Date: Wednesday 25 October 2023, 8:30am CR time (4:30pm CET)
Organized by: University for Peace, Earth Charter International and United Nations Academic Impact
United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) is an initiative that aligns higher education institutions with the goals and mandate of the United Nations, including the promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability, and conflict resolution. UNAI has more than 1,400 member institutions in more than 147 countries that reach around 25 million people in the educational and research sectors, representing the global diversity of the regions and an enriching theme of disciplines. The University for Peace was chosen as the hub for SDG 12: “Responsible Production and Consumption” for the period 2021-2024.
The SDG 12 wants to make us think twice about the things we use, the waste we create, and how that impacts our planet. Changing our behaviour towards more sustainable actions can really make a difference when everyone -including individuals, companies, governments- contribute. SDG 12 aims to improve the quality of life of all people, and not just a few, everywhere in the world.
According to the United Nations, every minute, the equivalent of one truckload of plastic garbage is dumped into the ocean. The environmental, social, economic and health risks of plastics must be evaluated alongside other environmental stressors, such as climate change, ecosystem degradation and waste use. On the other hand, it also mentions that although information on business sustainability has increased, it has decreased in terms of consumption and monitoring of sustainable tourism.
For this reason, the Earth Charter and the University for Peace joined efforts to create a workshop to share good practices of consumption and production carried out by higher education institutions, which promote sustainability and regeneration, motivating in the participants an awareness that leads to action towards the reduction of the impacts generated by humans on the Earth community.
Speakers:
Nika Salvetti, Visiting Professor, University for Peace (Italy)
Casey Harrison, Director of Impact and Learning at Nuru International (USA)
Gabriela Montero, SDG 12 Hub Coordinator, University for Peace (Costa Rica)
Amanda Bennett, Youth Coordinator, Earth Charter International (Costa Rica)
Alicia Jimenez, Director of Programmes, Earth Charter International (Costa Rica)