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CommunicatingSustainableDevelopmentandtheSDGsinEurope:Goodpracticeexamplesfrompolicy,

academia,NGOs,andmedia

ESDNQuarterlyReport

51

January2019

EricMulholland

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ThisreportispublishedasaworkoftheESDNOffice.TheopinionsexpresseddonotreflecttheofficialviewsofESDNSteeringGroupcountries.

Pleasecitethispublicationas:

Mulholland,E(2019).“CommunicatingSustainableDevelopmentandtheSDGsinEurope:Goodpracticeexamplesfrompolicy,academia,NGOs,andmedia”,ESDNQuarterlyReport51,January

2019,ESDNOffice,Vienna.

AUTHOR:EricMulholland,ESDNOffice

CONTACT:ESDNOfficeInstituteforManagingSustainability

ViennaUniversityofEconomicsandBusinessWelthandelsplatz1,A-1020Vienna,Austria

esdn-office@sd-network.eu+43-1-31336-4807

©2019EUROPEANSUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENTNETWORK(ESDN)

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TableofContentsINTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER1:COMMUNICATION‘OF’SUSTAINABILITYVS.COMMUNICATION‘ABOUT’

SUSTAINABILITY..............................................................................................................................5

CHAPTER2:COMMUNICATIONINTHE2030AGENDAANDATTHEUNLEVEL..................................8

COMMUNICATIONINTHE2030AGENDA....................................................................................................8

UNCOMMUNICATIONOFTHESDGS..........................................................................................................9

GeneralUNCommunicationandAwarenessRaisingTools............................................................9

UNSDGActionCampaign...............................................................................................................9

CHAPTER3:EUROPEANNATIONALLEVELGOODPRACTICEEXAMPLESINSDGCOMMUNICATION11

FINLAND:MAXIMIZINGVISIBILITYWITHMINIMUMRESOURCES....................................................................11

FRANCE:ENERGYOBSERVERPROJECT.......................................................................................................12

GERMANY:COMMUNICATION,PARTICIPATION,ANDPOLICY-MAKING............................................................13

ICELAND:TELEVISIONCAMPAIGNFORTHESDGS........................................................................................14

CHAPTER4:STAKEHOLDERGOODPRACTICEEXAMPLESINCOMMUNICATION..............................15

PULSEOFEUROPE.................................................................................................................................15

NETZWERKWEITBLICK............................................................................................................................16

PROJECT17..........................................................................................................................................17

CHAPTER5:INSIGHTSANDRECOMMENDATIONSFORBETTERANDMOREEFFECTIVESDG

COMMUNICATION........................................................................................................................18

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Introduction The topic of this European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN) Quarterly Report (QR) iscommunication for sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Itprovides an overview of communication for sustainable development and how to focuscommunication campaigns to better and more effectively communicate sustainable developmentand the SDGs, as well as provides an overview of some good practice cases from the Europeannational level in a few select European countries. This Report will also feature what otherstakeholder groups, such as NGOs and journalists, are doing to also communicate sustainabledevelopment and the SDGs and what some important requirements are in being able to morecompellingly communicate sustainable development and the SDGs to a myriad of stakeholdergroups. This Quarterly Report also serves as a continuation of the ESDN’s work on the topic ofcommunication,whichwasstartedintheESDN’sQuarterlyReport44,publishedinApril2017.The topicofcommunication for sustainabledevelopmentand theSDGswasalso the themeof the16thESDNWorkshop,whichtookplaceinNovember2018andfocusedoncommunicationandhowtomoreeffectivelycommunicatethecomplextopicofsustainabledevelopmentandtheSDGs.Thefindings from the Workshop, which brought together 70 stakeholders and policymakers from 17countriesfor2half-daysofexchangeandlearningwill,therefore,beaddressedinthisReport,asthemany insightsandgoodpracticeexamplesofcommunication forsustainabledevelopmentandtheSDGsthatweregatheredfromthesedifferentstakeholdergroupsareveryvaluable.Chapter1ofthisQRseekstoframetheconceptofcommunicationforsustainabledevelopmentbylookingatscientificliteratureonhowsustainabledevelopmentcommunicationtakesshapeandtheprevalentdiscourseanddeliveryofsustainabledevelopmenttopicstodifferentstakeholdergroups.The chapter will focus on communication of sustainable development, communication aboutsustainable development, and communication for sustainable development, as the differencesbetween themanner inwhich,andbywhom,sustainabledevelopment is communicated,makesaseeminglysignificantdifference.Beingabletochangethewayinwhichsustainabledevelopmentiscommunicated should have the potential to improve the overall efficacy and uptake of desiredmessagesbydiversesocietalactors.Chapter2focusesoncommunicationinthe2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment,aswellastheactivitiesandinitiativestheUNisundertakingtocommunicatetheSDGs.Chapter 3 will take a look at the European level and at a few good practice case examples fromFinland,France,Germany,andIcelandregardingtheirSDGcommunication.Similarly,Chapter4looksatthestakeholdersideofcommunicationandhowtheycommunicatetheSDGstotheiraudiences.Chapter5 thendrawson theexperiences fromeachof these levelsand looksatwhere the futureneeds of communication for sustainable development and the SDGs lays. The results come fromparticipantsofthe16thESDNWorkshop,who,aftertwodaysof listeningtokeynotepresentations,goodpracticeexamplesofcommunicationregardingsustainabledevelopment,andinteractivegroupwork,wereabletoreflectonthefutureneedsofcommunicationforsustainabledevelopmentandtheSDGsandwhere theycanbetter improve theirefficacy regarding theirowncommunicationofsustainabledevelopmentandtheSDGs.

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Chapter 1: Communication ‘of’ Sustainability vs.Communication‘about’SustainabilityThischapterseekstoframetheconceptofcommunicationforsustainabledevelopmentby lookingat academic literature on how sustainable development communication takes shape and theprevalentdiscourseanddeliveryofsustainabledevelopmenttopicstodifferentstakeholdergroups.The chapter will focus on communication of sustainable development, communication aboutsustainable development, and communication for sustainable development, as the differencesbetween themanner inwhich,andbywhom,sustainabledevelopment is communicated,makesasignificant difference in how it is perceived. Being able to better understand the ways in whichsustainabledevelopment is currently communicatedandmoving towardsmore receptive formsofcommunication for sustainable development should have the potential to improve the overallefficacyanduptakeofdesiredmessagesbydiversesocietalactors.As global sustainability issues are characterized by high complexity and uncertainty, effectivecommunication processes between the many actors involved are crucial to develop a mutualunderstanding of which actions to take.1,2In their article Communication Regarding Sustainability:Conceptual Perspectives and Exploration of Societal Subsystems, Newig et al. (2013) developed aframework that consists of two components addressing the way in which sustainability iscommunicated.Thesecomponents,whichareseparatedasprocess-centeredandcontent-centered,reflect on the differences between communication of sustainability and communication aboutsustainability.In the process-centered component, the authors break down the two themes, communication ofsustainabilityandcommunicationaboutsustainability,intothedirectionofthecommunicationflow,thecommunication’sfunction,andthemeasuresofthecommunication’seffectiveness.Withrespectto communication of sustainability, the direction of communication is transmissive in nature andfocusesonaonedirectionalpathwayof senderof information to the receiverof that informationand is typically characterizedas communication fromone tomany.As thedemandsof society forsustainableactiongrow,actorsmayseetheneedforcommunicationofsustainabilityasameasuretodefendorlegitimizetheirbehavior.Corporatesustainabilityreportingisoneexampleofthistypeof communication. Communication about sustainability, on the other hand, is deliberative,horizontal,andfeaturesandinformationflowfrommanyproviderstomanyreceivers.The function of these two types of communication also differ: the function of communication ofsustainability seeks to transmit information and knowledge about a particular objective that hasalready been defined by the information transmitter. The function of communication aboutsustainability is the production of intersubjective knowledge or information, as well as thedevelopmentofsharedconceptsandframeworksandisdeliberativeinnature.Objectives,therefore,

