Month: February 2023

NEW YORK, February 22, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Carol Cone ON PURPOSE (CCOP) announced today that GAF’s Community Matters project to revitalize the Shafter Library & Learning Center has been named Best in Education, Art, & Culture in the 2nd Annual Anthem Awards.

Community Matters brings GAF’s purpose, to protect what matters most, to life in the communities where the company – which is North America’s largest roofing manufacturer – has operations. In Shafter, California, CCOP worked with GAF and nonprofit placemaking organization Project for Public Spaces to identify a project that would support the community while engaging GAF’s local employees. Utilizing a co-creation approach, GAF learned the Shafter Library & Learning Center needed expansion and revitalization to better serve the community. The Shafter Learning Center is a vital part of the community’s social and education fabric, providing learners of all ages with courses in language, STEM, and more.

“We are honored to win Gold at this year’s Anthem Awards,” said Carol Cone, CEO of Carol Cone ON PURPOSE. “This project demonstrated the power of collaboration and co-creation to identify a unique need for the Shafter community, while linking to GAF’s purpose and inspiring its workforce under the Community Matters umbrella.”

Anthem Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The Anthem Awards was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. The 2nd Annual competition received nearly 2,000 entries from 43 countries worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities. A portion of program revenue will fund a new grant program supporting emerging individuals and organizations working to advance the causes recognized in the 2nd Annual Anthem Awards.

“Since launching this platform in June of 2021, we have seen that social change has emerged as a dominant force in mainstream culture,” said Anthem Awards Managing Director Jessica Lauretti. “The sheer number, breadth and overall quality of the entries shared with us in the 2nd Annual Awards is a testament to the strength of this growing movement and demonstrates an enduring commitment to the work that is both humbling and inspiring to see. From the war in Ukraine, to protests in Iran and the ongoing battle for equality here at home in the States, the call for change not only perseveres but is a growing global chorus.”

Winners for the 2nd Annual Anthem Awards will be celebrated at the Winners Celebration on February 27 in NYC. Fans will be able to hear from social impact leaders and their hallmark speeches at www.anthemawards.com.

About Carol Cone ON PURPOSE: Carol Cone ON PURPOSE is a pioneering consultancy helping companies, brands, and organizations harness the power of purpose to advance their business and social impact. CCOP’s proven approach meets clients at any point on their purpose journey to unlock opportunities to build reputation, inspire employees, exceed financial targets, and support the greater good. The consultancy is led by Carol Cone, regarded as one of the founders of the purpose movement in the early 1980s and has been internationally recognized for her work.

About The Anthem Awards: Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we’re defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. Founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.

About The Webby Awards: Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites; Video; Advertising, Media & PR; Apps, Mobile, and Voice; Social; Podcasts; and Games. Established in 1996, The Webby Awards received more than 13,500 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include Verizon, WP Engine, YouGov, Brandlive, Canva, NAACP, KPMG, Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, MediaPost, Podcast Movement, and AIGA.

Episode Summary

In professional settings it’s important to see others who look like you and share a similar culture. A sense of belonging can raise contribution and motivation levels in the workplace. Sealed Air employees Brenda Morris, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel – Litigation, Employment and Compliance; and Timi Fadiran, Manager of Sustainability Technology Innovation, join Episode 7 of Sealed Air’s “Better Together” podcast to talk about co-leading the company’s Black Employee Network (recently renamed B-Advance). The employee resource group aims to provide a sense of community through retention, promotion, and advancement of Black employees.

Listen to the episode here.

About the Podcast

Believing employees can strengthen connections by learning from the experiences of co-workers, Sealed Air (also known as SEE) created “Better Together,” a DEI-focused podcast that gives employees the opportunity to share personal stories and perspectives that spark understanding and respect. The corporate podcast encourages employees to embrace their identities and look beyond differences to help foster inclusion in the workplace. “Better Together” is hosted and produced by Akilah Garvin, Sealed Air’s Senior Manager of Supply Chain Communications.

On the heels of NBCU Academy’s second anniversary, Cesar Conde, NBCUniversal News Group Chairman, announced today that NBCU Academy had increased its membership by 50 percent, with 15 new schools joining the 30 colleges and universities that have been part of the award-winning program.

