The 2030 Agenda was met with enthusiasm across various sectors of society, especially universities such as the São Paulo State University School of Engineering and Sciences (FEG), located in Guaratinguetá, about 109 miles from São Paulo. Guará, as the city is commonly known, is home to thousands of university students, most of whom come from other towns within the state. 

The UN’s concern for the future of the planet caught the attention of people around the world, including one UNESP undergraduate student. He saw in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals a set of purposes that could form a strong connection with the outreach project he created: Ponto Iluminado. 

Thiago Matheus Martins de Moraes was born in Campinas on August 16, 1994. The son of two teachers, he moved to Guaratinguetá after being admitted in fifth place to the UNESP Electrical Engineering program. Even before that, while still in high school, he had already passed the university admission exam as a trial candidate. Gifted in mathematics and an avid reader on energy and the environment, he brought from his hometown life lessons and a deep appreciation for public education.

On October 22, 2016, his academic and personal life reached a milestone he would never forget: in front of the UNESP campus in Guaratinguetá, the first bus stop in the country powered by solar energy was inaugurated, an idea conceived by Thiago. Lighting a bus stop sustainably was the first of many ideas to emerge during this stage of his journey, giving both name and life to a project he started projecting two years earlier. That was a new step towards the future of Ponto Iluminado, and the project’s story was now inseparable from his own.

The acronym IEEE, recalled with a smile by Thiago, stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Headquartered in New Jersey, USA, the organization plays a leading role in advancing science through engineering. Active worldwide, the IEEE is divided into student branches hosted by engineering schools. According to its official website, there are more than 40 branches across Brazil. In the photo above, Thiago takes part in an IEEE event in 2014. 

The praise comes from Luzia Aparecida de Paulo Costa, an assistant in the Electrical Engineering department. Sharing the same building, she often came across mugs, chocolates and other items being sold to raise funds for the Initiative.

The story of Brazil's first-of-its-kind bus stop made headlines on news programs in the Vale do Paraíba region, attracting radio stations, magazines, and newspapers. The extension project had become the Ponto Iluminado Initiative, as it reached other spheres of scientific communication with a paper published by IEEE and presented at the Global Humanitarian Technology Conference in the United States in 2016. The team's accomplishments were reflected in this paper, entitled "Reducing criminality and saving energy."

Professor Paulo Valladares Soares, from the Civil Engineering program, is another strong supporter of the ideas Ponto has championed since its adherence to the SDGs was announced. He explains how the Initiative has gained traction in other campus departments, thus attracting more volunteers for activities such as the light system modernization.

This sense of belonging is found in the experiences of Henrique Amon de Lima Viveiros. A final-year Mechanical Engineering student, thinking about the Initiative makes him think about the Earth’s future. As he welcomes us in his living room, Henrique talks about his frequent efforts to recruit new volunteers for actions aligned with the 2030 Agenda. This and other examples make it impossible not to agree that the union of different courses and ages creates strength and puts engagement into action.

Ana Cristina observes the solar plant now, right next to her library. photo: Renan Schwingel

Ana Cristina Figueiredo Loureiro is the director of FEG’s library. Before entering her office, it is hard not to be impressed by the size of the collection, arranged on shelves that seem to follow the movement of students, professors, and staff as they search for the right book at the right time. She invites the reporter to have a seat and drink some coffee. Her appreciation for the Initiative shows up as soon as the talk starts.

The director witnessed firsthand the combined efforts of Thiago and his team to raise funds, plan, and install the solar panels needed for the plant, seeing the before and after on the grounds next to the library. It was Ana who gave the first 'yes' to move the project forward. 

Thiago is interviewed by Renan Schwingel for the Federal University of Santa Catarina's news show, during the COVID-19 pandemic. photo: TJ UFSC

UNESP campuses across the state suspended classes on March 17, with no forecast for a return. As the number of people affected by the virus increased, so did uncertainty about how long the pandemic would last. The denial of science gained ground on social media, amplifying opposition to mask use and spreading conspiracy theories about the virus' origins and and consequences. In social isolation after classes were suspended, Thiago kept up virtual meetings and joined a hackathon promoted by NASA and other institutions, focused on solutions for COVID-19. By the end of it, a new invention was on the way.

Rizzato's tools were used for building the bus stop and in other moments along the Initiative's history. photo: Renan Schwingel

In Rizzato’s workshop, next to the Department of Electrical Engineering, the reporter encounters a collection of tools that reflect his passion for his work. Such passion gives purpose to the screwdrivers, saws, and other tools lined up across the workshop walls. When Thiago contracted COVID, Rizzato constantly hoped for his recovery.

Laboratory links past and future. photo: Renan Schwingel

Photos, personal protective equipment and, of course, plenty of lightbulbs: opening the door to this place is like traveling through time and touching each piece of the legacy Ponto Iluminado is building. It is in the lab’s physical space that many students have found, and continue to find, a chance to go further, foreseeing a sustainable world before their own eyes. Their words have a tone of gratitude, and highlight the collective journey that makes the campus a model for the country.

Raising Brazil’s flag at COP28 and receiving an award that bears in its name an aspiration inherent to the Initiative: these are clear demonstrations of its success in adopting the SDGs, first applied at the inauguration of the bus stop. That purpose has never been lost. In fact, it continues to attract new supporters as praise and recognition grow. And those who have always embraced the cause 'from the inside out' still have much to say.