1Schneidewind,U.;Feindt,P.H.;Meister,H.-P.;Minsch,J.;Schulz,T.;Tscheulin,J.InstitutionelleReformenfüreinePolitikderNachhaltigkeit:VomWas zumWie inderNachhaltigkeitsdebatte (inGerman).GAIA1997,6,182–196. As cited in Newig, J., Schulz, D., Fischer, D., Hetze, K., Laws, N., Lüdecke, G. and Rieckmann, M.(2013). Communication Regarding Sustainability: Conceptual Perspectives and Exploration of SocietalSubsystems.Sustainability,5(7),pp.2976-2990.2 Godemann, J.; Michelsen, G. Sustainability Communication—An Introduction. In SustainabilityCommunication:InterdisciplinaryPerspectivesandTheoreticalFoundation;Godemann,J.,Michelsen,G.,Eds.;Springer: Dordrecht, TheNetherlands,New York,NY,USA, 2011; pp. 3–11. As cited inNewig, J., Schulz, D.,Fischer, D., Hetze, K., Laws, N., Lüdecke, G. and Rieckmann, M. (2013). Communication RegardingSustainability: Conceptual Perspectives and Exploration of Societal Subsystems. Sustainability, 5(7), pp.2976-2990.

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wouldbedefinedthroughthedeliberativeprocessandnotnecessarilybesetbyanyoneinformationtransmitterasisthecaseincommunicationofsustainability.Measuring the effectiveness these communication pathways is different. In the case ofcommunication of sustainability, success is reached if the objective of the sender is fulfilled, forexample convincing people to reduce their carbon footprint by eating less meat or taking publictransportationmoreofteninsteadofdrivingtheircar.However,inthecaseofcommunicationaboutsustainability, the success and effectiveness is measured by the quality of the discourse and thecompatibilityofconceptstosustainability.Thispathwayisverymuchabouttheprocessandnotonlytheresultsoftheprocess.The authors of the article also depict the types of actions actors might take in each particularcommunication pathway and separate them into three categories: 1) communicationcounterproductive to sustainability; 2) neutral communication on sustainability; and 3)communicationforsustainability.Examples of the three above-mentioned categories in relation to communication of sustainabilitywould be the act of greenwashing in sustainability reporting, which the authors classify as beingcounterproductive to sustainability. Occupying the neutral category is scientific communication of‘facts’andthepublic’sunderstandingofscience.Inthecategoryofcommunicationforsustainability,communication of sustainability could be characterized as educating students or the public onsustainability.With respect to communication about sustainability, the category example that would becounterproductive to sustainability would be active discourses that are oriented to disruptsustainable development. A neutral example of communication about sustainability would bescientific debate and deliberation about sustainability related-phenomena. Moving to thetransformativecategoryandcommunicationforsustainability,anexampleofcommunicationaboutsustainabilityinthiscontextwouldbeparticipatorydialoguesfocusingonsustainabilityissues,suchasLocalAgenda21initiatives.Thesepathwayswereelaboratedoninthe16thESDNWorkshopbyProfessorKleinen-vonKönigslöw.Apart fromdiscussingthesetypesofcommunicationavenues,shealsodiscussedabout theoverallimportance of sustainable development communication by outlining the challenges it faces, andthereby highlighted the fact that that which makes communication important also makes it verydifficult.Some of the inherent difficulties in being able to communicate sustainability and sustainabledevelopment are: 1) the complexity of sustainable development and the scientific and politicaluncertaintiesthatareinvolved;2)theambivalenceofsustainabilityissuesandtheinterdependenceofdifferentSDGs,whichposemanyconflictsof interestsandvalues;3)difficult implementationofsolutions, with multiple stakeholders on different levels coupled with the fact that policies areuselesswithoutpublic supportareall contributing factors;and4) thesheerenormityofnecessaryefforts,whichoftenleadstofrustration,hopelessness,etc.3Someofthemainlearningstocomefromcommunicationofsustainabilityarethattheoverallimpactonknowledgeandattitudesarelimitedinaffectingtheactionsofpeople.Therearealsoimportantbarriers to knowledge transmission that exist, such as knowledge “hooks” that have an everydayrelevance for people or bring personally relevant issues to the fore, as more information onlygenerates issue fatigue. Also very relevant in communication of sustainability is the knowledge-

3Mulholland, E (2018). “Communication of Sustainable Development and the SDGs: Strategies and GoodPractices”,16thESDNWorkshopReport,November2018,ESDNOffice,Vienna.

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actiondisconnect,whichpositsthattheguiltapersonmightfeeltowardsacertainissue,i.e.climatechange, leads to selectiveexposureand theembracingofalternativeexplanations that fitmore inlinewithwhat apersonwants tobelieve, or alreadybelieves. In the same line as feelingsof guiltregardingissues,feelingsofhopelessnesshaveverysimilaroutcomes;peopletendtowardsselectiveexposure.Feelingsoffearregardingimpactsonone’ssocialstandingcanalsohavenegativeimpacts,inthatitcreatespolarizationonsustainabilityissues.Therefore,themaintake-awaymessageis:

Knowledge alone does not motivate action. Communication needs to take intoaccounteverydayconcernsofpeopleanddecision-makers,encouragesocialnormsand identities that promote desired actions, increase perceptions of response-efficacy, and move from communications of sustainability to promotingcommunicationaboutsustainability.4

4Ibid.

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Chapter 2: Communication in the 2030 Agenda and at theUNlevelThischapterfocusesoncommunicationinthe2030AgendaforSustainableDevelopment,aswellastheactivitiesandinitiativestheUNisundertakingtocommunicatetheSDGs.Thischapter,therefore,looksintothe2030Agendaitself,aswellasintotheUNSDGActionCampaign.

