Month: May 2023

By Liz Peters

When HKS Chicago updated its office’s circadian light and air circulation systems, the assessment that followed went beyond ceilings and walls.

HKS embraced an integrated design process, leveraging workplace design, daylighting and the associated LED lighting systems and controls. They also adopted a displacement ventilation system that delivers air through diffusers, enabling them to improve indoor air quality, save on energy, address noise and enhance comfort. The team evaluated performance and impact of these enhancements. A triple-bottom-line analysis resulted in finding an estimated net present value of $4.6 million–advancing human health and performance while staying cost neutral.

On a recent IWBI webcast, Tommy Zakrzewski, Ph.D., Director of Building Engineering Physics, HKS Chicago, shared how they were able to take an integrated approach, with health at the forefront of their thinking, to drive a major return on investment. The HKS story echoes the webcast theme, Investing in Health Pays Back: The Growing Research Behind the Business Case for Healthy Buildings and Healthy Organizations. The webcast explored how research can be used to inform and strengthen the business case for investing in health.

For more insights, hear Tommy in his own words:

“…And what we discovered is that there is a nice payback with [installing a high-performing system that saves on energy], where we’re able to evaluate not only the economic benefit, the environmental, but also the social aspect.

“So we did a triple bottom line analysis of [those WELL concepts] and strategy to understand, ‘How does that affect our business case?’ And because we’re able to show a payback period within the lease time of our Chicago office, it became a standard prototype for all of our other offices going forward, where we don’t even have to go through the study again, saying, ‘Well, are we going to realize the benefit?’ We’ve already done the research that it does.

“And… in our research study that net-present value that we did on a triple bottom line was a valuation of $4.6 million dollars in our office space of 15,000 square feet. That is a tangible metric that not only do we use internally to change our enterprise organization in terms of how we evaluate real estate office space internally, but we share that data with developers, which is really fun, right?

“So, now we’re changing the game and leaning into the data and research that we have to show the economic values to developers to change the game on how they approach it. One single strategy really opened up our eyes in terms of the full economic value…”

Watch the webcast.

View original content here.

When you think of cultural anthropologists, do you picture them working for a food company?

It makes perfect sense once you meet Tanya Rodriguez of Hormel Foods. Tanya, whose official title is Senior Human Experience Research Manager, uses ethnography and storytelling to uncover diverse consumer insights. By identifying product pain points and uncovering consumer’s desires, she guides Hormel teams on renovating existing products or creating new ones to improve consumer food experiences. As a former social worker, Tanya is also a fierce advocate for food equity and food sovereignty.

We invited Tanya to speak about the nature of her role and how learning directly from consumers impacts Hormel’s food while ensuring products reflect equity and representation.

Listen for insights on how a cultural anthropologist:

Evokes understanding of and improves equity to lower-income consumersInspires product innovation that drives inclusionAdvocates for the emerging needs of consumers

To listen to this episode and others, visit Purpose 360 Podcast.

Originally published in Key’s 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance report

Making banking more inclusive to everyone is a critical aspect of how Key helps our clients and communities thrive – from the products and services we offer to the investments we make in our communities.

Our focus on inclusivity and economic, racial, and environmental equity guides Key’s social responsibility commitments. Through lending, investing, grants, and volunteerism, we participate in the growth, revitalization, and sustainability of the communities we proudly serve.

Our commitment to inclusive communities

Key’s commitment to inclusive communities is vast, encompassing a broad range of programs, initiatives, and collaborations. Every part of our business supports building our legacy as a responsible corporate citizen and engaged community member.

Our community investments bring access to capital for neighborhoods and neighbors who often face barriers to financial support. Our investments support affordable housing and community development projects nationwide; small business and home lending in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities; and philanthropic efforts targeted toward education, workforce development, and building safe, vital neighborhoods. In 2022, Key has invested more than $6 billion in the communities we serve, bringing our total lending and investments to nearly $33 billion since 2017.

