course-introduction-to-sustainability

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Introduction to sustainability

Doubts or questions?

Consult the course Forum or contact one of our experts by sending
an email to: [email protected]

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Course info

This course aims to provide an overview of key concepts related to sustainability. LifeGate’s experts will accompany you through a course structured across 5 modules, each divided into individual video lessons.

Simone Molteni, LifeGate’s scientific director, will explain the meaning of sustainable development and take a closer look at the vital issue of the climate emergency. Tommaso Perrone, director of lifegate.it, will provide an overview of the latest updates relating to global warming and the protection of biodiversity; he will also discuss the SDGs and the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, a key reference point in creating development that is respectful of people and the environment. Finally, you will explore how sustainability can be brought concretely into a company thanks to the overview provided by LifeGate’s Business Development Strategist Erika Colciago and Paola Bezzi, Sustainability Manager at LifeGate, and into everyday life, alongside, Erica Ramorino, former leader of the LifeGate Education project, who will offer you many pointers to make simple, everyday decisions that could potentially have a great impact.


In detail, the course content includes:

Module 1: Sustainable development

Sustainable development: what it is and why it’s important - The threefold nature of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic impact - Doughnut economics - When will we exhaust the Earth’s resources?

In-depth analysis by LifeGate CEO Enea Roveda: Socio-economic analysis of sustainability: the fourth great revolution.


Module 2: The climate crisis

What are the greenhouse effect, global warming, climate change, and their consequences - What is the energy transition toward renewables? – Carbon neutrality and net zero - The free services nature gives us - Intensive and unsustainable exploitation of Earth’s resources - The climate change solutions already at our disposal.

In-depth analysis by Emilio Mancuso, President of Verdeacqua SCS, and Lajal Andreoletti, Head of Socio-Environmental Projects at LifeGate: the health of our seas and the technologies available to defend it.

 


Module 3: The SDGs and the United Nations’ Agenda 2030

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): what are they? Where do they come from? Why were they created? - How the United Nations Conferences of the Parties (COPs) on climate change have developed over the years - A closer look at SDGs: what do they say  and what stage are we at in achieving them?


Module 4: Bringing SDGs to your company
Sustainability in business: how and why? - Strategic sustainability set-up - Reducing and managing environmental impact - Stakeholder involvement and management - Responsible supply-chain management - Sustainability in communication and marketing – Greenwashing: how to avoid it? - Reference case studies for each area of business discussed.

In-depth analysis by Roberto Sposini, Chief Mobility Editor at LifeGate: sustainability in the automotive industry.


Modulo 5: Portare gli SDGs nella vita di tutti i giorni

Module 5: Bringing SDGs into everyday life

The importance of small gestures - Actions that can make a difference in various areas of life: food, waste, transport, energy and energy efficiency, architecture and design, water, land and biodiversity, fashion, travel - Be inspired: who’s changing the world? Stories of ordinary people who created great changes.

Deep dive on behavioural economics by Francesco Pozzi, PhD and founder of ABetterPlace.

In-depth analysis by Roberto Sposini, Chief Mobility Editor at LifeGate: choosing sustainable means of transport.

In-depth analysis by Emilio Mancuso, President of Verdeacqua SCS, and Lajal Andreoletti, Manager of Socio-Environmental Projects at LifeGate: decisions that are good for our seas.

In-depth analysis by Lajal Andreoletti, Head of Socio-Environmental Projects at LifeGate: the health of forests.

 


How it works:

To start the course, go to the “Lessons” section and click on the first video - “Introduction” - of Module 1. After watching the video, the “Click to Continue” button will allow you to go to the next step. The same holds true for all lessons and exercises in the course, where clicking on “Click to Continue” will lead you to the next lesson or exercise. Once the video and exercises in a module are complete, you can access them again by going to the Table of Contents on the left of your screen and clicking the < > arrows in the top right. You will also be able to evaluate your progress within the course on the top left of your personal dashboard, where five leaves will be coloured in as you advance from lesson to lesson.

For each module, you will always have optional further materials (readings, videos, etc.) available in the “Other materials” section of your personal dashboard. During each lesson, if you wish to take notes, you can do this by clicking on the “Take a Note” button. All your notes will remain available in the “Notes” section on your dashboard.

Each module contains self-evaluation exercises that will help you monitor your understanding of the content. At the end of each module, an evaluation test will ascertain your level of understanding of the content in that module. You will pass the test if at least 80 per cent of your answers are correct. If you don’t pass, you will still get the chance to see the correct answers (by clicking on “Review the Test”) and continue with the course. This performance will not influence your final performance.

At the end of the five modules there is a final evaluation Quiz, which will determine your performance and allow you to obtain the certificate confirming you have completed the course. To pass this quiz, at least 80 per cent of the answers you provide must be correct.

If you experience any technical difficulties or need any clarifications while working through the course, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at [email protected]. We will respond to you within one working day.

All of us at LifeGate Education hope you enjoy the course!

Doubts or questions?

Consult the course Forum or contact one of our experts by sending
an email to: [email protected]

Course Content

Expand All

To start the course, go to the “Lessons” section and click on the first video, “Introduction”, of Module 1.

In-depth exploration of the website Earth Overshoot Day
(estimated reading time: 20 minutes)


Article “COVID-19 is awful. Climate change could be worse”, by Bill Gates
(estimated reading time: 20 minutes)

 

TED Talk by Chad Frishman,“100 Solutions to Reverse Global Warming”, September 2018
(16:54 min)

Youth climate movement leader Greta Thumberg’s message in her well-known TED talk, “The Disarming Case to Acting Right Now on Climate Change”, November 2018
(11:04)

NASA website page on the evidence for climate change
(estimated reading time: 15 minutes)

Article on the FAO website on the first global report on the state of biodiversity, 2019
(estimated reading time: 5 minutes)

Ideas and proposals for solving climate change:


TED Talk by Tina Arrawood, “A Circular Economy for Salt that Keeps Rivers Clean”, September 2019,
(13:12)


Ted Talk by Andrew Dent, “To eliminate waste, we need to rediscover thrift”, November 2017
(10:27)


TED Talk by Bruce Friedrich, “The Next Global Agricoltural Revolution”, May 2019
(05:41)

TED Talk by Marjan van Aubel, “The Beautiful Future of Solar Power”, December 2018
(8:46)

In-depth exploration of SDGs on the United Nations website
(estimated reading time: 20 minutes)


TED Talk by Michael Green, “How We Can Make the World a Better Place by 2030”, September 2015
(14:30)

The European Union and Sustainable Development Goals
(estimated reading time: 20 minutes)

The UN Global Compact article, “Business & SDGs“
(estimated reading time: 35 minutes)

SDG Compass, “The Guide Action on the SDGs”
(estimated reading time: 1 hour and 20 minutes)

Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into Corporate Reporting: A Practical Guide
(estimated reading time: 45 minutes)

Bill Gates, “What you can do to fight climate change”, 2021
(estimated reading time: 5 minutes; video: 1:59 minutes)


TED video by Graham Hill “Why I am a Weekday Vegetarian”, 2010
(03:49)

TED video by Marina Spadafora, “Il potere del consumatore”, 2014
(17:41)

TED talk by Luisa Neubauer, climate activist and one of the founders of the “Fridays for Future” movement, “Why You Should be a Climate Activist”, 2019
(17:36)