Charting the Journey: My SDG Roadmap

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ve seen my infographics breaking down the What and Where of my upcoming Fund for Teachers fellowship; and I wanted to use this space to go a bit deeper. 

As a Fund for Teachers fellow, my goal is to use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as my research compass, or roadmap, as I investigate the three pillars of sustainability (social, environment, economic) in Brazil. 🧭🇧🇷 By anchoring each location to specific goals, I can bring back concrete, actionable lessons for my multilingual learners in Chicago.

🏙️ 1st Leg: Rio de Janeiro – The Urban Frontier

Rio is a megacity in every sense of the word. While the city limits are dense, the Greater Rio Metropolitan Area swells to a population of 13.5 million. It’s the perfect location for exploring how a massive urban center fosters community resilience amidst rapid urbanization.

The Focus: SDG 5 (Gender Equality) & SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) 

In Rio, I am looking at how a city supports its vulnerable and vital spaces:

♀️Mapa do Acolhimento: I will be connecting with this incredible NGO, which operates as a network of support and mobilization to combat gender-based violence. This NGO provides safety and promotes women’s entrepreneurship, which connects with both SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth).

🌿Tijuca National Park: A tropical forest within a concrete jungle. Tijuca is a preserved, ancient rainforest surrounded on all sides by urban development. Active conservation of flora & fauna and reforestation efforts speak to SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities).

Additional Goals:

📚SDG 4 (Quality Education) to see how local schools address sustainability topic

💧SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water) regarding the complex management of Guanabara Bay

🟰SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) to see the vibrant reality of life in the favelas with the community-based organization Na Favela Turismo

🏛The interconnectedness of all of the goals at the applied ethics & science museum, Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow)

🌳 2nd Leg: The Amazon – The Global Shield

From the concrete structures of Rio, I move to the green heart of our world - the "Lungs of the Planet" - the Amazon. My agenda here isn’t just big; it’s continental. 🌎 The rainforest itself covers approximately 2.2 million square miles. To put this into perspective, it would stretch from New York across to the Rocky Mountains and down to the Gulf of Mexico...

The Focus: SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land), & SDG 8 (Decent Work) 

In the Amazon, I’m looking at the balance between ecology and economy:

 

🦥Conservation: The Amazon is home to 10% of the world’s known species, and I’ll spend 3 days in an eco-lodge (Amazon Turtle Lodge) in the heart of the rainforest learning firsthand about jungle & river life. This connects with SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

🌡Climate Change: The Amazon is also the world's largest and thereby most vital carbon sink, absorbing 2 billion tons of CO2 per year. I’ll examine how the land must be managed to prevent a tipping point where the rainforest can no longer sustain itself. Protecting this space is essential for SDG 13 (Climate Action).

🤝Indigenous Employment: I am investigating how indigenous-led economic models of sustainability serve as the primary defense against deforestation and how eco-tourism provides a robust form of employment for native peoples. This links SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth) with SDG 12 (Responsible Production & Consumption).

Additional Goals: 

🏞SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation) to consider the river's impact as it provides 20% of all fresh water that flows into Earth's oceans

🏘SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, & Infrastructure) to explore how the city of Manaus navigates an urban stamp in a global biodiversity hotspot. (This will also elicit an interesting counterpoint to Tijuca National Park as a bastion of natural life within an urban setting.)

⚡ 3rd Leg: Foz do Iguaçu – The Power of Partnership

My final stop takes me to the "Tri-National Cooperation" zone, where Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina meet to share water, power, and conservation duties. 🇧🇷🇵🇾🇦🇷

The Focus: SDG 7 (Affordable & Clean Energy) & SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) 

Foz is all about how nations must work together to harness and manage natural resources:

💡Itaipu Dam: This is a massive hydroelectric plant. It is the 3rd largest in the world in terms of size and the second largest in terms of carbon-free energy output. The Itaipu Dam is binationally engineered and managed by Brazil and Paraguay. My special circuit tour will be a masterclass in SDG 7 (Affordable & Clean Energy), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, & Infrastructure), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

🌈Iguaçu Falls: These are the widest of the top three largest waterfalls on the planet (including Victoria & Niagara) and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Iguaçu Falls are also the centerpiece of a transboundary national park & refuge system conserved jointly by Brazil and Argentina. Here, SDG 15 (Life on Land) is preserved through international cooperation in another example of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Additional Goal: Because Itaipu is a hydroelectric marvel, SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation) is the hidden engine behind the energy, as the health of the watershed determines the power of the grid.

Why This Matters for the Classroom

When I return to Chicago, these aren't just stories of travel. They are case studies. My students, many of whom are navigating their own transnational transitions, will see that the world's biggest problems have people on the ground working on solutions every day. By showing them my roadmap, I’m inviting them to chart their own journey toward global citizenship and activism. 🌎🌍🌏