Big Vision Drives Big Action

Last year Kunal also co-founded NOVUS, which he describes as “a media platform for the future of humanity; (it’s about) bridging all the generations to unite in action and focus on inner transformation and positive impact bringing voices, music, and wisdom into one space.” NOVUS is coming to the UN in the summer and fall of 2016.

“Novus started out with reimagining the American Dream for a better world, a way to create a new breed of citizenry where we are focused on giving and serving, and is fully aligned with the United Nations 17 Global Goals. My dream is to use all of my gifts to live a life of service that is filled with abundance and gratitude in order to help both people and organizations unlock their exponential potential. In order for us to really achieve our full potential and realize these 17 global goals we must develop the moral courage and compassion to do the right thing when the time is at hand.” ~ Kunal Sood

His journey has taken him to the United Nations where he served as the executive producer of TEDxUNPlaza at the United Nations. He was a Center for Compassion and Altruism Research (CCARE) Fellow at Stanford University working directly under Dr. James Doty curating events hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and many other compassionate luminaries.

Kunal believes that exponential technologies hold the key towards helping humanity flourish. He puts these beliefs to work as EXO consultant at ExO Works and as a Strategic Alliance Director at HaloDrop. Kunal is also a champion of women’s empowerment and gender equality. He is the Chairman of the WED Fellows Accelerator at Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. This global program promotes women entrepreneurs and innovators who are pioneers in their fields of excellence.

One of Kunal Sood’s hopes is in making NOVUS a portal for positive storytelling focused on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Goals. He lives his life by the following motto:

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the judgment that something else, like love and compassion is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all” ~ Meg Cabot

How Will We Leave the World?

The United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals aim to eliminate a multitude of social ills by 2030. They remind us to consider our legacy by investing now, today, in the future we want. These goals are one answer to the question, “How will we leave the world?”

These goals are drawn along social, economic, and environmental dimensions that contribute to peace, justice, and effective institutions in both developed and developing countries. For each of the 17 specific goals listed below, one or more words serve as a link to the UN discussion of the goal, including progress that has already been made and priorities for future action.

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
    
2. Improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture; alleviate hunger and food security concerns.
    
3. Promote health, ensuring healthy lives and the promotion of well-being for all at all ages.
    
4. Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.
    
5. Achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment. Provide equal opportunities and access for girls.
    
6. Ensure access of water and sanitation for all.
    
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.
    
8. Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
    
9. Build a resilient, sustainable infrastructure, industrialization and foster innovation.
    
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.
     
11. Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
     
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
     
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
     
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine life.
     
15. Biodiversity, forests, and desertification – halt biodiversity loss, manage forests, and combat desertification.
     
16. Promote peace and justice, as well as inclusive societies.
     
17. Revitalize global partnerships for sustainable development.

Infographic for UN Sustainable Development Goals – Click for larger view.

Responses to the 17 UN Goals

“We won the struggle against slavery and then against apartheid, both of which seemed insurmountable at the time. The next big war is the one against poverty and we have to win this for the sake of humanity and our collective future.” ~ Nelson Mandela

David Cooperrider believes that the 2030 Sustainable Goals may well be one of the defining issues of the 21st century. He advocates finding converging energy in direct proportion to the turbulence, crises, and the issues of our times.

The UN Development Goals grew out of the earlier Millenium goals and subsequent discussions such as the 4th Appreciative Inquiry Summit, Imagine Nepal, in 2009. Two of the key appreciative questions at Imagine Nepal were,

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• “Can we find better ways to create the vibrant, peaceful, sustainable, and flourishing communities we all want?”
   
• “How can we link the power of Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths-based approaches to the most pressing issues of a global change agenda, from improving health and education to creating sustainable communities and deeper personal development?”

 
Women’s Leadership

Kunal and I participated in the 3rd annual Power of Collaboration Summit at the United Nations in February 2016. The conference goal was, “Turning Conversations into Action.” IMPACT Leadership 21 hosted the event.

Janet Salazar, founder of Impact Leadership 21, said, “In order for economies and global leadership to be sustainable, it is imperative that those who are in top leadership positions in both public and private commit to a political will and a conscious effort to make women’s leadership equality at the top a normal, daily aspect of every institution in our society.” Further, she added, ” We are at a tipping point of global leadership transformation, and women are ready and equipped for the much needed re-balance.”

Climate Action

When my husband and I traveled to Ireland earlier this year, we witnessed firsthand the devastation of record flooding. France is experiencing similar damage to lives and property in floods right now. During the Ireland trip, we watched an amazing rock concert supporting the UN Sustainable Goals with real passion. Part of the concert note, was that the year 2015 was the hottest year on record. During last year’s UN Climate Conference (COP21) in Paris, a decisive step forward marked an international agreement in setting a framework for a transition toward resilient, low-carbon societies and economies.

“Nature should never be abused
And we much use it intelligently and in such a way
That everyone benefits. – From the book, Blue and Beautiful, Planet Earth, Our Home

Visit The lazy person’s guide to saving the planet to find fun, easy, and practical actions you can take in your everyday life to help humanity move toward sustainability and flourishing around climate change. The actions around the 17 goals that I’ve taken personally are to be more mindful in my intentions and actions, to strive to eat low on the food chain, to raise up the education, health, and empowerment of women, and to love people, our environment, and our world.

 

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Works Cited:

Orem, S., Binchert, J. & Clancy, A. (2007). Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change (Jossey-Bass Business & Management). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Impact Leadership 21: Leadership Solutions that Drive Change

Rocha, R. & Roth, O. (1990). Blue and Beautiful: Planet Earth, Our Home. United Nations Publishers.

WED: Women’s Entrepreneur Day

Halodrop (2016). Nepal: Crises and Incident Response.

United Nations (n. d.). The lazy person’s guide to saving the planet.