Welcome to the SDG 2020 Challenge

Greetings, everyone and welcome to the SDG 2020 challenge!

Source: United Nations

On this post, we'll have some preliminary information about what this challenge entails, so let's get right to it.

What are the SDGs? The SDGs are the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, a collection of 17 global goals designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all." These goals were developed in 2015 by the United Nations and are intended to be achieved by 2030. For more information on the SDGs, see this link.

What is this challenge? The SDG 2020 Challenge is a game developed by Middlebury College Sustainability Solutions Lab (SSL) interns and students Ev Berger-Wolf, Jonna Keith, and Michael Wasserstein. In the challenge, participants are tasked with completing individual challenges associated with each of the 17 SDGs between August 1st and August 17th. The individual challenges that participants need to complete are ways that they can work towards achieving the SDGs in their own lives.

How does the challenge work? On this blog and on various social media accounts, information about the individual tasks will be shared. During the first 17 days of August, tasks can be completed. The tasks that have been developed are designed for 4 different categories of participants: 3rd graders, teenagers, adults with little experience and knowledge relating to sustainability, and adults with knowledge and experience relating to sustainability. Each time you complete a challenge, you can record it, and if you complete all 17, you win the game.

Why is this challenge being created? The SDGs are goals that were created by the United Nations in order to achieve a more sustainable future for all, but we are falling behind in our quest to achieve them. By developing this challenge, more people will become aware of the SDGs, and we can collaborate to make a more sustainable and equitable world.

Who can participate? The challenge is designed to be completed by participants in Irkutsk, Russia, and because there are 4 different categories of participants, it can be completed by anyone.