CalGreen's Board Permanently Implements the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Governance

Preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the world’s most reproduced document, the Declaration’s integration into organizational affairs marks CalGreen’s global commitment.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.–With its mission to advance systems thinking and the Triple Bottom Line, and in celebration of the 73rd annual “United Nations Day,” the California Green Academy’s (“CalGreen”) Board of Directors (“Board”) has adopted a new “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” campaign, significantly grounding the United Nations’ landmark Declaration into CalGreen’s governing affairs.

Adopted by the recently formed U.N. General Assembly as Resolution 217.A (10 December 1948), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (“Declaration,” pictured below) is, “a milestone document in the history of human rights. Drafted by representatives with different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world, the Declaration was proclaimed…as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected and it has been translated into over 500 languages” (UN).

The Declaration’s 30 Articles (listed below) are complimentary to CalGreen carrying out its mission of “promoting systems thinking and the Triple Bottom Line in business, energy, and transport.”

The Board’s adoption of the campaign creates a system of analyses and procedures, reconciling CalGreen’s governance, administration, operations, and programs with the Declaration’s Articles.

“The Board’s enactment of this campaign reaffirms the importance of mankind’s universal rights, irrevocable by any level of government and/or body politic. As with the Board’s adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Board’s observation of the Declaration establishes CalGreen further as a ‘global citizen,’ proudly reflecting our continuous commitment to this monumental and lasting universal decree,” stated Greg Justice, CalGreen’s Chief Sustainability Officer (CEO/ED).

Unlike the ‘tiered’ adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals campaign–placing them in primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, all Articles of the Declaration are equally stressed in CalGreen affairs. With such implementation, the Board can fully track their support and conformity of the Declaration; thereby, furthering CalGreen’s actions in the spirit and letter of “thinking globally, acting locally.”

CalGreen will also celebrate the Declaration’s 70th anniversary on December 10th. The campaign’s outcomes and overall conformity will be placed in CalGreen’s annual report, and for more information, please visit CalGreen’s campaign webpage, or the Declaration’s official and 70th anniversary websites.

A PDF of this release can be downloaded here.