Communicationinthe2030AgendaInordertobeabletounderstandthe importantrolecommunicationhas inthe implementationofthe2030AgendaandtheSDGs,the2030AgendaforSDneedstobemorecloselyexamined.Whilethe overall 2030 Agenda does not make an explicit reference to communication, or howcommunicating the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs should be undertaken by the UN or its MemberStates,messagesofcommunicationcanstillbeinferred.Sincethe2030Agendaaimstonotbeoverlyprescriptive,andbecausethecontextsineachcountrycanbevastlydifferent,suchaclearlyoutlinedcommunicationstrategywouldprobablyhavebeeninappropriate.UNMemberStatesareinthebestposition when it comes to understanding their needs and what works best for them regardingcommunicationstrategiesandchallenges.However,despite the lackofablueprintonhowtoeffectivelycommunicate the2030Agendaandthe SDGs to all stakeholders, the 2030 Agenda does stress the importance of incorporating everyfacetofsociety,andleavingnoonebehind.TheUNandthe2030Agendamakeitclearthattheroleofthestateandnationalgovernmentswillbeparamount to theeffective implementationof the2030AgendaandtheSDGs.CommunicationandawarenessraisingfortheSDGsisembeddedineffective implementation.Asparagraph45ofthe2030Agendaalludesto,itisthemainroleofnationalgovernmentstobeabletocommunicatethe2030Agendatotheirpolicymakers, inordertocreatepoliciesthattaketheSDGsintoaccount.However, this line of communication must be taken further, so that those levels closest to civilsociety, the local andmunicipal levels, as well as other stakeholder groups are also informed onpriorities,astheywillbetheagentsof‘onthegroundchange’regardingmeetingSDGtargets.

§45 We acknowledge also the essential role of national parliaments through theirenactment of legislation and adoption of budgets and their role in ensuringaccountability for the effective implementation of our commitments. Governmentsand public institutionswill alsowork closely on implementationwith regional andlocal authorities, subregional institutions, international institutions, academia,philanthropicorganizations,volunteergroupsandothers.

Although the official 2030 Agenda does not delve into specifics regarding communication andawarenessraising,asitisseenasmainlyacountryspecificchallenge.Assuch,countriesandnationalgovernmentsarethemoreappropriatechoiceswhenitcomestoknowinghowtocommunicateandwithwhomtocommunicate.Sincenotwocountrieshavethesamesetofcircumstances,itishardtoprescribe a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach when it comes to communication and awareness raisingstrategies.Much like the implementationof the2030Agenda intonational legislationdependsonthe contexts of each country, so, too, do the communication and awareness raising activities andstrategies.

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UNCommunicationoftheSDGs

GeneralUNCommunicationandAwarenessRaisingToolsWhile the official 2030 Agendamay not explicitly mention communication and awareness raisingstrategiesregardingtheSDGsintheactualtext,thatdoesnotmeantheUNitselfisnotundertakingcommunication and awareness raising activities. The UN has awebsite dedicated to sustainabledevelopment,the2030Agenda,andtheSDGs.Thewebsitegivesreadersanoverviewofthe2030AgendaandhowitisamoreambitiousthantheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs).TheSDGsthemselveshavetheirownpage,wherevisitorscanclickoneachgoaltolearnmoreaboutitanditsindicators.The UN also has developed an initiative called the“Be the Change Initiative”, whichprovides anopportunity for everyone to “walk the talk”when it comes to the SDGs. This Initiative guides andencouragespeopletolivemoresustainablyatworkandathomebychangingconsumptionpatterns,usingactivetransport,suchascycling,andbuyinglocalfoods.Everyoneiswelcometoparticipate,aseverylittlestephelpswhenitcomestobecominginvolvedintherealizationoftheSDGs.TheBetheChange Initiativehas alsomadea guideavailable, entitledThe Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving theWorld,which laysout thesmall thingspeoplecando in theireveryday lives thatcanhelp them inreducingtheirimpactontheenvironment,orincreasetheirimpactsforsocialjusticeissues,whichallcontributetowardsreachingtheSDGs.UNSDGActionCampaignThe UN SDG Action Campaign is a special inter-agency initiative of the UN Secretary-Generalmandatedtoscaleup,broadenandsustaintheglobalmovementofactionfortheSDGs.ThisisdonebymobilizingandinspiringindividualsandorganizationtotakeactionontheSDGs.Communicatingtothegeneralpublic,andwithastrongfocusonyouth,abouttheSDGsisthecoreoftheCampaign’swork,inordertoraiseawarenessandengagementofindividualsandorganizationsintheglobalmovementthatistakingactionfortheSDGs.TheActionCampaigndoesthisbymobilizing–Callstoaction,coordinatingaGlobalDayofAction,which seeks to inspire, leveraging the power of arts, music, newmedia and new technologies toincreasethevisibilityofSDGdoersandtheactionstheytake,aswellasattractnewaudiencestobepart of the movement. Every action, campaign, activation is open and everyone can take part.Actions are turned into toolboxes and guidelines, generating an ever-growing resource hub foreveryonetojointheActionfortheSDGs.SomeoftheActionCampaign’skeycommunicationtoolsinclude:

• Digital platforms –dedicatedwebsite andmicro-sites thatprovide resources,a space forpartnerstosharetheirinitiativeswiththeglobalmovement,andsocialmedia.

• Newtechnologies–Virtualrealityand360media,experimentalAugmentedReality• Crowd-sourced content – narrative photo and film series created by individuals and

organizationsfromacrosstheworld.Some specific examples of the communication activities of the Action Campaign include SDGStorytelling, crowdsourcing and training programs.One suchprogram is theMYWorld360,whichinvitesyouthworldwidetobecomea360ºSDGmediacreator.TheYoungPeopleProgramisanotherexampleofacommunicationactivitythatseekstobringrenownedphotographersandjournaliststoworkwithyoungstudentsonphotoandvideoseriesonSDGsintheircommunities.

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TheButterfly Effect Campaign,#SpreadyourGoals isa transmediacampaigncombining illustration,geolocalizedadvertising,alternate realityandcinemaspots to inviteyoungpeople to interactwiththeGoalsandvoicetheirsupport.TheGlobalDayofAction isanotheractivity thatseeks to leverage theanniversaryof theSDGs tomobilizeanddriveattentiontoactionfortheSDGslocallyandglobally.When it comes to establishing whether the SDG Action Campaign has been successful in itscommunicationactivities,theCampaignusestwokeyindicators.Theylookattwokeyindicators:1)Thenumberofpeoplejoininganaction,acampaign,orbeingexposedtoit;and2)Thecapacityofreachingouttonewaudiences/outsidetheusualsuspects.ThetoolstheCampaignusestomeasurethesekeyindicatorsareGoogleandopensocialmediaanalytics,aswellasparticipantsurveys.

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Chapter3:EuropeanNationalLevelGoodPracticeExamplesinSDGCommunicationThis chapter looks at a few good practice cases from a few select European countries that werepresent at the 16th ESDNWorkshop. The countries featured below found variedways inwhich tocommunicatetheSDGs.Finland,forexample,usessocialmediaforitsoutreachandcommunication,becauseit iseffectiveandrequiresveryfewresourcescomparedtoothercommunicationactivitiesandcampaigns.France,ontheotherhand,hassupportedaveryuniqueprojectthatcommunicatesalongmanydifferentchannels,suchassocialmedia,documentaries,meetingactivepeoplealloverthe world, etc. In Germany, communication was identified as being one of the main areas forimprovement regarding the country’s Sustainable Development Strategy (GSDS). Iceland is alsouniquewhenitcomestocommunication,becausetheylaunchedacountrywidetelevisioncampaigntopromotetheSDGsanditairedonnationalTV.

