Global sustainability is deemed impossible without local sustainability. On this four-week course, you’ll examine how thoughts and actions by individuals are fundamentally linked to global sustainable goals.

You’ll be introduced to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and discover that when we focus on the everyday experiences of individuals and communities, we can drive transformative change.

Explore the importance of indigenous knowledge

Drawing on the latest dynamic research in social and cultural geography, you’ll connect with current thinking on a range of topics such as food waste, disability, and permaculture.

You’ll also identify the importance of indigenous knowledge, particularly Tikanga Māori (indigeneity) in SDGs. This knowledge will help you understand indigenous approaches to climate justice and how the SDGs link with people, place, and culture.

Discover how the individual impacts sustainable practices

You’ll explore a range of everyday places and spaces to explore why who we are – in terms of gender, ethnicity, indigeneity, class, sexuality, age, disability – impacts sustainable practices.

This understanding will help you gain insights into the ways people and places are critical in achieving sustainable actions.

Learn alongside the experts at the University of Waikato

The course includes interviews with leading Māori scholars, environmentalists, scientists, institutional leaders, and students who are all working towards sustainable futures. You’ll also have the opportunity to engage with other learners to explore personal experiences.

Guided by specialists from the University of Waikato, you’ll finish the course with an understanding of the many ways in which people, families, communities, and nations can work together towards sustainability.