By Stacey Federoff
Many initiatives across Carnegie Mellon University show a commitment to sustainability when it comes to areas directly related to the environment.
However, preserving and conserving natural resources are only part of the university’s Sustainability Initiative, based on a framework backed by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“Underlying inequities are challenges across social, economic and environmental justice,” said Alexandra Hiniker, director of the Sustainability Initiative. “These cannot be solved by carbon emissions and recycling alone. We need to look at the broader factors addressed by the sustainable development goals in order to really make any progress.” The 17 Global Goals, cataloged in-depth through dashboards and the annual Voluntary University Review, include working toward reducing inequalities (Goal 10) and poverty (Goal 1) while achieving gender equality (Goal 5) and promoting peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16).
Social good through the lens of sustainability is the focus of several educational courses and programs, academic research opportunities and ongoing efforts.
View the complete article on the Carnegie Mellon University News website.
Feature image from cmu.edu: Dietrich Community Engagement Fellowship student Eric Moreno worked as mentor for a youth soccer program. Moreno earned his bachelor's degree in global studies in May.