Month: April 2023

LINCOLN, Neb., April 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – The Arbor Day Foundation is making it easy to say “yes” to Arbor Day this year.

During the week of the Arbor Day national holiday, April 23 to 29, the Arbor Day Foundation will plant one tree for each Instagram, Twitter or Facebook post that uses the hashtag #ArborDay.

Arbor Day Foundation partner Vita Coco will provide funds for up to 100,000 trees, each going in a forest of greatest need located in the United States.

“Every time the hashtag is used, someone is helping activate the power of a tree in forests that need it most. By saying “yes” to Arbor Day, people are also saying “yes” to a healthier planet,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We are grateful to work alongside our partner Vita Coco this Arbor Day and work together to drive positive change in our world’s forests.”

In 2022, #ArborDay was the number one trending hashtag on Twitter and led to 150,000 trees planted. The social media campaign is designed to educate people on the benefits trees can bring to climate, community and biodiversity.

Vita Coco is a global coconut water brand sold in 30 countries. The company is committed to protecting nature and empowering coconut farming communities through its business. Vita Coco recently launched its Seedlings for Sustainability initiative, which has a goal of facilitating the planting and distribution of 10 million seedlings and trees by 2030. The company has partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to facilitate the planting of trees in the U.S. to support reforestation efforts.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to partner with the Arbor Day Foundation,” said John Tran, Social Impact & Sustainability Program Director. “We are honored to be addressing climate education through tangible and actionable ways that protect our natural resources.”

The Arbor Day Foundation has leveraged a global network of partnerships to plant trees in more than 50 countries around the world. In its first 50 years, the organization has planted nearly 500 million trees. Now, the Arbor Day Foundation is hoping to plant another 500 million new trees in forests and neighborhoods of greatest need by June 2027.

Arbor Day is celebrated nationally each year on the last Friday in April, which is April 28 this year. Many states celebrate the holiday at various times throughout the year, depending on seasonal planting periods, too.

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to planting trees. With a focus in communities and forests of greatest need, the Foundation — alongside its more than 1 million members, supporters and valued partners — has helped to plant nearly 500 million trees in more than 50 countries. Guided by its mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees, the Arbor Day Foundation is committed to unlocking the power of trees to help solve critical issues facing people and the planet. Learn more about the impact of the Arbor Day Foundation at arborday.org.

About the Vita Coco Company

The Vita Coco Company, Inc. was co-founded in 2004 by Michael Kirban and Ira Liran. Pioneers in the functional beverage category, The Vita Coco Company’s brands include the leading coconut water, Vita Coco; clean energy drink, Runa; sustainable enhanced water, Ever & Ever; and protein-infused water, PWR LIFT. With its ability to harness the power of people and plants, and balance purpose and profit, The Vita Coco Company has created a modern beverage platform built for current and future generations. The Vita Coco Company, Inc. is a B Corp™ and is incorporated as a Public Benefit Corporation.

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ALEXANDRIA Va., April 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) today announced the RMI’s Global Responsible Sourcing Due Diligence Standard for Mineral Supply Chains – All Minerals has achieved recognition by the London Metal Exchange (LME). This is the sixth RMI standard to be conditionally approved by the LME and it is an important due diligence tool for battery materials and the green energy transition.

The RMI’s Global Responsible Sourcing Due Diligence Standard for Mineral Supply Chains – All Minerals is a mineral-agnostic standard applicable to single-metal as well as multi-metal facilities producing, sourcing and processing metals worldwide. The standard is grounded in the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas and is designed to verify the responsible sourcing practices of metal processors, integrated processing and mining operations, and independent mining operations as well as upstream traders and exporters.

This marks another milestone in the number of RMI standards that have been conditionally approved by the LME, now six in total, which are listed below. These standards are also available for disclosure on LME’s digital credentials register, LMEpassport.

RMI standards focused on the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affect and High-Risk Areas:

RMI All Minerals StandardRMI Tin and Tantalum StandardRMI Cobalt Refiner Supply Chain Due Diligence StandardJoint Due Diligence Standard assessed with the RMAPITA-RMI Tin Assessment Criteria assessed with the RMAP

The RMI continues to work closely with the LME to complete the full approval process of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance-based standards, which are all now conditionally approved in line with LME’s alignment policies and the OECD’s methodology.

RMI standard focused on environmental, social and governance risks:

RMI ESG Standard for Mineral Supply Chains

The RMI Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Standard for Mineral Supply Chains was recognized by the LME as functionally equivalent to ISO 41001 and ISO 45001. This allows auditees to meet LME’s requirements on environmental management and occupational health and safety management through a single audit.

“These recognitions represent a significant benefit for RMI auditees that are listed on the London Metal Exchange, allowing minerals processors to leverage RMI assessments to demonstrate alignment with LME’s responsible sourcing requirements,” said Jennifer Peyser, Executive Director of the Responsible Minerals Initiative. “This maximizes the value of RMI assessments and reduces the risk and burden of audit duplication while advancing companies’ due diligence efforts.”

All RMI standards can be viewed here on the RMI website.

