Why this Goal is Important to MapleGreen
The purpose of the United Nations’ (UN) fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
When considering which SDGs are aligned to MapleGreen, the likelihood of an impact from the goal onto the company, the severity of the impact, and the ability of the company to impact the goal are all considered and quantified. Completing this exercise resulted in MapleGreen’s management understanding the goals in which the company is currently contributing to and those that should be prioritized in the future. Evidently, MapleGreen is committed to SDG #4 for a multitude of reasons and has identified new ways to continue goal support.
Our Current Action That Directly Align to the SDGs’ Targets
As the level of arborist-related education of our employees directly influences the level of professionalism and expertise with regard to completing tree services for our customers, MapleGreen takes Goal #4 quite seriously. Without sufficient arborist and tree felling and chainsaw operation training available to employees, we would not be able to satisfy our customers as we do each day.
Further, this goal is especially important as we want to enable and support the professional and personal development of young people within the tree services sector by providing access to high-quality education and training opportunities.
Overall, achieving, or not achieving, this SDG would directly impact MapleGreen which is why we are aligned to this SDG. With our continued support, defined in the actions below, MapleGreen is contributing to progressing SDG #4.
United Nations Goal #4 Targets | MapleGreen Action that Supports the Targets |
#4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship | ❏ Offering apprenticeship and specialized arborist-related training sponsorships for youth and adults
❏ Mentoring youth and adults to support development of their technical arborist skills on work sites
❏ Supporting career development of employees within the Sustainability Department through sponsoring sustainability-related certifications and training
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#4.7: By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development | ❏ Developing environmental awareness amongst employees and other stakeholders through educational blogs, social media accounts, and informational posters at the workplace
❏ Creating space for employees to engage in ongoing sustainability initiatives developed by MapleGreen’s Sustainability Department
❏ Educating employees through monthly newsletters regarding “at-home or at work” sustainability initiatives including energy, food waste, water, waste management, among other topics
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MapleGreen’s Future Action
Supporting this goal in the future can involve many initiatives for MapleGreen. We also encourage our stakeholders to support the initiatives described below as well in order to fully achieve SDG #4 by 2030. Doing so ultimately supports a world full of learning opportunities and personal growth for all people.
- Contribute to charitable organizations that directly work to achieve SDG #4 throughout Canada or other countries
- Donate used textbooks and other resources to students
- Volunteer time to mentor young students to develop their skills
Interesting Resources & Company Examples
The following links provide examples of additional companies that are aligned to SDG #4 and methods detailing how individuals can become more involved in supporting this goal.
- Uplink (a digital platform that crowdsources innovative ideas to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals): https://www.weforum.org/uplink & https://uplink.weforum.org/uplink/s/uplink-issue/a002o00000vOf09AAC/trillion-trees
- Sustainable Development Goal Progress Tracker: https://sdg-tracker.org/quality-education
- SAP supporting Goal #4: https://www.sap.com/dmc/exp/2019-08-unglobalgoals/4_Quality_Education.html
- Mastercard and the SDGs: https://newsroom.mastercard.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/SDG-Fact-Sheet-2017.pdf
MapleGreen has and continually provides all employees with arborist, tree felling, and chainsaw operation training and safety practices to have all jobs completed safely and efficiently, resulting in customer satisfaction each and every day!
Call (416) 951-0487 | Email info@maplegreen.ca | Instagram @maplegreentreeservices