Finland:MaximizingVisibilitywithMinimumResourcesFinland effectively makes use of social media campaigns to communicate and raise awarenessregarding the SDGs in an effort to maximize the viability of the SDGs with as few resources aspossible. The Prime Minister’s Office, which is responsible for the overall coordination of theimplementationofthe2030AgendainFinland,makesmanydifferentattemptstocommunicatetheSDGs by using many different platforms and types of media. In addition to more traditionalcommunicationtoolsthatareemployed,suchasawebsitethatactsasahomebaseandanewsletterthat is sent out 1-2 permonth to 3,000 recipients. Finland and the PrimeMinister’sOffice is alsoactiveonsocialmediaoutletslikeTwitterandFacebook,wheretheyhave2,600and4,500followersrespectively, which given the country’s population of 5.5million,makes upmore than 1% of thepopulationfollowingthecountry’sactivitiesregardingsustainabledevelopment.Socialmediacampaignsanddevelopingtoolsthatmakeiteasyforpeopletoengagewithcampaigns,actions, initiatives, etc. are relatively easy to createwhen it comes to resource demand (funding,people, expertise, etc.). In using social media, or any communication method for the SDGs andsustainabledevelopment, it isworthwhiletoknowwhotheaudienceisandwhatmatterstothem.Being able to have diverse communication avenues that are open to many different stakeholdergroups,helpstoensurethatmoresocietalactorsarereachedandbroughtonboard.Finland does this very well when one considers its entire Sustainable Development Strategy,“Society’s Commitment to Sustainable Development”, has its own platform “Commitment2050”,where itcallsuponallsocietalactorswithinFinlandtoundertakesomekindofactiontohelpwithsustainable development and commit to those actions on the platform. To date, there are 1,007commitments that are beingmade towards sustainable development, many of which come fromcompanies, municipalities, schools and organizations. “Commitment2050” is a tool that allowsstakeholderstomakeconcreteactionsthatthenhavemeasurableresults.Throughthecommitmentsbeingmade,morevisiblechangeishappeninginFinland.TheCommitment2050serviceispartoftheSociety’sCommitmenttoSustainabilityworkingmodel,which is one of Finland’s key tools for implementing the UN’s 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment. More than 1,000 operational commitments have already been made through theservice.Sofar,theyhavemostlybeenmadebycompanies,municipalities,schoolsandorganizations.InanefforttomoreactivelyengagewithFinnishcitizens,ThePrimeMinister’sOfficeannouncedthereleaseoftheCommitment2050serviceforcitizensatthePrimeMinister’s“FinnishClimateActions”discussion,whichtookplaceinDecember2018.Usingtheservice,anyonewhowishescandrawupa

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personalplanandcommittoreducingtheircarbonfootprint. InthebackgroundoftheuniquenewserviceistheonlineSitraLifestyleTest(availableinEnglish),whichhasalreadybeencompletedmorethanhalfamilliontimes.TheCommitment2050serviceandtheLifestyleTestcalculatesauser’scarbonfootprintandpointsthemtowardseverydayactionsthatarespecificallytailoredtotheirneeds.The100differentactionsin the servicehelpusers to reduce their carbon footprintone stepat a time.Users can select theactionstheyarepreparedtocommitto.Asimilarserviceofferingpeopletailoredadviceonhalvingtheircarbonfootprintsisnotyetavailableinothercountries.UserscanfindinspirationforamoresustainableeverydaylifebylookingatotherFinns’plans.Userscanalsopost their commitmenton the service, share iton socialmedia,and inspireothers togetinvolved. Commitments can also always be updated, and the service can be set to remind usersabout the progress of their actions. For those users worried about anonymity, the service allowsuserstomakecommitmentsusingapseudonym.“Around68percentofoureverydayimpactonclimatechangecomesfromhowweliveandmovearound,whatweeatandwhatkindsofgoodsandservicesweconsume.If,forexample,oneadultineveryFinnishfamilycutstheiremissionsby20percentbytheyear2030,wewillachieveatotalof37percentofFinland’semissionsreductiontarget,”saysProjectDirectorMarkusTerhofromSitra.5“Every individual plan is important and contributes to the national emissions reduction target. Bymakingsustainableeverydaychoices,wecanalsoimproveourqualityoflifeandhealthwhilesavingtime and money. The easiest way to achieve significant reductions in emissions is by avoidingunnecessary air travel, switching to electricity produced using renewable energy sources, addingmorelocalvegetables,berriesandfishtoourmealsandbuyingandrentingusedgoods,”saysChiefSpecialistAnuMäntyfromthePrimeMinister’sOffice.6ThenationallaunchcampaignfortheCommitment2050servicebeganon27December2018,anditisvisibletocitizensviadigitalchannelsandsocialmedia,aswellasinstreetadvertising.Inadditionto the citizens’ campaign, companies, cities and other organizations are also encouraged toparticipateinmakingapersonalcommitment.

France:EnergyObserverProjectWithrespecttoaveryuniqueproject,FrancehadtheideatocommunicatetheSDGsinsuchawayas to take people on a journey, and so the French Government supported the Energy ObserverProject,whichisaprojectthatseekstodrawattentiontomoresustainablemodesoftransportation,astheProjecttakesplaceonahydrogenandsolarpanelpoweredboatthatwill travel theworld’soceansoverthecourseofsixyears.Theprojecthelpscitizensandstakeholdersdiscoverthe17SDGsand links them to concrete storiesofwomenandmenwho invent andact to create theworldoftomorrow.EnergyObserver ismore than a boat, as the 22member crew and teamof EnergyObserver alsocreate documentaries for international and national broadcast. The first season consisted of 8documentaries thatwereeach52minutes longand shot in 2017and2018. In addition tomakingdocumentaries, thecrewalsokeeps logbooks, inwhich theyshare theirday-to-dayworkand theirencounters with engaged people. Since 2017, Energy Observer has generated a massive mediacoverage:5https://kestavakehitys.fi/en/current-issues/article/-/asset_publisher/10616/suomessa-avataan-kansalaispalvelu-ilmastonmuutoksen-torjuntaan.6Ibid.

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• €18millionadvertisingspaceequivalent• 4,500mediacoverageinmorethan60countries• 1Billionpeoplereachedin2018

Apartfromthedocumentaries,EnergyObserverhasalsodevelopedawebseriesthatfeaturestwominutelongpositiveandinspiringvideos,whichhighlightaconcretesolutiontoaproblemthroughahumanprism.Eachstoryvisually identifiesat least2SDGsinanefforttoraiseawarenessandhelppeople learn about the SDGs, in general. 70 such short videos have already beenmade and it ishopedthatwithatleast10Europeannationsinvolvedthisnumberwillreachbeyond300episodesperyear.EnergyObserverhasalsoestablishedaplatformandappasawayforcountriestopromotetheirownlocalsolutions inanefforttohelpthesecountrieseducatetheircitizens.TheapphelpsfindeventsthatdealwithcertainSDGs,sothatpeoplecanfindinitiativesthatalignwiththeirinterests.EnergyObserveralsohassponsoredpostsandstoriesonsocialnetworkstogeneratemoreorganicoutreach and allows them to be cross posted by Energy Observer’s partners and shared by thecommunity.Adigitalchannelwillaggregate theSOLUTIONSwebseriesandotherEnergyObservercontents (documentary series, podcasts, articles, Energy Observer log book, and more). A non-exclusivemultiplatformbroadcast, hostedbyEnergyObserver’s partners:GroupeCanal+,MolotovandAlchimie,arealreadyairing itscontentsonamazon,Orange,Vodafone,AppleTV,Samsung,LG,etc.,tooptimizetheoverallreachofEnergyObserverandallitsassociatedactivitiesandinitiatives.

