Sustainable living means understanding how our lifestyle choices impact the world around us and finding ways for everyone to live better and lighter. UNEP’s Sustainable Lifestyles Team and the Global Opportunities for SDGs (GO4SDGs) have set up the Sustainable Lifestyles Action Academy. The Academy offers educational tools to train youth, youth intermediaries, influencers, and UNEP personnel on transitioning to sustainable lifestyles. The academy aims to empower youth for sustainable lifestyles, and to promote green campuses youth opportunities for green jobs with universities. By applying a ‘people lens’ to sustainability, it hopes to empower individuals to question their aspirations and make better choices to meet their needs. The Academy is currently supporting three lines of work, as mentioned below.
Want to implement the tools of the Sustainable Lifestyles Action Academy? Become an activator and enter UNEP's network of committed sustainable enthusiasts. Learn how to do it here.
1. Anatomy of Action
The Anatomy of Action, a social media toolkit, activates people to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) on responsible consumption and production. It has key action messages and examples of social media assets that can be used by anyone to show how they are supporting the growing shift to global sustainability. The toolkit outlines the top-level changes any individual can make to support the growing shift to global sustainability.
2. My Sustainable Living Challenge
My Sustainable Living Challenge (MSLC), launched on World Environment Day 2022, is a curated online gamified learning platform that promotes behavior change through understanding and action. For every question answered and action taken, newcomers to sustainable living learn about living better and lighter. The game is backstopped by experts who review, monitor and interact with the players. The Challenge is available upon request in French, Spanish, Russian or English.
3. NEW: Free Sustainable Lifestyles Learning Module
This free, online module is developed by GO4SDGs, UNEP’s Sustainable Lifestyles Team, and the United Nations System Staff College, alongside partners and experts, to facilitate training on Sustainable Living and how to translate the science to live better and lighter. Participants will learn more about sustainable lifestyles, their connection with the 2030 Agenda and climate change, and how we can generate change. It presents case studies from various regions and sectors and takes 3 hours to complete. Participants will get a certificate from UNSSC and UNEP to attest to the completion of the training. You can access the module here.
4. The Little Green Book of Green Nudges, encourages the exchange of knowledge and best practices through a network of schools that motivate each other to take action. It is a toolkit that teaches how universities can use positive and gentle persuasion to encourage sustainable practices. It’s quick guide to reducing campus' environmental impact through behavioural change in the form of a concise and user-friendly actions. It summarizes the evidence around what nudges work best while seeking to encourage more sustainable practices among students and staff across several behavioural categories. It also provides simple guidance on how to implement and evaluate behavioural interventions in a variety of contexts.
5. The Green Jobs for Youth Pact, in partnership with ILO and UNICEF, it will maximize efforts to train professionals on green skills in developing nations and create 1 million green jobs for youth that will focus on sectors vulnerable to climate change and contribute to systemic change. The Pact supports a just transition and boosts decent jobs for youth in a sustainable economy. It aims to develop 1 million new green jobs, transform 1 million existing jobs, and help 10.000 young green entrepreneurs start their businesses by 2030.
6. Ongoing work to promote sustainability curricula, forging networks such as the Sustainable Lifestyles Universities in Central Asia and by promoting in business schools the co-creation needed new business models and teaching curricula that embraces the principles of sustainable lifestyles. This work fosters the creation of sustainable living business models, working in tandem with institutions around the world to train students and faculty on the science behind lifestyles. The available resources include generic curricula, bibliographical materials, documented lessons learned and an annual symposium that reviews progress on new business models.
Besides the Academy, UNEP and GO4SDGs also work on a strategic partnership with the European ESCP Business School that focuses on co-creating sustainable living business models in the Master (MSc) ‘Sustainability Entrepreneurship and Innovation programme.’ Generic curricula, resources and lessons learned were made available in 2022, and a second global symposium of Business Schools promoting eco entrepreneurship will be hosted in mid-2023.
