Let's Talk Human Rights

By Whitney Strause

A delegation of eighteen students, staff and faculty from the Human Rights Center (HRC), Hanley Sustainability Institute (HSI), Facilities Management, and Procurement & Payable Services recently traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to attend the 2018 AASHE Conference. AASHE is the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Each year, a conference is hosted on their behalf with the intent to inspire, energize and empower sustainability efforts and initiatives in higher education and beyond. The theme, “Global Goals: Rising to the Challenge,” examined the role of higher education in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted by every government on the globe in 2015, the 17 SDGs establish over 232 indicators to end hunger, eliminate poverty, protect the planet and its creatures, and ensure equal opportunity and prosperity for all by 2030. Though it ambitious, thousands of individuals took part in the conference, sharing what it is they’re doing on their own campus or community to help move the world closer to fulfilling the SDGs.

UD’s efforts in advancing sustainability and human rights were shared at the conference by a delegation from HSI who presented a poster on behalf of their work, entitled, “Achieving Large-Scale Campus Emissions Reductions: The Plan, Team, & Relationships Required.” Graduate assistant, Ryan Shea, was the lead presenter. Sustainability & Energy Coordinator, Matthew Worsham, and undergraduate students, Andrea Mott and Sophia Palmer were all co-presentees. The poster captured the journey which has been taken thus far by HSI and other campus partners in response to President Trump’s announcement made one year ago that the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord. Thousands of institutions and organizations rose up in solidarity following the announcement and took the “We Are Still In” pledge, denoting their commitment to continue working towards the goals laid out in the Accord.  As part of UD’s commitment, Ryan, Matthew, Andrea, and Sophia addressed the process and efforts which have been made through a collaborative approach in order to reduce large-scale emissions on UD’s campus.

A second delegation, led and facilitated by the Human Rights Center’s director of advocacy, Tony Talbott, presented a four-chair panel discussion, entitled “Uniting Human Rights and Sustainability Across the University.” The panel chairs were held by the executive director of procurement and payable services, Sara Harrison, HSI’s head of sustainability planning and evaluation, Leah Ceperley, Facilities Management executive director of energy utilization, Steve Kendig, and HSI graduate assistant, Milena Walwer. The panel exemplified the diverse and interdisciplinary cooperation taking place on campus and shared with attendees how this community-oriented approach has allowed UD to accomplish more by working together. The panel also addressed the initiatives, actions, and processes which have been, and are continuing to be pursued, in order to place the 17 SDGs at the heart of all campus partners and university efforts.

Beyond UD, hundreds of poster and panel presentations were given on behalf of other institutions and organizations throughout the conference, which provided a welcomed opportunity for UD’s delegation to network and acquire new knowledge throughout. Sessions ranged from topics on successful composting, recycling, and energy reduction programs, best sustainability practices to reduce societal inequalities, taking higher education curriculum from “education to work,” to “education to live,” women’s empowerment, experiential SDG-centered learning, the role of bees in interdisciplinary and global context learning and many more. The team engaged with a broad range of new ideas, inspired by the efforts and contributions other higher education institutions and organizations are making. Upon return, the delegation has actively been in pursuit of bringing that inspiration to life in a way that is true to UD back on campus. Some of the new ideas were already initiated during HSI’s Sustainability Week  at the end of October, while other efforts are currently in the works to take place overtime.

Interested in getting involved in sustainability efforts on campus? Visit the Human Rights Center or the Hanley Sustainability Institute to find out what you can do to make a difference! Interested in getting involved in sustainability efforts in your own way? Check out Cupanion, TreeZero, and OZZI to see what some of the awesome and innovative companies students were exposed to at the conference are doing and what you can do to contribute.