SDG Observatory

Sustainable Development Goal Advancement at UT Dallas

What We Do

We have highlighted our work at UT Dallas through the lens of each SDG [Sustainable Development Goal ] below. Select each SDG [Sustainable Development Goal ] to learn more about what is being done on campus!

Sustainable Development Goals - 17 goals with 169 associated targets

Goal 1: No Poverty - End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2: Zero Hunger - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4: Quality Education - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5: Gender Equality - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities - Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13: Climate Action - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14: Life Below Water - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15: Life on Land - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Developed in 2015, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGSustainable Development Goals) were developed by the United Nations to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability. Through an ambitious 169 targets under these 17 goals, the SDGSustainable Development Goals are a measurable way to track global sustainability progress. These goals range from issues such as poverty to reducing inequality to life on land.

The world has made progress towards many of these goals, such as reducing maternal mortality rates and increasing access to clean water sources. You can view progress made towards the SDGSustainable Development Goals at SDG Tracker. You can also learn more about the SDGs through virtual courses regarding the SDGs at SDG Academy.

STARS at UT Dallas

The Association of Advancement in Higher Education (AASHEAssociation of Advancement in Higher Education) provides The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARSSustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) as a self-reporting framework for universities to track their sustainability performance. The report is very comprehensive, covering topics from research to building design to pollinator habitats. In 2019, UT Dallas was recognized as a Gold institution. As an outside framework developed by experts, the Office of Sustainability often utilize STARSSustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System as a tool to guide sustainability on campus.

STARS Aligned

In 2019, AASHEAssociation of Advancement in Higher Education released a guide to present the STARSSustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System report through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGSustainable Development Goals). Although there was a desire for universities to align their word with the SDGSustainable Development Goals, there was no comprehensive metric to evaluate their work. In this report, AASHEAssociation of Advancement in Higher Education identifies 4 main steps for universities in translating their reports:

Establish the Purpose of Reporting – At UT Dallas, we hope an SDGSustainable Development Goal report will allow us to context with other stakeholders and sustainability leaders on campus. We hope to utilize the report as a tool to expand conversations surrounding sustainability advancement on campus in the future.
Conduct a STARSSustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System Assessment with an SDGSustainable Development Goal Focus – Through an intensive data collection process, Eco Reps at the Office of Sustainability led an SDG-focused STARS Assessment. We reviewed all of our data from our 2019 report and reevaluated this using the AASHE SDG guide.
Share Your Institution’s SDG Contributions with Stakeholders – This interactive website serves as our final product of our SDGSustainable Development Goal report. We hope that campus and community members will be able to access a comprehensive view of the incredible work being accomplished by sustainability partners at UT Dallas.
Expand Your Institution’s Contributions – This SDGSustainable Development Goal report is only the first step in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals at UT Dallas. In completing this report, we established goals for how to advance each SDG on campus in the future. We hope to continue to improve our sustainability engagement through the lens of the SDGs.

View the full report that includes every UT Dallas AASHE data point (PDF [Portable Document Format File] )