Check out our Fall Semester calendar here.

Serve-Learn-Sustain is proud to announce the official launch of our 2017-18 U.N. SDG Series! The SDGs are the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by U.N. member states in 2015 as a new set of global goals for sustainable development that will: “end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all” (http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/).

I especially encourage you to attend some of our opening events to see what the series is about, especially:

• THIS WEEK - Climate Change: Engineering’s Grand Challenge/Georgia Tech’s Role, featuring GT President Emeritus Dr. Wayne Clough (Sept. 13, 3pm)
• Liam’s Legacy Symposium: Creating, Implementing and Measuring the U.N. SDGs, featuring guest speaker Jessica Espey, Sr. Adviser, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (Oct. 26, 4pm)

Also, join us for some of our off-campus events, touring the Emory WaterHub, learning about climate change and health at Spelman as part of the national American Public Health Association Conference, and sampling water with community partners at Proctor Creek in GT’s backyard.

We also have an exciting line-up of other events and activities related to SLS’ focus on “creating sustainable communities,” including our very first SLS “Buzz Course” on universal design – which includes field work at local farmers’ markets, our first ever SLS Student Showcase, and an Alternative Winter Break Service Trip to Puerto Rico focused on meaningful community service, cross cultural experience, and personal leadership development.

Celebrating our new Regional Sustainability Network

Read about the Greater Atlanta RCE here.

Our SDG Series celebrates a new regional initiative that we are helping launch with Emory University, Spelman College, and a range of other stakeholders: the establishment of a Greater Atlanta United Nations University Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development (RCE). RCEs commit to implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the regional and local level. With U.N. approval anticipated in January 2018, we expect this network will lead to unprecedented collaborative endeavors for our students, faculty, and staff with regional partners and with the other 157 RCEs around the globe. The goal of the series is to generate serious conversation, examination, and local implementation of the SDGs in the Greater Atlanta Region.

The SDGs cover a broad array of goals, each with specific targets. Our series focuses especially on the seven goals identified in our application as most applicable to the Greater Atlanta region: Good Health & Well-being; Zero Hunger; Climate Action; Sustainable Cities & Communities; Quality Education; Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure; and No Poverty.  

Thanks to our Partners!

In the spirit of the RCE, our events and workshops this semester are the result of great collaboration with old and new partners, including GT partners Campus Sustainability, CATEA (Center for Assistive Technology & Environmental Access), City & Regional Planning, the Global Development Program, International Education, Project One, and the Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business; Emory University, Kennesaw State University, Spelman College, and University of Georgia; Atlanta Food & Farm; CARE International; EcoDistricts from Seattle; US Green Building Council-GA; and West Atlanta Watershed Alliance.

A SPECIAL THANKS to you all. Together, we are practicing SDG Goal 17: PARTNERSHIPS!

Join Us - and Together Let's Explore:

• How can we put that old adage to work – THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL?
• What role can Georgia Tech play, as a technology-focused institution of higher education, to implement the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals in our region? 

P.S. If you're taking a course related at all to the SDGs - ask your professor if you can connect any of these opportunities to your assignments. And if you're part of a student organization that relates to this topic - get in touch with us and let's collaborate. Send us an email:  serve-learn-sustain@gatech.edu.

Dr. Jennifer Hirsch is the Director of Serve-Learn-Sustain.  She is an applied cultural anthropologist specializing in community sustainability, cultural diversity, experiential education, and network building.