Germany:Communication,Participation,andPolicy-makingAt the beginning of November 2018, Germany published its review on its Sustainability Strategy(adopted in January 2017), where one of the key aspects of this update had to do withcommunication,whichisofessentialimportanceforpolitics,ingeneral,aswellasforsustainability.Inordertocommunicatebetter,stakeholdersneedtobeinvolvedinmoreparticipatoryprocesses.Therefore,Germanyhasdevelopeddifferentavenuesforcitizensandstakeholderstoparticipateinpolicy-making.In the case of Germany, some of the paths that it has chosen to proceed along regarding itscommunicationofsustainabilityare:

• Forum“Sustainability”• “DialogueForum”• “DialogueGroup”• SDGCommunicationCampaign• OnlineDialogue“ActionProgrammeforInsectProtection”

The Forum “Sustainability” was newly established in 2016. It serves as a forum for the FederalGovernmenttoexchangeviewswithkeyplayersonthestatusandfutureoftheimplementationoftheGermanSustainableDevelopmentStrategy(GSDS)andthe2030Agenda.Onceayear,over100experts come together from civil society, business, science, churches,German Federal States, andmunicipalities to make sure that their voices are heard. All sustainability coordinators from allministriesarealsopresent.Unsurprisingly,expertsstronglyunderlinedthatyouthparticipationmustbestrengthenedandthatcommunicationonsustainability,ingeneral,mustbeimproved.InadditiontotheForum“Sustainability”,theFederalMinistryfortheEnvironmentandtheMinistryforDevelopmentjointlyorganizethe"DialogueForum"onthe2030Agenda.Inthisforum,viewsare

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regularlyexchangedwith interestedstakeholdersonefforts toachievesustainabledevelopmentattheinternationallevel.Another interestingmeans of communication is the new "Dialogue Group".With the help of thisgroup,theFederalGovernmentintendstoinvolvecivilsocietymoretransparentlyinthepreparationofthemeetingsoftheStateSecretariesCommitteeforSustainableDevelopment.TheCommitteeofStateSecretariesisthecentralsteeringbodyoftheGSDS.The SDG Communication Campaign of the Federal Press Office will be dealing more with thesuggestionmadeintheGermanPeerReviewoftheGSDStoimproveandintensifyitscommunicationregarding sustainable development. The Federal Government will, therefore, continue itscommunication activities and has finally succeeded in ensuring a communication budget forsustainability.Withtheseresources,theFederalPressOfficeiscurrentlydesigningaCommunicationStrategy.Oneelementofthestrategy,whichwillalsoinvolveclassicalmarketinginstruments,suchaspostersandads, isawebsite.TheideaistoexplaintheSDGsinanunderstandableway.Thesearticlesthatareintendedtobefeaturedarecurrentlybeingdiscussed.However,intheend,theFederalGovernmentwill presentoneof the17SDGseverymonthandexplainwhy sustainableactionaffectseveryoneandwhatthestatusofimplementationisinGermany.

Iceland:TelevisionCampaignfortheSDGsInIceland,theMinistryofForeignAffairslaunchedatelevisioncampaigntoraiseawarenessfortheSDGswithin Iceland.TheGovernmentrecognizedthat IcelandwillnotreachtheSDGs if itscitizensdidnotknowaboutthem.Hence,thegovernmentwantedmediacampaignsanddecidedonvideosandcameupwith the idea tocreateanewsprogramcalled“GoodNews fromtheFuture”,whichtransportsviewerstotheyear2030andhowtheworldisatthattime,orhoweveryonewouldlikeittobe.Itairedinprintmediaandinmovietheaters.Thetargetwastoreach80%ofviewersbyairing3 different videos 9 times. The videos aired in March 2018.Whenmeasuring the success of thetelevisioncampaign:85%sawatleastonevideoonetime,45%sawthem2times,and32%sawitthe3rdtimeitaired.However,thegovernmentdidnotonlywanttoknowifpeoplesawthevideos,butalso wanted to knowmore, so they conducted a survey in order to measure the awareness thetelevision campaign raised,which asked questions regarding knowledge about the SDGs,whetherthey had seen the SDG television campaigns, etc. All of these indicators showed positiveimprovementsafterthetelevisioncampaignaired.Inadditiontothe“GoodNewsfromtheFuture”thegovernmentalsomadeamini-seriesthatfollowsa15-year-oldgirlandherexperienceslivingwithbotharuralandurbanfamilyinUganda.

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Chapter 4: Stakeholder Good Practice Examples inCommunicationThis chapter is similar to Chapter 3, but looks at the stakeholder side of communication andhowthey communicate the SDGs to their audiences and includes helpful advice on how to tell goodstoriestomaximizeinformationandobjectivesonewishestoimparttotheirtargetaudience.

PulseofEuropePulseofEuropeisamovementthatseekstocontributeitssharetoensurethatEurope,nowandinthe future, remains united and democratic and continues to be a community inwhich regard forhuman rights, the ruleof law, freedomof speech andassembly, aswell as tolerance and respect,remainintegralpartsofitsessence.Themovementhasnospecificpoliticalprogram,butaclearpro-Europeanattitude.Themovementseekstoconnectwithitsself-conceptiontobringpeopletogetherto talk about Europe and get them to listen to one another, which creates an offline, sharedexperience. Themovement also seeks to spread knowledge about Europe and its institutions andattemptstoreducethegapbetweentheEUand itscitizens.BecausePulseofEuropestrivestobenon-partisan, ithasapositive reputation thatmakesuseofmore than500activists andhundredsmoresupporters.DemonstrationsalloverEuropeinmanyEuropeancitiesallowpeopletotelltheirown personal story of Europe. Pulse of Europe is unique in that the protests it conducts are notnecessarilyinresponsetosomethingthathasgonewrongortosomeunfavorableruling,butratherstages protests about issues that are important, as they argue that it is already too late to startprotestingoncethingshavealreadygonewrong.OneoftheprojectsthatPulseofEuropehaslaunchedthatisdifferentfromprotestingforaunitedEurope,istheEuropeanHausParlamente(HouseParliament)Project,whichisawayforapotentialperson, a host, to invite 5-8 friends or acquaintances to their home to debate on topics that arerelevanttoEurope.PulseofEuropeprovidesthehostwithaDYItoolkit,whichaskstheparticipantstoaddress certainEuropean issues. Through thegroupdiscussionson theprovided topic,PulseofEurope is able to collect many different answers and viewpoints on topics, whereby it processesthem into formal results and formal advice for EU politicians. EU politicians then give substantialfeedbackontheseresults.ForExample,inround1ofatypicalHouseParliamentProject,thequestionswere:

1. Should the EU substantially change its Foreign and Security Policy in the light of “AmericaFirst“?

2. DoestheEUneedaforeignsecretarywithdecision-makingauthority?3. ShouldaEuropeanarmyreplacethenationalarmies?4. Ifnoconsensuscanbereachedamongallmemberstates,shouldmemberstatesthatagree

oncertainpositionsbeallowedtoformulateEUforeignpolicy)?5. Isacloserrelationshipwithotherstrategicpartners(China,Russia)advisable?

