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Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: One City at a Time
By May East
The case for cities supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is incredibly compelling. Cities generate their own wealth, shape local and often national policies and are spearheading a thrilling new vision of governance for the implementation of the SDGs. Some even say that in this century, it will be the city that becomes the nexus of economic and political power and ecological regeneration. In many cases city officials are responding to transnational problems more…
Learning to design a fair and sustainable society in EDE Damanhur
Since 2005, we have certified over 300 Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) courses, reaching over 17,000 students. The courses have taken place in many different settings, from intentional ecovillages to traditional communities, from urban slums to universities. One such unique environment is Damanhur ecovillage – an inspirational sustainable community in the Valchiusella valley, Italy.
The EDE course gives students skills in how to design a fair and sustainable society, encouraging them to b…
Why do we need whole systems design skills?
by Daniel Wahl
The Gaia Education ‘Design for Sustainability‘ (GEDS) course is structured around the whole system design framework that informs all of Gaia Education’s courses. It integrates four dimensions: social, economic, ecological and worldview and aims for systemic win-win-win solutions by design.
The material presented in the GEDS online course could be called a foundational training for people who want to play an active part in the Regeneration rising. It offers a systemic over…
Gaia Trust founder, Ross Jackson, 80th birthday
Thank you dear Ross for your creative 80 years on this planet. Thank you dear Ross for being a conceptual and practical lead in the Global Ecovillage Network since its inception. In this more than 20 year movement, it is important to honor the uniqueness of Ross.
Ross’ recognition of the ways in which our lives connect with like-minded others ennobles and gives meaning to the everyday experience of our ecovillage creations. His way of holding an idea from a remote action-oriented di…
Objectifs de Développement Durable: le Manuel du Multiplicateur est disponible en français !
Les Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD) sont 17 objectifs adoptés par les Nations Unies en 2015 pour éradiquer la pauvreté, protéger la planète et garantir la prospérité pour tous. L’agenda définit 169 cibles à atteindre à l’horizon 2030.
Afin de participer à la mise en oeuvre des ODD, Gaia Education a développé une formation, des fiches mémoire et un manuel.
La Formation ODD est un atelier participatif, d’une grande interactivité, invitant les participants à prendre part à des discussion…
Leaving no one behind: are we succeeding?
by May East
The annual UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) has a unique role in reviewing progress, defining policies and flagging priorities at national, regional and global levels for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the SDGs.
HLPF2018 focused on the theme ‘Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies’ and featured the presentation of 46 Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) including 11 presentations on the final day.
The VNR process…
SDG7 at the HLPF: Renewable Energies Driving Change
by May East
We all know that energy used for electricity, heating and transport are high emitters of carbon, and so contribute to climate change. We face a huge challenge in building an affordable and sustainable energy system for the future.
We need to walk a fine line between investment needed today and the growing cost of inaction tomorrow.
The solutions to decarbonise electricity are already working and cost-effective. Renewables are fast becoming the cheapest…
The SDGs Flashcards are now available in Russian!
The Sustainable Development Goals Flashcards, developed in collaboration with UNESCO Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development, are now available in six languages! The Russian version is our newest addition to these educational cards already available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.
The SDG Implementation Flashcards, together with the SDG Multipliers Handbook will support you, your organisation, community, neighbourhood or city in the process of ma…
SDG12 at the HLPF: Glocalised Adoption of Circular Economy
by May East
In the pursuit of constant growth, humanity is using natural resources at an unprecedented rate. Total global resource use has increased from six billion tonnes in 1990 to an unprecedented 60 billion today and per capita levels of resource consumption are at their highest level in history. Growing demand is outstripping raw material supply and it takes the planet 18 months to replenish the natural resources we consume in a year. Forecasts suggests that, based on current cons…
Water Update at the High Level Political Forum
by May East
The first afternoon of the HLPF presented the SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2018 on Water and Sanitation.
The session, chaired by Mahmadamin Mahmadaminov, Permanent Representative of Tajikistan and ECOSOC Vice-President, reviewed the implementation of SDG 6. It was moderated by Joakim Harlin, UN-Water.
SDG 6 includes eight targets that are universally applicable and aspirational. They cover the entire water cycle including: provision of drinking water (target 6.1), sanitation…