The United Nations created the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to include 17 goals and 169 targets that foster ongoing environmental, social, and global economic development and aiming to accomplish each goal by 2030. There has been considerable enthusiasm in various sectors since the SDGs have been in place; however, there is still a significant amount of work to be done to engage experts and young scholars (the future experts) in the SDGs. According to Salvia, Filho, Brandli, & Griebeler, 2019, researchers at institutions of higher learning from around the globe found a relation between locality and research, though questions remain concerning the role vocation and locality play in determining one’s predilection for a given SDG. This project analyzes individual rankings of the SDGs by comparing responses from college students interested in Ecology and academic and field professionals engaged in ecological work or research. To conduct the study, a survey was given to different ecological focus groups in Dayton, OH, and Los Angeles, CA, that asks participants to designate which SDG(s) aligns with their vocational work or path while also taking into consideration which SDG(s) they consider to be the most critical to the development of sustainable communities.
Results/Conclusions
In a workshop on the Sustainable Development Goals at the University of Dayton, faculty and staff were asked to identify specific SDG(s) as the most significant to sustainable development in context of their work and research. There were three Sustainable Development Goals the faculty identified: Goals 4, 10, and 11 (quality education, reduced inequalities, and sustainable cities and communities, respectively). Goal 14 (life below water) and Goal 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) were identified the least often. In a University of Dayton campus-wide event for presenting student research, presenters were asked to link a specific SDG to their projects. This study determines if location plays a role in differentiating between the SDGs that address environmental systems. The comparison tests the level of engagement with which students and practitioners in Ecology connect their vocational interest to specific goals. It is expected that engagement with Goal 14 will be higher among those in Los Angeles as they are closer to a coast than those in Dayton, OH. My findings will be potentially useful in determining how ranking preference of SDGs aligns with vocational interest, professional work, and place, such as whether landlocked communities identify different SDGs than coastal communities.