Student Voices & Artwork
STUDENT VOICES
This Month’s SDG Focus: Quality Education & Clean Energy
As we launch the first issue of our SDG Newsletter, we begin by grounding our attention in two themes that sit at the heart of sustainable development: SDG 4 – Quality Education and SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy. These goals anchor our January issue in alignment with two key UN observances taking place this month:
- January 24: International Day of Education (SDG 4)
- January 26: International Day of Clean Energy (SDG 7)
SDG 4: Quality Education: Building Pathways for Opportunity
SDG 4 calls for “inclusive and equitable quality education” for all, a vision that extends beyond simply increasing school enrollment. Across the world, educational disparities persist along lines of gender, race, disability, income, geography, colonial histories, and conflict. SDG 4 invites us to think about education not just as a system of instruction, but as a foundation for opportunity, mobility, and justice.
High-quality education requires safe learning environments; well-prepared and supported teachers; relevant and culturally responsive curricula; and access to technology and digital tools. It spans early childhood education; primary and secondary schooling; higher education; vocational training; and lifelong learning. In a rapidly evolving global landscape shaped by climate instability, public health emergencies, technological expansion, and shifting labour markets, SDG 4 emphasizes the need for education that enables learners to think critically, solve complex problems, and contribute meaningfully to society.
The International Day of Education on January 24 reinforces the urgency of this goal. It celebrates education as a human right and a public good, while calling attention to the millions of learners who still face barriers due to inequality, poverty, displacement, or discrimination. By anchoring our January issue in SDG 4, we join a global chorus advocating for accessible, transformative learning for all.
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
SDG 7 aims to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy—a resource so essential that it often goes unnoticed until it is lacking. Energy access affects everything from healthcare and digital connectivity to transportation, housing, economic opportunity, and safety. Yet nearly 700 million people still live without electricity, and billions rely on polluting, unsafe, and environmentally destructive fuel sources.
The global shift toward renewable energy, including solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power, sits at the center of climate action. However, SDG 7 also underscores that the clean energy transition must be just. Affordability, accessibility, Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and support for workers and communities are central considerations as we reimagine energy systems.
The International Day of Clean Energy on January 26 highlights these commitments. It offers a moment for collective reflection on how energy transitions can uplift rather than marginalize, and how sustainable technologies can serve communities equitably and responsibly.
The interlinkages between SDG 4 and SDG 7 become especially visible when we examine how communities operationalize these goals in practice. Education equips communities with the knowledge, skills, and agency needed to adopt, maintain, and innovate around clean energy technologies. At the same time, reliable and sustainable energy systems enable consistent learning environments, digital connectivity, and broader social infrastructure upon which quality education depends. Together, these initiatives show that advancing SDG 4 and SDG 7 requires an integrated approach, one that recognizes how knowledge production, empowerment, and energy access function as shared foundations of equitable and resilient development.
RIYA OSTI
Energy-Free Dish Drying on Himalayan Hillsides
This photograph was taken while conducting my research, which was financially supported by the SDGs@UofT Student Awards initiative, in my hometown of Gorkha, Nepal. The image features a female relative of mine using naturally occurring wind, especially strong in Nepal’s high-elevation mountainous regions, to dry the dishes she used to cook for her family. In rural villages like mine, dishwashers are uncommon. Instead, residents rely on their surrounding environments and naturally available forces to meet everyday household needs. This practice reflects forms of sustainable living that reduce reliance on electricity and minimize household energy consumption. Many women describe this as a mindful way to conserve household energy by using natural resources instead of electricity, while also helping them avoid high utility costs.
This practice connects with several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). In Gorkha, air quality remains relatively clear compared to more industrialized municipalities, allowing natural forces such as wind to serve as a clean and accessible energy source. This practice also aligns with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), as households reduce electricity consumption by relying on wind to dry dishes instead of using energy-dependent appliances, supporting more environmentally sustainable ways of living. Importantly, women are at the forefront of managing household energy use. Their daily responsibilities position them as key knowledge holders who understand energy needs, costs, and practical alternatives. As primary users and managers of these systems, they offer essential perspectives and critical insight into energy access, education, and distribution, making their voices central to building more equitable and sustainable energy systems in Nepal.
TEYA KNIGHTINGALE
SDG 4 & 7 Artwork
My artwork, made up of hand-drawn (digital) illustrations, captures what SDGs 4 and 7 mean to me in a hopeful, simplified way. The importance and impact of quality education and access to affordable and clean energy are by no definition simple, but I have found a lot of power and beauty in sharing complex meaning in intuitive and creative ways that connect with people. A lot of the artistic work I do is in illustrating children's books, and that inspired me in many ways. Artwork and stories for children encapsulate complex, nuanced, and essential topics in ways that are easier to understand, and create a sense of interest and motivation to explore further.
I love the SDGs and the colours and graphical representations that accompany them because they are memorable and connect with people. Thus, for this work, I used the colours associated with SDGs 4 and 7 and focused on symbolic illustrations: objects and items that represent a broader idea, memory, or message. A fan, for example, illustrates the intersection of these two SDGs: access to energy is intertwined with the quality, comfort, and safety of education. Being able to stay cool when it is hot outside is something we may take for granted here in Toronto, but is of significant concern across many schools in the world.
