Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” — Gro Harlem Brundtland

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

The objectives are important and world changing and require cooperation among governments, international organizations and world leaders. Still, there is a lot an average person or a small group can do.

From reducing waste, switching off the lights when not in use, and walking, using bikes or public transport, to raising voice against gender discrimination at home or in our workplace and sharing social media posts about women’s rights or climate change, to holding activities like workshops, demonstrations, conversation with a field expert, panel of speakers, or any other event where people can interact in an informal atmosphere and share experiences — there is so much each individual can do to make an impact!

Schools deemed as the lighthouses of society are the only hope of this planet as they can build bridges and connect the dots by making sustainability, curricular and pragmatic.

Education for sustainable development empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for Environmental Integrity, Economic Viability and a just society.

City Montessori School (CMS) is the world’s largest school, with over 58,000 students and 3,000 staff across 24 campuses in the city of Lucknow. Founded in 1959 with 5 children on a borrowed capital of Rupees 300 by Drs Jagdish and Bharti Gandhi, CMS, today, is affiliated to ICSE and Cambridge school boards and is among the best schools of the country known for delivering excellent results. Beyond these achievements, Drs Jagdish and Bharti Gandhi started CMS with a vision to inspire generations of children to become socially motivated and conscious citizens of India and the world. Their motto “Jai Jagat” - 'Hail the World', in contrast to the popular post-Independence greeting 'Jai Hind' ('Hail India') at the time of CMS's foundation - has been the school's greeting from the beginning. The efforts of CMS in building a better future for the children and people of the world have been universally acknowledged with the City Montessori School Society being accorded NGO status by the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN-DPI).