Since its inception in 2021, NBCU Academy partners have received funding, resources, training and development — in addition to access to the News Group’s world-class journalists.

The 15 new academic partners include:

UC Berkeley M.E.T. in Berkeley, CAColumbia College Chicago in Chicago, ILFond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, MNHelena College- University of Montana in Helena, MTLangston University in Langston, OKMetropolitan State University of Denver in Denver, COMt. Hood Community College in Gresham ORNevada State College in Henderson, NVTennessee State University in Nashville, TNThe Ohio State University, College of Engineering and School of Communication in Columbus, OHTexas Southern University, School of Communication in Houston, TXUnited Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, NDUniversity of Arizona, School of Journalism in Tucson, AZUniversity of Central Florida, Nicholson School of Communication and Media, in Orlando, FLUniversity of Missouri School of Journalism, in Columbia, MO

“This expansion is a direct result of the success we’ve had with our partners,” said Yvette Miley, Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for NBCU News Group.

“We are proud to build off the momentum of the past two years and continue the program’s impact as we grow further in the Western region.”
– YVETTE MILEY Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for NBCU News Group

Conde also announced that NBCU Academy will offer a course on the fundamentals of journalism, which is publicly available on the redesigned NBCUAcademy.com for journalism students and media professionals. The free course will build a foundation for newsgathering and storytelling through firsthand lectures and curriculum produced by journalists and leadership across NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, and Noticias Telemundo. Through a series of online modules, the course will provide interactive scenarios and best practices on the essentials of reporting, journalism ethics, interviewing skills and more.

This spring, NBCU Academy will present its third “Next Level Summit” on March 22. The free, all-day virtual program will feature journalists and executives across the NBCU portfolio and offer networking, headlining sessions and breakout discussions on trends that are transforming the media industry. NBCU Academy hosted two Summits in 2022, which were attended by nearly 4,000 participants, including students and media professionals worldwide.

NBCU Academy has elevated the next generation of journalists, providing students from underrepresented communities a pipeline into newsrooms across media and technology. NBCU Academy’s pioneering Embed Program creates roles for recent graduates from partner schools and institutions with diverse student populations. In two years, NBCU Academy has assigned 11 Embeds full-time, two-year job assignments across the News Group’s on-air and Digital platforms, Marketing, Global Talent Development & Inclusion, Data Sciences, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

NBCU Academy reflects Comcast NBCUniversal and NBCU News Group’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. It is part of Project UP, Comcast NBCUniversal’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. NBCU Academy provides tools, resources, and platforms for underrepresented voices in partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, STEM Programs, and colleges with significant Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous and tribal populations. In June 2020, Comcast NBCUniversal announced a multi-year commitment to help address systemic racism and inequality. In July 2020, NBCU News Group Chairman Cesar Conde announced the Fifty Percent Challenge Initiative, a goal for the News Group workforce to be 50% women and 50% people of color.

In 1972, a handful of hunters in Nassau County, Florida asked Rayonier for exclusive access to hunt a parcel of its land, where there were growing numbers of deer, turkeys, and quail.

Wildlife populations that had declined because of habitat loss at the turn of the century were starting to make a comeback in Rayonier’s pine forests, planted in the 1930s. Rayonier was already leasing some of its lands to the state for public recreation, but these hunters wanted a place where they could get away from the crowds and competition for wild game.

Rayonier accepted the group’s offer, launching a hunting business that today has more than 23,000 customers hunting on about 2 million acres of active timberlands throughout the U.S.

Mike Edwards, a lifelong Florida resident and 34-year veteran of the Fish and Wildlife Commission, says he saw positive changes for the land and wildlife as Rayonier began working directly with hunters. He was a game warden assigned to Rayonier land for 27 years of his career. When it was open for public recreation, it was tough to enforce regulations.

Because the property was not gated and few officers were assigned to the area, people dumped household garbage, stole expensive forestry equipment, and even poached wildlife. But as Rayonier started granting exclusive access to hunters, Mike saw less criminal activity on the land and improvements in wildlife numbers.