About the Responsible Minerals Initiative 
The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) is an initiative of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). The RMI is a multi-industry initiative with more than 400 member companies. Its members contribute to the development and international uptake of a range of tools and resources focused on minerals supply chain due diligence, including independent third-party audit programs for smelters, Minerals Reporting Templates, supply chain risk assessment tools, Country of Origin data, and guidance documents on responsible sourcing of all minerals/metals. The RMI runs regular workshops on responsible sourcing issues and contributes to policy development with civil society organizations and governments. For more information, visit ResponsibleMineralsInitiative.org

About the London Metal Exchange

The London Metal Exchange is the world centre for industrial metals trading. Most of the world’s non-ferrous metals business is conducted on the LME totalling $15.2 trillion, 134 million lots and 3.1 billion tonnes in 2022. The metals community uses the LME, an HKEX Group company, as a venue to transfer or take on price risk, as a physical market of last resort and as the provider of transparent global reference prices.

Media Contact:

Jarrett Bens, Senior Director of Communications 
Responsible Business Alliance 
Phone: +1 571.858.5721 
jbens@responsiblebusiness.org

CALGARY, Alberta, April 18, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Benevity Inc., the leading provider of global corporate purpose software, today announced the launch of its new Climate Action Kit in collaboration with Count Us In, a global movement of people and organizations taking steps to address climate change. The Climate Action Kit enables companies to incorporate climate action into their corporate purpose programs by providing engaging ways to get employees involved. The kit includes volunteer opportunities, curated lists of vetted environmental organizations and a library of micro-actions focused on reducing the environmental footprint of a company and its employees.

With 65% of leaders feeling pressure from their employees to act on climate change issues, companies have been focused on net zero and carbon emission reduction as part of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) or sustainability efforts. Now, organizations are also recognizing the need to meet the demand and passions of their employees to take action directly on these issues. Benevity’s Climate Action Kit enables companies to educate employees on how to adopt environmentally sustainable behaviors and make informed decisions to reduce their environmental impact with the support of their employers.

In 2022, only 3.2% of donations on the Benevity platform went to environmental causes, despite the acceleration of the climate crisis to a climate emergency. Benevity’s Climate Action Kit helps employees and companies amplify advocacy, conservation and carbon reduction efforts led by trusted nonprofits around the world.

“As an organization that encourages people to take bold steps to fight the climate crisis, Count Us In recognizes that motivating businesses and individuals to get more involved and invest in helping the planet is crucial,” said Ipsita Bhatia, Director of Business Engagement, Count Us In. “It’s estimated that up to 30% of the global emission reductions needed to avoid the worst of climate change can come from individual and household actions, and this can influence solutions at scale. We can all make a huge difference by taking action in our lives, and our partnership with Benevity will make it easier than ever before for companies and their employees to contribute.”

The Climate Action Kit includes:

More than 150 sustainability micro-actions with actionable steps and activities employees can take to combat climate change, with a focus on impact, influence and involvement, such as going plastic-free for a day, donating used clothing, conducting a home energy audit or reducing water usage at home.A volunteering opportunity to join the Great Global Cleanup and participate in the world’s largest coordinated volunteer event on Earth Day and beyond.Lists of vetted environmental and sustainability causes working to move the needle on climate change created in partnership with some of the world’s most influential climate champions including Mark Ruffalo, Christiana Figueres, Adam McKay and Zamzam Ibrahim.Reporting for corporate sustainability leaders, including key metrics that highlight which actions drive the most impact and which activities generate the highest engagement among employees. 
 

“We know that climate change has escalated beyond just an environmental crisis. It is also a crisis of inequity, disproportionately affecting marginalized people all around the world,” said Sona Khosla, Benevity’s Chief Impact Officer. “We are thrilled to team up with Count Us In, a global leader in sustainability, to enable our clients, who have a massive opportunity with their reach, to mobilize employees all around the world to take daily actions that can make a material difference to the future of our planet. This will not only enhance corporate sustainability efforts, but will let employees know their employers support their values when it comes to climate action.”

To learn more about how Benevity empowers companies and their people to take action on social and environmental issues, visit benevity.com.

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About Benevity 
Benevity, a certified B Corporation, is the leader in global corporate purpose software, providing the only integrated suite of community investment and employee, customer and nonprofit engagement solutions. Recognized as one of Fortune’s Impact 20, Benevity offers cloud solutions that power purpose for many iconic brands in ways that better attract, retain and engage today’s diverse workforce, embed social action into their customer experiences and positively impact their communities. With software that is available in 22 languages, Benevity has processed more than $12 billion in donations and 56 million hours of volunteering time to support 418,000 nonprofits worldwide. The company’s solutions have also facilitated 900,000 micro-actions and awarded 1.2 million grants worth $18 billion. For more information, visit benevity.com.

