Uniting Experts in Europe for SDG Action: Insights from ESDN
Dedicated to bringing about meaningful change through collaboration and innovative approaches, the European Sustainable Development Network’s (ESDN) changemaker Eric Mulholland is unwavering in his mission: Uniting Europe to act for Sustainable Development.
In a world facing increasingly complex sustainability challenges, collaboration and knowledge sharing have become critical drivers of progress on our way to Agenda 2030. Meet the European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN), a remarkable pan-European platform for peer-learning, networking, knowledge, and advocacy for sustainability professionals in the public sector. More than just an organization, ESDN fosters an environment of transparency, trust and collaboration among sustainability enthusiasts. ESDN actively collects, compiles, and disseminates valuable knowledge on sustainability policies, strategies, and best practices. Its expertise helps policymakers at various levels make informed decisions in line with the SDGs.
Founded on the principles of openness and collaboration, ESDN forms partnerships with various organizations and institutions committed to sustainable development. In this regard, it comes as no surprise that ESDN has been collaborating with the UN SDG Action Campaign for several years, notably taking part in the annual Global Week to #Act4SDGs, a worldwide mobilization of millions of people to act for the SDGs, taking place from September 15 to 25.
ESDN’s impact goes beyond policy. It brings sustainable development initiatives to life through active communication and collaboration with stakeholders and civil society. One of the organization’s changemaker is Eric Mulholland (he/him), Executive Coordinator of the European Sustainable Development Network. He has been working with this network for the past seven years to bring together European policy makers working on sustainable development issues in their country, including the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, to learn and exchange practical experiences made on sustainable development implementation.
“In the grand scheme of things, my choices mean very little. However, if everyone were in the position to be able to ask themselves this and make small choices and actions, then it does make a difference.” — Eric Mulholland
In the following Q&A, we will take a closer look at Eric Mulholland’s and ESDN’s inspiring journey on how they Unite to Act and the central role it plays in advancing the SDGs:
Building a sustainable future for all means taking action today and flipping the current global narrative on everything from climate change and gender inequality to food insecurity. Zooming in on one priority, what challenge speaks to you the most and how are you and your organization uniting to act for the SDGs?
In the context of the European Sustainable Development Week (ESDW), which is an initiative of the European Sustainable Development Network, one clear priority that has been shown each year since the ESDW has been linked to the SDGs (since 2016) is SDG 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production. Event organizers tend to focus on this SDG the most. Given that the ESDW is centered on Europe this is not that surprising, since Europe, in general, has a high resource consumption rate, which, if aggregated to the rest of the world, would require more than 2 Earths. It is encouraging to see that many European stakeholders also see this as a very big challenge and are undertaking measures to address it.
This year marks the half-way point to Agenda 2030 and yet indicators show that progress on the SDGs is lagging. Only about 12% of the Goals are currently on track while close to 50% are moderately or severely off track. What do you want to see happen right now in your sector that can contribute to inverting this negative trend and putting us back on the right path?
The one thing that is mentioned at every single European Sustainable Development Network event for years is the clear need for political will on topics relating to sustainable development. It is very much the expression “if there’s a will, there’s a way”. The world needs political leaders to do more to avert the unfolding triple planetary crisis, and to undertake these actions now.
Innovation is key to ensuring that our sustainable future is also inclusive. What are the novel trends and opportunities that you think will be game-changing for SDG action?
I think education is a great opportunity for further SDG action. Already, younger generations are more active and more aware. I think when I was in high school (about 20 years ago), I would never have thought something like Fridays For Future could exist, nor that it could have such global momentum. Education, in general, is also one of the best ways of ensuring inclusion of all parts of society and can be a tool that helps to close inequalities.
For many, the quest for an equitable and sustainable future starts from within. What has been a key turning point in your life? What have you learned from this that gives you hope for the current turning point we find ourselves in?
I think the key turning point in my life was a little over ten years ago. I was a year out of undergrad and still had not found a job that was remotely rewarding, and I felt a bit stuck in life. I told my father this and he gave me some very direct and straight forward advice that I still remember and use to this day. He told me to literally sit in front of a mirror and ask myself what I wanted. I realized after having done that, that sometimes we rarely give ourselves the time or opportunity to reflect on the things we want out of life or the things that are important. This spurred me to look deeper inside myself to evaluate what I cared about for and what motivated me. Shortly afterwards was the first time I read the Brundtland Report and marks the beginning of my journey in sustainable development. I chose to leave the United States and pursue a master’s degree in Vienna, Austria on sustainable development. At that time, back in 2013, there were not so many programs dedicated towards sustainable development.
Fast forward to now and I have already seen changes that give me hope. Through my work at the European Sustainable Development Network and with ESDW I can see how things change from year to year. I can see that focus is being put on education for sustainable development, for example, and to bring that into schools and into the curriculum earlier and earlier. I think, if given the chance and the choice, most everyone would want to act sustainably, but oftentimes there is a lack of knowledge and awareness for sustainable development that hinders this. It took me quite a while to get into the habit of questioning the choices I make daily, and to get into the habit of asking myself, “Is this sustainable? If not, what can I do differently, what different choice could I make to be more sustainable?”. In the grand scheme of things, my choices mean very little. However, if everyone were in the position to be able to ask themselves this and make small choices and actions, then it does make a difference. It can be simple things, like looking at ingredient labels while grocery shopping to make sure palm oil is not used or buying local, seasonal produce. It could be eating less meat or taking public transportation more often.
