Mile projects which were completed between July 2018 – April 2019, and highlighted the UN Global Goals which they support. Take a look at them below for some inspiration!

Still need some ideas?

Check out this document which has some simple actions which individuals can take to support the goals.

Ask yourself:

• What do your team enjoy doing together?
• What causes do you support? Are you passionate about a charity?
• What improvements could you make in your office? What do people in your team say could be better?
• Has another team done something that could work in your office?
• Could you do an Extra Mile project that links to Sustainable City Week or Fairtrade Fortnight?
• What’s your team’s biggest environmental or social impact, and how can you make it better?

And if you’re still looking for inspiration, have a look at our blog post “Go the Extra Mile” from 2018.

So, what are you waiting for? Find some colleagues, start talking about ideas, and take action towards the Global Goals!