Mount Madonna School is launching a monthly series of public lectures based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, starting 7 p.m. Feb. 25 with “Shifting Perspectives: Adventures in Tech Policy and Beyond,” featuring Amita Kuttner, 2008 alumna.
Amita Kuttner
The goals, designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all,” were set in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.
Kuttner, who has a Ph.D. in astronomy and astrophysics from UC Santa Cruz; and ran for Canadian Parliament in 2019, is co-founder of Moonlight Institute, a nonprofit seeking to create frameworks for an equitable and just future, taking into account climate, technology and decolonization.
She served as a Critic for Science and Innovation for the Green Party of Canada from September 2018 to February 2020, to bring forward policy on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies; and ran for leadership of the Green Party of Canada in 2020 on a platform of justice, science and resilience.
Six talks are currently scheduled with presentations via Zoom. Tickets with a suggested donation of $20 can be ordered via sdgspeakerseries.org.
Each seminar will be moderated by Mount Madonna School senior students as part of their Values in World Thought curriculum.
At the same time, Mount Madonna School is launching an initiative to measure the school’s contributions to the global U.N. Sustainable Development Goals by creating an interactive database to monitor progress.
“This work will deepen students’ vision of the world and the impact of their actions by thinking globally and acting locally,” said Head of School Ann Goewert.