Block-a-thon 2021: Social Good Freestyle (UN Sustainable Development Goals)
Adopted by the United Nations in 2015, the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
The Goals touch upon a wide range of issues having to do with people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership, as follows:
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts [n 10]
Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Blockathon Process:
The Blockathon takes place Thursday, May 20th & Friday, May 21st as the culmination of the 2-week Blockchain@UBC Summer Institute.
On the first day of the course, students will be assigned by the course instructors to groups of four or five multidisciplinary teams based on their backgrounds/area of study. Students will be given time on the first day to get to know one another and to start to think about which of the 17 UN SDGs they would like to concentrate their blockathon project on. Students should have selected which goal they will work on by Friday, May 14 so that the instructors are able to identify suitable mentors.
Blockathon teams will take a hacker approach to put blockchain ideas to work in responding to one of the UN SDGs. Experienced blockchain industry and EV infrastructure mentors will be on hand to mentor the teams. Mentors will be available to participating teams during the Blockathon to offer advice and assistance on solution design and development.
Between 3-5 pm on May 21st, a panel of judges will evaluate each team’s submission and presentations according to the judging criteria. Students will also evaluate one another’s submissions.
Previous Blockchain@UBC Blockathons have tackled:
- Covid-19
- Powering the Electric Vehicle
- Blockchain Identity for the Homeless
- Improving and Expediting Real-World Biomedical Research
- Background Information & Resources: