Spotlight Series: SDG Multimedia Contest Reflections from Nisakorn Saengprachum | Seneca Business: Principles for Responsible Management Education

Nisakorn Saengprachum is a student in the Sustainable Business Management program. In this blog entry, she describes her experiences of partaking in the 2022 PRME SDG Multimedia Contest. 

I'm a student in the Sustainable Business Management program. Our professor, Panagiotis Panagiotakopoulos, first mentioned this contest to us when he was explaining an assignment for his class. The goal of the assignment was to conduct research on a company's sustainability practices and make recommendations. He told us that the SDG Multimedia Contest taking place at Seneca would be to put sustainable development objectives into practice. I made the decision to enter the competition because I wanted to put my experience and knowledge from the class to use.

I made an infographic and submitted it about transforming the SDGs into action. Infographics, which make use of visual elements like charts, graphs, and diagrams, can help people understand complex ideas. I chose to work on this subject because I believe that as Seneca Business students, we can expand the idea of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) outside of the classroom. My infographic's main subjects are as follows:

1. Promoting sustainable development with Seneca community engagement

By involving Seneca communities and drawing on common wisdom, the institution may be able to set better priorities and promote sustainable development at the local level. For this action we can promote the understanding about SDGs, primarily SDG 11, SDG 16, and SDG 17. 

2. Promote Energy Management and Clean energy for all Seneca buildings

As students, we could continue to develop the green value stream mapping for Seneca buildings. We can promote energy efficiency and introduce technology in facilities to gain better visibility into the energy, gas, and water consumption. Related SDGs to this are SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 13 (EPA).

Photo by Pixabay

3. Building an Equitable Seneca

This concept can promote SDG 4 and SDG 5 which are about Gender equality and quality education. I believe educational institutions play a special role in building a more equitable world.

4. Promote Recyclable Eco-Friendly Practices

Regarding ecological improvements, we can create a campaign to tackle the issue of single-use plastic containers and ask all Seneca students, faculty, and staff to join in. Reusable and portable containers are the solution, saving money, reducing waste in the long run, and helping to avoid plastics ending up in our landfills and oceans, requiring hundreds of years to decompose and causing microplastic contamination.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska at Pexels

When the PRME team notified me that I had been selected as a finalist by the committee, I was overjoyed and delighted. It makes me feel so honoured to share my infographic with Seneca’s faculty and staff. I sincerely hope that everyone who views my infographic will better understand what the SDGs are and how they can be implemented. I believe that if we want to see change, we should begin by increasing awareness.

My perspective on having a positive impact has changed as a result of being a finalist in the SDG Multimedia Contest. I now see how I can inform my friends and family about the SDGs.  I am also more conscious of my actions that could have an impact on the environment. For instance, I favour purchasing goods that demonstrate the manufacturers' concern for the environment.

What I enjoyed most about this process was the awards ceremony, where I had the opportunity to meet people who are already implementing SDG knowledge in their workplace. Also, many Seneca students were present at the awards ceremony and expressed interest in how the finalist created their work.

I would encourage all students to enter this contest in the future because it will benefit not only you but the world and the next generation. Sustainability begins with you. This world requires more environmental and social awareness and creativity. You must be the one to bring it forward.

Nisakorn Saengprachum

Sustainable Business Management

SDG Multimedia Contest Entry:

References:

GHGRP Electronics Manufacturing | EPA.” EPA, 17 Oct. 2022, www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/ghgrp-electronics-manufacturing#map-facilities.