In contrast to the public areas, the hunters who paid for access took a management approach to the land, setting limits on the animals they harvested. Mike says the result was “a tremendous increase in whitetail deer and turkeys, which gave a sense of ownership to the hunters because their actions actually improved numbers.”

The initial group of hunters in Nassau formed a hunting club that has maintained its relationship with the company to this day. Their children and grandchildren are now members and the group’s stewardship ethics have grown even stronger over the past 50 years.

For Rayonier’s part, hunters all over the U.S. have become crucial partners serving as the company’s eyes and ears on the land, helping to protect its assets. As one member of the land resources team, which manages the hunting program, says, Rayonier and its hunting customers have a “symbiotic relationship” not unlike those between many wild species in the forest.

Hunters are the company’s first line of defense

With more than 2 million acres of forest land in the U.S., the company has an extensive land base to monitor. Rayonier Resource Unit Leader Jeremy Flood says hunting customers quickly report issues like road and bridge washouts, bug damage to pine trees, and trespassers.

Because hunters are paying for access, they expect to be able to navigate the land efficiently and safely. They want the habitat to remain healthy enough to support wildlife populations. And they want to report potential poachers and deter them from returning. Jeremy says this is great for his team, as it helps them act swiftly to protect Rayonier’s valuable assets.

While forestry operations teams and contractors are on the land during working hours, hunters spend early mornings, evenings, and weekends hunting the properties, creating a 24/7 presence.

“It’s really neat to see that our hunting customers create a first line of defense for the land base on a whole host of issues,” says Rayonier’s Senior Manager of Business Development Matt Gelston. “We have been able to successfully fight wildfires early. When we have an incident like a major theft or commercial dumping, we can interview hunting customers, retrieve game camera photos and piece together a fact pattern to prosecute criminal cases.”

Recently, a hunting club member in Washington State was camping out on Rayonier land when he spotted a trespasser trying to steal cedar early one morning. The hunter quickly contacted a Rayonier team member and the suspect is now facing felony charges.

Hunting Rayonier land is a generational legacy for outdoor families

While isolated trespass events do happen, Mike Edwards (the Florida game warden who was around during the early days of the hunting business) says it is much less common than on open-access public land. Now retired, he serves as president of his Rayonier hunt club.

Mike says it has been the perfect place to teach his kids to hunt in a safe and controlled environment. It’s also given them a spot to spend time outdoors, away from the crowds on public land. Outside of hunting season, kids in his club scout the property for wildlife, go fishing in its creeks, and help maintain food plots. He says there is always something to be done in terms of management, which gives families a chance to enjoy the outdoors together, making memories that will last a lifetime.

“I don’t even know how much it’s meant to me that I could bring my kids and teach them to walk and hunt the ground where my dad killed his first turkey,” Mike says.

Clyde Davis, another hunting customer and member of Mike Edwards’ hunt club, has cherished the time spent hunting Rayonier land, where his father and grandfather hunted and he later taught his own children to hunt. Last year, he and his son-in-law took one of the biggest bucks harvested by the hunt club.

“It’s good connectivity with my daughter and son-in-law to have this experience,” Clyde said. Together, they processed the deer and tried methods of cooking that were new to Clyde. Though his parents and grandparents cooked wild game, he says his son-in-law is a “foodie” and more sophisticated in his culinary style. “They’re teaching me about brining and preparation that I didn’t grow up learning. It’s a generational experience in reverse because I’m learning from my kids too,” he said.

Clyde, whose father worked for Rayonier, has an appreciation for the benefits Rayonier’s forestry operations give to hunters.

“In biology and game management, there is something called the ‘edge effect,’ he explains. “When Rayonier comes in and harvests a tract with timber, it creates an edge between the harvested tract and adjoining tracts. That edge between the two and the exposure of the ground to sunlight creates a smorgasbord of food for wild game.”

“Hunting clubs get the benefit of the environment that Rayonier has created.”

Rayonier’s core values promote healthy hunting culture

Clyde, Mike, and others are proud of the ties they’ve strengthened with the land. This legacy began with previous generations, but these hunters know that if they want future generations to benefit, they must focus on core values that promote a healthy relationship between their clubs and Rayonier, as well as with the land itself.

