Dive beneath the ocean’s surface – virtually. Discover strategies to manage anxiety around the climate crisis. Explore tornadoes through music.
Western faculty, staff and students are preparing a host of events to mark SDG Week, a celebration of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to build a better world.
Jessica Cordes (Western Communications photo)
Those 17 goals – the SDGs, for short – are the focus for the first week of March as educational institutions and organizations across the country collaborate to raise awareness and engagement on college and university campuses.
“It’s really important we have this on campuses and look at the work happening to advance the sustainable development goals and think about how sustainability really intersects across social issues, environmental issues, governance and economics, the whole breadth of society,” said Jessica Cordes, engagement coordinator in Western’s sustainability office.
Heather Hyde (Western Communications photo)
“Sometimes, these global goals feel so unattainable. No poverty, no hunger, good health, quality education for all. It’s like climate action, it feels like we can’t get there, so why even bother? The SDGs provide a framework and a lens for how all these goals can really work together to have impact.”
Western’s SDG Week will feature events across multiple faculties and fields, from a wellness walk to a concert to an art exhibition.
“This is such an important initiative because it provides opportunities for us to be really intentional about interdisciplinary collaboration and the intersections between social, economic and environmental sustainability,” said Heather Hyde, Western’s director of sustainability.
Sustainability goes beyond environment
Hyde and Cordes hope the broad range of activities will help students and others on campus see sustainability in a new light.
“In Towards Western at 150, when we look at sustainability as an imperative, yes, we’re talking about environmental sustainability, and at the same time it’s so intertwined with how Western is looking to advance reconciliation and grow our international or local impact. Some of the SDG Week events, maybe somebody wouldn’t think they have to do with sustainability,” Cordes said.
Two events will tackle the worry and anxiety brought on by climate change and environmental crises, a concern common among the student population.
Britt Wray, an expert on climate change and mental health, will give the 2024 Robert and Patricia Duncanson Lecture on Feb. 29 in Conron Hall, also broadcast by Zoom. Wray, the author of Generation Dread, will speak about how to cope with climate anxiety and find purpose during the climate crisis.
“A lot of people are feeling unable to take action because the weight of climate change just feels so heavy and it feels like we can’t make a difference sometimes. By providing frameworks, community resources and tapping into those elements of health and well-being, we’re able to really take action around climate change.” – Jessica Cordes, engagement coordinator in Western’s Office of Sustainability
On March 7, Western health sciences professor Lesley Gittings will moderate an event called Rooted Resilience: Eco-distress and Messy Hope Discussion, to navigate difficult emotions and build hope and resilience.
Virtual dives part of week’s programming
A virtual reality and augmented reality experience will probe SDG Goal 14: Life Below Water, which stresses the need for ocean conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources.
The event promises to give visitors a chance to “experience the ocean’s depths like never before through a blend of virtual and augmented reality that vividly brings the marine world to life. Dive with sharks, swim alongside orcas, and uncover the significant impacts of human activity on our oceans, from disturbing noise pollution to the widespread threat of plastic pollution.”
A live staking event took place on the banks of Medway Creek, where 200 native shrubs and 100 tree cuttings were planted to resist erosion and minimize flooding in April 2023. (Steven Anderson/Western Communications photo)
“In land-locked London, Ont., we’re not always thinking about SDG 14: Life Below Water. We don’t always think about the river that flows through campus and Medway Creek and how all of it is connected to the waters of the world,” Cordes said.
Collaboration with outside organizations and community agencies is also a big part of the week’s programming. Pillar Nonprofit Network, an umbrella group that helps non-profit agencies in Southwestern Ontario, is bringing local perspectives about how the SDGs impact citizens and organizations in the region through its SDG Cities project. That’s all about localizing the UN goals to make change in mid-size cities like London, Ont. – whether tackling homelessness, health care or environmental initiatives.
“I hope our community will find new ways to connect with others working in the sustainability realm on campus and explore new perspectives in sustainability during SDG Week,” Hyde said.
“Overall, we’re really looking to build up SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, because it’s only through partnerships and collaboration that we can advance sustainability for all.”
SDG Week Events
Find all event details and registration links here.
Feb. 29: How to Cope with Climate Anxiety
Feb. 29 – March 14: Meromictic Exhibition
March 1: Northern Tornadoes Concert with Western Music
March 5: Community SDG Connections
March 6: W’AT ABOWT US: Film Screening and Panel Discussion
March 7: Rooted Resilience: Eco-distress and Messy Hope Discussion
March 8: Increasing Awareness and Engagement of Sustainable Development Goals
March 9: Life Below Water: A Virtual Dive into our Oceans
