Category: MY Green World

Action for SDGs – Marketing for a Greener Mindset: Addis Sustainable Life

Addis Sustainable Life (ASL) is a social and business venture based in Ethiopia working on campus sustainability and the distribution of recycled-paper products for the local market.

It was founded in 2014 as a practice-based capacity building platform for young volunteers to provide solutions for sustainable living habits.
As part of its business venture, ASL designs and distributes handmade, biodegradable products from waste paper and traditional raw materials like “Kacha” and “Enset” fibers.

ASL further supports small-scale local enterprises to market and distribute its handmade eco-friendly paper products for private companies in Ethiopia.

ASL Eco-Friendly Recycled Paper Products

The most important change ASL brought within the University community was the “change towards a greener mindset”. The idea of campus sustainability was quite new and ASL pioneered the initiative for young people to engage in simple resource efficiency and recycling habits. Practically, ASL’s major beneficiaries were young student volunteers, green entrepreneurs and low-income enterprises working on the handmade paper production. Apart from raising awareness among students and volunteers, ASL has also been able to reach private companies and convince them to use eco-friendly products and support small scale local green enterprises to provide a better market for green goods and enhance the distribution of recycled materials.

ASL Book donation facilitation for Addis Ababa University students; on Environment, Climate Change and related publications.

ASL served as a platform that allowed young volunteers to think and design waste separation methods. They did this through a Design Challenge Competition for students to come up with cost effective waste separation bins and managed to produce recycled prototypes.  

The aim of Addis Sustainable Life is to mobilize youth for climate action within Universities and address one of the most important elements of sustainability such as resource efficiency and paper waste recycling.
It also functions as a creative platform for young green entrepreneurs to create income by marketing and distributing eco-friendly paper products while helping protect the environment. It eventually sensitized private companies to go green while using recycled paper products to promote their business.

Feeling inspired to take action?
JOIN the Global Day of Action “We the People #Act4SDGs on Sept 25

On 25th September 2017, 2nd anniversary of the SDGs we are calling for actions across the world to tell people about the global goals and tell our leaders how we are performing. We the People #Act4SDGs.

Read more stories of Action for SDGs from all over the world and be inspired …

 

Advocating for 'Action Taken On Climate Change' at COP 20

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UNDP Administrator, Helen Clarke, with MYWorld Youth Advocate at the 2014 Global Landscape Forum

Countries came together last month at COP 20, the annual UN Climate Change Conference, to negotiate and shape the contribution they will give to vastly reduce their carbon emissions, before a commitment in Paris.

Peru hosted the conference that drew over 15,000 people to Lima. Peru will be one of the countries most affected by climate change impacts. Responsible for only 0.1% of emissions, Peru will see the greatest temperature rise due to climate change in South America. The 18,000 Peruvians who have voted on the MY World survey prioritizes ‘Action taken on Climate Change’ much higher than the global average at 11th place and ‘Protecting Forests, Rivers and Oceans’ at 4th place.

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Ceremonial Opening of the Youth Conference. Panelists included UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiane Figueres, COP 20 President, Mr. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal and UN Millennium Campaign representative, Holly Borday

Ahead of COP 20, 1,000 young people from around the world championed solutions to climate change at the annual Youth Conference on Climate.

COP 20 President, Mr. Manuel Pulgar Vidal, opened the Youth conference telling youth:

“You are a climate change solutions generation. Young people are characterized by their enthusiasm, leadership and passion. All these elements are fundamental for addressing climate change and moving the intergovernmental negotiation process forward. I encourage you to continue implementing climate solutions, enhancing access to information, promoting public awareness, raising ambition and mobilizing action.”

 

UN Millennium Campaign representative, Holly Borday with MY World Youth Advocates Rosario Garavito and Carlo Andre collecting votes at the Youth Conference
UN Millennium Campaign representative, Holly Borday with MY World Youth Advocates Rosario Garavito and Carlo Andre collecting votes at the Youth Conference
Voters!
MY World Voters
Indigenous groups attended the UN Climate Conference to make their experiences and insights to the climate crisis known to the world
Indigenous groups attended the UN Climate Conference to make their experiences and insights to the climate crisis known to the world. Among the youth participants were MY World Youth Advocates who collected hundreds of votes during the conference including the recipient of the MY World’s 2014 Annual Volunteerism Award, The Millennials Movement and the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society.

