New Ideas in Action

It was afternoon, when the Malaysia Airlines plane touched the runway of Pudong International Airport. After immigration process and collecting luggage, I was looking for the Maglev train. The experience of this train was no less than that of a roller coaster.

I went to Shanghai to attend the Asia-Pacific Leadership Programme on Environment for Sustainable Development. This is an annual flagship programme co-hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Tongji University's Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development. I was the only one from Bangladesh who was selected and received partial fellowship from the organisers; my round-trip air ticket was sponsored by Mutual Trust Bank Ltd., from their CSR programme funding. The aim of this leadership programme was to build capacity of emerging young leaders from the Asia Pacific region on holistic sustainability thinking and evidence-based approaches for effective action. In total we were 25 participants from 12 countries.

The programme ran from September 22-26, starting with a brief introduction of ecosystem services and sustainability. During the week, there were plenary presentations focusing on different issues, such as energy, atmospheric science, climate change, sustainable development, urban ecology, eco-technologies and more. Experts also talked about leadership attributes and skills, environmental ethics and human values. In addition, there was also a discussion on research works. New understandings should not be trapped in research papers only.  

It is easy to give the definition of sustainable development but it has complex practical challenges. AtKisson Group has developed a set of tools and methods called the 'Sustainability Accelerator', which has been effectively used around the world. We learnt about the 'Sustainability Compass' framework. We also participated in Princeton University's carbon Stabilisation Wedges Gameboard, Pyramid Exercise, Sustainability Leadership Bingo etc. These all were very exciting and gave us a new perspective on sustainability, using systems thinking. This is a wonderful approach for analysis, planning and decision making.

We also went for a field trip in Chongming eco-island; it is the third largest island in China. We visited Chongming Planning Exhibition Hall, Dongtan Migratory Birds Natural Reserve, Chongxi Wetland Research Centre and Xisha Wetland Park.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Shanghai. When I arrived, I was alone amidst new faces, but when leaving, I was saying goodbye to friends with whom I had developed string ties. This is not the end but the beginning of walking together for a sustainable future.

Marufa Ishaque is a Feature Reporter of Prothom Alo and an MS student of Oceanography, University of Dhaka.