The Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society was well represented with 14 members attending Mayor David West’s inaugural Sustainability in Our City Speaker Series event held on March 18, 2025. The City of Richmond Hill, in partnership with the United Nations University’s (UNU) Institute of Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), plan to host additional events, with the second one slated for June 20.
This inaugural event was intended to help community members learn more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to relate these goals to local level actions. This event explored the questions, “what does sustainability mean to me?” and “how can I help?”. The format included a panel of subject matter experts – from UNU-INWEH, City (senior planner), LEAF (tree planting), and the Mayor. Citizens were invited to submit questions prior to and during the event for discussion by the panel.
While the term “Sustainable Development Goals” may sound abstract and lofty to many, the intent is relatively simple. Although often challenging, sustainable development actions at local to global levels are all about meeting the needs of people today without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs down the road. The aim is to create a balance that benefits our land, air, nature, communities and people through actions that take care of people, the environment, and the economy all at the same time. To illustrate, the act of planting a tree today starts with the hope that we will benefit from its shade, beauty and maybe its fruits and that the tree, when it thrives, will ensure many benefits for future generation(s).
Canadian municipalities such as Richmond Hill and Toronto are on the frontlines of implementing various SDGs. The UN SDGs, adopted in 2015 and targeted to be reached by 2030, consist of 17 Goals shown in the figure. The SDGs track results such as clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, climate change resilience actions, sustainable cities planning, greenhouse gas emission reductions, equity, poverty reduction and many more. Many of these goals directly align with the services and policies that local governments provide and manage. While some progress has been made locally, nationally and globally, achieving all 17 goals remains a very significant challenge.
For Canada, Federal successes include the expansion of protected areas, pollution reduction, support for early learning and childcare education, expanded school food programs, engagement of indigenous communities, reductions in greenhouse gas targets while the economy builds, success with poverty reduction, and increased renewable energy adoption. Richmond Hill’s regional successes include its Partnership with the United Nations University (UNU), collaboration with the Urban Economy Forum, a Community Improvement Program that promotes affordable housing and sustainable design, engagement of LEAF in local tree planting, evaluation of development applications for their environmental impact, and bird strike prevention measures for infrastructure.
Do our gardens contribute to Richmond Hill’s SDGs?
When added together, Richmond Hill’s gardens and parks can make significant contributions at the grassroots level to our City’s SDGs. The sum of our community’s gardens can:
- add to the absorption or sequestering of greenhouse gases and storage of carbon (#13),
- support biodiversity through native and near-native plants by providing habitats for pollinators, other insects and wildlife (#15),
- potentially improve water quality (e.g. rain gardens) and soil quality (#6),
- promote gardener’s good health and well-being, including the well-being of the community at large (#3),
- provide fresh food in support of food security (#12),
- reduce extreme rainfall flooding risks and water treatment (#13),
- reduce water treatment and consumption through rainwater harvesting, infiltration (#6, #7)
- reduce urban heating through greenery and shading (#7),
- contribute to cleaner air (#3), and
- all benefits listed (#11).
Article contributed by Heather Auld, a member of The Richmond Hill Garden & Horticultural Society
Illustration is a free United Nations resource at https://sdgs.un.org/goals
