Solid waste management (SWM) is a crucial function of local governments around the world, and directly affects public health, the environment, and livelihoods. However, rapid urbanization and population growth place multiple pressures on solid waste management systems, particularly in cities in low- and middle-income countries. In particular, the urban poor are most affected by lack of access to basic SWM services, such as waste collection and disposal. Yet, the sector also provides numerous opportunities: Improving solid waste management provides a cleaner and healthier environment; improves livability for all city residents; and attracts new investment and tourism, which improve a city’s economic competitiveness, creating jobs, and new business opportunities. SWM also contributes to new sources of energy thus tackling climate change challenges. In these ways, SWM is directly relevant to the World Bank’s goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Historically, the highest expenditures of local governments is in the SWM sector but – particularly in low- and middle-income country cities – the bulk of expenses goes towards collection and transport instead of treatment and disposal. Another challenge is ensuring the financial sustainability of SWM projects and cost recovery once SWM infrastructure has been created. The world is generating increasing amounts of waste, with large amounts (primarily plastics) ending up in the oceans. However, there is also a paradigm shift from thinking about waste as something to be disposed – “out of sight out of mind” – to a resource that can be used for energy generation, reduce the use and costs associated with virgin resources, and improve our climate change efforts. Given this background, this e-learning course is designed to look at the SWM sector, with a focus on MSW, from several angles in order to simplify concepts and promote understanding of this sector.

Too often modern cities and suburbs are disorganized places where most new development makes daily life less pleasant, creates more traffic congestion, and contributes to climate change. This trend has to change; and our course is going to show you how. Ecodesign means integrating planning, urban design and the conservation of natural systems to produce a sustainable built and natural environment. Ecodesign can be implemented through normal business practices and the kinds of capital programs and regulations already in use in most communities. We will show you how ecodesign has already been used for exceptional projects in many cities and suburbs—from Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm to False Creek North in Vancouver to Battery Park City in Manhattan, as well as many smaller-scale examples that can be adopted in any community. Cities and suburbs built according to ecodesign principles can and should become normal, instead of just a few special examples, transforming urban development into desirable, lower-carbon, compact and walkable communities and business centers. As this course describes specific solutions to the vexing urban challenges we all face, course participants can see how these ideas might be applied in their own area. Participants will learn the conceptual framework of ecodesign, see many real, successful examples, and come to understand the tools, processes, and techniques for policy development and implementation. Ecodesign thinking is relevant to anyone who has a part in shaping or influencing the future of cities and suburbs – citizens, students, designers, public officials, and politicians. At the conclusion of the course participants will have the tools and strategies necessary to advocate policies and projects for a neighbourhood or urban district using the ecodesign framework.

Agriculture is more than waving fields of wheat; our ability to grow food from existing natural resources –and without decimating those resources –is key to sustainably feeding the world. In this course, learn about food security worldwide, the effects of malnutrition, how we manage ecosystems that provide food resources and more. You’ll emerge from this course with a clear answer to the question: What can I do to make food consumption and production more sustainable? This course is for: Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in agriculture, economics, international development and other fields who are learning about the intersectional factors impacting agriculture and food production/consumption Nutritionists, agriculture professionals and other practitioners interested in the latest developments in the field Sustainable development practitioners –including those who work for international aid organizations and nonprofits in the realms of poverty, nutrition and agriculture – who want to understand the lifecycle of food production and food security Private actors , such as those engaging in or investing in social entrepreneurship and the support of local agriculture Partners: This course is supported by faculty based at Cornell University , Johns Hopkins University , Rothamsted Research , Tufts University , and Wageningen University and Research .

This course offers theoretical and real-world insights into why and how globalisation can be used as a conduit for sustainable development. Globalisation is associated not only with significant economic development opportunities but also with pressing environmental and social challenges. Through readings, videos, discussions and interactive learning activities you will examine and critique the potential of globalisation to drive sustainable development. You will also explore and reflect on the impact of the UN Sustainable Development Goals on current and future economic, environmental and social trends. This is your opportunity to be part of a global learning community actively exploring and sharing the implications of a globalisation and sustainable development nexus.

Interested in environmental issues, but unsure where to start? This is the course for you! High quality water, to be provided for drinking and irrigation purposes to the world’s ever-growing population, is one Great Challenge in the near future. Explore the links between biology, chemistry and soil science that lead to what people often take for granted: good quality water. This course is an introduction to environmental sciences. Using only basic knowledge from inorganic chemistry and biology, the course will lead you to an exploration of every day issues around the world. We will tackle some basic questions: Why did the “dust bowl” or the Assouan River dam have so profound an impact on soil fertility? How do we explain the mass poisoning affecting tens of millions of people in SE Asian deltas? Why is nitrate, but not potassium, a pollutant linked to agriculture even through NPK fertilizers are used? Besides plants, are there other photosynthetic organisms? Can we reconstruct water quality from centuries ago although no water samples remain? Are biofuel or coal gasification plants viable energy solutions? Why does deforestation result in loss of fertility in the Amazon basin but not in temperate Europe? What critical water issues will be raised by megacities, which will soon represent 2/3 of the world’s population? How has the relationship between humans and water changed over the centuries? The class will consist of lecture videos, which are between 10 and 15 minutes in length. Every week, you will have related quiz questions and exercises. These optional assignments will not be graded and the solution will be provided the week after the assignment is posted. At the end of weeks 4 & 10, there will be a graded MCQ (each counting for 15% of the final grade). There will also be two peer-graded homework assignments, together with two MCQ, at the end of week 7 and week 13 as mid term and final exams. Join us as you startyour environmental science journey!