The political partner for this round was the GermanMinister of State for Europe at the FederalForeignOffice,Michael Roth. The results of this iteration of theHausParlamente Project saw 211HausParlamente take place and were estimated to involve 1,200 participants, where 84% gavepositivefeedbackandwhere54%thinkanewforeignpolicyisneeded.

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NetzwerkWeitblickWhenitcomestoexpertknowledge,“NetzwerkWeitblick“(“networkforesightandvision”)providesknowledgetojournalists,aimingtosupportqualityaswellasquantityofreportingontopicsrelatingtosustainability.TheSDGsarethebasisoftheNetwork’sunderstandingofsustainability.ThemaintargetaudienceofNetzwerkWeitblickisjournalists.TheNetworkprovidestrainingsonallaspectsoftheSDGsandteacheshowtocommunicatetheminmedia.TheNetworkcommunicatestheSDGsinsuchawaythattheyfocusonthemasbeingoneaspect,ratherthan17differentones,sothattheSDGsbecomeascommonplaceasmentioningthenutritionalvalueoffoodsorwhetherfoodisgeneticallyengineered.Itisalsousefultofindalinktothedailylifeofpeople.A representative from Netzwerk Weitblick, Ms. Heike Janßen, was present at the 16th ESDNWorkshopandpresentedontheNetwork’spositiononwhatconstitutesatypicallygoodstoryandhowpeoplecanbecomebetterattellinggoodstoriestotheirtargetaudiencesinawaythatismoreeffectiveatgettingthemtochangebehaviorsorcaremoreaboutcertainissues.Ms. Janßenshared that for journalistsexpert knowledge is important in tellinga compelling story,becausemostjournalistsaregeneralists,andtopicslikeclimatechangeandsustainableinvestmentarecomplex.Becausejournalistsdonothavethetimetobecomeexpertsonthediversetopicstheymaywriteabout,theyareeasily influencedbyexperts intheirwritingfields,whichcan leadtothejournalist being influenced by lobby groups that do deal with specific issues on a regular basis.Therefore, if journalists are a main target audience of policymakers, then they should keep thisknowledgeinmindwhenattemptingtoreachouttojournalists.Ms. Janßen also touched upon the importance of knowing one’s target group, which becomesespecially important regarding sustainable development and the SDGs, as this topic is difficult tomakeappealing,suchastopicsthatrelatetowar,sex,crimeandcatastrophes.Thesetopicstendtoattracttheattentionofpeople.However,noonewantstolistentostoriesaboutclimatechangeorlossofbiodiversity,dwindlingfoodresourcesorsimilarthings,asthesetypesofstoriesoftencausefeelingsofhorror,powerlessness,andevenguilt.Guilt feelsbad topeople,because itmeans theywouldhavetochangetheirhabits,butmentalities,suchas:“meattastesgood”,and“itissonicetobookatriptotheBahamas,orelsewherewhereitiswarmandbeautiful”areindirectconflictwiththesefeelingsofguiltandpeopletendtoignorethefeelingsofguilt.Another important aspect that Ms. Janßen cautioned participants to keep in mind whencommunicatingisthatpeopletendtobelievethingsthatseemtofittheircorebeliefs.Inamoreandmorecomplexworldofsystemsinteracting,e.g.energysupplysystemsandtransportsectorhavinginfluenceonair quality andpublichealth,manyprefer simple, linear solutions like straightdenial,while somepeopleprefer“truths” thatdon’t require themtochange their lifestyle,question theirhabits,ortheirwaysofthinking.Peopleneedtobeconvincedandexcited.Tostandabetterchanceof success, it is better to understand their core beliefs and to see how to shift their respectiveconclusions away from bad habits and towards better action for their own benefit. Therefore, inidentifyingatargetgroupforcommunicatingaparticularidea,e.g.theSDGs,thestoryshouldrelatetothetarget’sdailylife,suchasplasticsthatgointotheoceansreturninthefoodtheyeat.NetzwerkWeitblick also focuses on the characteristic of good storytelling and the importance ofhavinga good topic. Someof the ingredients thatmakea good topic are topics that areofpublicinterest. Themore current the topic, event, or discussion, themore likely it becomes that peopleconnectwithit.

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Ms.Janßen,therefore,outlinedthetypesofingredientsthatmakegoodstoriesgood.Agreatstoryhasagooddramaturgy.Storieswiththe following ingredientsarealso interesting for journalists, ifonewantsthemtotellone’sstories.Greatstorieshaveaherowithaproblemthatisinterestingorthatrepresentsproblemsthatmanypeoplehave.Theheroineorherohastoovercomebighurdlesorfightmightyopponentswhowanttopreventhimorherfromreachingthegoal.Heorshehasabrilliantideatoreachthegoalortosolvetheproblem.Theideaorinventioncanbeverysimple,sothata lotofpeoplecancopy it,or it is sobrilliant, thatwe lovetohearabout thatand learn.Thehero/inecanbeastar,apolitician,orone’sownneighbor.A great story is told in a simple way that uses an engaging and accessible narrative that is nottechnicalordistant.Thecoreof the storymustbe recognizable,whichmeans leaveout irrelevantdetailsandconcentrateonprovidingrelevantfactsfortheaudience.Agoodnarrativeshouldnotbedividing and could bebasedon all people in theworld facing the samebig problem(s) and actingtogethertoovercomethem.Tellingstoriesthatareconstructiveinnaturearealsouseful,aspeoplewho read or watch a lot of stories on seemingly insurmountable issues tend to becomeoverwhelmed,becomepessimistic,orpassiveovertime.Consequently,theydonotbelievetheyoranyoneelsecouldchangetheworldforthebetterandalotofgriefanddepressioniscausedbytheendlessdescriptionandnewsofcollapsingecosystems,extremeweatherevents,cropfailures,waronmigration,etc.Constructive, or solution-orientated journalism on the other hand, also called constructivestorytelling, sheds light on how to address the challenges with viable solutions. Constructivejournalismiscritical,as itnamesandshowsproblems,butalsooffersasolutionorapossibilityforpeople to spring into action. Constructive journalism seeks to facilitate a public debate not onlyaroundimportantproblems,butalsoaroundpossiblesolutionstoimprovethequalityandthetoneofpublicdiscussions.

