Sustainability is an ugly word. Not for its meaning, but for the way politicians have been using it for years. The more cynical among us are now bound almost to switch off at its very mention. Not going in its favour is also the fact that sustainability, at least at the global level, does not really sound very interesting.
Nowhere is this more true than with the United Nations announcement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); a new, universal set of goals, targets and indicators that UN member states will be expected to use to frame their agendas and political policies over the next 15 years. The SDGs are a replacement for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed by governments in 2001 and about to expire, which in hindsight had glaring omissions (e.g. gender equality) and were inconsiderate as to the holistic nature of development.
Into a world where one billion people still live on less than US$1.25 a day (a measure of poverty by the World Bank) come the SDGs, all 17 of them (source: sustainabledevelopment.un.org):
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture
Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (taking note of agreements made by the UNFCCC forum)
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Still awake? At least one accountant was, at a major conference in Addis Ababa a few months ago, that had the theme of financing the SDGs. The concern to emerge was there would not be enough financial stimulus available to meet such lofty goals.
In fact, an intergovernmental committee of experts on sustainable development financing have put the cost of providing a social safety net to eliminate extreme poverty at approximately US$66 billion per year. That’s not all; to improve the overall infrastructure that the SDGs call for (those in water, agriculture, transport and power) could require a further US$7 trillion.
Obviously, that kind of money does not exist, even in China. Therefore, it is really up to us, as the little people. If we all make a few small changes at the local level, great things can be achieved. Indeed, it seems as if a seismic shift is already underway, as initiatives undertaken by individuals, pressure groups or even artists, are beginning to make our world look very different, and to a greater or lesser degree, more sustainable for those who follow in our footsteps.
The shanty towns of central Mexico would not be the obviously place to start looking for sustainability. Of late, however, an artists’ collective calling themselves the German Crew have worked for more than a year with the goal of promoting community integration and changing the negative image of the hillside neighbourhood of Las Palmitas. The muralists have painted the drab, cement and cinder block facades of 200 homes all manner of colours; from lime and lavender to orange and sky blue, turning the hillside into one giant, colourful mural.
Before the artistic experiment in social behaviour, Las Palmitas was a place where people avoided going out after dark or talking with each other. Now people are beaming in conversation and children hang out on the steep stairways that crisscross the neighbourhood.
The world of advertising too, is not one immediately synonymous with sustainability. Yet, the proliferation of outdoor advertising can consume a city in the form of visual pollution. Brazil was perhaps where the advertising growth of the early 2000s was most intense, with signage in São Paulo becoming akin to a kind of smog.
As a result, in 2007 a Clean City Law was introduced that banned billboards outright. Authorities would then go on to remove 15,000 billboards and 300,000 oversized storefront signs. São Paulo was not to be alone in its crusade. Chennai, then Grenoble, Tehran, Paris and now even New York have all begun their own mission to replace or ban outdoor advertising. Already several US states, including Vermont, Maine, Hawaii, and Alaska are billboard free.
It should be noted that artists and activists are playing important roles in the move to clean up our increasingly obtrusive urban skylines. They are the ones who have realised that while the removal of a lot of large signage is generally positive, what is left in its wake is also cause for concern. Many cities in China would serve as good examples wherein outdoor advertising is actually brightening up what would otherwise be depressingly grey concrete slabs. Therefore, imagine what cities would look like if classical paintings replaced the ads; No Ad is an augmented-reality app that strips the New York City subway of ads, replacing them with art.
Nanjing too has its own unique example of efforts at sustainability that operate on the local level. The European Chamber of Commerce Nanjing Chapter shall hold its second CSR Award on 11th November. The Award aims to acknowledge CSR successes, raise sustainability awareness, and share CSR experiences with organizations looking to embrace corporate responsibility in China.
After a hugely successful first run last year, this year’s event follows much the same format, with awards in the categories of human resources and work safety, sustainable growth and environment protection, plus community program and social innovation. There will be two winners from each category; one for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with less than 250 employees, and the other for corporations with more than 250 employees. In 2014, the Award attracted 17 projects and 200 diverse participants. Five projects won the CSR Award.
This year, all the entries will be assessed in a two-stage process by a jury representing a wide variety of businesses, social organisations, and government entities. During the first stage, the assessors, who are the experts in the CSR field, will shortlist all the entries to three finalists in each category. During the second stage, the finalists will be invited to make a 30 minute presentation with a 10 minute Q&A session on their project in front of a panel of judges, who will select the final winning projects.
To increase participation and spread awareness, students from both Chinese and international schools are invited to enter a competition that seeks poster designs on the themes of air, water, food, environment and sustainability. The Chamber plans to make the top three posters of each category into postcards. All revenues derived from the postcard sales will be donated to the Pfrang Association. Another competition seeks CSR Trophy designs where, through an open voting system, the top six trophy designs will be presented to the winners of the CSR Awards 2015. The designers’ name and affiliation shall be carved on the trophy pedestal.
Visit www.europeanchamber.com.cn for further information on the contests and the CSR Awards.
This article was first published in The Nanjinger Magazine, October 2015 Issue. If you would like to read the whole magazine, please follow this link.
