5 Things You Can do to Support the SDGs in this Festive Season

The SDGs is a comprehensive and complicated development agenda which shall require daily conscious steps to be able to make progress. Christmas is here again, people are making many plans to celebrate such a festive season. In fact, celebration and enjoyment is very important as it contributes to the health and well being of people and that has been well captured in Goal 3 of the SDGs. But such enjoyment or celebration must be sustainable. The celebration or employment should not jeopardize the future. Here are 5 things you can do as part of the celebration in order to contribute to the attainment of the SDGs;.

1. Save Food

We eat everyday but this kind of season is always special so what we can do is to try and freeze fresh produce and leftovers if you don’t have the chance to eat them before they go bad. You can also do this with take-away or delivered food, if you know you will not feel like eating it the next day. You will save food and money. This contributes to Goal 12, that is ensuring sustainable and responsible consumption and in the more broader sense food security which is Goal 2. Again, food wastage emit greenhouse gases which impact on the climate.

2. Shop local, Shop Smart

Supporting neighbourhood businesses keeps people employed and helps prevent trucks from driving far distances. This helps to make small businesses grow to boost the economy as captured in Goal 8 (Decent Jobs). And also you would not need to drive long distances across the city to buy things, if possible shop online. This will reduce traffic in our cities and have other ripple effect as indicated in Goal 11 (Smart Cities). Again, shop smart—plan meals, use shopping lists and avoid impulse buys. Don’t succumb to marketing tricks that lead you to buy more food than you need, particularly for perishable items. Though these may be less expensive, they can be more expensive overall if much of that food is discarded as already mentioned above.

3. Save Electricity

Save electricity by plugging appliances into a power strip and turning them off completely when not in use, including your computer. Turn off the lights. Your TV or computer screen provides a cosy glow, so turn off other lights if you don’t need them. Avoid illegal connections and report any of your neighbors who tap into the national grid illegally. This will help to cut down power loses recorded. Above all pay your electricity bills! So your national electricity company can have enough money to be in business and serve you better. If you have the option, install solar panels in your house. This will also reduce your electricity bill! All these efforts will help achieve Goal 7 (Clean Energy).

4. Cut down on waste

Waste is a big issue in most of our cities in Africa, especially plastic waste. Even though some countries have taken the bold step to band plastics, other forms of waste remain high. Use a refillable water bottle if possible throughout this season. After drinking a sachet water put it in your car don't throw it into the environment. Bring your own bag when you shop. Pass on the plastic bag and start carrying your own reusable totes. Cutting down on waste has a ripple effect on several SDGs but can be specifically link to Goal 11 & 12.

5. Share, Don't Just Like

If you see an interesting social media post about how we can deal with women’s rights, climate change,or domestic violence share it so people in your network see it too. For instance, this post must be shared within all your networks. Make sure people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Skype etc see it so they can also take action. You can copy the link or even copy the whole post and send it to them, encourage them to read. The SDGs contains exactly what every citizen wants to see in his/her life. Lets continue to promote it at all levels.