Project17Project17 and the first issue of their magazine “seventeen goals” is the first SDG magazine inGermanyandfeaturesapositive,motivating, inspiring,and interestingmixofstories,rangingfromold/young/big/small, local/global/art/economy/science that offer a fresh, modern and emotionalfeeltotheSDGsinanattempttoconnectthemmoretopeople’sdailylife.Themagazine’s articles also show the SDG icons to alert readers to the SDGs the article touchesupon.Thearticlesalsooffercallstoactionandtipsforthereaderonhowtoparticipate,support,andbecomeinvolvedwiththeSDGs.In raising awareness the magazine is sponsored by ZEIT Publishing House, which has a highdistributionintheDACHregion,aswellasahighdegreeofcredibilityandrelevance.TheProject17websitehasalsoseenover5,000hitssinceitlaunched.

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Chapter 5: Insights and Recommendations for Better andmoreEffectiveSDGCommunicationAtthe16thESDNWorkshop,participantswereaskedtoparticipateininteractivegroupwork,wheretheywere splitup intodifferentgroups todiscusshowgoodpractice cases couldbe linked to thecommunicationoftheSDGs,aswellasthefutureneedsthatcommunicatingtheSDGsmayhaveindifferent contexts. A total of 6 groups identified the needs for better and more effective SDGcommunication and from those needs developed recommendations on how to achieve them inpractice.SeveralrecommendationsthatweregeneratedfromtheESDNWorkshoparelistedbelow:

Recommendations1) KnowthetargetaudienceOneofthemainneedsthatwasidentifiedbytheinteractivegroupsattheESDNWorkshopwastheneed to know to whom one was communicating, or to whom one wished to communicate, asknowing the target audiencewill ensure a greater degree of communication ‘success’, howeverthat may be defined by those doing the communicating, than using the same communicationstrategy on many different target groups. For example, scientists and researchers wishing tocommunicate their,more likely than not, abstract and complex findings regarding a sustainabilitytopictotheirscientificandacademicpeerswouldmostlikelynotneedtochangethewayinwhichtheir research is presented. On the other hand, attempting to communicate these very samecomplexandabstractconcepts to thenon-scientificcommunitywouldmost likelynotbethemosteffectivewaytoimpartknowledgethatleadstoachangeorincreasedawarenessofthetopic,astheneedsofthenon-scientificcommunitycouldbedifferenttotheneedsofthescientificcommunity.More simply put, the scientific communitymayneed thedetailed knowledgeof findings,whereasnon-scientificaudiencesmayneedtoknowthebasicsofwhatthefindingswantthemtodo,suchaseating lessmeat toreduceone’scarbonfootprint,aswellasconstructivewaysonhowtheycouldaccomplishthis.Finland’s recently developed tool to help all Finnish people reduce their carbon footprints, theCommitment2050 service, which was mentioned in Chapter 3 under Finland, would be such anexample of knowing the target audience, as the tool addresses all ordinary people and takes anabstractideaandconcept,like“Society’sCommitmenttoSustainableDevelopment”,whichservesasFinland’ssustainabledevelopmentstrategy.Insteadofproducingonly“Society’sCommitment”asadocument, thePrimeMinister’sOfficehasgone furtherwith thisonline testing toolandhas takenoneaspectof it,which in this case isa reduction inCO2emissions,andmade iteasier fora largeraudiencetoengagewithit.Byknowingtheiraudience,thePrimeMinister’sOfficeisableto:1)raiseawarenessonthetopicofreducingCO2emissions;2)makeitaccessibleandunderstandabletoa largemajorityofpeople;3) allows the test takers to seehow individualdaily actions impactstheir individual CO2 emissions; 4) uses that information to not only compare the test taker toFinland’s average, thereby potentially sparking a desire to do better if a test taker finds they areabove the Finnish average, but also offer advice on how test takers could further reduce theirfootprintinsteadofleavingthetesttakerwithanabstractnumberthatiswithoutcontext;and5)theCommitment2050servicetoolactivelyseeksto involvetesttakerstousetheknowledgetheyhavegained, theadvice theyhave received tobecomeproactiveandcommit tomakingchanges,whichwould then allow the test takers to participate in “Society’s Commitment to SustainableDevelopment”andusewhattheyhavelearnedtomaketheirowncommitmentinnotonlyreducingtheir own carbon footprint, but also that of Finland’s, which reinforces more positive feelings oftogetherness.

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Thehelpfulwayinwhichthisparticulartoolhasbeensetup,bygivinghelpfuladvicebasedontesttaker results,and,given theaudience it seeks toaddress, seems toavoid thepitfallofmaking theaudience feel guilty, which was mentioned by Professor Kleinen-von Königslöw (as outlined inChapter 1 above) when it comes to communication, as there is no inherent ranking or valuejudgementthat is formedbasedontesttakerresultsapartfromwherethestandcomparedtothenational average. The interactiveway inwhich the tool seeks to encourage its audience tomakesmallchangestotheirlifestylesbycheckingoffchangestheyfeeltheycanmake,suchasbyturningtheheatdownby1degreeCelsius in thewinter, shows thatmakingadifferencecanbeeasyandeffective,asitlowersthecarbonfootprint,andmoney-saving.Thetool,therefore,takeswhatcouldbepotentiallyguiltyfeelingsandchannelsthemintopositiveactionsthatthetesttakercanfeelgoodaboutonmultiplelevels.This also reinforceswhatwasmentioned in Chapter 4 and at the ESDNWorkshop byMs. JanßenfromNetzwerkWeitblickregardingconstructiveframingsofissuesorproblems,asitisnotenoughto merely mention them, since it leaves people more prone and susceptible to feelings of guilt.Therefore, inaddition toknowingone’saudience,aconstructive framingofcommunication isalsocritical, as it notonlynamesand showsproblems, in this case carbon footprints, but alsooffers asolutionorapossibilityforpeopletospringintoactiontochangewhateveritisthatisperceivedasproblematic.InthiscaseitwouldbeFinnishcitizensspringingintoactiontodowhattheycantolimittheir carbon footprints based off of the constructive feedback and suggestions provided by theonlinetest.When communicating, it is vitally important to know the target audience and their needs andidentifyhowthoseneedscanbeaddressedbeforebeginningacommunicationprocess,asbeingabletobetterandmoreeffectivelyaddressthoseparticularneedswillmostlikelyresultinmoreinstancesofwhatever the communicator’s desiredobjective is. In the caseof Finland, thedesiredobjectivewasforpeopletoreducetheircarbonfootprint.Thetoolisarguablyveryunique,inthatit informspeopletheydoindeedhaveaneed,albeitapotentiallyunconsciousneed,i.e.reducingtheircarbonfootprint.Thetoolalsoarguesalongmany linesas towhypeopleshould takemeasures toreducetheircarbonfootprints,suchasbysavingmoney.Evenclimatechangedenierswouldmostlikelybehard-pressedtosaynotosavingmoney.Another unique aspect of Finland’s tool is that it also allows the Prime Minister’s Office, or thegovernment,ingeneral,tosharetheresponsibilityofreducingoverallCO2emissionsforFinland.Thesharingofresponsibilitieswithstakeholdersandincorporatingthemandtheirideasmorefrequentlyto reach objectives was seen as an effective method of addressing communication needs byWorkshopparticipants.2) PositivecommunicationAs already briefly addressed in the above example, positive communication instead ofcommunicationbasedonfearandguilthavehigherratesofsuccessinmotivatingpeopletomakeadesired change. Germany is approaching positive communication in a very interactive manner,seeking to involve many actors in order to better communicate the government’s goals andmeasures,as this isoftenveryabstractand intangible tomostpeople,as theyareso far removedfromtheprocess.Inordertoovercomethatdistance,Germanyseekstoincorporatemoreinitiativesthatarebasedoncitizen inclusion, participation and active contribution in policy-making. Aswas seen in Chapter 3,Germany uses a range of different dialogue forums and groups to bring society and government

