Sustainability in the centre of training of trainers
The last day of the training of trainers workshop on Modern Port Management in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria focused on sustainability.
The day started with a 90-minute session of the Port Endeavor game. This role game increases awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accelerates their adoption in port communities.
The game invites players to represent a fictional port with a specific role and objective. Participants go through various sustainable activities and challenges as a port team. The activities are selected and paid for by the teams, operating with limited budgets.
The game session was very intensive and lively, and participants were excited about this method of learning about sustainable development.
– It gave us awareness about how ports work, but it also took us to real situations on things that are happening at the port. We can see what are the situations and what are the options we can take, concerning the 17 SDGs, said Foibe Machuve, ICT Support Manager from Tanzania.
– The game gave us a very good awareness of what actions we should take. It also reminded us that when you select the best action you have to look also at the budget. It is a living example that we can adapt to our tools. It’s a very nice game, Ms. Machuve added.
– The game is fun and we found it very helpful in terms of decision-making. The team had to discuss and choose the best options. But it’s not only about choosing the best strategy, you need also to explain why you choose that strategy, commented Russel Jay Paca, Director of the Paca Training and Management systems in Cebu, Philippines.
– We realised what are the best options and the best approach when considering sustainability, Mr. Paca said.
Adelaide Panford, Learning & Development Manager from the port of Takoradi, Ghana, loved the game.
– It is not just a game. It gives you the opportunity to think, to know what decision to take and how effective it is. The process depends on critical thinking. Many of the decisions we take will bring development. This game teaches you to think, and I really love it. I wish we would do another round, Ms. Panford said.
The Port Endeavor game is produced by the World Ports Sustainability Programme (WPSP) of the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), together with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. TRAINFORTRADE has participated in the further development of the game.
After the game session participants of the workshop went through an exercise on implementing UN SDGs. They were given randomly one of the 17 SDGs and they had to think of practical ways to integrate it into their own port communities and how to measure it.
The participants were creative and we heard very interesting ideas as a result of this exercise, covering also SDGs that are not directly connected to ports’ activities. Here are some examples:
SDG 2 (Zero hunger)
– Reduce transit costs, to give a better opportunity to sell food in the local market.
– Sell food to workers at subsidised prices in the port’s canteens.
SDG 3 (Good health and well-being)
– Improve infrastructure to reduce accidents, for example, add traffic lights and create separate lanes for port traffic and commuting
– Provide fitness facilities for port staff
SDG 6 (Clean water and sanitation)
– Harvest rainwater to save fresh water.
– Recycle water, it can be reused for example to ship cleaning and maintenance.
SDG 13 (Climate action)
– Implement hybrid engines, use solar energy for lightning
– Encourage cycling in the port’s commuting
