Professor of Political Science, Manhattan College Think Globally, Act Locally: Implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals at Manhattan College Pamela Chasek, Ph.D. Professor of Political Science, Manhattan College June 25, 2018

The Project The class (GOVT 223, Environmental Politics) was divided into five groups and looked at the following five SDGs: SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Students chose the goals and targets

The Assignment Each group developed a research plan, did the necessary research, and prepared a report that examined: the goal and selected target(s) what it means why it is relevant to Manhattan College what the College community can do to implement the goal and selected target(s) a cost-benefit analysis of the proposed project    When reading this report, please bear in mind that this was an undergraduate student project, completed in partial fulfillment of a semester-long course. Many of the students had never participated in such a comprehensive group research project before and their efforts are to be commended.

Target 3.5, “Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol”: Implement two programs that have been successful on other college campuses: the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) Program and the Know Your Power campaign. Create more “Sober Dorms” or “Substance-Free Dorms” for students who want to avoid illicit substances that are available on or near campus.

Target 5.2 “Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation” Target 5.6 “Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences”: Make rape kits available in the student health center. Include a website on Manhattan College’s homepage with available resources to someone who believes they were sexually assaulted. Provide students with a 24-hour sexual assault hotline.

Targets 7.2 and 7.3 Target 7.2, “By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix” Target 7.3, “By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency”: Implement energy efficiency techniques on campus, including by raising awareness about sustainable energy use with posters and reminders around campus, unplugging laptops in labs when they are not in use, switching all lights on campus to LEDs or CFLs; and sub-metering buildings. A competition to see who can reduce energy consumption the most could be a fun and effective way to lower levels in the highest energy consuming months. Installing solar panels on the parking garage roof and the roof of Jasper Hall

Target 12.3 Target 12.3, “By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses”: By enhancing composting on campus, the college could potentially have a great amount of their food waste reused as fertilizer, essentially decreasing our current food waste and overall weight of waste in general. Collect tea bags and coffee grounds to potentially use the decomposed matter as fertilizers and enhancer for the composting process.

Target 13.3, “improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning”: Expand the number of cool roofs on campus, with the goal of involving the student body and local community in the roofs’ installation and maintenance to reduce the school’s total greenhouse gas emissions. These include: White roofs, which have reflective tiles or coating, increasing a roof’s albedo and reflecting, rather than absorbing, more light and heat; and Green roofs, which are partially or completely covered by some sort of vegetation, which helps improve the insulation of heat.

What did the students learn? The project exposed me to the struggle of implementing projects no matter how beneficial they may be. I learned how detailed proposals have to be and how much you must consider every factor, even if it does not seem important at the moment. I learned how addressing an issue effectively is harder than it seems. I learned just how important it is that we as a college community fight climate change. It made me realize the power of local involvement. I gained a deeper understanding on the certain parameters holding back people from achieving their goals. I learned that an international goal can be scaled back and implemented at a smaller scale that would have an impact. It was a great and humbling experience that emphasized team work, creativity and trouble shooting. They appreciated the challenges in implementing the SDGs at the local level as well as at the national and international levels.

Thank You!