In Pursuit of Balanced Collaboration

All Posts, Featured, Sustainable Development Goals
Do you find it hard to collaborate with people on the other side of an issue? You might be wondering, “why would I collaborate with someone I don’t agree with?”. Well, the answer is simple.  That’s how we co-exist.  Further, that’s how we progress. The world is full of differences in opinions, beliefs, needs, wants, etc.  Because we can benefit from finding common ground, we must collaborate beyond just our allies. Take a Seat Collaboration is about more than working with people on the same side of an issue.  It’s about finding a seat at the same table as your “opposition”.  If we are all in this together, then solutions must come from all sides. How can we meet in in the middle if we’re forced to take sides? Triple…
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22 Quotes about Peace, Social Justice, and Sustainable Development

All Posts, Featured, Sustainable Development Goals
At the core of the 17 Global Goals, there is a call to action.  One that asks individuals to actively participate in sustainable development across the globe.  Whether you work at the local or global level; in health care, environmental restoration, or finance, it doesn’t matter – everyone has a role to play. Goal #16 ~ Promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies The targets behind this goal are vast and require fundamental change to regulatory systems and dated ideologies.  Success lies in empowering global citizens to take action locally, offering inspiration and ideas to the community at large. Are you looking to get inspired? Here is a small collection of thought provoking quotes by some of the greatest leaders our world has known.  Enjoy! "Peace comes from within. Do not…
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Wetlands Key to Success of Global Goals

Wetlands Key to Success of Global Goals

All Posts, Featured, Sustainable Development Goals
Did you know that once upon a time wetlands were considered wastelands? A lot has changed since then.  Today, they hold high importance globally and are protected under international treaty to ensure wise use for sustainable development. Having just celebrated World Wetlands Day, I thought this would be a great topic to showcase the interconnection of Global Goal 14: Life Below Water & Global Goal 15: Life on Land. “A Wetland is a meeting area where Water and Land become one" ~ Romain About Wetlands As you might know or have guessed, they are plots of land saturated in water.  Land submerged under water is either seasonal or year round.  Wetlands are identified by plants adaptable to saturated soil conditions caused by water at or near the surface. The soil type…
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Duty of Care to Act on Climate Change

Duty of Care to Act on Climate Change

All Posts, Featured, Sustainable Development Goals
Have you ever wondered what you can do to help solve the issues surrounding climate change? The impacts of a warming planet and changing climate have been affecting the state of our environment for decades.  Scientist came forward long ago alongside organizations and individuals standing up for the Earth, urging all citizens to recognize the results of the industrial era and to change business as usual. While there was much growth and prosperity over the past 200 years, it was far too often at the expense of the Earth and its people. ‘We Are the First Generation that Can End Poverty, the Last that Can End Climate Change.” ~Ban Ki-moon Solutions come from the ground up – the grassroots movements across the globe.  It is up to the individual to…
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Investing in Sustainable Consumption

Investing in Sustainable Consumption

All Posts, Fair Trade, Featured, Sustainable Development Goals, Triple Bottom Line
Do you want to make sustainable solutions part of your daily life?  Good news! When it comes to the way you buy and sell, you can. A big part of the plan to achieve the Global Goals – otherwise known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – lies in changing the way you do business.  Even if you don’t own a business, as a customer, you can be part of the solution. While business is about making a profit, entrepreneurs and shoppers alike are quickly realizing that operations can go beyond dollars and cents.  In following a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework, businesses can empower people, help the environment, and make money while doing it.  By looking at sustainability from a social, environmental, and financial point of view, many opportunities…
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How Sustainable Development Can Be Achieved from Home

How Sustainable Development Can Be Achieved from Home

All Posts, Crystal Beach, Featured, Sustainable Development Goals
Do you believe that a city can be designed to allow for sustainable development? Last month I made a big move.  I relocated from a little city to a small town about 30 km away.  Though the distance between my old and new home isn’t much, I feel like I am in a whole new world. There are many things that make a city or town great.  Throughout history, people have flocked to certain spaces in search of a better quality of life.  Often people relocate for work or family.  Others relocate to embrace that sense of belonging to a community that better suits their style. City Living or Small Town? As a traveler, I have seen many cities and towns.  I learned along the way that cities are not…
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How to Think and Act Globally for the Greater Good

How to Think and Act Globally for the Greater Good

Featured, Sustainable Development Goals
Do you think and act globally in your local community?  Years ago, I caught on to the practice of fair trade.  Knowing deep down free trade is not fair for many global citizens, I looked for a different way to do business. It was through the fair trade movement that I was able to breathe new life into Simply Sustainable, and connect with communities near and far. Back in 2010 when I was making a major shift, I invested in a small batch of handicrafts from a neighbouring community in Guatemala, where I was living at the time. I packed a duffle bag full of goodies, and set forth for the North where I would exhibit them alongside my handmade jewelry at fairs and festivals during summer months. For me, it…
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Still Wondering Why to Invest in Sustainability?

Still Wondering Why to Invest in Sustainability?

