A Plug for UN SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals

 The United Nations, in 2015, published 17 major issues that face humanity. Nearly two hundred countries signed on and pledged to work on reaching various goals pertaining to each of the 17 issues by the year 2030. The world is lagging behind where we need to be to reach the goals, but these are all something everyone of us can assist in! 

Check out the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and see what grabs your interest! Think about what you can do individually, locally, in schools or community groups, statewide or national efforts and organizations, and even joining in global efforts! There are numerous ideas at all scales listed on the UN website. 

WATER is another MAJOR ISSUE in MANY parts of the world

Our work with Malawi schools began due to a famine, that was the result of a severe drought that prevented existing local crops from being grown or harvested.  

 We now have one in four people on the planet living in regions that have dangerously high levels of water use compared to their water supply. This means some countries, including India with some 1.3 billion people, use 80% or more of its annual water resources each year. If there were to be an extended drought, for example, where the water resources do not refill from one year to the next, think about the consequences for the people living there. This has gotten to the point where organizations, including the U.S. military, run simulated war games to think about possible scenarios and consequences of mass migrations of people should water supplies literally dry up for major cities and regions. They also run similar simulations for coastal regions affected by rising oceans.

Clearly this is serious. Keep in mind that while climate change will be affecting plays some small role in this, the major factors are actually population growth and continued economic growth of the major countries along with increasing economic growth from developing and smaller countries. Since 1960, global population has gone from 3.0 billion to 7.5 billion presently. This is a 250% increase in population who need fresh water. Developing economies use enormous amounts of water for manufacturing plants of all kinds, as well as for agriculture and animals for food supplies. Climate change will assist in making this a bigger challenge, but it is most heavily driven by population and economic factors.

If you want to help make the world better, any type of work or research into clean, fresh water resources and its efficient use are critical areas necessary for our survival that need smart, caring minds working on it! A personal favorite project and innovation is outlined in this video:

Welcome to the EMPATHY site!!

 For over five years, the Evanston Township High School (ETHS) community has been partnering with some schools in Malawi. ETHS has been raising funds that go to teachers and administrators on the ground in Malawi in order to purchase farmland, fertilizer, and seed, and then purchase & install a solar powered irrigation system. The resulting crops are a major component of school curricula and culture, and are harvested in order to ensure the children have food for the entire school year, regardless of weather conditions - this includes during dry seasons and longer term droughts, preventing future famines from occurring and keeping the schools running! 

Please watch this video for more information about how this partnership developed.