Between July 17^th and 21^st Enrico, our Esc volunteer, participated in the activities “Umweltbergwoche” and “Action Camp”, promoted by Naturfreundejugend Österreich (NFÖ) and Naturefriends International (NFI), staying at the Schutzhaus Neubau (2175 m) in Austria.

During these two activities, as a participant I reflected upon the following question:

What do trail maintenance on an endangered glacier and a workshop about the Sustainable Development Goals have in common?

In my view, the answer lies not only in the same location where both these activities, the Umweltbergwoche and the Action Camp, took place, in beautiful Kolm-Saigurn (Austria). They also shared the importance and necessity of a widespread discourse about sustainability. But what was this all about?

Our aim during the Umweltbergwoche was to update the information boards along the Tauerngold route in the very heart of the Hohe Tauern National Park. The path, which in the past centuries served the miners working at those heights (such an unimaginable lifestyle nowadays!), hosted more than 20-year-old panels, which explained the story of mining in this area as well as the natural conformation of the glacier landscape.

With an enthusiastic team spirit, we set out on the road with all the tools and replaced the old boards with new ones. In doing so, we could not fail to see how much and how fast the glacier that used to cover a large surface is melting, endangering the whole ecosystem. If on one side we could be satisfied with our maintenance job, on the other this task strengthened even more our awareness that nature needs urgently massive protection measures.

Straight after the end of this activity and with a change in the group composition, we dived into the second activity, named Action Camp – SDGs in Bewegung (SDGs in motion). These three days consisted of a series of workshops regarding the meaning, challenges, and methods of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN (Agenda 2030).

From “no poverty”, through “sustainable cities and communities” to “peace, justice, and strong institutions”, the 17 goals adopted in 2015 are a compass towards a sustainable development and a more sustainable future all over the planet. They are addressed not only to governments, big stakeholders, and organisations, but also to every citizen in their everyday life.

Therefore, after discussing them and focusing on those which we felt the most attached to, our purpose was to design our own projects in relation to the SDGs. The idea I came up with concerns leisure time activities (e.g. a book club, a chess club, and a selection of some sport for disadvantaged groups). The next step is to try to implement these small projects in our reality and to involve more people in this positive change!

This experience provided me with more motivation and enthusiasm to act in the environment in which I live and search for concrete improvements!

Enrico