Students, faculty and staff involved in sustainability antennas project.
The ETSII-UPM case.
From 2011, a distinctive project was developed at our institution and it was called “Sustainability Antennas”. This project was framed within the implementation of the strategic management of social responsibility. Three different groups of volunteering people representing each internal stakeholder (student, staff, faculty, and researcher) from all the areas, departments, and services, meet twice a year to discuss the main actions to improve the impact of the School in the social and environmental context.
Their main objective is boosting sustainability in the main areas of the Center: teaching, research, management, and outreach. These groups act as a link between the management team and the rest of organization’s members, giving their point of view, identifying weak points, discovering opportunities, and influencing in the decision-making process, related with sustainability.
When in 2015 the SDGs were established, an opportunity to contribute was perceived. The actual project of sustainability antennas is the awareness of the university community encouraging them to achieve a better world through the SDGs. So an activity named “one SDG at a month” has been started.
Each month dedicated to one SDG the school develops information related to the consecution of the SDG selected. Then, some interviews with people whose work could contribute to achieving different SDGs goals were developed. Researchers and faculty members, which research work and technology transmission to society could face the societal problems; faculty who incorporate SDGs into their subjects; staff members whose activities are aligned with sustainability or students who organize activities to promote a better world, share their experiences with the rest of the university community. These interviews are published both in the newsletter and on the Center web page.
Besides that, activities to provoke emotions and feelings about the achievement of the SDG were carried out. Every contribution, both individual and institutional, is important. And participating in these activities makes people identify how they can contribute to achieving the world dreamed by the ones who believe in the consecution of 2030 agenda. The ultimate goal is to inspire everyone to align their talent and skills with the achievement of SDG.
Our experience with “one SDG at a month” has just started. March was devoted to “SDG 13: Action for climate”. During March, in our newsletter called IN-ON information about this SDG 13 has been included. Our carbon print has been published. This publication has about 14.000 receivers including student, staff, faculty, alumni, enterprises and other organizations. The news is also published on the Center web page that receives more than 500.000 visits every month.
Some conferences related to this topic have been promoted: Conference on Climate Change, Air Pollution and Human Rights by Mary Robinson and The Answer to Climate Change by Sara Aagesen. These conferences were open-door so everyone interested was invited.
Besides that students that belong to the sustainability antennas project has achieved that some posters raising awareness about climate change and some tips to avoid it were placed in relevant places as the library.
We use SDG framework to establish a relationship between teaching, researching and managing promoting the inclusion of SDG training into the courses, boosting the alignment of research with the achievement of 2030 agenda and managing the Center in a coherent way.
One SDG at month makes available to the community information related to the SDGs to inspire each person to focus their knowledge and resources on the achievement of the 2030 agenda in its sphere of influence.
The main barrier is the lack of initial knowledge of SDGs. Spreading awareness about SDG and incorporate them into the daily activities of the institution is a long term goal. The solution is to continually remind the importance of SDG and our impact on the consecution of SGD’s goals.
