“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away a few stones.”

Confucius

The Sustainable Development Goals are a path to ensure everyone a safe, healthy future on earth. Making them a reality is up to each one of us.

OAS FCU and the SDGs

We recently informed our members that OAS FCU is now an active supporter and contributor towards helping the United Nations Sustainable Goals become a reality. The Sustainable Development Goals –known otherwise as the Global Goals or the SDGs- are 17 attainable goals that will help Earth and its population reach a sustainable, equal future by 2030. The list is as follows:

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequality
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships to achieve the Goals

Local, or global? How about both?

It’s a mighty list, yet, as one looks at each one of them, we can see that each one is perfectly attainable by its own right, if enough of us take action to make changes; yes, the changes must be first personal, then local, regional, national and –ultimately- global. It will take work, by all of us. This is why the UN approaches the Global Goals not as a government call to action, but a grassroots-to-global one: everyone must get involved. This is why we at OAS FCU jumped on the progress train and will work towards every goal where we know we can make an immediate difference.

Goal 17 and you

When we read the header of number 17, it’s easy to think that it refers to organizations, companies and governments working together for a sustainable future. And yet, when examined from a smaller scale point of view, we at the credit union see that we are responsible for getting every one of our partners involved. That means you.

Working through you

We at OAS FCU like to contribute towards economic growth via our members. When we help you prosper, we become  a contributing player in your local, regional and national economy. We use tools like this blog to teach about responsible consumption, economic models that help society and the world, and other topics related to the Global Goals.

You can also help the Sustainable Development Goals in your everyday life; we’re all agents of change when we set our mind to it. There are a myriad ways, big and small, that will make an improvement on your life and that of the world around you. Here’s your chance to shine!

How to shine on your own

• Turning off the lights, computer screens/computers and electronics when not using them.

  

• Stopping the mailing of paper by getting electronic statements at the credit union and everywhere else, too!
• Paying your bills online, using electronic statements at OAS FCU and elsewhere, and making the majority of your transactions digital.
• Learning to use your money better via tools like the Path of Success, our mini-site dedicated to helping you improve your personal finance knowledge, budget your money, improve your credit report and plan your financial future.
• Being an active speaker on social media. Do you see pieces about equality, climate action, and legislative progress towards the goals? Share it so that others may feel inspired to get involved in their communities.
• Use #globalgoals on social media to give your shares even more relevance. It’s the UN’s own hashtag for the SDGs.
• Reporting online bullying, harassment or hate speech when you see it.
• Learning more about the Global Goals. Watch the UN’s video (and guess what: share it after!)

Shining in your personal space by…

• Eating less animal products and more vegetable ones.
• Recycling and composting
• Taking shorter showers and looking for ways to reduce your water usage.
• Air-drying clothes during good weather seasons.
• Shoveling your own snow: it’s a great workout and you won’t use polluting machinery or salt (gravel works great and you can just brush it away in the spring).
• Replacing appliances for energy-efficient ones as they age.

  

• Using rugs at home: they reduce noise and keep your home warmer in winter.
• Taking it one step further with solar panels, a geothermal installation, and/or a rain garden.

Shining outside the house? Sure! How about…?

• Buying local (those farmers’ markets…!), and
• Buying smart; that means making several days of meal plans to avoid shopping extra trips. It also saves you on food costs, avoids food waste, and helps you eat more healthily. Pure win!
• Taking only the napkin(s) you’ll need and don’t letting cashiers give you more.
• Consuming sustainable seafood and fish.
• Buying the ugly fruits and veggies that others discard. Who cares what they look like if they’re just as tasty? Yet, they often go to waste because people simply skip them over.
• Walking when possible; if it’s a little bit too far, biking. If that’s still too far, taking public transportation.
• Shopping vintage. Yep, it’s a fancy word for used but guess what? There are many household items we could be using from second-hand stores that are perfectly fine, if we only take the time to go looking for them. It’s a fun treasure hunt, too!
• Sponsoring your local vintage. Yep. The same way you buy vintage, there are many things you have at home gathering dust that could be a treasure to someone else. Plus, donating oftentimes gets you a tax discount!
• Avoiding the purchase of wrapped items at the grocery store.

Shining at work and with friends by

• Making it a point to educate others about the Global Goals, and

  

• Getting others involved in their own ways.
• Sponsoring a charity event at work.
• Taking public transportation or walking/biking to work; and getting others at work interested in doing it by…
• Talking to your employer about walk/bike/public transportation to work incentives.
• Raising your voice about equality at work. Everyone is entitled to equal treatment regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation, social background and physical abilities.
• Speaking up! Raising awareness about the Paris Accord and getting your employer involved in larger projects that support the Global Goals.
• Being the change, organizing a No Impact Week at work.

Ready? You got this!

Tell us what you do

Do you already contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals in some way? Feel free to tell us of your actions towards the Global Goals by emailing us at [email protected] and sharing photos of what you do, or tips and advice of your own. We’d love to share what you do with others on social media; we believe that together we can inspire others to do better, too!