IMPACT ZONE: Sustainability Maze
Nov 7-10, 2019
The MUN Impact Zone at this year’s CHEMUN XIII was constructed around SDG 11, sustainable cities and communities. Living in India, we live in a city classified as unhealthy, according to the air quality index, with mass amounts of pollution, poor systems for waste disposal and an over-reliance on fossil fuels. Yet, in the last 50 years there has been a push for sustainability around the globe, with the creation of the SDGs; however, meeting these requirements for sustainability are often difficult.
Thus, to represent this difficulty that arises from creating sustainable cities and communities, we decided to design a project that would encompass making difficult choices with possible consequences. This project took the form of a sustainability maze, which required delegates to make choices to get from one side to the other, making different turns that all have different consequences.
Throughout the maze, we also hung up a number of questions, all based around SDG 11, for which delegates were required to find an answer. These questions were meant to be realistic and challenging, offering a perspective into the difficult decisions that both legislators and civilians make to lead to a more sustainable future. The answers to the questions were not obvious: they had different benefits and costs, and delegates were required to evaluate their own understandings of sustainability to answer them.
Finally, a number of infographics were hung up throughout the maze that provided different information about SDG 11 for delegates. These infographics included explanations of what we, everyday citizens, can do to help create a more sustainable community.