UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were created and adopted by UN Member States in 2015 and “provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.” These goals recognize that global challenges such as poverty, inequality and environmental degradation can and must be solved collaboratively to create a prosperous and sustainable world. The Villanova Sustainability Leadership Council chose the SDGs as the framework for the Villanova University Sustainability Plan because they cover a wide range of important and interconnected issues.
The Plan includes long-term objectives for each of the 17 SDGs and for an additional, Villanova-specific goal: Sustainability in Academics. Each objective has a baseline score and custom scoring to measure progress. Villanova surveyed stakeholders across campus and weighed each of these 18 objectives according to priority.
The SDGs were grouped into three categories that parallel the triple bottom line, which is a business framework that focuses equally on the benefits of company decisions and actions for people, planet and profit. The categories were renamed as People, Planet, Prosperity.
These UN SDGs aim “to end poverty and hunger in all their forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfill their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment.”
These UN SDGs set a goal to protect the planet “so it can support the needs of the present and future generations.”
These UN SDGs aim to “ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social, and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature.” The SDGs set out goals to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies. Prosperity encompasses many things, including good work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, and responsible consumption and production.
