Month: June 2023

The cost-of-living crisis has negatively impacted nearly half of people living in England and Wales, according to a new report.

A total of 48 percent of people who took part in the study have felt the effects of the crisis which has risen to 73 percent for those already living with an existing mental health problem, according to Mind.

The mental health charity released the data to mark Mental Health Awareness Week (which ran from May 15-21) with a focus on the theme of Anxiety.

A key finding in the report highlighted that many people are not receiving the required support when their mental health is negatively impacted. For example, more than half haven’t accessed support from a GP, two-thirds (66 percent) haven’t accessed online support and 71 percent haven’t accessed support from a local mental health charity.

The latest research revealed more than half of people (56 percent), who have already experienced a negative effect on their mental health, admitted the cost-of-living crisis has ramped up their anxiety levels. It has made 55 percent feel more stressed, 45 percent feel more depressed and 33 percent expressed feelings of loneliness.

Those already living with an existing mental health problem said the cost-of-living crisis has further impacted their health, with 66 percent feeling more anxious, 65 percent feeling more stressed than before and further depression is affecting 64 percent while 47 percent feel lonely.

While anxiety is a normal emotion for everyone, and acts as a natural response to pressure, fear or feeling threatened, it can occasionally get out of control. This then becomes a mental health problem, more apparent if it impacts a person’s ability to live their life as fully as they would like.

Big life events such as starting a new job (or losing one), exam pressures and maintaining healthy relationships can contribute to feeling anxious but money problems are also impacting on people’s wellbeing.

Mental Health Awareness Week aims to not only raise awareness but also promote better understanding of anxiety by providing information on the areas that can help prevent it from becoming problematic.

Simultaneously, Mind is continuing to apply pressure and is urging the government and society to improve mental health and ensure it is a key priority.

Censuswide conducted the survey on behalf of Mind with a sample of 3,015 respondents across England and Wales in March and April of this year.

Sarah Hughes, Mind Chief Executive, said: “The uncertainty of watching as our costs spiral can be difficult to bear and having so much to deal with can affect our mental health. Despite this, looking after our mental well-being is often last on our list. It’s really important that we all get the support we need – this is a mental health emergency that everyone is going to need help to deal with. 
“We know we can’t fix the cost-of-living crisis but support for your mental health is out there and we are here for you. This includes through Mind’s Infoline, online community, Side by Side and the useful information available on our website.”

Chloë Hunt, Global Senior Director – Advisory, Research & EDI at Acre, said: “With an increase in remote and online resources, support and material has never been more available to different audiences. Sometimes not knowing where to start or finding the best language to articulate and identify what you need is difficult. These campaigns that spotlight different dimensions to mental health and raise awareness too are invaluable”.

Mind offers help for those experiencing poor mental health, including money management advice to ensure you are claiming any extra money or support you are entitled to and familiarising yourself with money and mood patterns. For more information, visit Mind’s website.

At Acre, we work with the most aspirational businesses with potential to make real change; from those who are just starting out to those who are well on the journey to crafting a legacy.

Our 18 years’ experience in sustainability recruitment, combined with our extensive global network, enables us to provide talent solutions that are designed to deliver this change.

Through our unique behavioural assessment technology, we understand the types of people, skills and behaviours required to create impact. We can develop these qualities within your existing teams too.

We find talented people and develop their skills to ensure they make a true impact in ambitious, progressive organisations.

Acre. Making companies ready for tomorrow.

At Rayonier, safety is a way of life and a cornerstone of our culture. It is embedded within every action we take and guided by a fundamental respect for people. Rayonier’s commitment to safety extends beyond our employees. Our contractor workforce also partners with us when it comes to safety. In 2022 more than 650 Rayonier contractors in 8 different states attended in-person safety training which brought them up to speed on OSHA requirements and prepared them to implement their own active, written safety programs.

Our Safety Star recognition program is designed to promote role model behaviors in safety. This June, we are excited to recognize the entire Greater Georgia resource unit for its dedication to safety as a way of life.

When nominating the unit for the honor, Operations Safety Manager Patrick Hughes said, “It takes an entire team dedicated to safety to work with our contractors in developing their safety programs. Greater Georgia has worked diligently with their contractor workforce to meet various safety goals.”

Brian Shaker, Senior Timber Marketing Manager, emphasized the far-reaching implications of our new policy when he said, “For far too long, complacency, as it relates to safety, has been the ‘norm’ across forestry operations in the southeast. Raising the bar is the right thing to do and long overdue. It’s no surprise to me that our GGRU team would take great pride in helping Rayonier and our contractors lead such an important cultural change within the industry.”

Senior Administrative Assistant Carolyn Mobley has been honing a safety mindset for her entire career. She understands the importance of speaking up when she sees someone do something unsafe. She doesn’t ever want to wonder “Why didn’t I say something?” She also looks for opportunities to remind others of the ABCs of safety — Always Be Careful. “When I tell people to be safe or be careful, it is coming from the heart because I want each of my coworkers and contractors to go home safely at the end of the day.”

To learn more about Rayonier’s safety principles, visit https://www.rayonier.com/sustainability/responsible-stewardship/social/.

As a post-pandemic paradigm focused on health resilience in buildings and communities takes root, leading organizations are systematically elevating human health and well-being in how they implement sustainability initiatives. At this pivotal moment, the practitioner community can help inform more holistic and integrative approaches to implementation that marry healthy design with broader climate goals. To maximize positive health outcomes in concert with sustainability goals, practitioners from different sectors are now coalescing around a set of strategies and interventions to deliver on health, equity and well-being in everything from building projects to city policy, and from federal programs to environmental, social and governance frameworks.

