SDSN Canada Member Launches SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit

The original post was shared by York University, a Member of the SDSN Canada, in January 2025.

York University (YorkU), a Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Canada member institution, recently released the SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit, with contributions from SDSN Canada’s host institution, the University of Calgary (UCalgary). The toolkit was spearheaded by YorkU’s Provostial Fellow Cheryl van Daalen-Smith, Nitima Bhatia, and Tracy Bhoola, who envisioned bringing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to diverse classrooms across YorkU.

The SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit is a comprehensive resource that enables the pan-university interdisciplinary infusion of the SDGs into classrooms. This Toolkit reinforces the university’s commitment to make positive change for students, campuses, and our local and global communities. It comprises a variety of resources to help faculty and instructors incorporate the SDGs into their teaching.

Faculty and instructors can choose from a variety of resources, from general documents and reports on SDGs to discipline-specific materials such as case studies, lesson plans, videos, and activities. Resources specific to teaching and learning about each goal can also be found in this Toolkit. By using the SDGs as a pedagogical framework, educators can create meaningful learning experiences that connect academic concepts with real-world impact. The toolkit encourages students to engage with sustainability challenges and take steps toward building a better future.

Houston Peschl from UCalgary collaborated with faculty and research assistants at York University and George Brown College to produce a video on the toolkit. In the video, they discuss the SDGs in the Classroom Toolkit benefits, the impact of the open educational resources (OER) on their classrooms, and how they use the Toolkit to infuse the SDGs into their class content, educational experiences, and classrooms.

Additionally, an explainer video — produced by the UCalgary's Haskayne School of Business and YorkU — demonstrates a walkthrough of the SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit sections, academic OER materials, discipline-specific materials, resources, and tools that faculty need so they can infuse the SDGs into curriculum and classrooms.

The SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit was honored as an International Finalist for the 2024 Green Gown Awards in the Next Generation Learning and Skills category.

You can access the Toolkit through York University’s website, a proud member of SDSN Canada.