When Mike’s hunt club has an opening for new members, he interviews applicants to ensure their values are aligned. He only extends invitations to hunters with responsible outdoor ethics and a sense of stewardship.

Clyde says he appreciates Rayonier’s emphasis on safety, outlined in its Hunting Code of Conduct:

“Rayonier has been very active in establishing the safe practices that they require of hunting clubs.

For example, Rayonier encourages the use of sign-in boards in which members pick specific areas within a parcel of land that they will hunt on a particular day. This communication tool, he says, prevents hunters from putting one another at risk in the woods and allows the club to make sure everyone makes it out of the woods at the end of the day. The company also has guidelines for deer stand and feeder placement to ensure a safer hunting environment.

When he was club president, Clyde suspended members for violating safety rules and says Rayonier’s Code of Conduct helped hold members accountable.

Building for future generations

In the 50 years since the hunting business began, Rayonier and hunters have built a strong relationship, based on a mutual appreciation for the abundant natural resources in Rayonier’s forests.

“It’s a partnership with our customers, to manage the land,” says Rob Fancher, Director of Land Resources and Development. “It’s a huge business, over 2 million acres. Our team can’t do it by ourselves. It takes forestry operations, the Land Resources team and our hunting and rec customers to do it all.”

While many properties are booked year after year by the same hunt clubs, there are some properties available for new groups. If the past is any indication of the future, we expect to see more hunters and their families enjoying the outdoors together, enjoying all that Rayonier land has to offer and helping to protect its forests.

To learn more about the hunting and recreation program, visit rayonierhunting.com.

Originally published on HBI Sustains.com

In 2017, Super Soul Party creator, Meir Kay, saw a homeless man in New York City who didn’t want a handout. The man held a cardboard sign simply asking to be seen. Meir offered him a meal and conversation. That encounter sparked the creation of Meir’s non-profit, Super Soul Party, that gives the homeless population a safe place to connect with their community.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Hanes partnered with Super Soul and sponsored ‘dignity bags’ filled with socks, sweatshirts and other necessities for 500 homeless people who attended parties across the country.

“These parties offer people who are homeless a meal, a haircut, and a chance to socialize during a football game,” says Meir. “Simply put, it offers humanity.”

Comforting people in times of crisis and uncertainty is a key piece of our People pillar, explains Chris Fox, chief sustainability officer. “This is a great opportunity to connect with the people we serve in our communities not only with product, but with real conversation,” he says.

Our associates who volunteered their time are creating a more comfortable world for every body.

To learn more about HanesBrands commitment to being a positive force within our communities, click here.

M·A·C Cosmetics announces recognition from the 2nd Annual Anthem Awards for the Silver “Corporate Social Responsibility” Award in the Health category for the brand’s M·A·C VIVA GLAM Keith Haring Campaign.

Launched in 2021 by the Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. The Awards highlight work across seven core causes: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Education, Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate.

This year’s competition received nearly 2,000 entries from 43 countries worldwide, and Anthem Winners were selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

M·A·C VIVA GLAM was recognized as a leader in social impact and for enacting positive change through the innovative Keith Haring campaign, as well as for VIVA GLAM’s longstanding impact raising over $500 million globally for healthy futures and equal rights for all.

Click here to learn more about M·A·C’s VIVA GLAM Keith Haring Campaign Anthem Award-winning entry

LOS ANGELES, February 22, 2023 /3BL Media/ — Herbalife Nutrition, the LA Galaxy, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation held a community ribbon-cutting ceremony at DeForest Park in Long Beach to unveil two new mini-pitch fields providing kids with a safe place to play. Created in underutilized areas, the mini-pitches are made possible through the LA Galaxy Foundation and Herbalife Nutrition’s Joint Community Partnership Fund.

“Living a healthy and active lifestyle is a value the LA Galaxy and Herbalife Nutrition share with the community to instill healthy habits among young soccer fans. We are continuously committed to giving back to and improving our communities,” said Humberto Calleja, vice president, General Manager of Herbalife Nutrition, North America.