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together when striving to communicate and receive inputs and feedback regarding sustainabledevelopment.Byallowingcitizensamoreactiveroleinthepolicy-makingprocess,Germanyseekstopositivelyspinthe way the government communicates with its constituents. Communication cannot be seenwithout also providing citizenswith themeans to have a say and to give input. There is not onepanacea,butratherafullrangeofpossiblepathwaystochoosefrom.3) GoodstorytellingInchapter4,thecharacteristicsthatmakeupgoodstorytellingwerediscussedastheyarealsoveryimportantinanyformofcommunication,asgoodstorieshavewideappealandaremorelikelytogarnerattention.TheEnergyObserverProjectinFranceisagoodcaseexampleofagoodstory,asittakestheconceptof more sustainable modes of transportation and has done something very unique to raiseawarenessand communicateabout sustainabledevelopmentand theSDGs. Theentirepremiseoftheprojecthasthemarkingsofagoodstory,as ittakestheaudiencewiththemalongthejourneyacross theworld’s oceans. EnergyObserver is also a good story, because it is able tomakemanyfurther stories in the form of documentaries, crew logbooks, and short, but inspirational, shortvideosthatdealdirectlywiththeSDGs,whichfurtherseektotakeviewersonboardtheproject.Also conforming to the conceptof a good story and good storytelling is that theproject doesnotdividepeople,buttendstobringthemtogether,especiallyattheplacestheboathasvisited,aswellasthroughthemedia.4) ConnectingandmainstreamingtheSDGsineverydaylifeAnother important need that was identified by Workshop participants was that the SDGs andsustainable development are not very well-connected to people’s everyday lives, nor are theyreally inanysortofmainstreammediaormainstreamconsciousnessofmostpeople,meaningthattheSDGsstubbornlyremainatopicforthesociety’selites.Potential solutions for meeting this need would be for countries to have higher coverage in themainstreammediaabouttheSDGs,suchasbyhavingadailybarometerthatmeasuresacountry’sprogress, and would eventually be as commonplace and normal as seeing the stock exchangenumbers.Mainstreamingwasalsotakenbyparticipantstomeanmainstreamingineducation,andnotonlyineducatingyoungerstudents,butalsoforpoliticiansandothersocietalactors.However,asChapter4mentionedinNetzwerkWeitblick, it isoftendifficult for journaliststowriteabout sustainable development, because they are not specialists in that particular field, nor dosustainable development topics capture the public’s general interest theway inwhich sex, drugs,violence,war,etc.,does,meaningsustainabledevelopmentandtheSDGs,bothofwhichareabstractconcepts,havealottocompetewithforattention.However,makingtheSDGsandsustainabledevelopmentrelatabletopeopleandtotheireverydaylivesisawaytomaketheseconceptsmoreappealing.Project17,beingamagazine,attemptstodothatverythingbyprovidingpositivecommunicationabouttheSDGsandcombiningthatwithgoodstorytellingbyincludingdiversestoriesfromdiverseareastosparkinterestandtofosteremotionalconnectionstotheSDGs.

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Icelandisalsouniqueinitsapproachtomainstreaming,asthegovernmentwantedmediacampaignsandthevideoswerecalled,“GoodNewsfromtheFuture”,whichtransportsviewerstotheyear2030and how the world is at that time, or how everyone would like it to be. Not only has Icelandexperimentedwith the idea of featuring the SDGs in themainstream newsmedia, but they haveeven took a unique and very positive spin on it, which, as mentioned before in Chapter 4 fromNetzwerkWeitblick, is important,because fearandguilt tacticsarenotaseffectiveaspositivityatencouragingpeopletomakechanges.Pulse of Europe is also an interesting case example in communication in that while they do notnecessarily target the SDGs, they still attempt to bring people together, regardless of politicalideology,tosupportaunitedEurope.TheHouseParliamentProject,discussedindetailinChapter4,isagoodcaseofthis,asitbringssomethingthatshouldbemoremainstreamedthanitmostlikelyis,i.e.theideaandconceptoftheEuropeanUnion,intocloserconnectionwithEuropeanUnioncitizensin that it asks them to foster discussions on current topics affecting the EU. These topics anddecisionsthattheEuropeanParliamentdecidesuponcanhaveveryrealconsequencesoncitizens’everydaylives.This form of mainstreaming and dialogue could potentially also be extended to topics related tosustainabledevelopmentandtheSDGsforthosegovernmentsthatareactivelydoingsomethingasawaytoengagecitizensandgetthemmeetinganddiscussingontheirownabouttheseissues,whichincreasesknowledgeandawarenessforthem,and,asanaddedbenefit,couldalsomakecitizensfeelasifthegovernmentislisteningandcaresaboutwhattheythink,astheHouseParliamentsreceivegeneralfeedbackfromEuropeanparliamentariansontopicsthatwerediscussed.5) ResourcesAswithmanyaspectsrelatedtosustainabledevelopment,resourcesarealwaysaprimaryneedtodoing anything; communication is no different. For civil servants working on sustainabledevelopmentrelatedtopicsandtheSDGs,whomadeupthebulkofparticipantsat theWorkshop,thoseresourcesweretime,morepeople,andmoreexpertisewhenitcomestocommunication,asmanycivilservantsarenotcommunicationexperts.The art of being able tohave this needmet is verydifficult, asbudgetsneed tobe approvedandthose oftentimes responsible for approving the budgets do not necessarily have sustainabledevelopmentortheSDGsinmindwhenplanning.Onepossiblesolution,therefore,wouldbetotryandeducateorcommunicatewithpoliticiansontheimportanceofincreasingbudgetsspecificallyforthe communication of sustainable development to different societal actors, as well as howsupportingtheSDGsisintheinterestofthegovernment’sprogram.As can be seen from the literature on communication for sustainable development, from thepractical examples that have been discussed, as well as the main insights from the 16th ESDNWorkshop on communicating the SDGs, there are fundamental commonalities that make up asuccessful communication campaign regardless of the topic. Adhering to these fundamentalcommonalitiesofeffectivecommunicationsuccess factors, should increase the likelihoodof targetaudiencestotakeupwhateverobjectiveacommunicatoristryingtoconvey.Byincorporatingtheseaspectsintocommunicationstrategies,initiatives,andactivities,policymakersstandabetterchanceofmoresocietalactorstakinganinterestinsustainabledevelopmentandtheSDGs.

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