Sustainable Development Goals Summit

In its seventh iteration, the SDG Summit was a multi-day conference held in-person at the UCalgary Campus. Through a keynote address, a panel event, and interactive workshops, the SDG Summit inspired change-makers to target the SDGs innovatively. 

By touching on the four dimensions of sustainability, the SDG Summit’s primary objective was to energize the campus and community with stories, resources, and connections to build capacity for SDG advocacy and implementation.
 

In 2021 the Summit was held as a hybrid, multi-day event series. Topics explored include: innovation in sustainability, gaining firsthand experience from local changemakers, and stewards who have cultivated simple ideas into real-life meaningful change within their communities. As a result of a very successful blank canvas activity many students were inspired by the intersectionality of the SDGs and turned their ideas into action. 11 projects were launched through the Sustainability Leadership and Innovation Program.

The 2020 SDG Summit took place online on October 3rd, 2020 and featured speakers, workshops, interactive activities and a panel discussion. Communicating the SDGs focused on how to communicate sustainability, navigating tough conversations and different perspectives, and how sustainability intersects with various fields of studies. By attending, students and faculty members were encouraged champion sustainability in their local communities through workshops and panel discussions. 

Keynote: Kristy Drutman

Kristy (@browngirlgreen) will be hosting our keynote address this year. She is passionate about working at the intersections between media, diversity, and environmentalism. As a youth climate activist, Kristy has spoken in front of thousands as well as facilitated workshops centered around environmental media and storytelling in cities across the United States. She has also worked with youth from around the world to create collaborative, intersectional online media with the goal of creating conscious, culturally relevant content to engage audiences about proactive solution-building to the climate crisis.

The 2019 SDG Summit explored how complex systems of privilege and oppression can contribute to or challenge sustainable development. Taking an intersectional lens to sustainable development, the 2019 workshops, panels, and keynote presentations highlighted the need for multidisciplinary, inclusive collaboration across all sectors of society in implementing the SDGs.

The 2018 SDG Summit featured a keynote presentation from Dr. Jennifer Winter, Scientific Director of Energy and Environmental Policy at the School of Public Policy and Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary, as well as workshops covering topics such as advocacy, gender, anti-corruption, and environmental sustainability. 

The first ever Sustainable Development Goals Summit offered training sessions to educate youth about the Sustainable Development Goals. Building on the momentum started by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the aim of the SDGs is to go further by addressing the root causes of poverty, as well as the universal need for development that works for ALL people. The 17 goals cover three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protections.