To learn more about Key’s Financial Inclusion efforts, read the 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance Report here.

NEWARK, N.J., May 9, 2023, /3BL Media/ – Whole Cities Foundation, a nonprofit broadening community access to fresh food and nutrition education, announced today that 10 community-led nonprofit organizations have been awarded up to $20,000 each through the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant.

In 2017, Whole Cities Foundation started the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant program with the support of its founder Whole Foods Market to advance the city’s long-term healthy food access solutions and improve community health. Since then, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 million to 33 locally led organizations throughout Newark’s five wards and has provided financial backing for additional opportunities shaped by the goals and requests of its grant partners. Grantees have included community gardens, urban farms, farmers’ markets, mobile markets, healthy cooking classes, nutrition education programs, agriculture-skills development programs, and a SNAP incentive project.

“Powerful change can happen when different strengths and talents come together for a common goal, and that’s what is happening in Newark,” said Dianna Purcell, Director of Programs at Whole Cities Foundation. “A growing network of local gardeners, community leaders and innovators are making real pathways to create a healthy and sustainable local food system from the ground up. Whole Cities Foundation is grateful to play a supporting role through the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant program.”

This year, the following 10 Newark organizations were awarded grants averaging $19,450 each:

City Green, Inc., Clinton Hill Community Action, Ellen DeGeneres Urban Farm, Girls; Live, Love, Laugh, Inc., Ironbound Community Corporation, Kids in Business, Newark Water Coalition, Rabbit Hole Farm Newark, Treehouse Ent & Cultural Arts Movement, Inc., and Urban League of Essex County.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Urban Farm produces fresh, organic food and helps to rebuild the local economy by bringing food directly to our local residents,” said Sandra Ragoo, Executive Director at The Ellen DeGeneres Urban Farm, a first-time grantee located on the campus of West Side High School in the West Ward. “Besides fresh, healthy food access, our urban farm impacts the local community by empowering students to have entrepreneurial mindsets, increasing upward economic mobility through job creation, and serving as a model for sustainable environmental practices.”

Whole Cities Foundation reviews applications in conjunction with the Newark Community Advisory Council, a panel of engaged Newark leaders. Grantees are determined by the sustainability of their projects and their alignment with the Foundation’s mission.

The 2023 Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grants paired with additional project funding totals $233,500. These grants launched an additional three-year, $780,000 commitment by the Foundation to continue advancing the local food system in partnership with the Newark community through 2025.

Similar to the program in Newark, Whole Cities Foundation previously supported deep community engagement through grants for healthy food access in four more cities: Detroit, Mich.; New Orleans, La.; Jackson, Miss.; and Greater Englewood, a neighborhood of Chicago, Ill. These commitments were in addition to the Foundation’s Community First Grant program, which has reached more than 128 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

For more information on Whole Cities Foundation’s Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant program, including a list of past grant partners, visit wholecitiesfoundation.org/grants/newark-nj. The next grant application window will open in early 2024.

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ABOUT WHOLE CITIES FOUNDATION 
Whole Cities Foundation works alongside community-based organizations to improve neighborhood health through collaborative partnerships, nutrition education, and broader access to fresh, healthy food. Founded by Whole Foods Market in 2014, the independent, nonprofit organization is based in Austin, Texas and has partnered with more than 250 community organizations in more than 130 cities across the U.S. to build thriving local food systems and improve health. Through vibrant grant programs, Whole Cities Foundation supports community gardens, urban farms, pop-up produce stands, agriculture skills development, farmers’ markets, mobile markets, healthy cooking classes and other community-directed initiatives. For more information on the Foundation and its programs, visit wholecitiesfoundation.org. For ongoing news and updates, follow Whole Cities Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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Media Contact:
Chanta Williams, Interim Executive Director
Whole Cities Foundation
Chanta.Williams@wholefoods.com
1.888.611.0081