Taking Stock: The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 1 – No Poverty

We spoke with Karl Chan about poverty in New York City. Karl Chan is Associate Director of The Bowery Mission and responsible for partnerships. His passion for justice and social equality led him to his current position at the Mission which has been serving homeless and hungry New Yorkers since 1870. More…

Goal 2 – Zero Hunger 

We spoke with Sabine Werth of Berliner Tafel e.V. about hunger in Berlin. Sabine Werth is the founder and chairperson of the non-profit organization which has been distributing food to those in need since it was founded in 1993. With the support of over 1700 volunteers, their work is essential as many Berliners of all ages lack money for quality groceries. More…

Goal 3 - Good Health and Well-Being

We spoke with Creighton Drury, Chief Executive Officer at Partnership to End Addiction, about the addiction epidemic in the United States. Creighton led the merger of two iconic nonprofits in the addiction space: Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. The organizations rebranded and changed their name to Partnership to End Addiction earlier this year. More…

Goal 4 - Quality Education

We spoke with Ulf Matysiak of Teach First Deutschland about equitable quality education in Germany. Ulf is the CEO of the non-profit organization which has been teaching children in low-income neighborhood schools since it was founded in 2009. Recruiting and training university graduates to work alongside teachers, their effort is essential to over 5.000 school children every year as many of them would otherwise drop out or leave school without a diploma. More…

Goal 5 - Gender Equality

We spoke with Jenny Dembrow and Ebonie Simpson, Co-Executive Directors of the Lower Eastside Girls Club in New York City, about connecting girls and young women to healthy and successful futures and the importance of community engagement. Both have been long-term contributors to the Girls Club’s successful progression from a grassroots initiative to a center of innovation in the field of community-based youth development. More..

Goal 6 - Clean Water

We spoke with Franziska Herren about clean water and sanitation in Switzerland. In 2015, she launched the “Initiative für sauberes Trinkwasser” (Clean Drinking Water Initiative) with the aim to change the Suisse agricultural system through popular vote in 2021. More…

Goal 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy

We spoke with Shauni Nix, Founder and Executive Director of the Ohio Energy Project (OEP), whose mission is to inspire leadership and energy innovation in students and teachers. For over 35 years, OEP has supported thousands of schools, teachers and students with innovative science curriculum, materials and programs that spark curiosity about energy. More…

Goal 8 - Decent Work

We spoke with Zakia Moulaoui Guery, founder of Invisible Cities, and Alice Sparks who runs their Manchester branch. Invisible Cities, an organization based in the UK, is a social enterprise which strives to empower people who have lived on the streets with tour guide jobs. More…

Goal 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

We talked to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Friedbert Pautzke who has started numerous sustainable industrial projects at Bochum University. One of them was the SolarCar which his students drove around the world in 2013. Today, his focus is on helping students to turn their ideas into sustainable tech startups. More…

Goal 10 - Reduced Inequalities

We spoke with Bill Strickland, the founder and Executive Chairman of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, which works with adults in transition and at-risk youth to provide them with opportunities and new perspectives. As a Pittsburgh youth besieged by racism and poverty, his discoveries, vision, and persistence ultimately led him to become a 1996 MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, a sought-after community leader and high-level adviser. More…

Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

We spoke with Jack McQuibban, Cities Programme Coordinator at Zero Waste Europe about the Zero Waste Cities approach and his work for the organization. Jack’s role is to build knowledge and provide tools to help local communities and cities play a leading role in turning the circular economy into reality for Europe. During his spare time, Jack is a keen runner and cyclist, using any opportunity to get out into nature and any excuse to enjoy a good coffee and cake on the way. More…

Goal 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production

We spoke with Martine Postma, the founder and director of the Repair Café International Foundation. After many years of writing about sustainability and environmental issues as a journalist, she wanted to do more than raising awareness about waste production. In 2009, she developed the concept of the Repair Café to actively try and change people’s behavior. What started in Amsterdam has now become a global movement with more than 2000 local Repair Café groups in 36 countries. More…

Goal 13 - Climate Action

We spoke with Johanna Neumann, Senior Director for energy campaigns at Environment America, about climate change and the protection of the environment in the United States. Environment America is a national network of 29 state environmental groups with members and supporters in every state. They focus on timely, targeted action that wins tangible improvements in the quality of the environment and people’s lives. More…

Goal 14 - Life below Water

We spoke with Antidia Citores, the Legal, Lobbying and Campaign Manager of the Surfrider Foundation Europe, and Sofiane Hadine who is in charge of the Ocean Initiatives, a program supported by the Foundation, about how to sustain oceans, seas and marine resources, especially through clean up actions. More…

Goal 15 - Life on Land

We spoke with Diana Chaplin, the Canopy Director of One Tree Planted, a nonprofit on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Her role is focused on managing communications, marketing, and storytelling around the many reforestation projects that the organization conducts. Diana is fortunate enough to live among the woods and believes that all people should have access to healthy and thriving forests. More…

Goal 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

We spoke with Ulf Buermeyer, President of the Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF), about justice, the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, and strong institutions in Germany. Ulf Buermeyer used to be a judge in criminal cases at the Berlin Superior Court for about a decade and clerked at both the German Federal and the Berlin State Constitutional Courts. More…

Goal 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

We spoke with Brian Gallagher, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Worldwide, about global partnerships for sustainable development. Brian Gallagher holds a degree in social work and an MBA and started with United Way as a management trainee. Today, he is a regular contributor at the World Economic Forum and a strong believer in bringing individuals and organizations together to tackle difficult social and economic issues. More…

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