To advance the Institute’s new mission and strategic plan, President Ángel Cabrera charged leaders and units throughout campus with spearheading a project to promote, implement, and advance the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Georgia Tech.

The new sustainability initiative stems in part from Tech’s affiliation with the University Global Coalition (UGC), which President Cabrera chairs and helped found. Established in 2019, the UGC comprises a group of higher education leaders from across the globe who work together to advance the SDGs through education, research, service, and campus operations. Locally, Georgia Tech is also affiliated with RCE Greater Atlanta, a UN-designated Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development.

President Cabrera encourages the Institute community to participate in SDG Action and Awareness Week this Feb. 28 – March 4 for five days of virtual SDG-focused events.  

SDG Action and Awareness Week invites universities around the world to host events that increase awareness of the SDGs, showcase the work they’re doing, and encourage action.  

Georgia Tech will host a variety of events throughout the week and encourages partners around campus to organize and host their own SDG-focused events (such as a workshop, service project, or conversation panel) to help showcase the many ways Georgia Tech is making progress toward achieving these global goals on a local level.  
 

In October 2020, Georgia Tech hosted a virtual version of the 17 Rooms activation event concept developed by The Brookings Institution and The Rockefeller Foundation.

A campus planning committee — aided by more than 20 student, faculty, and staff volunteers representing all 17 discussions — worked to identify key takeaways and synthesize into recommendations that link research, teaching, operations, and partnerships while aligning with priorities in the Institute strategic plan.

Through January 2021, the Committee reviewed and refined those recommendation into six recommended actions:

• Strengthen External Partnerships and Regional Collaborations
• Integrate the SDGs into the Curriculum
• Lead by Example
• Engage Students in Institute Planning
• Enhance Student Well-Being
• Advance SDG Research

President Cabrera introduced the SDGs to campus during a September 2020 kickoff event, which included a panel discussion about the SDGs as a framework to catalyze action and positive change.

Georgia Tech’s Sustainability Task Force coordinates activities across campus to cultivate a shared vision for sustainability and better integrate the Institute's research, education, operations, and partnerships. 

Participating units (with contacts):

• Atlanta Global Studies Center
• Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems (Michael Chang)
• Global Change Program (Kim Cobb)
• Office of Campus Sustainability (Anne Rogers)
• Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business (Beril Toktay)
• Serve-Learn-Sustain (Jennifer Hirsch)
• Smart Cities and Inclusive Innovation (Debra Lam)
• Strategic Energy Institute (Tim Lieuwen)

Sustainability Networks and Partnerships

• Georgia Climate Project
• Georgia Smart Communities Challenge
• RCE Greater Atlanta, officially acknowledged by United Nations University
• University Global Coalition

Learn More About Sustainability at Tech

Sustainability Programs and Practices
Georgia Tech aims to “walk the talk” by demonstrating sustainability in action. At any given time, you will find a multitude of sustainability initiatives underway on campus. They unite faculty, staff, and students in our quest to provide solutions to the environmental, social, and economic challenges facing us today.

Explore our sustainability-related programs, practices, and projects 
 

Questions? Contact sustain@gatech.edu.