Getting Personal in Advancing SDG

Salutations. Today we will be creating some self awareness and accountability among all of us regarding Sustainable Development. 

It is time to look inwards, ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary friends. We have previously discussed on how to reduce our carbon footprint, reduce food wastage, and overall promoting a sustainable way of living. However, there's still a myriad of ways that we, as an individual who contributes to society, can do to contribute towards advancing the sustainable development goals. Shall we walk through them?

1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Yes, we've all heard of this one. It's always been a general tip when the topic of sustainability comes up. But there's more to it than recycling your trash or turning plastic bottles into pots. To reduce, reuse and recycle more efficiently, you can: 

• Avoid electric devices and toys with batteries.
• Avoid elevators whenever possible.
• Congratulate, communicate and call meetings electronically.
• Consume seasonal and organic farming products.
• Control water consumption in hygiene, irrigation and swimming pools.
• Cook efficiently: take advantage of waste heat, do not heat more water than necessary and do not preheat in the oven if it is not necessary.
• Print on paper already used on one side.
• Rehabilitate homes, make them more sustainable (better insulation, etc.) avoiding new construction)
• Recycle batteries, mobiles, bulbs containing mercury, computers, oil, toxic products.
• Separate waste for selective collection (“compacting” to occupy less).

Those are just some of the many ways in which we can apply the 3 R's. The main point is to constantly look for ways that we can help that relate to using less, wasting less, and, should we have to choice but to use it, make sure that no waste becomes a product of that usage. 

2. Contribute to education and citizen action

Would you know about the SDG's if you were not informed about it? Would you know that action needed to be taken if nobody told you what the problem was? The issue is that we cannot solve a problem we do not know exists. You reading this blog is proof that you are aware of the issues that need addressing, but what of the people who aren't as blessed? For this exact reason, education and awareness are vital in the fight for sustainable development. For starters, you may 

• Contribute to environmentalize the workplace, the neighborhood and city where we live.
• Help conceive sustainability measures as an improvement that guarantees everyone’s future and not as a limitation.
• Help to become aware of unsustainable and closely linked problems: consumerism, population explosion, predatory economic growth, environmental degradation and imbalances.
• Inform about the actions that we can carry out and promote their implementation, promoting campaigns to use light bulbs, reforestation and association.
• Investigate, innovate and teach.
• Perform dissemination and impulse tasks: take advantage of the press, Internet, video, ecological fairs and school supplies.
• Promote social recognition of positive measures for a sustainable future.
• Study and apply what can be done for sustainability as a professional.

In the end, it's brains over brawns. We need all the support we can get to curb future environmental disasters, so think of this as a favor to your future children, or grandchildren even (should you even plan to have any. If you don't, why not do it for society as a whole?).

3. Participate in socio-political actions for sustainability

In the end, we are but humble men. No movement is successful without the help of people in positions of power. To make a truly significant change, we would need the help of government bodies and policy makers. It's the people who hold the reigns who have the most control. They might not see the importance of sustainability over their pockets, so why not add a little public pressure to get things moving in the right direction?

• Support programs to help the Third World, defense of the environment, help people in difficulty and promote Human Rights.
• Work for governments and political parties to assume the defense of sustainability.
• Avoid residing in urbanizations that contribute to the destruction of ecosystems and / or greater energy consumption.
• Claim clear information policies on all problems.
• Claim local, state and universal legislation for the protection of the “Cyber-interact” means: Support solidarity and sustainability campaigns from the computer.
• Collaborate actively and / or economically with associations that defend sustainability.
• Comply with traffic regulations for the protection of people and the environment.
• Defend the right to research without ideological censorship.
• Demand respect for international legality.
• Give the vote to the parties with more favorable policies for sustainability.
• Oppose unilateralism, wars and predatory policies.
• Promote Fair Trade.
• Promote the democratization of world institutions.
• Report continued growth policies, incompatible with sustainability.
• Report ecological crimes: illegal logging, forest fires, untreated discharges, predatory urban planning.
• Respect and enforce Human Rights, denounce any discrimination, ethnic, social and gender.
• Respect and enforce the protection of biodiversity protection legislation.

Democracy may sometimes be slightly (maybe even more than slightly) disappointing, but a note to remember is that we are the ones paying for this government, for better or for worse. There's been a growing realization among youths that their voices must be heard, which is always a good thing. We must keep this in mind and push for our rights to a better, cleaner, more transparent legislation. 

 In retrospect, no matter how insignificant you think your efforts are, keep going. There's a saying in Bahasa Melayu, which goes 'sedikit-sedikit lama-lama jadi bukit'. It basically is referring to a continuous effort, however small, will eventually become something more. 

The same goes for Ecological Footprint. Apparently if everyone lived like me, we would take up 3 and a half Earths. Shameful, I know, but I'm redeeming myself by campaigning for sustainability. 

And you? How will you redeem yourself?