A simple bold promise lies at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): to end poverty and leave no one behind. At UBC, our research, learning and teaching, operations, and student engagement activities contribute to Canada’s commitment to achieve these goals.
What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly and adopted by countries around the world. They are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity in a world where no one is left behind.
SDG work AT the UBC Campus
2021 SDG Week
Want to become familiar with the SDGs and begin your first steps towards action?
This year’s SDG Week will include a series of events and workshops to learn about the SDGs and gain skills to take into your own action. Over the course of the week, students will be able to engage with the SDGs through the lens of the 5 Ps (Peace, Prosperity, People, Planet and Partnerships).
UBC SDG Alliance
The UBC SDG Alliance was created as a result of SDG Week in 2020. Many energized Sustainability Ambassadors came out of their cohort with a drive to bring change to the UBC campus by furthering the Goals. They work to take a justice-centred approach to expand and enrich collaboration towards a more sustainable and equitable world.
Want to learn more about their initiatives and action on the campus? You can contact them at ubc.sdga@gmail.com.
Annual SDG Reports
The UN Sustainable Development Goals at UBC report documents one program or project relating to an operational aspect of each Goal at one or both of the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.
Past Projects
2020
SDG Week
The Sustainability Ambassadors planned a week-long SDG event to discuss the framework through various lenses, including Indigenous perspectives, science, municipal policy, and social entrepreneurship. Besides boosting awareness of the SDGs, 2020 SDG Week was able to facilitate increased collaboration among various organizations working on the goals.
Through active discussion and listening, the SDG Week encouraged the UBC community to recognize that sustainability is wholly interconnected and that we are more connected to one another than we may think.
Event dates: March 2-5, 2020
UBC Student Leadership Conference: Sustainability Workshop
The interconnectedness of sustainability challenges must be addressed to meet the urgent environmental, political, and economic challenges the world currently faces.
Presented as part of the 2019 UBC Student Leadership Conference, this workshop focused on social, economic, and environmental sustainability, encompassing multiple perspectives, to explore the connections between leadership and sustainability.
With a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a collection of global goals set by the United Nations in Agenda 2030 – attendees gained the tools and knowledge to critically implement the SDGs as leaders in their communities, contributing to a more prosperous, safe, and sustainable planet.
Event date: January 11, 2020
Sustainability Hacks
Sustainability Hacks was a code-free hackathon meant to bring together local sustainability-driven organizations, UBC faculty members, and ambitious students for a weekend of synergy and innovation. Students would work collaboratively in teams of 3-6, in consultation with faculty members, to “hack” a solution to an issue that a community organization faces.
Event Date: Cancelled due to the covid-19 pandemic
If you are interested in learning more about SDG work on the UBC campus, please contact us at sustainability.ambassadors@ubc.ca.
2019
Campus Wide Campaign
The Sustainability Ambassadors created and produced a campus campaign around the 17 Global Goals and what each of them entail, sharing their individuals motivations behind each goal. The campaign was launched through UBC Sustainability's social media platforms, as well as digital signage around the UBC Vancouver campus.
The campaign aimed to raise awareness around the Sustainabilty Development Goals, engage students to reflect upon their connections to the goals, and encourage students to act upon them.
Sustainable Development Goals Roundtable
The Sustainability Ambassadors hosted and invited UBC Student-led organizations, groups, and clubs to attend the SDG Roundtable. Besides boosting awareness of the SDGs, the aim of the SDG Roundtable was to facilitate increased collaboration among the diversity of UBC student organizations on various goals that they share.
Through active discussion and listening, the SDG Roundtable encouraged groups to recognize that sustainability is wholly interconnected. Groups participating in this Roundtable had the opportunity to benefit from diverse perspectives to further their respective goals with help from one another.
UBC Student Leadership Conference: Integrating Sustainability in Leadership
Presented as part of the 2019 UBC Student Leadership Conference, the Integrating Sustainability in Leadership workshop organized and led by the Sustainability Ambassadors Team focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a collection of global goals set by the United Nations in Agenda 2030. Attendees gained the tools and knowledge to critically implement the SDGs as leaders in their communities, contributing to a more prosperous, safe, and sustainable planet.
Sustainability Fair
Organized by Sustainability Ambassadors and supported by UBC’s Sustainability Initiative, the Sustainability Fair aimed to inspire students, faculty, and staff to become involved with sustainability through engaging activities and informative displays. The Ambassadors invited over 30 student clubs, non-profit organizations, and social businesses whose work contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), celebrating sustainable impact within the campus community and beyond.