The Renewable Nations Institute
Description
COMMITMENT IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGIES: The Institute’s implementation methodologies are based upon established Service-Learning and Work-Learning-Service pedagogies. COMPONENT #1: Service-Learning, the Green Earth Corps. Under the Institute’s “Green Earth Corps” non-accredited Service-Learning program, high school students from throughout the United States and abroad will attend a 14-day residential term at the Renewable Nations Summer Institute and receive certification to conduct training in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In turn, these students will train their peers with the support of distance-learning services from Institute instructors. Summer Institute graduates and their peers will be designated as United Nations Junior Ambassadors upon completion of a minimum of 60 hours of community service educating the general public on the SDGs in the context of the UN SEforALL Initiative and the Paris Agreement. Additionally, Junior Ambassadors will support the Institute’s Sectoral Commitment, the MicroSolar Distance-Learning Programme (MSDLP), under a sister-school program. The MSDLP aims to electrify deep-rural schools throughout the developing world to serve as multi-purposed educational telecenters. COMPONENT #2, Work-Learning-Service: Under the Institute’s Work-College program, high-performing college and university undergraduate and graduate students will attend accredited one- and/or two-semester low-residency and residency Work-Learning-Service programs to: (a) support the delivery of the Institute’s Commitment to Enabling Actions in Energy Planning and Policies, and in Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing; (b) establish a United States Partnership for Sustainable Development; and (c) develop a technical assistance and human capacity building services center (Project Incubator). Up to 50% of undergraduate and graduate students, designated as UN Junior Fellows are required to work a minimum of 5-hours per week in a paid internship to support the preparation of investment-grade proposals for low- and middle-income SEforALL country members who register as clients of the Institute’s Project Incubator.
Under a United States Partnership for Sustainable Development, the Institute will collaborate with Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI-U) members, member institutions of the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and member institutions of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The goal of this collaboration is to establish a distributed Commitment services network based upon a Hub and Spoke model with College Clusters. The Hub and Spoke model, as feasible, will be replicated after and integrated with US Department of Energy (DOE) university-based Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs), an established network of engineering schools throughout the US that trains undergraduate and graduate students for the energy services industry. In the Hub and Spoke model, academic spokes are proposed at host colleges and universities based upon existing academic programs aligned with the Institutes technical assistance and human capacity building delivery services. Hub and Spoke services are identified for education, finance, technology, planning, data services, research and development. <br />
The Institute’s Hub and Spoke model will also be established regionally: (a) an Africa Hub in collaboration with the US-Africa Energy Ministerial in Sub-Sahara Africa; (b) a Latin American Hub in collaboration with the Organization of Latin American Departments of Energy (OLADE) in Quito, Ecuador; and (c) an Asia Hub coordinated through a US-China Partnership. The Institute is currently aggregating a financially capable, multi-sector stakeholder consortium with the mission to establish a special purpose vehicle with the objectives to formulate a consortium-based concept proposal for the adaptive reuse of the historic Fort Winfield Scott at The Presidio (San Francisco, California) to develop and operate a National Center for Work-Learning-Service and Leadership in Sustainability & Global Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.
GOVERNANCE: SolarQuest L3C is the Commitment Holder responsible to Global Facilitation Team (GFT) and supervises Commitment services. SolarQuest L3C is managed by its Members in compliance with State of Vermont corporate law. The Global Challenge Award, Inc., (GCA) doing-business-as the Renewable Nations Institute, is the commitment operator. GCA is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors in accordance with the Statues of the State of Vermont and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. SolarQuest L3C and GCA will jointly manage Commitment services and deliverables in collaboration with multi-sector affiliates. COORDINATION MECHANISMS: An International Leadership Council (ILC) consisting of current and former government officials from United Nations (UN) member countries, and a Commitment Advisory Board (CAB) consisting of multi-sector stakeholders from SEforALL Initiative targeted member countries, will coordinate Commitment activities in alignment with the goals and objectives of the SEforALL Initiative, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement. These coordination mechanisms will support access to key governmental policy makers for targeted delivery of decision support services while insuring transparency through multi-sector stakeholder engagement. The Governance team (SolarQuest L3C and GCA) will consult with SEforALL Global Facilitation Team (GFT), as necessary, to assure effective structural teaming and coordination protocols in compliance with the United Nations fundamental coordination principles of accountability and transparency, and professional standards and ethics. EVALUATING IMPACT: The IAC and CAB shall oversee the evaluation of Commitment services and deliverables under an iterative assessment process in conformity with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Principals of Impact Evaluation. The OECD Principles for Evaluation of Development Assistance (1991) will provide the framework for evaluation programming, including but not limited to: (1) design and implementation of evaluations; (2) reporting, dissemination and feedback; and (3) application and follow-up. Impact evaluation will assess how interventions across the full spectrum of Commitment services affect outcomes, whether intended or unintended, and will provide a counterfactual assessment of what outcomes would have been based on current policies and practices in the absence of the intervention(s). Systems of National Accounting (SNA) metrics will be utilized to establish benchmarks for integrated SDGs across spheres of economy, society and environment. Systems Dynamic (SD) Modeling will be utilized to conduct predictive modeling for decision support and assess longitudinal impacts of Commitment services.
SDGS & Targets
Goal 7
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
7.1
By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
7.1.1
Proportion of population with access to electricity
7.1.2
Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology
7.2
7.2.1
Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption
7.3
7.3.1
Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDP
7.a
7.a.1
International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems
7.b
By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support
7.b.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
Goal 4
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
4.1
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.1.1
Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
4.1.2
Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
4.2
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.2.1
Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
4.2.2
Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
4.3
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.3.1
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
4.4
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.4.1
Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
4.5
4.5.1
Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
4.6
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
4.6.1
Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
4.7
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
4.7.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment
4.a
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
4.a.1
Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
4.b
4.b.1
Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
4.c
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
4.c.1
Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
Goal 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.1.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
13.1.2
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
13.1.3
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
13.2
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.2.1
Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
13.2.2
Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
13.3
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.3.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
13.a
Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.a.1
Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025
13.b
Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
13.b.1
Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
SDG 14 targets covered
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Contact Information
Allan Baer, President