It’s official: Salesforce’s year of action is underway! At Dreamforce ‘19, we committed to donate $17 million in grants and one million employee volunteer hours to advance progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the next year. Dreamforce attendees helped us kick off the year of action, immersing themselves in the SDGs across the Dreamforce campus.
Why should everyone care about these goals? The 17 SDGs tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, providing a to-do list for people and the planet by 2030. Adopted by 193 countries at the United Nations, the SDGs aim to end poverty, fight inequality, and address the urgency of climate change. It is up to all of us — the public and private sectors, and all global citizens — to work together to advance progress on these goals.
Although all 17 goals are important and interconnected, Salesforce is honing in on a few specific goals to maximize impact during our year of action.
Read on to learn about how SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 13: Climate Action came to life at Dreamforce, as well as how we will continue to advance these goals throughout the next year.
Investing in future leaders
Did you know 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet? This creates new challenges to teach, reskill, and upskill students of all ages and backgrounds. That’s why Salesforce is committed to Future Ready initiatives, focusing on SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
Young people were instrumental in bringing the spirit of SDGs 4 and 8 to life at Dreamforce. More than 200 Bay Area students attended Kids Coding Camp, where they participated in hands-on STEM education and utilized cutting-edge technology to find creative solutions to the SDGs. Students pitched their solutions at the Future Trailblazer Challenge Pitchfest, where Dreamforce attendees voted for their favorite idea.
Team Sprout from Roosevelt Middle School took home the prize for their “Seed Rocket,” a biodegradable capsule filled with soil, seeds, and fertilizer that shoots from drones into the ground to plant trees, address deforestation, and restore Life on Land (SDG 15). Their winning solution brought home $10,000 to build a maker space at their school.
Team Sprout from Roosevelt Middle School celebrates their win
at The Future Trailblazer Challenge Pitchfest
We also opened doors for future leaders at Dreamforce through the Future Executive Summit. Over the course of two days, 360 young adults from underserved communities gained career exposure, developed Salesforce knowledge and skills, and grew their professional networks. More than 100 Dreamforce attendees joined a speed networking session to help these young adults understand different career paths and strengthen the skills they’ll need to land their dream jobs.
Dreamforce attendees participate in Speed Networking
at the Future Executive Summit
Throughout our year of action, we will continue to invest in nonprofit organizations that help young people succeed in their educational journeys, prepare for the workforce, and reach their potential. We will also make the Future Trailblazer Challenge curriculum publicly available, providing volunteers and students everywhere with the tools they need to develop innovative solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals.
Committing to Climate Action
Despite inspiring commitments by leaders and advocates around the world, progress on the SDGs is uneven and not moving fast enough. Notable advancements have been made on some SDGs (for example, the percentage of people living in extreme poverty declined from 74% of the population in 1960 to 3% in 2017), yet we are moving too slowly on other critical challenges, particularly the environment. As global emissions have reached record levels, all companies must act on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 13: Climate Action.
At Salesforce, we consider the environment to be a key stakeholder, which is why we made DF19 the most sustainable Dreamforce ever. We offset 100% of onsite emissions and employee travel, and partnered with global refiner Neste to convert more than 25 buses in the Dreamforce shuttle program to run on Neste MY Renewable Diesel, reducing up to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions. Dreamforce attendees also helped conserve approximately 100,000 water bottles while supporting WaterAid’s Tanzania Deliver Life Program every time they refilled reusable water bottles through the Fill It Forward initiative.
Salesforce achieved net zero greenhouse gas emissions globally and delivers a carbon neutral cloud, however, we still have a lot of work to do to help get our planet back on track. As we begin our year of action, we commit to work toward 100% renewable energy for our global operations and will continue to leverage our people, technology, and resources to help environmental causes around the world.
Our planet needs bold action now. Businesses have the opportunity and responsibility to lead the way towards a more sustainable future.
Join the year of action for the SDGs
We couldn’t have asked for a better way to kick off a year of action for the SDGs — but this is only the beginning. Here are a few ways you can advance progress on the Sustainable Development Goals by the next Dreamforce:
- Earn your SDG badge: Take our new Trailhead module, The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Blueprint for the Future to learn more about the 17 goals and explore ways you can help advance sustainable development.
- Take the SDG Quiz: Identify which goals most closely align with your personal passions and then explore opportunities to volunteer time to advance those goals.
- Launch a Future Trailblazer Challenge in your community: Take the Future Trailblazer Challenge Trailhead module to teach technical skills to young people in your community and inspire them to find creative solutions to the SDGs.
- Learn how your business can improve its environmental impact: Net Zero Cloud gives businesses a 360-degree view of their environmental impact to drive climate action that will accelerate carbon neutrality.
- Dive deeper on the SDGs: Visit GlobalGoals.org to dive into each of the 17 goals and learn about campaigns taking place all over the world to create a more equitable and sustainable planet.
Look for opportunities to support the SDGs at Salesforce World Tour New York and throughout our year of action. Together, we can empower the next generation, address the urgency of climate change, and ensure a better future for everyone.
