Take a Pledge to Support SDGs - List of Suggested Actions

SDG 1: No Poverty
  • At birthday parties offer the option to donate money to your chosen charity in replacement of a birthday gift.
  • Buy fair-trade products to support the sustainable trade system, meaning employees are rewarded airly for their work.
  • Teach a skill or short course at a community centre (computer skills, building a resume, preparing for job interviews).
  • Sponsor a child so they can have access to food, education, and health.
  • Generate discussion around poverty. Write a blog, or write an article in a local newspaper
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
  • Spread the word. The more ideas are spread to combat hunger, the more people act.
  • Donate non-perishable foods to charities.
  • Many emergency food providers need specialized skills such as accounting, social media or writing skills. Volunteer your expertise once a week.
  • Many hungry people hesitate to ask for help because of the stigma and shame of it. Speak up about misconceptions and educate others about the realities of hungry persons.
  • Support local farmers by buying your food at farmer’s markets
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being
  • Don't smoke.
  • Eat a healthy diet and drink a lot of water.
  • Be part of increasing awareness of, and support for, mental health aliments such as depression, substance abuse or Alzheimer's.
  • Heart disease remains the number 1 killers. Educate yourself on the causes and symptoms of heart disease as well as other Non-Communicable Diseases.
  • Never stop learning. Engageing in work or educational activities helps lift older people out of depression. So, learn a new language, read a lot, set up a book
SDG 4: Quality Education
  • Teach your native language to migrants in a youth centre or elsewhere.
  • Take education outside the school and keep it fun. Travel. Take kids on day trips to the planetarium or museums.
  • Support charities that are working in education in the poorest parts of the world.
  • Share your skills with the ones who need them.
  • In many countries, girls are pulled out of school early in order to get married. Start conversations that allow for problems to be openly discussed and solutions to be found.
SDG 5: Gender Equality
  • Increase gender representation in areas of leadership in the workplace.
  • Use mentoring and coaching to help women build their confidence and develop their careers.
  • If you are a woman, know your rights and stand up for them.
  • Gender equality starts at home.
  • Sponsor a girl child who needs a role model.
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Conserve, conserve, conserve. When ice-cubes are left over from a drink, don’t throw them away. Put them into plants.
  • Support organisations that give water to areas in need.
  • Fix leaks at home. A leaky faucet can waste more than 11’000 litres per year.
  • Never flush toxic chemicals such as paints, chemicals or medication down the toilet. It pollutes lakes and rivers and causes health problems in marine life and humans.
  • Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and while soaping in the shower.
     
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
  • Cover the pan with a lid. It reduces the amount of energy required to boil water by 75%.
  • Turn off electronic equipment such as TVs and computers when going on holiday.
  • Turn lights off in rooms that aren’t being used. When you switch your lights off, even for a few seconds, it saves more energy than it takes for the light to start up, regardless of the bulb type.
  • Use ebergy-efficient lightbulbs and set your household appliances on low-energy settings.
  • Support solar power projects for schools, homes and offices.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • Become a micro-lender and empower young people to become entrepreneurs.
  • Support international campaigns to end modern day slavery, forced labour, human trafficking and forced marriages.
  • Provide stability. Empower young professionals to grow into their positions.
  • Provide food for low-earning workers.
  • Ensure safe working conditions.
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastucture
  • Fund projects that provide infrastructure for basic needs.
  • Host a small event for people to donate their unused, working phones, and in turn raise the awareness about the lack of infrastructure for communication services that 1-1.5 billion people still do not have.
  • Immerse yourself. Organise groups to visit regions where basic needs are missing. This will broaden understanding and motivate people to act on it.
  • Invest in domestic technology development research and innovation in developing countries.
  • Don’t throw away, give away. Upgrading our electronic gadgets is inevitable, but often our gadgets are still in good working condition. Pass on your old working devices or recycle as certain parts can be recovered.
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • Encourage children to make friends with kids from different cultures.
  • Once a month have a coffee with a person who is different from you, whether in race, beliefs, culture or age.
  • Learn to respect all kinds of people who may do things differently than you.
  • Sponsor a child to attend school.
  • Stop stereotypes. Write a blog of short stories that breaks that way of thinking.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
  • Generate awareness about your city’s carbon footprint and ways to improve it
  • Use public transport, city bikes and other modes of environmentally friendly transport
  • Research, encourage and raise awareness for greater information transparency within your community
  • Reach out to underprivileged areas. Integrate people of different class and ethnicity and include them in decision-making processes that involve them, including their living conditions, pollution and so on.
  • Educate yourself on the cultural and natural heritage of your area. Visit heritage sites and post about these in a positive light
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Don’t keep clothes or other items you are not using. Donate them
  • Recycle!
  • Keep showers short. Don't fill the bath to the top. Excessive use of water contributes to global water stress.
  • Buy sustainable products including electronics, toys, shampoo or seafood and organic groceries.
  • Eat local. And support fair trade associations that support and promote businesses committed to the principles of fair trade.
SDG 13: Climate Action
  • Drive less. Walk, cycle, take public transport or car pool.
  • Air dry. Let your hair and clothes dry naturally.
  • Organise for your school or company to plant new trees every year. Trees give oxygen and take in carbon dioxide.
  • Unplug TVs, computers and other electronics when not in use.
  • Only buy what you need. 20-50% of the food we buy ends up in landfill.
SDG 14: Life Below Water
  • Eat local sustainable food.
  • Support organisations that protect the oceans.
  • Use fewer plastic products, which often ends up in oceans causing the death of marine animals.
  • Avoid buying wild-caught, salt-water fish for your home aquarium.
  • Practice responsible recreational activities like boating, fishing, snorkelling and kayaking.
SDG 15: Life On Land
  • Avoid using ON LAND pesticides that end up in rivers and lakes, as they are harmful to wildlife.
  • Never buy products made from threatened or endangered species.
  • Recycle used paper and go paperless where possible.
  • Eat less meat. The production and distribution of meat has a huge impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Buy recycled products.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  • Make your voice heard and vote in your country’s elections.
  • Stop violence against women. If you see it happening, report it.
  • Be passionate about your country’s decisions, and remain peaceful when standing up for what you believe in.
  • Read, write or make a video to stand up for peace
  • Volunteer at local anti-violence organisations and outreach programmes.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
  • Look for synergies and build stronger multi-stakeholder partnerships. Share knowledge, expertise, technology and finanical resources.
  • Encourage corporate social responsibility towards projects related to sustainable development in developing countries.
  • Collaborate with organisations in different countries who share the same goals that you have.
  • Be clear, specific and creative about your social goals.
  • Practice teamwork at home. Share activities among all family members and outside the family.

Reference: 170 Actions to Transform Our World! (Prepared by United Nations Office at Geneva) 

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