By Danielle Carpenter – You’ve likely heard about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – those 17 objectives that the United Nations devised to make the world a much better place by 2030. And you likely know that many organizations are working hard to achieve this bracing, global vision.

What can you do?

But if you, like me, are not attached to an organization striving to meet these goals, then you might not know that you, too, can act in many ways to help the world along. To bring the general public into the fold, Futerra, the 10 YFP Sustainable Lifestyles and Education program, UN Environment, UNESCO and WBCSD have come together to create the Good Life Goals.

Individual actions are important

Individual actions will play a significant role in achieving the SDGs. The Good Life Goals are “85 individual actions – five asks for each of the 17 SDGs.” They serve as an entry point for organizations into individual behaviors. They are linked to activities, products and services, sustainable lifestyles, and the SDGs themselves. Thus they are “a highly engaging way of personalizing and humanizing the SDGs.”

Importantly, the Good Life Goals help you, me – everybody – recognize what we can do individually to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. They aim to have a tangible impact, to be relevant and accessible to people worldwide. “Simple, positive, and engaging by design, the Good Life Goals detail the things that people can do, not a long list of things that they should not do.”

Watch the video on individual actions you can take.

Download the manual, the flash cards and the emoji postcard.