I first heard about these goals when I was volunteering on a campaign for Mike Simpson, an inspired candidate who has led delegations at United Nations climate conventions. Whenever an election issue came up, he would state his position with ease, often drawing reference to one or more of these 17 goals. He described them as interconnected, each one essential for the success of the 16 others.

The theory is that if we can achieve them all, they’ll work in tandem to create a world that’s sustainable, fair, and pleasing to live in for generations to come. Mike said to think of them as 17 puzzle pieces — when they’re all in place, our world can thrive. Take one out, and it throws off the balance of the others.

When I looked at the list, I thought Really? I mean, sure, ending hunger is nice, but that doesn’t do much for our fossil fuel dilemma. But the more I read into it, the more I love this model as a way to ensure that our sustainable, clean tech future can actually be a stable state. Not much good making a world that works if a war breaks out and ends it five minutes later.

So what are these goals?

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequality
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships to achieve the Goal

How are they linked? Why do we need gender equality to sustain good climate policy?

The goals are interconnected because progress in one area both helps and depends on progress in others. For example, a quality education (Goal 4) can lead to decent work and economic growth (Goal 8), which can create industry, innovation and infrastructure (Goal 9). But to get there, you need access to clean water and sanitation (Goal 6), which contributes to good health and well-being (Goal 3), which, coupled with enough money (Goal 1) puts you in a good position to get a quality education (back to Goal 4). Similarly, climate action (Goal 13) can improve conditions for farming, which can lead to poverty reduction (Goal 1) and improve food security (Goal 2).

You could play with this for hours. I’ll stop there.

Gender equality was the biggest stretch for me at first, but I can see now why it’s there. It gives women around the world access to education — and the right to use it.

An educated woman has less children on average, which helps with our overpopulation crisis.

But it runs deeper: An educated female population strengthens communities, businesses, and governments. Women have a unique perspective — we have different strengths, different insights than men about resource management and political dynamics. Amplifying the female perspective worldwide could — some believe — prevent many of the wars in the world.

It’s also fair. As a woman with a brain, I take it as my right to use it. As a woman with a daughter, I take it as her right to follow her passions to their limit in whatever field she wants to pursue. A unjust world would not be sustainable, because eventually we would rise up and disrupt things.

Some cool examples of the 17 goals in motion:

1. Solar Sister is an amazing organization whose work runs right through the heart of the U.N.’s sustainable goals. They give women in sub-Saharan Africa the training, materials, and support to become solar energy entrepreneurs. As they say on their website, “Energy access empowers women and girls through better education, economic opportunities, protection from indoor pollution, reliable healthcare, and better working conditions.”
2. Grameen Bank in Bangladesh is a pioneer of microfinance. For zero interest, with zero collateral, they give millions of low-income individuals the capital to start small businesses. 98% of their borrowers are women. In their words, “Grameen Bank offers interest-free loans to help beggars build financial capacity so that they don’t have to beg anymore. Already 21,383 members have given up begging and become self-sufficient.”
3. Nestlé’s Cocoa Plan focuses on sustainable cocoa sourcing, improving farmers’ livelihoods, and addressing child labor in the cocoa supply chain. It’s an exciting, large scale example of what can happen when a big manufacturer gets it. Box of Smarties, anyone?
4. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a group of big city mayors who want to green up their cities and tackle the climate crisis. It’s a great example of how decision-makers can collaborate to benefit the world. Now we just need a group like this for prime ministers…

This sounds like a big deal. And by that I mean beyond my scope. Can we do anything in our day-to-day lives to help?

We sure can. Every sustainable step we recommend on this site helps us get there. Here are a few additional ways that specifically address the U.N.’s goals:

1. Support good businesses. Maybe it’s your local hardware store where the owner has a big heart, treating his diverse team of employees well and sponsoring community events. Or maybe it’s an international B Corp that supports struggling farmers in a developing country. Buying from a business that makes its corner of the world better encourages all kinds of sustainable development goals, from responsible production to climate action.
2. Look at a candidate’s whole platform before voting. One of the problems I see in politics is when politicians deliver a fragmented assortment of policies that make voters happy today, and they don’t consider it worthwhile to create an integrated system of policies for the long term. Listen for long term plans when your candidates are talking. Ask questions that encourage them to consider the future beyond the next four years.
3. Invest with care. Look for investment opportunities that focus on renewable energy, clean technology, sustainable agriculture, microfinance institutions, or community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Imagine if no one in the world bought oil stock ever?
4. Suggest changes where you work. Do you see a way to make your workplace more sustainable — either in the product you deliver, or the office space itself? If you can make the change, do it! Very often, a boss or business owner would love to move toward a sustainable way of doing things, but lacks the time or know-how to make it happen. Bonus points if you can get your company designation as a B Corp.

Do you have ideas for sustainable steps we can take in our day-to-day lives? Feel free to leave them in the comment section — I’d love to add to this list.