The mini-pitches, located south of the existing basketball court, will include a resurfaced area as part of the transformation. The surfaces underwent crack filling, asphalt repair, and acrylic resurfacing. The navy blue and white, 27 ½ x 9-foot state-of-the-art pitches were also anchored with two futsal goals at each end and showcase logos from each of the three partners, LA Galaxy, Herbalife Nutrition, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation. These mini-pitches offer the opportunity to rejuvenate abandoned courts and areas with limited space, creating a fun and active place to celebrate the spirit of teamwork, empowerment, and fitness around soccer.

“Our partnership with Herbalife extends off the field and into the communities we serve to make impactful contributions towards the advancement of soccer in Los Angeles and around the world,” said Chris Klein, President of the LA Galaxy.

The mini-pitches also mark the latest development in the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s It’s Everyone’s Game national movement to ensure children in underserved communities can enjoy the health and youth development benefits of the game. To date, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has installed more than 500 mini-pitches nationwide. The goal is to install 1,000 by 2026.

“We’re thrilled to join our longtime partners at LA Galaxy to unveil two new mini-pitches in the Long Beach community,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “We know that soccer has the ability to bring people of all backgrounds and skill levels together, and we look forward to seeing how the community utilizes these pitches to do just that.”

The mini-pitches were unveiled with the support of the City of Long Beach followed by soccer clinics led by the LA Galaxy with participation from Jordan High School’s boys and girls soccer team.

“I cannot wait to see all the kids and families playing on these revitalized courts,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “There’s always a demand for great spaces like this for sports in Long Beach, and this amazing project is going to be a benefit to our community for years to come. I thank our partners, the LA Galaxy, Herbalife Nutrition, and the U.S. Soccer Foundation, for their generous contribution.”

To continue this mission, the LA Galaxy and Herbalife Nutrition, through the Joint Community Partnership Fund, are committed to implementing similar programs to promote soccer, healthy lifestyles, and nutrition education in underserved communities worldwide. Since 2012, the LA Galaxy and Herbalife Nutrition have donated over $2.5 million to global communities in need. As part of the extended deal, an additional $1.25 million will go to the Joint Community Partnership Fund designed to promote soccer, healthy lifestyles, and nutrition education in underserved communities.

For more information, visit www.IamHerbalifeNutrition.com.

About Herbalife Nutrition Ltd.
Herbalife Nutrition (NYSE: HLF) is a global company that has been changing people’s lives with great nutrition products and a business opportunity for its independent distributors since 1980. The Company offers science-backed products to consumers in 95 markets through entrepreneurial distributors who provide one-on-one coaching and a supportive community that inspires their customers to embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle. Through the Company’s commitment to nourish people, communities and planet, Herbalife Nutrition pledges to achieve 50 million positive impacts – tangible acts of good – by 2030, its 50th anniversary.

About the LA Galaxy
The LA Galaxy are Major League Soccer’s most successful club. Based in Carson, Calif. at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Galaxy have won the MLS Cup a record five times (2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014), the MLS Supporters’ Shield four times (1998, 2002, 2010, 2011) and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup twice (2001, 2005), and one Concacaf Champions Cup (2000) since their inception in 1996. Led by LA Galaxy Head Coach Greg Vanney and President Chris Klein, the Galaxy are the premier club in MLS, with stars like Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Riqui Puig, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Javier Hernandez and Cobi Jones representing LA over the team’s 27 years in MLS. For more information on the LA Galaxy, visit www.lagalaxy.com.

ABOUT THE U.S. SOCCER FOUNDATION 
The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s programs are the national model for sports-based youth development in underserved communities. Since its founding in 1994, the Foundation has established programs proven to help children embrace an active and healthy lifestyle while nurturing their personal growth beyond sports. Its cost-effective, high-impact initiatives offer safe environments where kids and communities thrive. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Soccer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information visit http://www.ussoccerfoundation.org or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

View original content here.

“We go to their locations to provide them with PCR testing. Otherwise, they would have to go outside to a doctor or another location on their personal time. They thank us, saying ‘It helps us to focus our energies on what we have to do, and that’s to protect the city.’ ”
Antonio Luciano
Territory Manager, Patient Services

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors, nurses, police officers, and other first responders have been called heroes, but most will say they are simply doing the jobs they love. At Quest Diagnostics, we agree with both sentiments: they are heroes, every day—before, during, and after the pandemic. And Quest is doing our part in helping New York’s finest to safely remain on or return to the job protecting New Yorkers.

