Rubbish Science and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The UN have 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This blog aims to show how Rubbish Science can support them

Aim 1: No Poverty: What is poverty the UN has these; Absolute poverty was defined as: a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services. Rubbish Science aims to improve Health, Food and Water security to some of the most vulnerable populations Overall poverty takes various forms, including: lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods; hunger and malnutrition; ill health; limited or lack of access to education and other basic services; increased morbidity and mortality from illness; homelessness and inadequate housing; unsafe environments and social discrimination and exclusion. It is also characterised by lack of participation in decision making and in civil, social and cultural life. It occurs in all countries: as mass poverty in many developing countries, pockets of poverty amid wealth in developed countries, loss of livelihoods as a result of economic recession, sudden poverty as a result of disaster or conflict, the poverty of low-wage workers, and the utter destitution of people who fall outside family support systems, social institutions and safety nets. Rubbish Science aims to empower by developing peoples thinking and reasoning skills. By collaborating globally we aim to raise the awareness of poverty. Aim 2: No Hunger  Rubbish Science activities such as vertical bottle gardens, hydroponics and keyhole gardens aim to improve food security and hence reduce hunger. Aim 3: Good Health and Wellbeing  We build health security into our programs with activities like the Tippy Tap, Solar Water Sanitiser and Milk Infection. Improving water and food security also aids health. Empowerment has an impact on wellbeing. Aim 4: Quality Education Rubbish Science workshops condense scientific thinking into two days and allow students to think beyond what happens in their classroom if indeed they go to school. We are promoting a way of thinking that has huge transferable potential. Seeking evidence to challenge claims is a vital skill in the age of misinformation. Aim 5: Gender Equality Rubbish Science uses role models and ambassador training to facilitate the engagement of underrepresented groups in  STEM.  See the Gender and Rubbish Science blog post. We are committed to removing barriers

Aim 6: Clean Water and Sanitation Water security is at the heart of Rubbish Science with activities such as Solar Stills, Carbon Filtration, Solar Hand wash sanitizer and Tippy Taps.  These are all small but scalable and use no resources other than rubbish. Aim 7: Affordable and Clean Energy We are currently working on developing this aspect Aim 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth Our workshops encourage entrepreneurial skills. For example how to grow crops to sell with a tiny initial investment. We are working on the production of Activated Charcoal in order to create cheap water bottle filtration systems. Developing thinking skills will improve work opportunities and help economic growth Aim 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure Rubbish Science is about tinkering, playing around with ideas until we find the best solution. It is part of developing innovative thinking Aim 10: Reduce Inequalities By raising the development of the least privileged we aim to reduce the gap.  We are delivering the same problems to some of the richest and poorest communities. We are focussing only on the learning journeys and publishing them so we can learn from each other. We are aiming to combat this idea that the kid you see in rags is in poverty because they are not smart. We are levelling the playing field and putting innovation and thinking at the heart of what we do. Aim 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities By changing the paradigm to seeing rubbish as a resource we aim to improve sustainability. If we can improve health, water and food security we improve communities and hence cities. We are hoping to scale up what we do to create a much bigger impact. Aim 12: Responsible Consumption and Production See 11! Aim 13: Climate Action In many countries, rubbish is burned with the inevitable negative impact on the climate. Our workshops cover climate change and individual responsibility to do what we can. Aim 14: Life Below Water By reducing the amount of plastic thrown away we can lower the amount found in the sea. By focussing on the usefulness of rubbish as a resource we can alter perceptions at the same time. Aim 15: Life on Land As 14. We also can look at the local impact of rubbish on the ecosystem. Aim 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions By developing the idea that claims should be challenged if evidence has not been provided we can develop justice. Peace comes partly from improving equality and removing barriers. Aim 17: Partnerships for the Goals rubbish Science is hugely collaborative and happy to work with multiple partners to help achieve all of these worthwhile goals.