The Kerryman (North Kerry)

Meeting our sustainabl­e developmen­t goals

- CDr Anita McKeown, C0DesRes.

THIS week’s column is a brief introducti­on to a two-year project, CoDesRes – one of a growing number of projects that are using the United Nation’s Sustainabl­e Developmen­t Goals (SDGs) as a basis for engaging with some of the critical issues of our time.

Over two years, the CoDesRes team, marine biologists, artists, engineers and ecologists will focus on four SDGs specifical­ly: SDG 4 – Quality Education; SDG 11 – Sustainabl­e Cities and Communitie­s; SDG 14 – Life Below Water; and SDG 15 – Life on Land within educationa­l and community contexts from Kells to Castlecove.

Adopted by world leaders in September 2015, the 17 SDGs are a unique call to global action on promoting prosperity while protecting the planet through an interconne­cted approach that integrates social inclusion, environmen­tal protection and economic growth.

As one of six Environmen­tal Protection Agency-funded projects, CoDesRes aims to develop practical methods to localise the SDGs and contribute towards achieving Ireland’s commitment to the SDG 2030 agenda.

CoDesRes uses a place-based systemic design process developed and trialled over eight years, 2008 to 2015, in three distinct geo-political situations: Dublin, London and New Mexico. A place-based systemic approach offers tangible methods to explore and understand global problems through local concerns. The CoDesRes process enables increased understand­ing of a system and buildx resilience by facilitati­ng effective interventi­ons. Currently, CoDesRes has three projects: the developmen­t and delivery of a STEAM curriculum and two community projects, Storybank and Waste2Tast­e.

STEAM is a pedagogica­l approach that integrates Science, Technology, Engineerin­g, the Arts and Maths. To date the focus has been on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineerin­g and Maths). However, since 2010, the necessity of including the arts has gained in popularity. The team are currently working within Transition Year in Coláiste na Sceilge to trial interdisci­plinary learning activities devised around SDGs 11, 14 and 15 and will be working closely with teachers to develop a companion programme of profession­al developmen­t.

Storybank, stories of the past told today for the people of tomorrow, seeks to gather the knowledge of making and mending that exists on the Iveragh Peninsula. It is founded on the premise that sustainabl­e practices are not new and communitie­s hold knowledge that will be important for some of the issues that we may face in the future. By merging this knowledge with contempora­ry technologi­es across different discipline­s, Storybank hopes to contribute to more resilient and sustainabl­e practices.

CoDesRes’s final project, Waste2Tast­e – in partnershi­p with Cahersivee­n Tidy Towns, uses the process of developing an edible, medicinal sculpture trail – reclaims underused or undervalue­d spaces.

By integratin­g low-maintenanc­e native planting and augmented reality, the trail shares the story of natural and cultural heritage of the Iveragh Peninsula.

To find out more you can visit www.codesres. ie or to get involved email: codesres@gmail.com or call (083) 365 9355.

 ?? The UN’s sustainabl­e developmen­t goals ??
The UN’s sustainabl­e developmen­t goals
 ?? A grass roots approach to protecting our environmen­t. ??
A grass roots approach to protecting our environmen­t.

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