“When the [virus] was really raising its ugly head, we didn’t know much about it,” explained Antonio Luciano, Territory Manager, Patient Services, overseeing Quest’s New York Metro and Long Island patient service centers. “The CDC had commissioned a study [that included] the City of New York. The purpose of the study was to offer a serology test to all the frontline workers and civil servants, so the CDC could begin to study the effects of the virus.”

Antonio noted that his team was tasked with providing serology testing for New York first responders and public safety personnel to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 antibodies and assess associations between occupational exposures to the virus and previous infection. Study participation was voluntary and included police, firefighters, correctional staff, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, nonhospital doctors, nurses, phlebotomists, and more.

Antonio’s team was responsible for testing members of the New York Police Department (NYPD) in just 3 weeks. Due to the Quest team’s success with the serology project, they were later asked to provide COVID-19 PCR testing for the NYPD overall.

Quest soon set up 6 PCR testing sites in strategic locations in NYPD’s network of precincts, including at 1 Police Plaza where the police leadership works. Quest also contributed to the graduation of 800 new police recruits at Madison Square Garden. Everyone who was participating needed to receive a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the ceremony. Quest facilitated testing for all attendees, including all recruits, NYPD leadership, and dignitaries.

Regarding the vaccination mandates that were in place at that time, Antonio explained, “NYPD officers who received medical or religious exemptions from mandatory COVID-19 vaccination have a testing option every week. Quest supports those officers who have an exemption to get them cleared so that they can get back to work.”

No matter what our role at Quest, we always remember that behind every test is a person, and many are everyday heroes.

Read more.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., February 22, 2023 /3BL Media/ – FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) continues to support those affected by the catastrophic earthquakes that have devastated Southern Turkey and Northern Syria, committing more than $1,000,000 (USD) worth of in-kind shipping so far. Overnight, the company chartered a FedEx MD-11 of dedicated relief from Dubai, UAE, to Istanbul, Turkey. This was the fifth consecutive flight taking place from February 17 to 21 delivering approximately 230 metric tonnes of relief supplies including tents, blankets, baby items, household supplies, and hygiene kits from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

“FedEx is committed to helping the many communities impacted by the earthquakes during this incredibly difficult time,” FedEx President and CEO Raj Subramaniam said. “We are inspired by the heroic work of first responders and humanitarian organizations and grateful to use our global network to donate flights, logistics support, and aid to advance recovery, rebuilding, and relief in the region.”

To date, FedEx has also been able to help other non-profit organizations and governments respond during this crisis by utilizing its global network and logistics expertise.

– FedEx donated $100k on February 8 to the Red Cross to aid recovery efforts in Turkey and Syrian communities. The donation will provide support and aid, such as distributing essentials like first aid, food, water, and blankets; setting up temporary shelters; and providing psychological support and medical aid.

– On February 8, FedEx delivered critical humanitarian supplies from Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport to Malatya, Turkey on behalf of the Istanbul Governorship and local municipality, including food supplies from Umursan Un Ltd. and clothing donated by local residents.

– During the week of February 13, FedEx provided shipping support for Canadian disaster-relief organization GlobalMedic, including the delivery of AquaResponse3 Water Purification Units to feeding centers in the impacted area of Turkey.

– FedEx worked with U.S.-based World Central Kitchen to ship aid from Madrid, Spain and Capitol Heights, Maryland, U.S. to Adana, Turkey. The flights included a deployable kitchen unit, kitchen supplies, and operations kits.

FedEx continues to provide relief to regions impacted by natural disasters. FedEx relief moved for IFRC, GlobalMedic, and World Central Kitchen was a part of the company’s FedEx Cares “Delivering for Good” initiative, in which FedEx lends its global network and unparalleled logistics expertise to organizations with mission-critical needs and helps communities before, during and after crises. Learn more at FedExCares.com.

