Month: April 2023

Promoting Literacy

International Paper is a proud sponsor of Rally to Read 100, a six-month initiative launched in September 2021 to inspire children across the U.S. to read 100 books over the school term. Organized by nonprofit Reading is Fundamental, which champions children’s literacy, the inaugural event engaged more than 64,000 children who pledged to read a total of 272,000 books.

Tackling Hunger

Through our long-standing partnership with Feeding America, we contributed more than $890,000 to food banks in each of our more than 200 U.S. communities. The contributions helped support millions of people through the distribution of over 7.9 million meals they need to thrive every day and in times of disaster. We also continued to support the Global FoodBanking Network (GFN). In the final year of our 4-year, $1 million commitment, our contribution helped GFN support 175 food banks across Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, Spain Italy and Guatemala distributing 1.5 million kilograms of food to people in need.

Addressing Period Poverty

We doubled our feminine care kit packing program to address Period Poverty, with more than 14 facilities packing kits to donate in their communities. We put in place plans to continue to expand this program in 2022 in conjunction with International Women’s Day and Menstrual Hygiene Day.

Offering Disaster Relief

In 2021, locally and internationally, our teams helped build resilient communities:

Our team in our Europe, Middle East and Africa Region provided €10,000 in disaster relief funding following July’s devastating flash floods in Germany and Belgium, as well as 12,000 Euros in disaster relief funding after the devastating volcano eruption in La Palma/Canary Islands, Spain.
Through the IP Foundation, the Savannah, Georgia, Mill donated $15,000 and partnered with local agencies and businesses to prepare 1,500 buckets of emergency supplies ahead of hurricane season
In Orange, Texas, our team donated pallets of water and personal care items to assist local communities impacted by Hurricane Ida
More than $200,000 was donated in response to disasters to Feeding America, American Red Cross, United Way Worldwide and Team Rubicon for disasters including winter storms across Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, and tornadoes in the U.S. Midwest

Trees play an immeasurable role in the health of our ecosystems. They produce oxygen, improve air quality, store carbon, stabilize soil and offer wildlife a home. In addition, as a walk in the park will attest, they also make humans feel better. Yet, today, trees face more threats than ever.

The Morton Arboretum is a tree champion. Over the last century, the Chicago-area arboretum has built a 1,700-acre living collection of nearly 5,000 different kinds of plants that offer a forest of opportunities for people to understand the vital role trees play in our ecosystems. Its STEM Pathways Program opens the door for young people to appreciate, learn about and protect trees, perhaps through a lifetime career.

The Arboretum STEM Pathways Program serves a broad constituency, from pre-school through high school and college students to parents, educators, and conservation and horticultural professionals. Engaging its audience through day programs, summer camps, classroom resource bins, college-level botany courses, teacher training and more, its aim is to increase plant knowledge and improve science literacy through hands-on planting and caring for trees, working in natural areas and, for students, exploring STEM as a future career path. For example, its Youth Volunteer Program engages young people in experiences to support the Arboretum’s summer family program while also providing citizen science education, opportunities to explore STEM careers with Arboretum tree science staff and community service hours. Over a five-year period, 211 youth volunteers, most volunteering multiple years, contributed more than 15,000 hours (about 3,000 hours each year).

International Paper’s contributions to the Morton Arboretum STEM program include:

Supporting 165,000 engagements with children and youth focused on creating lifelong connections to trees and nature
Expanding staff capacity to build and deliver new experiences for Arboretum visitors
Helping to shape the next generation of STEM professionals.
Donating more than $240,000 since 2014

About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global supplier of renewable fiber-based products. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable worldwide commerce, and pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal care products that promote health and wellness. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 38,000 colleagues globally. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2021 were $19.4 billion. See how we’re building a better future for people, the planet, and our company at internationalpaper.com/Vision-2030.

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As part of our Earth Day celebration, Regions is highlighting ways that our associates, customers and community partners are making life better by helping to protect our environment.

Big things can come in small packages.

For Regions, the latest example is the bank’s new branch in Franklin, Tennessee, where modern banking and customer service meet environmental stewardship.

Opened April 3 in the 600-acre Berry Farms community of Boyle Investment Co., near Nashville, the branch is the first to feature Regions’ new design which will be used for all future branch construction.

“We’re looking at our designs constantly and always asking how we can create an even better experience that represents shared value for everyone,” said Stephen Griffin, director of retail distribution planning.

