Month: May 2023

NEW YORK and MELBOURNE, Australia, May 16, 2023 /3BL Media/ – The world’s leading International advocacy organization Global Citizen, and the Waislitz Foundation, who create positive social impact through innovative projects that empower individuals to achieve their full potential, have announced that applications are now open for the Waislitz Global Citizen Awards 2023. 

The Waislitz Global Citizen Awards distribute annual cash prizes totaling USD$250,000 to support changemakers around the world and their grassroots work to end extreme poverty and its systemic causes. Applicants for the grand prize of USD$100,000, and two additional awards of USD$75,000, are judged on their ability to excel in five key areas: global citizenship, proof of concept, disruption, scalability, and adaptability.

Additional prizes include the Waislitz Global Citizen Disruptor Award, given to the applicant who has created a measurable impact through innovation that disrupts the systems that perpetuate extreme poverty; and the Waislitz Global Citizens’ Choice Award, which is selected with input from public online voting via Global Citizen online. The awards are open to individuals or individual representatives of global organizations working to end extreme poverty and its many causes and consequences.

The awards are presented by the Waislitz Foundation and Global Citizen, supported by leading U.S. and Australian-based cellular medicines company Mesoblast Ltd, and Unico Capital Holdings.

Winners of the Waislitz Awards are individuals who not only disrupt the status quo, but also serve their communities in a crucial time of need. Past winners include changemakers who have revolutionized access to education using technology and TV broadcast, distributed birth kits and manufactured PPE for frontline health care workers, reduced food spoilage with 100 percent solar-powered walk-in cold rooms, and converted women-led food carts into mobile disinfectant units to help combat COVID-19.

“Ending extreme poverty is not a choice — it’s an obligation,” said Alex Waislitz, Chairman and Founder of the Melbourne-based Waislitz Foundation. “My hope is that the awards will inspire many thousands of people around the world to do what they can to improve the living standards of those in dire need.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the continuing support from Alex and the Waislitz Foundation, who inspire and equip changemakers everywhere to continue their vital work in the fight against extreme poverty,” said Hugh Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Citizen. “Grassroots innovators are the key to community-based change, and these award winners will impact many lives and encourage others to do the same.”

Since 2014, The Waislitz Foundation has committed almost $2 million to the Waislitz Global Citizen Awards and their efforts to end extreme poverty NOW.

The application process is now open, and closes on May 31, 2023, at 20:00 p.m. EDT. 

Previous Waislitz Global Citizen Award winners include: 
Kristin Kagetsu, Co-Founder and CEO, Saathi 
Bina Shrestha, Co-Founder Build up Nepal 
Haroon Yasin, Co-Founder and Chairperson of Orenda 
Charlot Magayi, Founder and CEO of Mukuru Clean Stoves 
Koketso Moeti, Founder and Executive Director of amandla.mobi 
Caitlin Barrett, CEO of Love Mercy Foundation 
Tabitha Mpamira-Kaguri, Founder and Executive Director of EDJA Foundation 
Wilma Rodrigues, Founder, and CEO of Saahas Zero Waste 
Clarisse Uwineza, for her work converting organic waste into fertilizer in Rwanda 
Twesigye Jackson Kaguri, Director of Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project, working to make education more accessible to AIDS orphans in Uganda 
Anoop Jain, Founder of Humanure Power, for his work in rural India building sanitation facilities.

Click here for more information about the 2023 Waislitz Global Citizen Awards.

– Ends –

About Global Citizen: 
Global Citizen is the world’s leading international advocacy organization on a mission to end extreme poverty NOW. Powered by a worldwide community of everyday activists raising their voices and taking action, the movement is amplified by campaigns and events that convene leaders in music, entertainment, public policy, media, philanthropy and the corporate sector. Over the past 10 years, $43.6 billion in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms has been deployed, impacting nearly 1.3 billion lives. Established in Australia in 2008, Global Citizen’s team operates from New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Toronto, Johannesburg, Lagos and beyond. Join the movement at globalcitizen.org, download the Global Citizen app, and follow Global Citizen on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and Twitter.

About The Waislitz Foundation: 
After many years of involvement in private philanthropic giving, Australian investor and businessman Alex Waislitz founded the Waislitz Foundation in 2013. The foundation represents a new approach to giving. It aims to invest in, and have a direct social impact on, some of the world’s biggest social problems through active participation in the projects it supports. It aims to improve the quality of people’s lives through innovative initiatives and partnerships.

CONTACT: 
Global Citizen Inquiries: media@globalcitizen.org

Media Toolkit 

May 16, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Dozens of large companies and investors are taking to Capitol Hill this week to participate in LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023, a two-day advocacy event that will bring business leaders into direct meetings with members of Congress and the Biden administration. Participants will urge policymakers to invest in America by taking action that further establishes the U.S. as a global leader in advanced manufacturing supply chains, clean energy deployment, and resilient agriculture practices.

The fifth annual LEAD (Lawmaker Education and Advocacy Day) event will take place May 17-18, with 59 participating companies, 12 investors, and five trade groups scheduled for 60 meetings with members of Congress from both parties, as well as federal administration officials.