All Posts, Featured, Sustainable Development Goals
Have you ever noticed that people who promote sustainability are optimistic?   Perhaps it's because we know that the true benefits of sustainability go beyond going green, they also make economic sense. Speak to a skeptic, they might tell you it costs too much. Either way you look at it, environmental initiatives across the globe may cost you today, but tomorrow’s payoff is well worth the investment. We’ve reached Sustainable Development (SDGs) Goal 9 in a series of blogs that I’ve been writing to break down the targets, and share my insight. Steps to Sustainable Development Going through each topic has been a great exercise for me, and I hope it’s been beneficial for you as well. Together we are taking a closer look at what it really takes to make…
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Why a Restorative Economy Is Worth Investing In

Why a Restorative Economy Is Worth Investing In

All Posts, Sustainable Development Goals
Have you ever read work by an author that moves you?  It was a chapter in a book edited by Darian Rodriguez Heyman that first opened my eyes and mind to Paul Hawken. "Welcome to the Movement" His words jumped off the page, and I breezed through the chapter.  I needed to learn more, so I looked him up online and found that he is a seasoned writer with a variety of books covering the sweet spot where ecology meets economy. It’s been over ten years that I have felt a calling to bridge the gap between the environmental and economic world.  Hawken has been doing it for much longer.  What an inspiration.  Through his books, I found a teacher.  He introduced the term restorative economy to me for the…
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Energy: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Energy: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

All Posts, Sustainable Development Goals
Is it fair to say that the root of sustainable development is sustainable energy? Much like the industrial revolution was heavily brought forth by burning coal, the restorative revolution can be fueled by clean and renewable energy. An electric car is only as good as the energy used to charge it.  If we are charging an electric car with fossil fuel generated power, how much further ahead are we? This is one of the many questions that come to mind when I think about how our energy system can shift from reliance on fossil fuels. Alternative Technology Goal 7 of the Sustainable Development Goals is Affordable and Clean Energy, and while there are only 5 targets that directly relate to this goal – achieving them will make a world of…
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Why World Water Day Becomes Twice as Important Each Year

Why World Water Day Becomes Twice as Important Each Year

All Posts, Sustainable Development Goals
Do you practice water conservation at home?  Once you become mindful of water use, you begin to notice how easy it is to save clean water from being wasted.  Here we are – a third of the way through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the UN – Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. Water is a basic human right, accessible, clean water, is a birth right that has been taken from the reach of far too many citizens and living creatures on this planet.  As water becomes more polluted across the globe, the injustices associated with it become crystal clear.  A portion of the population has taken this resource for granted; a growing population is deprived of it. While I did learn about water conservation growing up from…
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Why it’s Vital to Celebrate Women Every Day

Why it’s Vital to Celebrate Women Every Day

All Posts, Sustainable Development Goals
Do you celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th every year? Perhaps it is Global Goal 5: Gender Equality that offers one of the biggest opportunities for this to happen.  The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets are interconnected, and there is a lot of potential for cross pollination. If we want to move forward together, we can’t leave half of the population behind.  If we neglect to embrace and empower females across the globe, we are at risk of doing just that.  March 8th brings the issue of equality to the forefront, and gives the globe a chance to celebrate the progress to date. Gender equality isn’t a two sided issue though.  It is very profound, and we need to look at a situation as a whole rather than…
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We Can Learn a Lesson Anywhere & Find a Classroom Everywhere

We Can Learn a Lesson Anywhere & Find a Classroom Everywhere

All Posts, Sustainable Development Goals
Do you believe you can learn a lesson beyond a classroom limited by four walls?   I see education as a two way street with many stops along the journey.  What I put into it, I get out of it.  Over the years I have found different ways to learn, many of them outside the four walls of an academic institution. That being said, I am extremely grateful for the two decades I spent in school at the primary, secondary, and post-secondary level.  Those twenty years were a blessing, and I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity. Of course the reality is that despite the fact that we can learn anywhere, there is still a large part of our global population that does not have the means or the…
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Is Health and Well-Being the Heartbeat of the SDG’s?

Is Health and Well-Being the Heartbeat of the SDG’s?

All Posts, Sustainable Development Goals
Have you ever considered the importance of your own health and well-being when it comes to achieving sustainable development? If you’re wondering where the question comes from, take a look at Global Goal 3 on the UN website.  Once you’re on the page, you will notice that there is an area that reads “Click to See Targets”.  That will take you to a list of 13 specified targets that have been identified as required to meet the overall goal. In total, the SDGs layout 169 targets to cover the 17 Goals.  We’re not talking identical numbers here, but it’s not really a stretch to compare the collective SDGs to the human body which is made up of organs and systems that keep us alive and well. Awareness of Interconnection The above comparison…
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Working Towards Global Goal 2: Zero Hunger

Working Towards Global Goal 2: Zero Hunger

All Posts, Sustainable Development Goals
Do you think it's possible to feed our world's population with the global resources we have? Global Goal 2: Zero Hunger.  That’s a big one, but not impossible.  The problem has been identified: “…extreme hunger and malnutrition remains a huge barrier to development in many countries.”  Perhaps we can even edit that to state that it is a huge barrier for development in every community since people all over the world are negatively affected by hunger. Seeking Solutions A child that does not eat properly faces health problems; much like an adult that consumes more processed food than vegetables is not in a healthy state. I could go on for a long while about the problems – because let’s face it – there are plenty.  Instead, I prefer to focus on…
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