Conestoga made its commitment to sustainability official by joining the SDG Accord, the post-secondary sector’s collective response to global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Conestoga celebrated a successful inaugural SDG Week.
“The SDG Accord is another way that we can demonstrate our commitment to advancing the SDGs and sharing best practices,” said Laura Matheson, director of Sustainability. “Joining the accord affirms Conestoga’s pledge to do more to deliver the goals to employees, students and within the communities we serve.”
The SDG Accord was launched in 2017 in response to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals adopted as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Endorsed by the United Nations along with many other global partners, the accord enables the sector to publicly demonstrate its collective commitment to playing a part in meeting the SDGs. Currently, 49 Canadian colleges and institutions have signed the accord.
Conestoga becoming a signatory comes at the end of SDG Month Canada, a national initiative that invites colleges and universities to increase awareness of and engagement with the SDGs. The college celebrated SDG Week from March 3 to 7 with a host of workshops, panels and other interactive programming to showcase the college’s commitment to a sustainable future, mobilize knowledge and encourage collaboration.
“There are countless inspiring examples of sustainability-related activities taking place across our college. SDG Week provided an opportunity to showcase some of this incredible work, and to inspire others to get involved,” Matheson said.
She thanked everyone in the college community who supported the inaugural SDG Week, including those who organized, promoted and participated in events. Over the course of the week, nearly 1,000 people joined 21 events.
“This shows our ongoing commitment to building a culture of shared responsibility for sustainability at our institution,” Matheson said.
Matheson encourages all Conestoga community members to continue finding ways to promote sustainability on campus, as every action counts and contributes to growing a culture of sustainability.
Conestoga is planning to release its Sustainability Action Plan in the coming months. The comprehensive plan will establish a vision for the future and outline actions to infuse sustainability principles into academic programs, research endeavours, operational procedures and governance.