Month: June 2023

June 8, 2023 /3BL Media/ – More than a dozen companies with headquarters or operations in New Jersey released a letter today to Gov. Phil Murphy and state lawmakers, urging them to support legislation committing New Jersey to 100% clean energy by 2035

The letter — signed by Avocado Green Brands, Ben & Jerry’s, Danone, DSM-Firmenich, ECOS, Eileen Fisher, IKEA, Mars, Miller/Howard Investments, Nestlé, Sealed, Unilever, and Uplight — demonstrates the sector-spanning corporate support for ambitious clean energy policy in New Jersey. It comes as the state legislature considers a 100% clean energy standard that positions the state to take advantage of its ample offshore wind resources and maximize the economic benefits provided by federal clean energy incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act. The proposal would also align with and codify the clean energy target set earlier this year by the Murphy administration.

“We understand firsthand how New Jersey’s energy policies impact the cost of doing business and our state’s economic competitiveness. A robust 100% clean energy standard and ambitious investment in the offshore wind industry will create policy certainty, ensuring New Jersey continues to be a competitive place to do business,” the letter reads.

The letter emphasized that a 100% clean energy standard would help New Jersey achieve the deepest possible emissions reductions as the state seeks to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles and home heating. The companies underscored that the policy would help them achieve their own climate goals, slash energy costs by reducing reliance on volatile fossil fuels, support the growing green workforce, and improve public health by cutting air pollution from power plants.

“Unilever’s commitment to sustainability is showcased at our U.S. headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, which is powered entirely by renewable energy and which we built to support our target of reducing emissions from our operations by 100% by 2030,” said Stefani Grant, Senior Manager, External Affairs & Sustainability, Unilever. “We believe climate action is essential for future-proofing our business, and we highly value doing business in places that recognize the many financial and economic benefits of a clean electric grid. We are proud to support to efforts in our U.S. home to shift to 100% clean electricity by 2035 and call on New Jersey lawmakers to pass this legislation this year.”

“As a New Jersey-based company, Avocado Green Brands fully supports a 100% clean electricity standard that would fully decarbonize the state’s grid by 2035. The climate crisis is a threat to global and economic stability, and the best way to address it is by using clean electricity to power the economic activity that we all rely on,” said John Davies, Senior Director, Brand Editorial and Sustainability at Avocado Green Brands. “We are proud that our home state has been a leader in confronting climate change. We now call on lawmakers to keep it up by passing legislation that ensure energy consumers throughout New Jersey have access to affordable, reliable, and clean electricity.”

The companies are part of a growing group of supporters across New Jersey stepping up efforts to pass legislation that achieves 100% clean energy by 2035. A separate event scheduled today will feature advocates and lawmakers pushing for passage this year.

“Businesses in every industry know that achieving 100% clean energy by 2035 will bring massive benefits to New Jersey’s companies, communities, and economy. It is also necessary for the state to meet its ambitious climate goals and lead the transition to a clean energy economy,” said Alli Gold Roberts, senior director of state policy, Ceres, a sustainability nonprofit that organized the letter. “New Jersey lawmakers can count on the support of the forward-looking companies we work with as they advance a 100% clean energy standard this year.”

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.

Media Contact: Helen Booth-Tobin, 617-247-0700 ext. 214, booth-tobin@ceres.org

BETHLEHEM, Pa., June 7, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Community Action Lehigh Valley has received a three-year, $150,000 grant from KeyBank Foundation to support The Seed Farm, a partner of Second Harvest Food Bank and program of Community Action Lehigh Valley, an anti-poverty nonprofit aiming to improve the quality of life by building economic opportunity. The Seed Farm provides new farmers with valuable, practical experience and skills on their training farm as well as the opportunity to launch sustainable farm businesses on site in Emmaus, PA.

The Seed Farm carries out a critical part of Second Harvest Food Bank’s mission through its agricultural incubator program, which provides new agricultural businesses with intensive training in production, marketing, business planning, and equipment operation, helping to remove barriers to economic opportunities that new farmers often face. With assistance from The Seed Farm, many viable and diverse farm businesses have been launched, which in turn, contribute to the production of nutritious, locally grown food distributed to under-resourced communities by Second Harvest Food Bank’s charitable food network.

“Our agricultural incubator provides access to land, equipment, education, and infrastructure to address the barriers of new farm entry, with an emphasis on access for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and women,” said Katy Hunter, Program Administrator. “Our goal is to help new farmers create viable careers to address the concerning decline in farms across our region and the nation, and we are thrilled that KeyBank sees value in our work.”

Developed by Lehigh County and Penn State Extension to support the farmland preservation program, The Seed Farm was established to cultivate the next generation of farmers to take over preserved farmland. Since 1989, Lehigh County has preserved over 26,000 acres of farmland. In 2019, The Seed Farm merged with Community Action Lehigh Valley’s Second Harvest Food Bank. Through the merger, The Seed Farm continues its core mission of growing new farmers and strengthening the local agriculture system, while also taking on a more focused approach to utilizing the charitable food network for food distribution.

