Blue Planet Prize Story

Prof. Mohan Munasinghe, a development economist, has been working to address inequality and environmental issues, and he proposed a wide range of important concepts, including his Sustainomics, framework for making development more sustainable; Balanced Inclusive Green Growth (BIGG), which calls for each country to take a sustainable development path in accordance with its development stage; and the Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs), which ask the affluent, who consume most global output, to adopt consumption goals to reduce the burden on the planet. These are significant ideas that are relevant to the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Many solutions presented by Prof. Munasinghe are viable at a personal level. Teachers should help students explore opportunities leading to a change in behavior and thinking based on the concepts proposed by Prof. Munasinghe.

Sustainomics workshops

Sustainomics workshops provide students with chances to learn about sustainable development based on four principles, help them consider what they can do as individuals, and encourage them to take action. By following the procedures, they can learn how to act independently and how to maintain that activity on a regular basis.

(1) Harmonizing the sustainable development triangle (economy, environment, society)

Students are asked to write down potential problems to be solved to achieve sustainable development. Instructors should help students understand SDGs and also the Sustainomics triangle from three viewpoints: economic, environmental, social.

Examples: disparity in wealth, gender gap, global warming, shortages of resources, COVID-19, etc.

(2) Empowering individuals to be proactive

Students are asked to set daily targets to solve the problems they think of in (1) above. Each target should be manageable so that they can continue every day.

Example: Bring your own drink bottle for a month.

Please use the examples of things we can do in our daily life that are introduced in Sustainable Development and Climate Change Made Easy by Prof. Munasinghe.

Sustainable Development ways you could contribute
Home	Office
Use energy efficient appliances Use energy efficient bulbs Use solar to heat water Have insulation Install photovoltaic panels Turn off appliances when not used Dry clothes in the sun	Use recycled paper Use both sides of paper for printing Do not print unless it is essential
Travel	Ohters
Use a bike Car pool Use publictransport Walk Use fuel efficient or hybrid cars	Create awareness Eat less meat Use reusable bags for shopping Plant trees Recycle

(3) Breaking down and transcending the barriers in our own minds

Students are asked to write down some problems that may be barriers to achieving the targets they set in (2) above, such as the barrier in our individual minds, the barrier between people, the spatial barrier, and the barrier of time. They are also asked to think of ways to overcome the barriers and about the advantages of doing so.

Example: Bring your own drink bottle for a month.

[Barrier in our minds]	A bottle is heavy and it's a hassle to prepare tea or coffee every day.
[Solution]	Use a small bottle. Bring water instead of drinks that need to be prepared.
[Merit]	You don't need to purchase beverages in disposable containers and so waste is reduced.

(4) Implementing

Next, just implement, implement, and implement. To involve the students, use a game format to encourage them to put into practice every day what they have chosen, and evaluate their progress periodically.