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The 17 SDGs. Shutterstock/MintBlac

Sustainable Development Goals and how you can easily make a positive impact

Kick off Ireland’s inaugural SDG Week with some inspiration from An Post.

WHEN YOU HEAR the words sustainable development goals, you’re likely to think of climate change and the environment – and you may even tune out because you’re unsure of how your actions can help.

But SDGs, as they’re commonly referred to, encompass far more than environmental targets, and there are certainly ways you can impact our world today and for generations to come. SDGs are simply good life goals that any person can — and should — take up! Over the next few weeks we’ll be covering a multitude of sustainability topics for An Post and we’re inviting readers to follow this series with us to learn more. 

With the inaugural Sustainable Development Goals Week kicking off in Ireland from 20-26 September, we’re dispelling the myth that SDGs are only about the environment, and giving you real life inspiration from An Post to spur you on to making your own good life goals. 

What are the UN SDGs? 

Initially set by the UN in 2015, the 17 sustainable development goals cover critical issues that humans the world over are facing, in addition to climate change and environmental sustainability. From ending hunger and poverty to ensuring access to healthcare and educational services, the SDGs aim to solve the world’s most critical issues. They cover ambitions such as:

  • an end to poverty
  • sustainable economic development
  • protection of the environment
  • access to health and education services
  • gender equality
  • peaceful societies
  • decent work

Who is going to put the SDGs into action? 

So, who is going to make these goals reality? Well, the goal of Ireland’s first SDG Week is to inspire everyone, from individual citizens to local groups to businesses, to get involved in accomplishing these goals. 193 countries whose governments signed the SDG agreement are leading the way, and companies around the world are making big steps to help hit those goals. 

An Post is one of the companies in Ireland committed to leading the way in inspiring individual citizens to make good life goals, tackling five of the UN’s ambitious goals and making them their own.

You’ve probably seen the An Post zero emission vehicles (and their snazzy new bicycle trailers!) that support the goal of making sustainable living commonplace in Ireland by ensuring no nasty tailpipe emissions for you and your community. But that’s just the start. 

How is An Post putting good life goals into action? 

An Post is making headway on other SDGs as well, proving that SDGs and good life goals are not just about the environment — they are about so much more. An Post is also striving to make everyone’s lives just a bit better, now and for future generations to come.

From being committed to supporting the National Adult Literacy Agency working in our communities, they are providing easy access to information on home energy upgrades, providers, grants and more with their Green Hub. Making everyday banking services available in communities across the country is another of the ongoing initiatives in place as An Post bids to improve the quality of life in Ireland.

Coming soon: Easy ways to live a sustainable life

As one of the major employers – maintaining one of the largest fleets in Ireland and with the biggest retail network in the country – An Post recognises that its operations impact every county, community, household and business.

That is why they are committed to having a positive environmental and social impact, creating everyday opportunities for consumers to live a more sustainable life and equality for all.

The hope is that this series will inspire readers to make easily-achievable good life goals that will impact their own lives and the lives of those in their communities, which will in turn contribute to the wider world. Make sure to check back here for more concrete ideas that will help you make a difference.

If you want to learn more, Ireland’s first Sustainable Development Goals Week is taking place this year from 20 – 26 September 2022. Find out more information on the first SDG Week here. Make sure to keep reading The Journal over the next few weeks to see more sustainability topics from An Post. 

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    Mute Onion Knight
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:09 PM

    ‘Pro-abortion’? I think it’s pronounced ‘pro-choice’.

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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 6:59 PM

    @Onion Knight: no its pro abortion…. for abortion. Just lime against abortion is anti-abortion. Once side wants abortions to be allowed the other not.

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    Mute Mo
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    Jun 29th 2017, 7:22 PM

    @Shawn O’Ceallaghan: no it’s not it’s pro choice i.e. Just because I choose to have a baby doesn’t mean I impose my choice on another woman to do so – I’m sure you didn’t really need me to point that out because that would mean you’re a bit stupid…..

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:20 PM

    Those extremist Anti-Choice groups seem to have more organosations than members.

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    Mute DaisyChainsaw
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:48 PM

    The same ten or so agitators, it would seem. It’s all so incestuous.

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    Mute David McDermott
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    Jun 29th 2017, 7:27 PM

    @DaisyChainsaw: seems to a commune of several integrated families all trying to pretend their not related as they pop up in the media.

