It becomes increasingly clear in everyday life that as human beings, we can and must change our ways and develop new lifestyles that allow for the rising population as well as rising global temperature. Rising populations, large infrastructure, deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels are warming the Earth, harming ecosystems, degrading soil and the destruction of the sheer beauty our planet has to offer. That being said, these issues are not being confronted with the necessary sense of urgency by most of the world leaders and large corporations. There are however, examples of countries doing the right thing.

The country of Navarre is very dedicated about the prospect of and necessity of becoming more sustainable in the way we are living our lives. The “Navarre Network (NN)” is a collection of local governments and actors such as businesses and schools. The Navarre Network understands the importance of spreading awareness of the real issues facing our planet.

Initiatives have been taken by Navarre to become a leader among European countries in both sustainability and renewable energy. The article also describes how Navarre practiced involving non-­public actors and its citizens in the process and really motivated people into feeling the need to participate in creating a better future. The government did such things as give awards to those who have shown excellence in the name of sustainability, embark on cycling initiatives, and purchase composts from both public and private entities. The way Navarre has encouraged its population and rewarded its citizens for working towards a better future is something very important that needs to be taken into consideration as the social (uniting people under a positive cause) aspect of changing our ways as a species and protecting the rights of future generations.

The Navarre Network tackles the UN’s sustainable development goals from a community standpoint. While legislation and subsidies have proven to be powerful tools and will no doubt be necessary in order to get the human network on the same page with these issues, of equal importance is building communities, people caring about their neighbors, educating the population and creating a local sense of togetherness. Sustainability starts with widespread awareness and using the media and local governments to do so, Navarre Network is proving that this is a tangible method that yields results and is helping create a better future.

Kyle Noviello

Google Images, pyrenalis.com.

Callow, J. (2012). Sustainablecities.eu. http://www.sustainablecities.eu/local­stories/navarre­2