Join us in this session that features a group of practitioners with different perspectives on how they are augmenting and strengthening sustainability initiatives with leading health-first strategies and best practices. This shift is particularly important as cities, schools and other major sectors across the built environment continue to receive historic federal infrastructure investments and newly extended sustainability incentives. In this larger context, the speakers will go into deeper detail about how cities are prioritizing health in city building policy and urban design, the role large commercial real estate is playing to ramp up health resilience in the face of future public health emergencies, and how tenants are advancing healthier workplaces.

Date: July 12 @2pm ET

Speakers

Wendy Feldman Block, Executive Managing Director, Savills USDeb Cloutier, President & Founder, RE Tech AdvisorsJon Douglas, Director, Healthy Buildings Services and Solutions, Johnson ControlsLena Geraghty, Director, Sustainability & Innovation, Municipal Practice, NLC

Moderator

Jason Hartke, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, IWBI

Register here

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June 29, 2023 /3BL/ – The Ray, a nonprofit organization advancing net-zero transportation and energy infrastructure with public agencies, announced a formal engagement with Cityfi to expand and accelerate The Ray’s project execution, and enhance growth nationally through forward-thinking policy and public affairs. Cityfi’s team of former public officials, technologists, and entrepreneurs are experienced in developing smart, connected transportation and technology hubs, scaling zero-emissions transportation with clean fuels and clean energy assets, and navigating state and local procurement. Cityfi’s unique approach combines business strategy, public affairs, and deep subject matter expertise to create tangible impact for organizations and coalitions. Cityfi is a majority women and minority-owned organization.

Currently, The Ray works in 29 states with over 50 public agencies to evaluate infrastructure innovations and technologies, provide technical advice and unique planning tools to bridge knowledge gaps, and facilitate projects from concept to construction. Transportation is the leading sector contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and transportation costs are the second largest annual household expense. Low-income communities are more likely to be situated near and adjacent to highways and interstates, and are more likely to suffer from noise pollution, transportation emissions, illegal tire dumping, and to experience health impacts from the urban heat island effect in highly paved areas.

The Ray’s net-zero mission is to build smarter, safer and cleaner infrastructure in the transportation and energy sectors. Recent successes include pollinator-friendly roadside solar arrays in Augusta, ME, connected and autonomous vehicle infrastructure in Austin, TX, and tire safety monitoring stations across Florida.

“The Ray’s research and thought leadership role in land use, natural capital, circularity, and how to leverage the clean energy economy into our transportation systems positions us to drive the national discussion and drive faster project development at the local and state level,” said Allie Kelly, Executive Director of The Ray. “Our strategic partnership with Cityfi and focus on stakeholder engagement will scale projects and new solutions.”

By leveraging the transportation planning, infrastructure deployment and policy expertise of Cityfi, The Ray can accelerate the progress and growth of its signature programs, including:

the utilization of transportation “rights-of-way” for solar arrays and the electrical grid;supporting connected and autonomous vehicle deployment with roadway sensors,
radios and data management systems;expanding re-uses of scrap tire material in sustainable pavements and stormwater
management and infiltration galleries.

“For the most economically disadvantaged individuals in America, the financial burden of transportation is disproportionately and unsustainably high,” said Andrew Wishnia, Partner with CityFi. “The impact of The Ray’s work is magnified in low-income communities, where public health and quality of life are far more greatly affected by transportation and infrastructure, and creates the opportunity for Cityfi to assist The Ray in initiating equitable and long-term sustainable development.”

Net-zero transportation encompasses a range of solutions for transportation infrastructure owners and users, including improved community design, efficient travel options, zero-emission vehicles and supporting infrastructure, clean energy deployment along transportation rights-of-way, and natural capital solutions like vegetation management for enhanced carbon sequestration in roadside soils.

“The Ray is transforming the way transportation infrastructure is built,” said Harriet Anderson Langford, Founder and President of The Ray. “Together, The Ray and Cityfi will help pave the way for a more sustainable future, where transportation and energy work harmoniously to minimize environmental impact and help communities thrive.”

About The Ray
The Ray is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity and net-zero highway testbed, located on 18 miles of Interstate 85 between Lagrange, Georgia and the Georgia-Alabama state line. This stretch of interstate is named in memory of Ray C. Anderson (1934-2011), a Georgia native recognized as a leader in green business when he challenged his company, Interface, Inc., to pursue a zero environmental footprint. Our mission is to reimagine how we connect our communities, our lives and the world in a way that is safer, more responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, and more capable of creating economic opportunity through innovative ideas and technologies that will transform transportation infrastructure. The Ray Highway is paving the way for a zero carbon, zero waste, zero deaths highway system that will build a safer and more prosperous future for us all. Learn more at www.TheRay.org.

About Cityfi
Cityfi is in the business of urban change management. We are government innovators, entrepreneurs, designers, political advisors, and trusted industry experts who have transformed public agencies and scaled high growth companies. We leverage our experienced, diverse, passionate team to develop visionary strategies and implementable actions that simplify complexity, align interests, and drive change to deliver meaningful outcomes.

We believe that true public-private partnerships are built upon clear lines of communication, common values, aligned incentives and shared commitment to outcomes. We focus a great deal on technology, but in the context of what is good for communities, citizens, and the long-term health of our environment. Cityfi operates in six core practice areas (Mobility Systems and Reimagines Streets; Public Affairs and Regulatory Design; Resilience and Adaptation; CleanTech and Zero-Emission Transition; Civic Innovation and Change Management and Digital Transformation and Connectivity) and fostering collaboration among these areas is a distinguishing feature of our work, resulting in comprehensive solutions. Learn more at https://www.cityfi.co/.

MEDIA CONTACT
Dallen McLemore, Communications Specialist, The Ray
229.449.6168 | dallen@theray.org | @TheRayHighway