Annie Turner Journalist, Co-author

Gökce Alacadagli Service Portfolio Director, Energy Management Solutions

Reducing energy consumption while maintaining network performance is vital. That’s where optimized user experience and careful management of network performance comes into play. As part of our data-driven operations blog series, Gökce Alacadagli, Portfolio Director, Ericsson, talks to Annie Turner about innovative ways to cut power consumption in active and passive network elements.

In 2022, Ericsson published an industry white paper, On the road to breaking the energy curve . Its findings suggested that collectively operators were spending some $25 billion annually on energy. It became clear to Ericsson that the ever-rising curve of power consumption was not sustainable, economically or ecologically. Since then, Ericsson estimates that spending on energy could have risen above $30 billion due to soaring energy prices.

Gökce Alacadagli explains the curve in question is due to mobile networks being deployed to meet peak capacity demands, and with 2G, 3G, 4G and now 5G, the number of elements in the network is increasing. He says this means, “We need a more holistic approach. Sometimes, we focus too much on network KPIs and CapEx investments to expand the network and potentially increase overall energy consumption. This is even though most operators have communicated their group-level targets to become carbon neutral then net zero. This stimulates a mindset shift to transform from peak performance service provider to energy efficient – sustainable service provider.”

With all this in mind, the company developed a three-pronged plan to break the energy curve. The first is about evolving networks sustainably by “planning and investing in the right way, using spectrum most effectively; for example through powering Massive MIMO”, Alacadagli says.

The second concerns expanding and modernizing networks, such as replacing radio units with newer ones that consume up to 40 percent less energy. He explains, “This presents an opportunity to reduce energy consumption even though traffic is increasing due to more network capabilities.”

Alacadagli’s particular focus is on the third part: “How to operate today’s networks more intelligently, using AI and machine learning to reduce energy consumption now.” However, Ericsson has observed some hesitation to operating the radio access network (RAN) in a more power-efficient way in case the measures impact network KPIs which operators tend to assume will automatically damage customers’ experience.

Flawed perceptions

In fact, the reducing energy does not necessarily affect experience, or not perceptibly so – and Ericsson and others have transparent, empirical data to prove it. “If someone is watching a HD video on a mobile running at 28Mbps and the speed drops by 3Mbps, there is no impact on the performance of the video or the WhatsApp calls,” he states. “In fact, research shows most such consumer services can run well at an average speed of 10Mbps, which was also mentioned on our article Who cares about peak download speeds in 5G? earlier this year. So, if there’s controlled change in throughput due to energy optimization measures there will be no perceptible impact on customers’ experience.”

He continues, “We get very good data from the network and can help operators find the right balance between energy saving and optimizing throughput. Some parts of the network we don’t touch because customers don’t want to make any changes there, but in other parts a tweak of say 3 percent can result in a 10 percent saving.

“Previously our customers did not have the tools or solutions to safely explore different scenarios. Now we have a holistic solution for each part of the journey that we can show our customers and they choose their own scenarios.”

A blunt instrument

The simplest form of energy efficiency in any industry is putting energy-consuming devices in a low-energy or standby mode, “which we can do for radio nodes in multiple ways,” Alacadagli notes. “Multiple features do different things in the RAN and most vendors have software functionalities which turn the power amplifier on and off in microseconds.

“Low-energy-schedulers (LESS) schedule the data transfer to optimize energy savings, so that other hardware near algorithms such as Micro Sleep TX can become more efficient. MIMO sleep mode de-activates some of the branches and fast-sleep mode turns off the entire cell, especially on the capacity layer when traffic falls below a threshold. So, there is a foundation for energy saving in the RAN but due to operators’ anxieties about impacting network KPIs, they are generally only enabled at night. Here we propose solutions to manage them more intelligently, where we can implement different thresholds for day and night.”

Ericsson thinks there are huge improvements to be gained by exploiting accurate data to optimize energy usage without any noticeable changes to experience. Its ambition is to understand how energy can be used better as each network, cluster and region has different traffic volumes and varied user experiences.