Did you know that experts estimate an additional three billion people will live in cities by 2050? What will the impact be on the current world population – half of which currently lives in cities and contributes to about three-fourths of global economic output? The opportunities are vast –but so, too, are the potential issues. In Sustainable Cities , you will learn about the major challenges currently faced by urban areas around the world – including poverty, unemployment, poor housing infrastructure, and constraints on productivity – and the extraordinary potential of these areas to enable change in the future. From infrastructure to culture to economic opportunity, learn how harnessing the power of urban development for global progress is imperative. This course examines how urban sustainability can be delivered with increasing productivity and reduced inequality; provision of universal basic services and infrastructure; protection of the urban environments; and other solutions and investments, both speculative and in action around the world. You will emerge from this course understanding how governments, private stakeholders and other actors can improve urban development to heed the call of Sustainable Development Goal 11 – “making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable“ by 2030. This course has been developed through a partnership between the SDG Academy and the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) , which is working to transform the current nature of urban education and practice in India. This course is for: Anyone interested in the concept of sustainable cities – including those interested in the development of their own local community – who wants to understand the foundations of modern urban development Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students in architecture, real estate development, sustainable development, sustainable business, international development, public policy, and other related fields Sustainable development practitioners interested in the elements of sustainability that impact urban areas worldwide Private-sector actors , such as those who work in real estate development, technology, telecommunications, transportation, or energy – whose work can contribute to and redefine urban areas

How can ecosystems contribute to quality of life and a more livable, healthier and more resilient urban environment? Have you ever considered all the different benefits the ecosystem could potentially deliver to you and your surroundings? Unsustainable urbanization has resulted in the loss of biodiversity, the destruction of habitats and has therefore limited the ability of ecosystems to deliver the advantages they could confer. This course establishes the priorities and highlights the direct values of including principles based on natural processes in urban planning and design. Take a sewage system or a public space for example. By integrating nature-based solutions they can deliver the exact same performance while also being beneficial for the environment, society and economy. Increased connectivity between existing, modified and new ecosystems and restoring and rehabilitating them within cities through nature-based solutions provides greater resilience and the capacity to adapt more swiftly to cope with the effects of climate change and other global shifts. This course will teach you about the design, construction, implementation and monitoring of nature-based solutions for urban ecosystems and the ecological coherence of sustainable cities. Constructing smart cities and metropolitan regions with nature-based ecosystems will secure a fair distribution of benefits from the renewed urban ecology. Instructors, with advanced expertise in Urban Ecology, Environmental Engineering, Urban Planning and Design, will equip designers and planners with the skills they need for the sustainable management of the built environment. The course will also benefit stakeholders from both private and public sectors who want to explore the multiple benefits of restored ecosystems in cities and metropolitan regions. They will gain the knowledge and skills required to make better informed and integrated decisions on city development and urban regeneration schemes. This course forms a part of the educational programme of the AMS Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions and will present the state-of-the-art theories and methods developed by the Delft University of Technology and Wageningen University & Research, two of the founding universities of the AMS Institute.

Examine our reliance on the Earth’s resources –and vice versa – and you will discover a stunning tapestry of complex interactions between ecosystems and human life. From preventing the extinction of species (from plants to animals) to mitigating the effects of long-term environmental shifts, how do we ensure that our interaction with the world around us doesn’t leave it destroyed? In this course, you’ll learn the science behind the capacities of various ecosystems including extinction rates, desertification and how their physical makeup has evolved with environmental shifts. You’ll experience the lives of local populations dependent upon these resources, from their economic activities to their societal norms. After taking this course, you will be equipped with an understanding of diverse ecosystems and how responsible use of these resources is imperative to our planet’s survival. This course is for: Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students studying ecosystem management, forestry, sustainable development, economics, sustainable business and related fields Practitioners in forestry, ecosystem management, conservation and related fields who are interested in current science and research around use and preservation Sustainable development practitioners – as well as private-sector actors, such as those who work in corporate sustainability and responsibility, land development or tourism – who need to understand responsible consumption and interaction with our ecosystems

While any major sport event can pose great opportunities for the host city or region, there are also challenges associated with hosting these events. The environmental impact on the country's natural resources, the workforce, and infrastructure are just some of the considerations. It is essential to ensure that your major sport event is sustainable for your city throughout the event, but also after the event has been completed. So, what does a sustainable major sport event look like? Thiscourse will introduce you to the concept of a sustainable major sport event by using the five pillars of sustainability as the foundation. These five pillars; human, social, economic, governance and environmental, are explored in this course with a focus on the core principles of each pillar and how these need to be considered in this context. Real-world examples are presented to further highlight the importance of these factors when planning and hosting a major sport event.

This course covers the flow of water as it falls to the earth and travels towards rivers, lakes and oceans. This includes the basic concepts and definition of a watershed, including how to delineate watershed boundaries. Water budgets and water fluxes will also be introduced, along with the different components of the hydrologic cycle. Finally, Geographic Information Systems will be used to develop a basic model of a watershed in Eastern Ontario, Canada.