“As a community-minded bank, KeyBank’s mission is to help our clients and communities thrive,” said KeyBank Corporate Responsibility Officer & Community Relations Manager, Chiwuike Owunwanne. “The Seed Farm’s mission aligns closely with Key’s philanthropic focus areas such as job creation and workforce development, the removal of barriers to economic opportunities for diverse populations and addressing food insecurity for our most vulnerable citizens. We are proud to support their work.”

About Community Action Lehigh Valley

Community Action is an anti-poverty nonprofit that improves the quality of life by building a community in which all people have access to economic opportunity, the ability to pursue that opportunity, and a voice in the decisions that affect their lives. Community Action offers programs and services in: Advocacy, Business Start-Up and Development, Food Access and Nutrition, Housing, Neighborhood Revitalization, and Youth. To learn more, visit communityactionlv.org or @communityactionlv.

About The Seed Farm

The Seed Farm provides training opportunities, access to land and equipment, and business start-up assistance to emerging farmers on their 42-acre farm in Emmaus, PA. Through the Farm Business Incubator program, beginning farmers with business plans may launch their own farm on site. They produce and market their own products, while having access to land, equipment, and infrastructure at reduced rates and receive continued guidance from farm mentors and Seed Farm staff. To learn more, visit theseedfarm.org or @theseedfarm.

About KeyBank Foundation

KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive, and its mission is to support organizations and programs that prepare people for thriving futures. The Foundation’s mission is advanced through three funding priorities – neighbors, education, and workforce – and through community service. To provide meaningful philanthropy that transforms lives, KeyBank Foundation listens carefully to understand the unique characteristics and needs of its communities and then backs solutions with targeted philanthropic investments. KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation, funded by KeyCorp.

About KeyCorp

KeyCorp’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $198 billion as of March 31, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 8, 2023 /3BL Media/ – As part of the Joint Electric Scaling Initiative (JETSI) project, global critical infrastructure solutions leader Black & Veatch today announced the design-build completion of 16 high-power chargers in South El Monte, California, for Schneider National Inc. (NYSE: SNDR), a premier multimodal provider of transportation, intermodal and logistics services battery-electric trucking fleet. JETSI is the first battery-electric truck project jointly financed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC).

The charging station includes 16, 350-kilowatt, dual-corded dispensers, supplied by four 1.2-megawatt power cabinets from Power Electronics. With the dual-corded dispensers, 32 battery-electric trucks (BETs) can be charged simultaneously, reaching an 80% charge within 90 minutes, increasing efficiency of operations for Schneider.

“Black & Veatch’s involvement in this project combines our expertise in clean transportation and infrastructure development to unlock an alternative energy source for Schneider’s fleet,” said Dave Hallowell, president of the connectivity, commercial, and industrial sector for Black & Veatch. “Being involved in this project, and other JETSI initiatives, showcases our commitment to sustainable resources and makes clear the environmental priorities that many trucking companies, like Schneider, are shifting towards.”

Black & Veatch worked closely with local utility Southern California Edison (SCE) to ensure success of the project, including power supply for the charging dispensers.

“We are bringing a large scale zero emission operation to reality,” said Schneider President and CEO Mark Rourke. “We can now offer the – first of its kind- cleaner mode of freight transportation to valued customers, who share our goal of operating in ways that are environmentally responsible. That’s why we invested and collaborated with stakeholders along the supply chain to work together to lower carbon emissions. This would not be possible without our funding and grant agencies.” 

From a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to an increase in employment opportunities, the use of electric trucking fleets brings both environmental and economic benefits, key aspects of the ongoing growth of clean transportation.

“Companies switching from gas-powered fleets to battery-electric trucks will have a lasting impact on the surrounding communities they serve,” said Randal Kaufman, business development director for Black & Veatch.

Contact Black & Veatch for more information.

Editor’s Notes: 

Schneider’s eight-acre South El Monte site is centrally located within the metro Los Angeles area and adjacent to major highways with a high density of shippers within a 50-mile radius.Funding for 50 of Schneider’s BETs is part of the JETSI project — a landmark initiative to demonstrate strategies to successfully scale market penetration of zero-emission technologies. JETSI is the first battery-electric truck project jointly financed by California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), which together awarded the project $27 million. To learn more, click the link here.For photos of the site, click here.

About Black & Veatch 
Black & Veatch is a 100-percent employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2022 were US$4.3 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

Media Contact Information:

MEGHAN LOCKNER | +1 201-977-1628 | locknerm@bv.com

24-HOUR MEDIA CONTACT | Media@bv.com