“We must work with different protocols down to site or even cell level to maximize energy saving. Different sites have different traffic profiles, and we need to create an energy-saving pattern for them all,” Alacadagli says. “We propose cognitive solutions to watch traffic trends at sites or even individual cells and create policies and actions that can be applied individually. That’s the name of the game for energy efficiency across the entire infrastructure for telecoms networks.”

The power of passive infrastructure

He’s not just talking about active parts of the infrastructure, the radio units, either. As he points out, telecom sites need ‘passive infrastructure’ for the radio networks to operate 24/7. Passive infrastructure represents the support ecosystem to keep radio sites up and running, which constitutes batteries, power supply units and climate units to cool down the critical equipment. Alacadagli says, “Ericsson’s ambition is to empower cognitive energy management or holistic energy management solutions, using AI and machine learning, that can be applied to all technologies and all infrastructure, taking into consideration the traffic paradigms and user experience.”

In Ericsson’s view there are three main pillars that support this ambition: leveraging data to boost automation by pulling it from across the entire network; applying machine learning; then using the output to control of the network, end-to-end.

“We have element management systems and OSS pulling data that measures energy consumption and performance, so we know how each site is acting and the kind of customer experience they are providing, what kind of traffic they have and so on,” Alacadagli says.

“Also, we need to check and understand the data coming from the RAN to see consumption patterns and profile them. As a result of profiling – and not many operators do energy profiling for sites depending on the traffic they generate – we can benchmark sites for energy efficient from the gigabytes of data they provide to users.”

However, managing passive infrastructure generally involves truck roll to the site because, for instance, once the air-con unit is set to 21 degrees, it stays there. “If the passive infrastructure doesn’t generate data, we cannot control it; to control everything in this ecosystem, we need to invest in controllers, sensors and IoT devices to digitalize them. That’s what we mean by maximizing the power of data to build automation.”

The gains are potentially huge, but so is the challenge of bringing passive infrastructure “into the fold” as originally no thought was given to including data from passive infrastructure in the mix, either by network equipment providers or passive infrastructure suppliers. Hence data from passive elements tends to be segregated. Customers need convincing of the return in the required investment, but Alacadagli is optimistic.

AI-based and data-driven

To achieve these ends, Ericsson’s launched its AI-based, data-driven approach to managed services, in 2020 as part of the Ericsson Operations Engine. The Energy Infrastructure Operations focuses on four areas Alacadagli explains.

Predictive Cell Energy Management application predicts traffic volumes and usage patterns, potentially down to each cell on a site to put them into optimal energy saving modes, like standby or sleep. Alacadagli enthuses, “We can use historic data to set parameters, or we can make real-time decisions and set new parameters, say every six hours. This is where things get interesting because generally, the parameters of these solutions are set, deployed and stay as-is, regardless of changing conditions. Alternatively, we can configure a node with different thresholds for different times of the day or put it to sleep mode immediately through closed loop automation.”

Energy profiling of sites and cells use algorithms to highlight, for instance, cells at some sites consuming more than comparable ones.

Anomaly detection and predictive infrastructure operations algorithms can be used to monitor the consumption of passive infrastructure – as well as radio elements – such as diesel generators, rectifiers and air conditioning units. If consumption is higher than expected, it can suggest a remedy. For example, it can ‘deduce’ that probably the air conditioning filter needs replacing, or it can remotely adjust the temperature settings for cooling optimization. This means the whole site – active and passive components – can consume less energy.

It is key that proactive management is in place at each site for the best results with power source optimization and to ensure, for instance, that there is enough battery capacity to come off the grid at peak times. Again, some operators are nervous of this routine shift to battery power (rather than seeing batteries as emergency back-up), but as AI and machine learning can review the best power source option every 15 minutes, attitudes are changing.

Transparency and proof

Gökce says, “If your solution and machine learning are transparent enough to show operators the kind of actions taken and the outcomes on a dashboard, it’s no longer about us selling them a solution. Being able to provide proof points is why have a lot of customer engagements right now.”

“The whole idea behind those four pillars is to use machine learning with different implementation methodologies, to take decisions at site or even cell level based on data from the sites. AI and machine learning become the primary tool to operate each side infrastructure independently at any given time and transform our industry regarding energy efficiency” Alacadagli concludes.