Participants include representatives from Adobe, Best Buy, Boyne Resorts, CommonSpirit Health, Diageo, Enel North America, Holcim US, HP, JLL, Microsoft, National Grid, Nestlé, Netflix, Oatly, PepsiCo, PSEG, Salesforce, Siemens, Starbucks, U.S. Steel, Workday, and many more companies from sectors across the economy.

A full list of participating companies and investors is available here.

“As the national leader in sustainable building solutions, Holcim US is eager to work with municipalities and contractors to help them capitalize on the Inflation Reduction Act’s much-needed investment in green infrastructure,” said Michael LeMonds, Holcim US Vice President, ESG and Chief Sustainability Officer. “Today we encouraged the federal policymakers at LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023 to expand upon this momentum by continuing to support action that will invest in manufacturing jobs and climate solutions.”

“As a long-time investor in the energy transition, HASI recognizes the power of strong public policy and private sector collaboration. We are witnessing historic growth and momentum in the clean energy sector following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act last year, but we must continue working to fully realize these economic gains and ensure our decarbonization trajectory is sound,” said Susan Nickey, Chief Client Officer of HASI. “One of the most crucial policies that require attention is energy permitting. It plays a vital role in expediting the development of a robust transmission infrastructure, which is essential to harnessing America’s abundant domestic clean energy sources. We are proud to join with business leaders once again at LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023 to call upon Congress to unite on a bipartisan basis and enact the necessary reforms required to modernize our electricity grid effectively.”

“These transformational investments in infrastructure and industry are powerful tools to help us shape a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable future,” said Barbara Humpton, President & CEO, Siemens USA. “Our technology at Siemens supports the backbone of the economy and we’re proud to be working with local, state, and national partners to help strengthen power grids, modernize manufacturing, decarbonize buildings, and build a national EV charging network.”

“As the largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium has been investing in climate resilience for several decades. We are committed to further efforts in our operations and our supply chain – but at this point can only do so much on our own,” said Steve Fechheimer, CEO, New Belgium Brewing. “Federal investments are poised to incentivize our growers’ transition to more profitable low carbon practices, accelerate the transition to clean trucks, improve rural economies, and preserve the American tradition of brewing and drinking beer. That’s why we are excited to share our support for federal action at LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023.”

LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023 participants collectively generate more than $1 trillion in annual revenue and employ more than 1.7 million people. Many of them participated in last year’s LEAD event to encourage lawmakers to support the clean energy, clean transportation, clean industry, environmental justice, resilient agriculture, and conservation investments that ultimately comprised the Inflation Reduction Act.

This year, participants will urge policymakers to ensure the U.S. fully capitalizes on the opportunity presented by the Inflation Reduction Act, other state and federal policies, and the ongoing surge of private sector clean energy investment. In particular, they will call for bipartisan solutions that:

Maximize return on investment to create U.S. manufacturing jobs and build an advanced, clean economy;Reform permitting processes to responsibly accelerate deployment of clean energy infrastructure;Craft a Farm Bill that invests in all U.S. farmers, ranchers, and land.

The meetings come at an opportune time for federal policymaking. The Biden administration is still implementing landmark legislation from the last Congress that is unlocking U.S. clean energy manufacturing investments, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act. Lawmakers are considering additional legislation to strengthen U.S. competitiveness such as a border adjustment or foreign pollution fee based on carbon emissions for heavy industrial products made in countries with weaker environmental standards. Meanwhile, multiple proposals related to energy permitting and transmission reform are pending in Congress, and negotiations over the 2023 Farm Bill reauthorization are well underway.

“The U.S. has seen a wave of private investment in clean energy manufacturing and deployment, with jobs and other economic benefits that are being felt across the country — in red states and blue states alike,” said Zach Friedman, director of federal policy, Ceres. “America’s business community knows this is no time to let up. That’s why dozens of companies and investors are coming to LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023, making the urgent case to policymakers from both parties to invest in America. They see a massive opportunity for the U.S. to establish itself as the global leader in advanced manufacturing and clean energy supply chains, accelerate the roll-out of domestic clean energy resources, and invest in our nation’s farmers and rural communities.”

Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit that works with companies and investors to advance sustainability practices and policies, has organized hundreds of meetings with lawmakers at LEAD events since 2019. Corporate advocacy for robust climate policy is of growing importance to investors, who see the climate crisis as a major financial risk and clean energy as a massive economic opportunity, and they have pushed companies to make these issues central to their public policy engagement. Research conducted by Ceres has shown that America’s largest companies are increasingly lobbying in support of strong climate policies that align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. LEAD events provide companies with an opportunity to hone and expand their climate advocacy as they look to strengthen their policy engagement practices.

“Companies and investors have proven themselves as highly influential policy advocates with credibility on both sides of the aisle. We are excited to bring them back to Capitol Hill for LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023 to make the case that the transition to clean energy is not ideological, but rather a business imperative that is good for the climate, the economy, and their bottom lines,” said Anne Kelly, vice president of government relations, Ceres. “In a divided government, we can all agree that this is a time to invest America — and to champion American clean energy technologies that will keep the U.S. competitive and resilient going forward.”

About Ceres 

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.