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    Mute JMac
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    Jun 30th 2017, 2:40 AM

    @Atheos Euripides: Extremist groups! Kettle pot etc,!

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    Mute KEV
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:08 PM

    The BAI better get used to these claims. Glad it was rejected.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:20 PM

    Odds are pretty short that Cora will be ranting on about IFPA on her twitter account..

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:36 PM

    @Francis Mc Carthy: I’m always puzzled as to who Cora, David and Breda think they actually represent, because it’s not the Irish people. They might as well be campaigning to change the name of Leitrim to Tokyo, they’d have about the same amount of support.

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    Mute Francis Mc Carthy
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:59 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: To be honest with you,I think that they represent a tiny minority of Irish people…A ball point figure to me, would be the amount of people that would want to see Irish women continue to travel to the UK in cases of FFA…and that usually is around the 12% mark..

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:24 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: they represent people like me actually. And if you consider that 38% of the electorate voted against same-sex marriage 2 years ago one can safely assume they represent a fair chunk of the electorate, especially when one considers that not everybody who is in favour of same-sex marriage is equally in favour of abortion, indeed the recent pole by the Irish times on abortion indicated that there was big divergence between the Citizens Assembly’s recommendation for unlimited and unrestricted abortion and the Irish electorate as represented in the Pole. So I’d say that Breda, David and Cora are representative of a substantial section if the Irish people.

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:43 PM

    @Iohanan: They represent you? You must have very antiquated views then.

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    Mute Larry Doyle
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:57 PM

    I’d say not everyone who voted on to losing side of the marriage equality referendum are anti-choice either @lohanan, but that’s just an opinion like yours and until there is a vote by the citizens of this country that is all we have, opinions. To object to having a referendum on this subject, which would allow this generation to have their say, is profoundly undemocratic and ultimately proves that those who wish the current restrictions to continue have little faith that they can prevail, hence these pointless complaints about media coverage of their dubious claims of abortion causing cancer and child abuse.

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    Mute Mark Walsh
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    Jun 29th 2017, 6:27 PM

    @Iohanan:
    It’s no one’s Business what other people do in their private lives
    If two same gender people want to marry it’s not anyone’s business
    If a Lady needs an abortion be on Social ‘ economic or any other reason it’s not anyone’s business
    The Church and its employees (priests) were molesting children for years and yet these F****ng were no where to be seen
    Leave people make their own decisions and get a life
    You people make me sick

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:05 PM

    @Mark Walsh: I care less what people do with their own lives but when one has an abortion they’re ending someone else’s life. Wrong full stop.

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:07 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: just because my beliefs are ‘antiquated’ doesn’t mean they’re wrong.

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    Mute Larissa Caroline Nikolaus
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:17 PM

    @Iohanan: You must be such a saint, talking out of your behind, that you side with the (word starting with a w, rhymes with bankers) of the IONA so called institute tells me enough about you to label you a bigot and hypocrite and disregard your opinion as baseless

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:17 PM

    @Larry Doyle: whether we prevail or not in maintaining current abortion restrictions doesn’t address the simple question: is it lawful to end the life of another human being? because that’s what a foetus is, a small human being. Right and wrong, justice and truth exist in and of themselves and are not the fruit or the result of a public vote nor derive their essence from having been enacted by some governing body. Democracy is not infallible because the brainwashed proletariat can get it wrong as was the case with Hitler in Germany who ascended to power through popular vote. Perhaps if you deigned to condescend from your moral high horse you might put your mind to a more productive use than justifying the legalisation of a practice which will result in the loss of life of innocent people.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:19 PM

    @Iohanan: well you’ve just called your own views outdated so where does that leave you? Second question, should pregnant women be counted as two people on census night? Give reasons for your answer please

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:32 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: that my opinions are outdated is innocuous, and what would be wrong with counting a pregnant woman as two people?

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:39 PM

    @Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: if I were a saint I wouldn’t be on the journal arguing with scoundrels like you!

