UrbanChange for UN SDGs: Turning Sustainable Development into Reality
In the pursuit of global progress and sustainable development, the United Nations has set ambitious targets known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These encompass various objectives aimed at fostering prosperity, peace, and environmental health.
However, the 2023 report reveals a concerning reality: only 12% of targets are on track as 2030 approaches, with nearly half facing challenges and 30% stagnating or regressing since 2015. This calls for immediate attention.
Sustainable Development goals present immense challenges that require more than individual efforts. So, how do we encourage groups of people to take steps toward achieving these ambitious goals?
Enter the UrbanChange Protocol. It provides a solution by enabling organizations to define objectives and effectively engage individuals in taking actions to achieve goals, even as ambitious as those related to sustainable development.
To learn more about how it works, continue reading below.
UrbanChange’s Approach to Addressing UN SDGs
UrbanChange Protocol enables organizations to set goals, motivate people to take action toward achieving those goals and reward them for their efforts. Here’s how it works:
1. An organization, city, business, or leader sets a goal, like reducing trips made alone in a car. They allocate a budget to this goal.
2. People earn LocalCoins each time they use public transportation, making it a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to driving a car. These LocalCoins are backed by real budgets (stablecoins), ensuring their reliability.
3. The LocalCoins can only be spent at selected businesses. The budget for sustainable goals circulates within these chosen entities, positively impacting not only the specified goal but also the overall prosperity of the closed-loop economy.
The process is straightforward, making the use of funds efficient. Now, let’s explore some examples.
Use Cases
For some time now, we’ve been gathering use cases from our global community. These use cases embody the aspirations of people worldwide, illustrating how UrbanChange has the potential to instigate positive transformations in diverse communities.
We have categorized some of these use cases based on corresponding UN SDGs and highlighted selected ones in dedicated Medium posts.
Within each post, you’ll discover examples showcasing how the UrbanChange Protocol can effectively contribute to the realization of UN SDGs. Pick a topic below and explore the corresponding Medium post for more insights.
*Below, we’ll use the definitions outlined on the official United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) website.
Sustainable Cities and Communities
- UN SDG Goal #11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.”
- UrbanChange Use Cases: “Building Sustainable Cities and Communities with UrbanChange.”
Climate Action
- UN SDG Goal #13: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.”
- UrbanChange Use Cases: “Advancing Climate Action: UrbanChange Approach.”
Quality Education
- UN SDG Goal #4: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
- UrbanChange Use Cases: “UrbanChange: Transforming the Way to Measure Educational Impact.”
Good Health and Well-Being
- UN SDG Goal #3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.”
- UrbanChange Use Cases: “How incentives can revolutionize community health.”
To provide a glimpse into the use cases we explore in the posts above, let’s briefly examine one featured in the post related to Health.
Enter the Blood Donation initiative: Imagine community members earning LocalCoins by donating blood.
How to calculate the impact in this case?
We can imagine calculations as follows (the proportions are customizable):
- $50k = 1,000 liters of donated blood
- $100k = 10,000 hours of volunteer work
How to verify the actions?
For example, community members can scan a QR code at a clinic when donating blood. As for volunteer work, community members can check in with clinic staff to confirm the hours spent on their activities.
And let’s briefly highlight the impact of the budget allocated to this initiative.
Imagine community members are encouraged to donate blood, with a budget of $50,000 designated for this goal. If we assume each donation is 500 ml and the reward per donation is set at $25, this could result in a whopping 1,000 liters of blood donated! Considering each donation can save up to 3 lives, this initiative could potentially save up to 6,000 lives! Impressive, isn’t it? Furthermore, the $50,000 budget would exclusively support local businesses, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
Just like that, a substantial impact can be achieved with a budget allocated to an initiative launched through the UrbanChange Protocol.
In the posts listed above, we delve into additional UrbanChange use cases, illustrating how they can turn Sustainable Development Goals into tangible achievements.
Start Turning Your Budget into Impact Today
What makes the UrbanChange protocol truly amazing is its adaptability to different needs. Whether it’s promoting climate action, education, health, or other initiatives, the protocol has the power to efficiently and transparently transform budgets into impactful outcomes.
If you’re curious to learn more about the UrbanChange protocol and how it can benefit your community, we invite you to book a demo here and discover its potential firsthand.
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