About the Project

Background

As outlined by the 13th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) (n.d), Climate Action, all countries around the world have a commitment to address the impact of climate change.

From implementing green policies to reducing the impact of climate change on individuals, and building climate change resilient infrastructure, all nations have a commitment to making the world a livable place for all.

However, it is important to note that while climate change is primarily meant to be tackled through a top-down approach, each individual also has a responsibility to adapt to the changing global climate and make responsible sustainable choices (United Nations, n.d.).

This include practices such using products till the end of their lifetime, finding innovative solutions to reduce your personal trash production, and buying ethical brands (who used sustainable products).

This community engagement project will focus on documenting individual sustainable practices in two countries, Bhutan, and Canada, who each have their own unique history, culture, and perspective to climate action.

Context: Bhutan & Canada

Bhutan is a country that is deeply committed to its goals of sustainability and has been working towards implementing sustainable development in every aspect of its government and operations (World Bank, 2024). It is known for its sustainable tourism policy and incorporation of conservations as one of the four main aspects of their measure for Gross National Happiness (JSW Law, 2025). In addition, the Bhutanese culture, religious beliefs, and philosophies, also play a significant role in creating positive attitudes toward sustainability and the importance of sustainable practices in daily life. Canada has shown a similar commitment to tackling climate change impacts through its own methodologies, by building sustainable infrastructure and aiming to incentivize sustainable practices (esgthereport, 2024). There is also a growing interest in maintaining sustainability targets set by the government and traction among local communities to follow sustainable practices (esgthereport, 2024; Tarantino, 2024). Importantly, there has been an increased recognition of Indigenous practices in Canada, giving way for diverse sustainable practices and philosophies (Nature Conservancy of Canada, n.d.; Tajeddine, 2024).

This Project

Thus, sustainability can take many different forms and practices. We all evolve and adapt to the world around us, influenced by cultural philosophies and governmental policies. This is an important project, aimed to engage with the community to learn from individuals as primary sources. While this project could have been created using secondary literature, it may not be an accurate example of how people live in each community, especially given the lack of formalized literature on sustainability practices used by everyday individuals (beyond guides and blogs, primarily found in the western nations (Tajeddine, 2024)). Therefore, this resource aims to document the different individual practices used by Bhutan and Canada used to lead a sustainable life. This document will serve as an easy-to-read guide that will allow all individuals to learn from one another and help build a more sustainable future!

The aim of this project is to capture individual sustainable practices used in urban spaces around the world, focusing on Bhutan for this cultural knowledge exchange.

This resource will be created by sourcing responses from urban communities in Bhutan and the final resource will be an easy-to-read guide for sustainable practices that every individual can learn from. Thus, sharing skills and building a sustainable future for all!

Goal 1

Connect with community members in urban spaces in Bhutan (Thimphu, Punaka, and Paro) through Technical Training Institutes as community partners.

Purpose

Goal 2

Learn about and document innovative sustainable practices used by people in Bhutan.

Goal 3

Create a resource that provides practical next steps on how people can implement sustainable practices in their daily lives, highlighting innovative practices from each culture.

References

esgthereport. (2024, December 30). Sustainable Canada: Exploring Our Environmental Stewardship. ESG | the Report. https://esgthereport.com/sustainable-canada-exploring-our-environmental-stewardship/

Tajeddine, J. (2024, February 9). Sustainable Indigenous Practices in Canada. Earth.org. https://earth.org/indigenous-wisdom-leading-the-path-to-sustainable-practices-in-canada/

JSW Law. (2025, August 25). The Architecture of Happiness: Understanding the Four Pillars of GNH. Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law - Justice Service Wisdom. https://jswlaw.bt/understanding-the-four-pillars-of-gnh/

Nature Conservancy of Canada. (n.d.). Indigenous-led Conservation. Nature Conservancy of Canada. https://natureconservancy.ca/what-we-do/collaborations/indigenous-led-conservation/

Tarantino, J. (2024, January 24). Embracing Sustainable Living: A Guide to Establishing Eco-Friendly Practices in Canada. The Environmental Blog. https://www.theenvironmentalblog.org/2024/01/embracing-sustainable-living-a-guide-to-establishing-eco-friendly-practices-in-canada/

United Nations. (n.d.). Goal 13: Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change and Its Impacts. Sustainable Development Goals; United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climate-change/

Visible Network Labs. (n.d.). PARTNER CPRM Pricing. Visible Network Labs. Retrieved May 9, 2026, from https://visiblenetworklabs.com/our-pricing/

World Bank. (2024). BHUTAN COUNTRY ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS: Taking the Green Growth Agenda Forward. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099031124064513492/pdf/P1765551e2cf100fd1b2f71e406524b802a.pdf