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    Mute Karen Wellington
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    Jun 29th 2017, 9:57 PM

    @Iohanan: your antiquated view that a foetus is a human being with the same inalienable human rights as the mother is wrong. Not because its antiquated, because its not supported by science and fact rather than nutty religious beliefs. Activity in the Cerebral Cortex doesnt begin until weeks 22/24, upgrading the foetus from the neonatal equivalent of whole brain death to the slightly more cognitive higher brain death, Im confident that youll argue that a foetus will potentially “grow out it”, doesnt change the fact that a foetus isn’t a person and potential isnt good enough reason to force a woman to continue with an unwanted/unviable pregnancy, all that aside;do you believe keeping a person whos clinically brain dead alive indefinitely via machines and medication is the right thing to do?

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    Mute Iohanan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 10:40 PM

    @Karen Wellington: its interesting that you assert that science does not support the notion that a foetus is a person. If tomorrow scientists discovered that there was a molecule of living bacteria on Mars it would be considered the greatest ground breaking potentially human advancing discovery in history to date, yet a foetus which will in all likelihood develop into a human being is not to be considered as life by scientific standards? And I would ask you this: if someone were in a coma but according to doctors had a 50% chance of making a full recovery would you turn off life support? Yet in the case of a foetus we know scientifically that it will develop into a person. So on what grounds do you abort the foetus? I’ll tell you, on the grounds of the anti-principle, might is right.

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    Mute JMac
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    Jun 30th 2017, 2:36 AM

    @Atheos Euripides: that’s the only ammunition you have, rubbishing your oponents with personal abuse. Who would represent inocent babies from pro-death groups if they and their supporters didn’t.

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    Mute Karen Wellington
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    Jun 30th 2017, 7:12 AM

    @Iohanan: you just went ahead and ignored my hypothesis to answer one of your own, and a demented one at that; what doctor is going to say “there’s a 50% chance of recovery but we’re going to give you the option of pulling the plug”? If you’re just going to draw ridiculous parallels there’s probably not much point in explaining anything to you. However, a foetus has the potential to become a person, it’s not guaranteed (miscarriage, stillbirth, fatal fatal abnormalities, a woman’s choice not to bring into the world an unwanted child they have no way of supporting to further exacerbate an already strained system). Bacteria is considered a form of life, not sure what point you’re trying to make by ascertaining that, bacteria doesn’t get special protection at the expense of an adult woman.

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    Mute Richard Lippy Collins
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:26 PM

    Complaints about being bias towards an issue are fair and welcome, when warranted. There was no bias. People were caught out lying and that is what was reported on. They exposed the lies that women are being told to scare them out of abortions. Did these complainant’s want someone to come on and back up the lies? I’m confused. #repealthe8th

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    Mute John B
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    Jun 29th 2017, 6:30 PM

    @Richard Lippy Collins: the type of balance they’re looking for is akin to insisting on having an astrologer on for balance when discussing astronomy.

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    Mute Larissa Caroline Nikolaus
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    Jun 29th 2017, 8:57 PM

    @John B: Or having a flat earther on, when discussing geology

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    Mute Tommy Browne
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:05 PM

    Everything produced by RTE has a distinct lack of balance.

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    Mute Paul Fahey
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:09 PM

    @Tommy Browne: says the man who was stumbling around yesterday. None of your dozens of online personas has any balance, more imbalanced it seems.

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    Mute Tommy Browne
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:11 PM

    @Paul Fahey:
    Just deal with the substance of the article and less of the ad hominems..thanks.

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    Mute Tommy Browne
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    Jun 29th 2017, 4:12 PM

    In the interest of civilised debate.

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    Mute DaisyChainsaw
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:50 PM

    Yeah Paul. Tommy and his pseudonyms don’t like homos.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jun 29th 2017, 7:53 PM

    @DaisyChainsaw: he he hee!

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    Mute The Bob
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    Jun 29th 2017, 5:24 PM

    Whatever about having to make sure that opinions on both sides of a debate based on opinions and wishes are heard, it is disingenuous to try and fake balance and present it as if both sides are equally valid. Were RTE to go out of their way to try and find someone that thinks abortions do give you breast cancer to “balance” the expert opinion of the gynecologist no matter how valid it is or if there is any evidence to the contrary? If they presented both of them sides as equally valid then I think they would actually be biased.

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    Mute Tony Murphy
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    Jun 30th 2017, 4:18 PM

    I boycott everything to do with RTE. got rid of radio stations in the car and phone. Would delete from the TV also if it was possible. Shouldn’t be made pay for the license with the tripe they produce. Let them fend for themselves and watch them go down the plughole

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