In September 2015, all 193 members of the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to attain a more sustainable future globally by 2030. The 17 SDGs intersect to promote social, economic, and environmental prosperity and growth. Some of the SDGs relate directly to solar and clean energy:
SDG 7 – Affordable and clean energy
SDG 11 – Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 13 – Climate action
Private industry and the SDGs
In this current landscape, citizens look to businesses now more than ever to do their part with corporate social responsibility (CSR). In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, companies may need to step in where government policies fall short, particularly in addressing the SDGs. Earlier this year, the UN Secretary-General created the SDG Ambition initiative, which informs corporations how they can achieve all 17 sustainable goals. Asking businesses to put their weight behind SDG efforts shows that achieving all 17 goals will require substantial public and private partnerships.
The first thing that needs to be done is incentivize corporations to achieve sustainability. Offer a 100% tax credit to clean energy companies and see just how quickly goals can be met. And along with incentives, invest. Sustainable investment models have a proven impact — fiscally and socially. If private industry is expected to help achieve the UN’s sustainable development goals, they must have specific pathways cleared to do so.
Businesses must also learn to be more transparent. Those who aren’t in the clean energy space (and even for those who are) should share their carbon footprint, their waste totals, and the amount of energy used in business operations. The best way for businesses to achieve the SDGs is to change their own processes first, before addressing the rest of their community.
How iSun Energy is meeting the UN SDGs:
iSun Energy’s business processes and solar-powered products address all three of the sustainable goals highlighted above. Our solar panel carports and solar-powered benches can help transform communities and households in North America — especially in areas adversely affected by climate change. Both the carports and benches are cost-effective and lead to more considerable savings over time. And our products can be placed in both urban and rural environments, transforming how citizens live.
Our solar-powered carports can charge electric vehicles (EVs), decarbonizing cities one car at a time. The more iSun Energy solar carports installed, the more EVs will be driven in an area, cleaning the air and saving energy. And the iSun Oasis Smart Solar Bench encourages citizens to travel on foot. The smart bench also analyzes air quality data, which can help inform future policy decisions.
By encouraging the use of clean energy and offering these sustainable solutions to cities and communities, iSun Energy works to advance climate action. There is always more work to be done, but we are happy to provide clean energy solutions to address the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals by 2030.
