Next week is Global Goals Week! It’s a time to think about how each one of us can mobilize our communities, demand urgent response to our common global challenges, and make lasting change. But the SDGs aren’t just about clean energy and climate action, they also include things like justice, equality, the economy, industry, and community. Consider the SDGs a 17-step guide to creating a better world for everybody!
Colleges and institutes know the power of action, awareness, and accountability, and are leaders in sustainability across the country! If you have already seen our bi-weekly SDG Spotlight, here’s what we mean:
- Coast Mountain College has a one-stop webpage for anti-racism resources and connections to community groups that support newcomers to Canada, particularly international students. The resources are part of the college’s commitment to providing a learning and working environment free from all harassment and discrimination!
- Humber College’s Vanier Project is the first-of-its-kind in Ontario providing pre-apprenticeship training on site at a women’s correctional facility. After a pilot, the project received funding to continue delivering the program for the next five years, helping to meet the goals for quality education, gender equality, reduced inequalities while ensuring that no-one is left behind!
- Last year, Cégep Édouard-Montpetit adopted an official sustainable development policy aligned with both the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its mission as an educational institution. The policy aims to incorporate sustainability in teaching, promote environmentally conscious behaviour on campus, and make resources available for more students to participate in environmentally responsible projects!
- Collège communautaire de Nouveau-Brunswick has been working with partners to cultivate local vegetables for people in need while also helping to rehabilitate incarcerated people in Saint-Hilaire. The partners from CCNB-INNOV and the Madawaska Regional Correction Centre, grow and donate the organic vegetables, which are then distributed by the local food bank. The project helps improve the quality of life for incarcerated people while helping to tackle issues of food shortage in the region!
- With its Clean Water Initiative, Canadore College is hoping to be a catalyst for change in addressing systemic issues facing Indigenous populations and the challenges in delivering clean drinking water to their communities! The college is aiming to develop a comprehensive platform of products, services, and educational programs tailored to the needs and values of Indigenous people, and inspiring Indigenous students to take on fulfilling careers in water management!
- SAIT’s Green Building Technologies team is partnering to build one of the greenest homes on Earth? The new home, named “The Confluence,” produces more energy than it uses, captures water on site, and incorporates biophilic design, a design that connects humans and nature through the architecture and landscape!
#ICYMI: We also got a shout-out in Canada’s “Moving Forward Together” 2030 Agenda National Strategy for highlighting how colleges and institutes are playing a critical role in preparing a workforce ready to meet the challenges of sustainability! Check it out.
But we want to do more:
- We can accelerate Canada’s net-zero ambitions by investing $100M over 5 years in a new network of 50 College Sustainability Centres that would leverage existing college and institute assets like campus infrastructure, research centres, and community partnerships.
- Our brand-new ImpAct Internships help employers address labour shortages, diversify their workforce, and strengthen their industry while creating work opportunities that contribute to Canada’s 2030 SDG Agenda. Applications will be launching soon!
- Join the SDG Accord: the education sector’s international and collective response to the Global Goals! We signed on last year, and so did eight CICan members (so far): Selkirk College, Nova Scotia Community College, Sheridan College, Confederation College, Dawson College, Lethbridge College, Olds College, and Cégep du Vieux-Montréal.