SDGs...what? Global goals for a sustainable future
Monika Köstinger
New awareness, new reality and more mindfulness - With global shutdowns and restrictions due to corona, more and more people are thinking about sustainability and what it really means. We realised that not everything should be taken for granted. The call for more sustainability is now coming from all sides and is getting louder. And that should remain the case even after the so-called "restart". That is why we at FH Burgenland and Forschung Burgenland are also committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Many of us have already reduced our CO2 emissions by working from home, for example, by travelling less by car or paying more and more attention to regional produce, many of us enjoy our leisure time in the local countryside or are even rethinking our own meat consumption...
Although the actions of each individual are extremely important, these measures alone are probably not enough to shape and experience the world sustainably. This can only be achieved by joining forces - or rather - with the United Nations 2030 Agenda, which requires pressure from below and support from above, as well as a general guideline for all peoples of the world that calls for global cooperation.
Austria has also committed to accelerating implementation and reporting regularly on its successes. Back in January 2016, all federal ministries were tasked with implementation by a resolution of the Council of Ministers, official SDG officers have been appointed and the first voluntary national report on the implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is currently being prepared. More on Austria's implementation can be found here.
So what exactly are these 17 development goals of the 2030 Agenda?
The United Nations (UN) Action Plan for People, Planet and Prosperity defines the following 17 goals:
Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16. 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. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Cooperating expertise in Burgenland
Where exactly are these 17 SDGs already being successfully implemented in Burgenland?
ORF Burgenland also asked itself this question. They quickly found what they were looking for at the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences and Forschung Burgenland. Because when it comes to teaching and research, we already score highly with our subject-specific experts on the key topics that are also covered in the 17 SDGs. Our university lecturers and researchers not only pass on their expertise to our students in a wide range of degree programmes, such as Energy and Environmental Management, Building Technology and Building Automation, International Business Relations, etc., but also demonstrate their skills in 126 current research projects.
As part of the series "17.Mal.Nachhaltig", ORF Burgenland broadcast a programme on the SDGs every Friday, in which some of our professionals were also interviewed in more detail about sustainability topics, SDGs, their activities and projects.
We have collected the contributions with our experts for you here:
These contributions and more can also be found on our YouTube channel.
Sustainability is a constant feature of the degree programmes at FH Burgenland, especially in the Department of Energy and Environmental Management in Pinkafeld. There, students learn how we should treat our planet and its resources and how we can bear this responsibility socially and financially.
With their expertise, graduates not only make valuable contributions to energy companies, environmental protection organisations or technical offices in the design, planning, construction, construction supervision and plant management, especially in the fields of building technology, energy and environmental technology, as well as ecology and environmental management, but also influence politics, finance and our society in the direction of sustainability.
One thing is certain: the demand for experts in sustainable behaviour is increasing. Here at UAS Burgenland, we teach and constantly expand the relevant expertise and know-how.
SDGs in Action
To emphasise how important the topic is to us, Regina Rowland was appointed as the institution's sustainability officer. The university lecturer wants to ensure that these goals, including their sub-goals, are used even more in our university - both in teaching and in the organisation. To this end, there are a number of activities, such as online discussions, to consider the specific relevance of the SDGs and plan their implementation.
In autumn, workshops will be held in which representatives of all stakeholder groups of the FH Burgenland Group will participate in order to jointly develop and implement an integrated sustainability strategy. A well-developed strategy is important so that the entire group of companies pulls in the same direction and the various departments and divisions can support each other so that the available resources can be redistributed and utilised efficiently.
Regina Rowland, sustainability officer and university lecturer
"In addition to the SDGs, which we want to explore further at the UAS, particularly in teaching, we also work with the principles of the Economy for the Common Good (ECG) at an organisational level, where we regularly draw up a balance sheet that is audited and then published. The tool for this is the ECG matrix, compliance with which guarantees that all aspects of sustainability are incorporated into operational decisions," Rowland continues. "But that's not all, we are also currently working on an extended environmental management and waste management system, and are endeavouring to obtain EMAS certification. We are also looking forward to our new campus in Pinkafeld becoming a 'sustainable' campus, which will then be the visible centrepiece of our efforts."
As a public educational institute, we want to and must make our contribution to building a sustainable future together. We want to play an exemplary role in this, together with our students and other stakeholders.
Regina Rowland, sustainability officer and university lecturer
Creative, inquisitive minds with heart are in great demand so that we can achieve these 17 future-relevant goals for our planet by 2030 and continue the positive change and transformation into a better, more sustainable, fairer and healthier world in the future.
We will train you.
Does this appeal to you?
There are still a few places left for a course starting in autumn 2020.
