The Toolkit supports the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across disciplines at York University and beyond, reinforcing a shared commitment to positive change for students, campuses, and both local and global communities. By using the SDGs as a pedagogical framework, educators can enrich student learning, connect purpose with impact, and inspire students to take meaningful action toward shaping a better future. Every program and faculty member will be empowered to incorporate SDG-related discussions, activities, or lessons into their classrooms.
The faculty at the University of Calgary has generously collaborated with faculty and research assistants at York and George Brown College to produce this video. They discuss the SDGs in the Classroom Toolkit benefits, impact of the OER for their classrooms, and how they use the Toolkit to infuse the SDGs into their class content, educational experiences and classrooms.
Video by Bolero Studios
The University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business graciously collaborated with YorkU to produce this explainer video. It 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.
Video by Bolero Studios
The SDGs-in-the-Classroom Toolkit is an International Finalist for the Green Gown Awards!
The SDGs in the Classroom Toolkit was named 1 of 95 finalists in the 2024 International Green Gown Awards, presented in association with Allianz Global Investors. Recognized in the Next Generation Learning and Skills category, the initiative stood out among entries from 61 institutions across 28 countries and eight categories.
The awards spotlight pioneering projects driving sustainability in education, with the SDGs in the Classroom Toolkit showcasing innovation in embedding the Sustainable Development Goals into learning environments worldwide.
Read York University SDG toolkit earns prestigious nomination
Toolkit Creators and Developers
Nitima Bhatia
SDGs Project Coordinator and Curricular Expert
BSc, BEd, MSc, MTech, MES and Diploma in Environmental/Sustainability Education
Doctoral Student, Faculty of Education
If you are interested in collaborating with us, or would like to suggest or contribute content to the Toolkit, reach out to us by clicking on our names.
In 2021–22, More than Bees and Trees: Seeing the SDGs in Our Curriculum – A Pan-University Community Development Initiative set out to inspire and elevate curricular engagement with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reinforcing York University’s commitment to interdisciplinarity. The initiative aimed to weave the SDGs into classrooms across diverse disciplines.
Recognizing growing interest among educators, the team developed the SDGs in the Classroom Toolkit as a vital next step—designed to support and empower faculty in embedding the goals into their teaching. The Toolkit emphasizes the wide-reaching, interdisciplinary relevance of the SDGs, illustrating how they extend far beyond environmental concerns.
Thank you to The Office of the Provost, Provost Lisa Philips, The Office of the VP Teaching and Learning, William Gage; Provostial Fellow, Cheryl van Daalen-Smith; the UNESCO Chair at York University, Charles Hopkins; Executive Coordinator to the UNESCO Chair, Katrin Kohl; the Sustainable Development Solutions Network; the Community of Practice members; and the Teaching Commons Educational Developers team.
Land Acknowledgement
We recognize that many Indigenous Nations have longstanding relationships with the territories upon which York University campuses are located that precede the establishment of York University. York University acknowledges its presence on the traditional territory of many Indigenous Nations. The area known as Tkaronto has been care taken by the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Huron-Wendat. It is now home to many First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities. We acknowledge the current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is subject of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement to peaceably share and care for the Great Lakes region.
