Green Key is a leading standard of excellence in the field of sustainable tourism, guiding tourism establishments to do their part in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. In our new feature series we will present each of the 17 SDGs and explain their connection to Green Key.
In 2015, the UN member states adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to guide governments, the private sector and civil society in transforming our world into safer, fairer and more livable place.
Sustainability lies at the heart of Green Key, which is why the programme inherently contributes to all of the 17 goals. Today, we talk about Goal 4: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all“.
According to the UN, poor education and equity issues in regard to the access to education facilities and vocational training are problems that still need to be solved worldwide. Furthermore, Goal 4 explicitly addresses the need for education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles.
How does Green Key help to achieve Goal 4?
Although Green Key is not a mere educational programme, it does have a strong educative component that promotes education for sustainable development. In addition, Green Key promotes equal access to employment though its CSR criteria. Many Green Key awarded sites have special training programmes for disadvantaged social groups that help them to gain skills in the hospitality sector and to get an employment.