“That’s what drove our new ‘hybrid’ Nexus design concept,” he said. “This new branch maximizes the space to give customers a great place to bank and for associates to serve them. It’s good for the environment while costing more than $500,000 less to build than our original Nexus design – also important with rising construction costs coming out of the pandemic.”

“Our new Nexus hybrid design is a win for everyone,” he added.

And it all comes in a 1,904-square foot package. That’s 34% smaller than the first Nexus branches Regions began building in 2018.

Eco-friendly Features

By strategically using clear insulated Low-E glass that protects against heat gain, LED lighting, automated controls and heat-absorbing shades, the Franklin branch leverages energy efficiency to keep the space warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

“We’re maximizing the lighting coming through windows by light harvesting, and powering up the LED lighting as that goes away,” said John Earley, Regions’ senior construction manager for retail projects. “We’ve also reduced the size and number of the displays we use for digital signage while still maximizing our brand.

“At the end of the day, energy consumption is a key way to reduce cost and environmental impact,” he said. “As we’ve evolved the Nexus design to this third generation, we’ve kept our focus on the environment.”

Other eco-friendly features of the new branch include drought-resistant shrubs and other plants, a drip irrigation system, low-flow toilets, and furniture and carpet with recycled content as well as low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) for cleaner air and emissions.

A Modern, Stylish Look

Along with the environmental benefits, Berry Farms Branch Manager Lance Hayes appreciates the design tweaks that have enhanced service – like angling the pods where bankers sit so everyone has a clear line of sight to the door and can see, greet and serve customers, minimizing any possible delays.

The branch manager’s office was also relocated in the Nexus design update to open up more space for customers who continue to enjoy Wi-Fi, charging stations and the privacy of the pods as well as from the partitions and privacy glass.

“From the furniture size and placement to the bathrooms and break rooms, the design makes the space feel bigger than it is,” Hayes said. “You can tell the working space has been amplified while everything else — the mechanical/electrical/maintenance space — has been minimized.

“We love the modern, stylish look and the way this branch and design fits in perfectly with the rest of Berry Farms and what we’ve always been about as a company: making life better for each other, our customers, shareholders and communities.”

About Regions Financial Corporation
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $155 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates more than 1,250 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

Fifth Third Bank Finance Academy® students saw their knowledge about entrepreneurship topics increase by 67% during the 2021-2022 school year. Scores increases from 52 in a pre-course assessment to 86 out of 100 in a post-course assessment.

Key learning gains included:

Building a Budget knowledge increased from 51 to 82.Awareness of how to plan and building a business improved from 40 to 87.Knowledge of how to create a Business Snapshot increased from 40 to 91.

Further, 72% of Finance Academy students were at least somewhat interested in owning their own business in the future. Most students see value in entrepreneurship and desire to support it, even if they don’t have their own plans to become an entrepreneur themselves. Thirty-five percent of learners felt more prepared to understand the risk involved in a business venture after taking the course and 56% of learners felt more prepared to identify business opportunities.

Fifth Third Finance Academy is one of the Fifth Third Bank L.I.F.E. (Lives Improved through Financial Empowerment®) programs offered at no charge to people at every age and stage of life. Other signature programs include the Fifth Third Bank Young Bankers Club® and the Fifth Third Financial Empowerment Mobile, or eBus, a financial empowerment classroom on wheels, that takes financial access and resources directly into underserved communities.

Originally published by Ericsson

By Caroline Berns Head of Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Acquisition, MMEA

Gender equality

Bloomberg just released its latest edition of the Gender-Equality Index, covering 484 companies in 45 countries and across 54 industries. The index tracks the performance of public companies that disclose their efforts to support gender equality – and for the first time also covered other areas, including LGBTQ+, race, and ethnicity, in the framework.

Racial profiling

Last year, 9-year-old Bobbi Wilson was busy working on an insect project in her neighbourhood, when a neighbour called the police on her. Yale University now officially honoured the young scientist for her efforts to eradicate invasive lanternflies. Read more here.

Bias

“Correct the internet” just launched a new campaign to raise awareness about gender bias in internet searches, and increase the visibility of women in sports. Watch the video!

LGBTQ+

“Bold Love” is the latest advert from Doritos Mexico as part of the #PrideAllYear platform, which aims to give visibility to the LGBTQ+ community beyond Pride month. Watch the video!