 

Throughout the UN Climate Change Conference, voters raised their voices on ‘Action Taken on Climate’ and many other linked issues through the MY World Survey. MY World votes came from the Indigenous peoples pavilion which was featured at the Voices for Climate and showcased initiatives and knowledge from indigenous communities that contribute to curbing climate change.

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At the Global Landscape Forum , UNDP Administrator Helen Clarke voiced her priority on ‘Action taken on Climate’ and spoke of the linkage between deforestation and climate change during the Forum’s closing speech.

Peruvian UN Volunteers and MY World partners such as The Millennials Movement, the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society as well as global MY World partners like YOUTHINK and IAAI/GloCha Action Network were part the success of bringing voices into the post-2015 development agenda from the international climate change community.

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COP20 Side event on Youth Climate Action featuring representatives from the UN Millennium Campaign Anand Kantaria and Holly Borday with MYWorld Partners, YOUTHINK and IAAI/GloCha Action Network.

 

COP20 was a key moment to work together and bring ‘Action Taken on Climate Change’   to the attention of leaders who develop policy priorities and engage the broader population in action related to international climate policy.

Useful Links:

 

Compiled by Holly Borday, MY Green World Project Associate 

 

A note from Corinne Woods

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Dear Friends,Corinne-Woods-Profilepic_400x400

Happy New Year and thank you for your partnership with the UN Millennium Campaign whether through the MY World Survey, the World We Want 2015, the Open Defecation Campaign or the work our Africa team has led on Financing and Equity.

This year marks a watershed in many ways. The MDG’s deadline is upon us and we have much to celebrate in terms of tangible progress to meet the goals.We also have good cause to celebrate the work of the UNMC and partners to build powerful citizen led campaigns on the MDGs from the award winning Stand Up Campaign, through the policy work on maternal mortality and of course the MY World Campaign for the new development agenda . It is a good moment to take pause and assess what has worked and with all honesty what has not so that as we move to the new agenda we can build on everything we have done before.

We know that in 2015 the stakes are high. World leaders will be working towards two outcomes that will be critical for people and planet. The first in September is the creation of the next set of global goals to follow the Millennium Development Goals and the culmination of critical climate change negotiations in Paris. The work we have done in the last few years to bring citizen voices to the UN should not be lost.

Today marks the launch of the Action/2015 campaign – a year for citizen global action in the escalating action towards finalizing the MDGs, and in calling for the ratification of an ambitious and transformation new global development agenda. It is now that we need you to redouble your efforts to ensure that all those who have placed their dreams and visions in our hands are honored. We owe the countless volunteers who have taken bikes, trains and have walked to gather voices from the most remote location to ensure world leaders hear these voices. You have gathered the voices and I trust you will use them.

It is also with some sadness that I share news of transitions in the UN Millennium Campaign. As of December 31st both Charles Abugre our Regional Director for Africa and myself are no longer with the campaign. However in this critical year UNDP have redoubled their commitment to the UN Millennium Campaign and appointed Mitchell Toomey as the new Director. As a partner in the early design of MY World he has bought a wealth of knowledge and experience which I am sure will take the UN Millennium Campaign to greater heights.

It has been an honor to lead the UN Millennium Campaign over the past 4 years and as I transition to the UN Foundation to intensify their support for the work of Amina Mohammed, Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development I will stay in contact with many of you.

Corinne

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MY Green World 2015 is launched at DPI NGO

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The 65th UN Department of Public Information (DPI) NGO Conference convened thousands of representatives from 1,300 NGO organizations around the theme “2015 and Beyond: Our Action Agenda”. During the Roundtable Discussion on Climate Justice in Practice, Daniel Thomas of the Secretariat General’s Climate Change Support Team announced the MY Green World Survey on behalf of UNMC. Dan announced that the launch of the voting platform would take place during the Climate Summit with support from the Secretariat General’s Climate Support Team, D

Throughout the meeting, Dan showcased the importance of voices from civil society mobilization leading up to the Climate summit and on the road to COP 21 in Paris, 2015. The Permanent Representative of Palau, Dr. Caleb Otto, sat beside Dan Thomas.  The impact of climate change on vulnerable communities was echoed through Dan’s presentation.

The presentation can be found here at 29:00 – http://webtv.un.org/meetings-events/watch/climate-justice-in-practice-roundtable-2-65th-un-dpingo-conference/3756322211001#full-text

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