Battery Tour: Sustainable Development Goal Project

Given the Pittsburgh Platform’s global reach on matters of environmental health equity, the conceptual underpinnings provided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comprise an ideal frame of reference for our work. The City of Pittsburgh itself has been undertaking a voluntary SDG review of its activities. In addition, several other entities in Pittsburgh base at least part of their work on this development framework. These entities include: the Forbes Funds, the Heinz Endowments, the Green Building Alliance, and Sustainable Pittsburgh.

Recently as part of its outreach efforts, the Pittsburgh Platform developed a partnership with the artist AY Young and his Battery Tour https://www.startlandnews.com/2020/09/ay-young-united-nations-battery-tour/. AY was recently selected by the UN as one of the 17 most influential youth sustainability leaders in the world – and the only one from the United States. He is using this honor to produce an album with major recording artists focused on the 17 SDGs and also to embark on a 17 city concert tour. As part of his expansive Battery Tour vision, the Tour will be working with the Platform as we seek to enhance or establish long lasting SDG collaborations among the Tour cities, including the implementation of legacy projects that will be lasting reminders of the Tour’s vision. We plan to work with the many SDG stakeholders in the Pittsburgh region to create the programmatic complement to the Tour’s concert agenda in hopes that it will serve as a model for other cities to follow.