UNASD sets sustainability goals for local, national levels

A new organization, United Nations Association for Sustainable Development (UNASD), is working towards eco-friendly goals at local and national levels. 

Breana Spinler, president of USD’s UNASD chapter, said she looks to educate students about sustainable development goals and why they’re important.

The United Nations has a list of seventeen sustainable development goals. University chapters and organizations are able to pick and choose what goals they work towards.

Morgan Roberts, executive board member of UNASD, said the organization’s sustainability goals focus on improving the quality of life for people around the world.

“Right now, we are working on sustainable development goal number six, which is clean water and sanitation,” Spinler said. “We want to do community service projects representing what we’re facing in South Dakota while promoting sustainability on our campus, in our town and in our state.”

National change is being worked towards on a local level by following the seventeen given goals from the UN, Spinler said.

The UNASD had their first meeting last week. The organization is planning a beach clean up at Burbank beach in support of clean water and sanitation, Spinler said. 

USD is taking steps to become more sustainable through this organization through the set UNASD goals, Spinler said, and the organization moves forward with the idea that humanity could be living in the most sustainable world possible. 

Roberts said the organization has the ability to play an integral role in making campus better.

“I hope that we, as an organization, can get current students to think about sustainability and the world they want to create,” Roberts said.