The call for “Global Heroes of the Planet” sounds again! The chessboard game from the previous class impressed students deeply, and the sustainable development goals were yet to be achieved as almost every group encountered a setback. Upon reaching the seventh step, the students answered the question regarding the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) 7 incorrectly. This led them to slide down the ladder, but it also provided them with more opportunities to explore “how to ensure global energy sustainability”. This stage of learning ignited the students’ drive and leadership skills. They studied and shared knowledge on environmental protection, human rights, gender equality, economic development, and others, explored global issues, and took part in social actions, thus expanding their influence.

After gaining a comprehensive understanding of the UN’s organizational structure, historical mission, and the foundation of the 2023 UN SDGs, the students engaged in group discussions to further clarify their own sustainable development goals.

Choosing a name for the group was indeed interesting. You might think of names like “Earth Guardian”, “Path to Sustainability”, or “Green Pioneer”. However, the students’ creativity knew no bounds. They came up with imaginative names such as “A Plate of Sand”, “Zoo”, “Self-Improvement for Success,” “Team of ‘You Are Always Right’”, and “Wu Yanzu”. Once the names were finalized, the students worked together in their respective groups to find solutions for one or several SDGs. Then they presented them to the entire class like tasks of earth heroes.

The teacher encouraged students to have a brainstorm on project creativity, strategizing ways to support the chosen SDGs for their groups. Students pondered the questions, “Who can I collaborate with?”, “Where can we cooperate?”, “What will we finish?”, “What’s the object?”, and “What impact will there be?”

Once our earth heroes had clarified their missions, everyone sprang into action with great enthusiasm! The team members began by voting to determine which goals their group found interesting. Subsequently, each group boldly wrote 30 or more actions or events to support their chosen goals. Some groups chose to support SDG12—”Responsible Consumption and Production” by taking various actions, such as reducing the use of disposable items; accurately estimating the amount of food they can consume before buying; adopting eco-friendly modes of transportation; supporting the development of green innovative technologies; encouraging their family and friends to lead low-carbon lifestyles; translating and sharing environmental protection proposals and helping enhance the public awareness of these topics; looking for recyclable waste and disposing of them in easily-sorted bins; and decreasing the use of printed documents and color images.

Through cooperation, the students developed 30 actions and brainstormed to categorize these actions into four groups: “Time-consuming,” “Cost-incurring”, “Promotional and Educational”, and “Others”. The classification was not entirely independent; different categories can mutually influence, and actions in each domain should be balanced and organically integrated. The implementation of these actions will be conducive to the concerted efforts of the international community and the region to promote the consensus and full realization of SDGs.

During the brainstorming process, each group actively engaged, with their enthusiasm soaring. Through discussions and reflections, they successfully completed the “Classification Brainstorming” session. Through categorization of 30 actions, students had a clearer understanding of where SDGs are implemented, how to achieve actions, and how to promote the effective practical application of UN SDGs on campus, proving that the activity was indeed a good way to learn and explore.

The “earth heroes” integrated the concept of SDGs into campus education and teaching, service management, and social practice, implemented SDGs, and played an active leading role on campuses. Let’s look forward to more wonderful sharing next time!