Faith and Sustainable Lifestyles

Self-Paced E-Learning Course
It is increasingly recognised that faith leaders and faith-based organizations (FBOs) are essential contributors towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing environmental and climatic crises. Acknowledging this, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the Faith for Earth Initiative to strategically engage with FBOs, mobilise greater faith-inspired environmental action, scale-up faith actors’ capacities and catalyse greater synergies between them and other stakeholders. This short, self-paced, e-learning course, focusing on sustainable lifestyles, forms part of this commitment.

Humans are overexploiting natural resources in order to satisfy their needs and wants, often overlooking or not understanding the damage being caused. This behaviour, tied into dominant socioeconomic systems, is having a devastating effect on our planet, with widespread environmental degradation occurring globally. It is imperative that people adopt more sustainable lifestyles to reduce both individuals’ and society’s use of natural resources to minimise our collective environmental footprint (bearing in mind that this responsibility is not shared equally). Fully addressing this issuee requires the engagement of all sectors of society, with this course focusing on the role of faith actors, drawing on the particular qualities and comparative advantages they have.


  • At the end of this course, participants will:
    • Understand how unsustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles are driving climate change and causing immense environmental degradation around the world.Have knowledge of different ways and strategies to address unsustainable lifestyles and reduce environmental footprints, with emphasis on the role of the UN system.
    • Recognise different faith perspectives on living in moderation, avoiding greed and excess, and how these principles can be embraced to reduce environmental footprints.
    • Have seen examples of faith-led initiatives addressing the issue, where inspiration can be drawn.
    • Have guidelines, resources, and strategies for faith actors to reduce, and inspire others to reduce, their consumer habits and live more sustainably


Certification

A Certificate of Completion will be issued to participants who achieve a minimum total score of 70%.


About UNEP

Since its inception in 1972, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been the global authority that sets the environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnerships in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP works closely with its 193 Member States and representatives from civil society, businesses, and other major groups and stakeholders to address environmental challenges through the UN Environment Assembly, the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.


Course Lessons

I found the course useful for deepening my understanding of how faith traditions connect with environmental management and living a sustainable lifestyle. I already had some insights of these concepts however the course helped strengthen them by showing different perspectives of different religions and how they bring about sustainability.
Jabulani Onchuru, Youth4ESD Participant, Kenya