About Count Us In 
Count Us In is building the world’s largest and most ambitious community of people and organizations taking action to protect what they love from climate change. Through its 16 science-backed high-impact steps, individuals can significantly reduce their emissions and, at the same time, influence leaders to deliver bold at-scale solutions to mitigate the climate crisis. Every step taken with Count Us In and partner climate action platforms is reflected in the Count Us In Global Aggregator, showcasing the power of individual action taken collectively. A radical collaboration, Count Us In has a growing network of 100+ partners – including the EU, WWF, IKEA, Tottenham Hotspur FC, Netflix titles and Extreme E – reaching people through sport, culture & entertainment, and the brands they work for and consume. Learn more at count-us-in.com

Media Contact 
Maggie Crouch│Walker Sands, for Benevity│benevity-pr@walkersands.com

Bennett College was founded in 1873 in the basement of St. Matthews Methodist Episcopal Church in Greensboro, NC. They are one of only two all-women, Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States — and their mission is to prepare “women of color through a transformative liberal arts education to lead with purpose, integrity, and a strong sense of self-worth.” I encourage you to read more about their rich “herstory” in honor of Women’s History Month.

At Cisco, we’ve taken considerable steps to fight injustice and inequity around the world. One of the most powerful examples of the bold actions we’re taking is our $150 million commitment to preserve the legacy and sustainability of HBCUs through Social Justice Action 8.

While that commitment includes driving technology modernization and improving STEM education at HBCUs, Cisco is actively investing into the future of their students as well — and I am proud to say that those investments continued earlier this month at Bennett College.

We are building a bridge with Bennett College

Bennett College has been a private, four-year historically black liberal arts college for women since 1926. Over the course of our relationship, we have worked to establish Bennett College as a Networking Academy, provided student recruiting support, offered guidance on funding grants, and helped enhance their network security for remote learning through a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Assessment. In addition, Bennett College has requested mentorship, job shadowing, and guest lectures by Cisco professionals to prepare Bennett students for life after college. These opportunities align with Action 8 initiatives and will enable Cisco to continue to support the sustainability and legacy of Bennett College.

Women of color often face racism and discrimination in academic and professional environments. HBCUs like Bennett College offer the advantage of providing a supportive, inclusive, and justice-oriented approach to education. Bennett College operationalizes student support through special convocations, lectures, and seminars that comprise their Academic Cultural Enrichment Series (ACES) series, which is designed to enhance the cultural and intellectual development of the student population. Cisco’s commitment to delivering student success, accelerating young AA/B talent, and making a lasting impact for generations to come provides an excellent foundation for a symbiotic partnership with Bennett College and augments student support.

As the Executive Sponsor for Bennett College, I worked with Wesley Carter, CX Sr. Program Manager, and Bennett College to create an ACES event that delivered an important message to Bennett’s liberal arts students:

  You don’t have to major in the computer sciences field to be valuable to a technology company like Cisco! 

It’s a powerful message, and one that we can continually build upon to show Bennett students that even entry-level digital and cybersecurity skills can enhance their competitive edge, no matter what they choose for their career path. Dr. Santiba Campbell, Director of Academic Special Initiatives for Bennett College, suggested an all-woman panel and focus on liberal arts, instead of STEM, because Bennett College is predominately a liberal arts college.

An overview of our Women in Cisco Panel Discussion in March of 2023 

One of the most important aspects of this event was the evidence-based approach. It was kicked off by our own Shaina Tamburr, VP, CX Programs & Compliance, and featured a panel of diverse, liberal arts-educated, successful women from different areas within Cisco — ranging from project management to sales and marketing. These successful women came together to share their unique career stories and life experiences, as well as welcome Bennett College’s liberal arts students to engage with Cisco. We doubled down on Cisco’s commitment to student success by inviting our Emerging Talent Diversity Engagement Team to create a portal specifically for students to upload their resume and be considered for future Cisco opportunities!

The connection between the speakers and students was palpable — and after sharing their stories, our panelists had a chance to answer these insightful questions in front of students:

What has been the most significant barrier in your career? How have mentors helped you grow as a leader? What was your path to get there? What advice would you give your 21-year-old self? 

As the event concluded, the students were provided with contact information for all the panelists so they could reach out and ask questions to prepare themselves for a career in the tech industry.

This was an incredible event for Bennett College

The Women in Cisco event was a success for Bennett College because it provided students with valuable insights into working in the tech industry, as well as an opportunity to network with successful liberal arts majors — including two alumnae from Bennett College!

But most of all, this was a great step in strengthening the relationship between Bennett College and Cisco:

“I hope both of you are doing well and still glowing from a great experience Friday at Bennett College! Thank you for all of the hard work in planning, organizing and communicating for the Women in Cisco ACES panel. I look forward to more opportunities and sponsorships for us to work together.”
— Dr. Santiba Campbell, Director of Academic Special Initiatives, Bennett College

I am genuinely proud to be part of a company that is committed to not only creating opportunity and exposure in the IT field to non-technical students, but also to the strategic recovery, sustainability, and legacy of HBCUs like Bennett College.

Let’s continue to work together to power an inclusive future for all by identifying more ways to transform our beliefs into action, especially as we celebrate Women’s History Month.

Register now for our upcoming Women Rock-IT event to learn how
amazing women are using technology to address climate change.

International Girls in ICT Day

 April 27th, 2023

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