Month: August 2023

August 24, 2023 /3BL/ – In honor of National Black Business Month, SkysTheLimit.org is proud to shine a spotlight on Ray’Chel Wilson, visionary Founder of Raise the Bar Investments, LLC and ForOurLastNames, who has harnessed her passion for financial empowerment to build not one, but two successful businesses that are changing lives and creating opportunities.

Ray’Chel’s journey is one of turning passion into action. Through her first business venture, Raise the Bar Investments, Ray’Chel has pioneered a financial education social enterprise that empowers minorities to bridge the racial and gender wealth gap. Inspired by her own financial achievements, including leveraging cryptocurrency profits to pay off her undergraduate student loans, Ray’Chel birthed Raise the Bar Investments. Her accolades include recognition as one of “Tulsa’s Emerging 100” entrepreneurs. Armed with a degree in Public Health from The Ohio State University, a CFEI certification through the National Financial Educators Council, and a Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University, Ray’Chel is a published author of the “Black Wealth Freedom” series.

Fueling her passion further, Ray’Chel founded ForOurLastNames, an empowering app that bridges education and investing. This dual-sided business model offers both a white-label software for financial institutions and a subscription-based app for individual investors. The app opens the doors to diverse investment opportunities, empowering users with knowledge and confidence for informed decision-making.

Ray’Chel’s journey was enriched by the guidance of her mentors, including Lauren Moore, Regina Musyl, and Tiffany Bogert. Mentors Lauren Moore, a Management Consultant at Accenture and Regina Musyl, Solution Architect at Accenture became advisory board members of Raise the Bar Investments and provide global insight for the ForOurLastNames app go-to-market strategy. Their input on the first ForOurLastNames pitch deck helped secure first place at the Build in Tulsa Female Founders Pitch Night competition, resulting in a 100% growth in the waitlist. These achievements are paving the way for successful beta tests of ForOurLastNames, and for a timely launch of the app. Tiffany Bogert, Technology Consultant at Accenture, evolved from mentor to co-founder and CTO of ForOurLastNames, contributing her global technology skills to the venture.

“All former and current Raise the Bar Investments mentors empowered us to not only receive our first $2,500 grant, which funded the Holistic Money Mindset: Mental Preparation for Abundance workbook, but also increase our ROI by 300% within months of the book release,” said Ray’Chel.

Ray’Chel’s journey, marked by accomplishments from securing grants to thriving sales, is a testament to her dedication and the support of her mentors. As her businesses continue to flourish, Ray’Chel’s vision of financial empowerment and generational wealth-building is set to impact millions through Raise the Bar Investments and ForOurLastNames.

Read more about Ray’Chel Wilson’s inspiring success story here.

Sky’s the Limit offers opportunities for traditionally marginalized entrepreneurs – typically those who identify as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, women, veterans, disabled people, and people from low-income backgrounds – to connect with mentors to come together to foster, grow, and shape modern and future enterprise. The organization has also provided over $450,000 in startup grants and educated tens of thousands of diverse entrepreneurs.

For more information about partnerships and how to get involved, please visit skysthelimit.org/partnerships.

###

About SkysTheLimit.org: SkysTheLimit.org is a digital platform that connects young, historically excluded entrepreneurs with one-on-one support from experienced business advisors and mentors, entrepreneurship training, and community-voted startup grants. SkysTheLimit.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

We were thrilled to host Rise Against Hunger at our office this week for their Chicago Community Packing event in celebration of their 25th Anniversary. To mark this milestone, 300 dedicated volunteers gathered and packed 30,000 meals to bring nourishment and hope to people facing food insecurity, a testament to our shared commitment to alleviating hunger.

Learn more about our efforts to support food security in our 2022 Philanthropic Impact Report here.

Originally published in FedEx’s 2023 ESG Report

Facilities

We aim to continuously improve the sustainability, reduce the environmental impact, and increase the efficiency of our more than 5,000 air and ground hubs, local stations, freight service centers, and retail locations. We do this by sustained investment in energy management, renewable energy and storage, and waste minimization, among other initiatives.

While our energy demand is increasing to support EV deployment and charging infrastructure, we have increased our focus on facility energy management and off-site renewable energy procurement strategies to overcome this challenge. Our Energy SIT is developing a longterm roadmap to support our EV transition plan. This roadmap will support our goal of achieving carbon neutral operations by 2040 through its approach to Scope 2 emission reductions. We are taking a proactive approach to our energy requirements by looking across our operating companies, forecasting their energy needs, developing a renewable energy procurement strategy using various contracting models, and considering factors such as utility operating structures and local and federal regulations.

Energy management systems are essential to increasing efficiency at our facilities through monitoring, regulating, and optimizing our lighting, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning equipment. We incorporate innovative energy efficiency specifications and explore on-site renewable energy generation options when designing new facilities. FedEx Office utilizes energy management systems and LED lighting at over 1,500 stores, decreasing energy usage by 40% since FY17. Across operating companies, our energy management systems saved over 225 million kilowatt hours of electricity in FY22.

In alignment with our carbon neutral operations goal, we invest in both on-site renewable energy generation and external procurement of renewable energy. Globally in FY22, we generated on- and off-site solar energy at 29 locations across our operating companies, and approximately 30% of FedEx Express Europe energy use was from renewable sources. FedEx Ground has 18 on-site and off-site solar installations. FedEx Freight has operated on-site solar installations in California since 2008. FedEx Office plans to have its first solar-powered store in 2023. FedEx Office typically has short-term leases for storefronts, making it difficult to generate on-site clean power or procure renewable energy through long-term power purchase agreements. This new structure will support property owners in installing a solar project and offering the benefits to commercial tenants, serving as a model for other stores.

FedEx Express operates a one-megawatt community solar system in Washington, D.C., and in May 2022 announced a special charitable arrangement to further spread the benefits of this project. We are allocating a portion of the electricity bill credits generated by the solar installation to the local non-profit SOME (So Others Might Eat), which provides services to individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness in the district.

The long-term health of our business is directly connected to the health of the planet and local communities. Each operating company has robust programs and policies to help mitigate adverse impacts on the local environment from facility operations and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. To further drive our environmental sustainability progress, our CSO manages our enterprise-wide Environmental Management System and reviews performance annually. We consistently strive to enhance our environmental performance across our facilities. As of FY22, FedEx Express achieved the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard at 862 sites across 33 countries. Additionally, in February 2022, FedEx Express received ISO 14001 certification for all on-airport locations in the U.S.

We adopt the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard in the U.S. and the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) in Europe to guide efficient facility design when appropriate. FedEx Express and FedEx Freight seek LEED certification on all new construction, and in total, FedEx has 44 LEEDcertified facilities and 13 BREEAM-certified facilities across our operating companies.

To reduce our operational waste footprint, we implement standardized waste and recycling management processes in the U.S. We prioritize reducing our waste generation and then recycling the waste we do produce. At FedEx Freight, we minimize waste generation and reduce costs by reusing equipment and sharing excess supplies among locations and departments through the Supply Exchange Program. In addition, FedEx Freight implemented a waste recycling program, through which we have recycled over 1,700 tons of metal, over 2,700 tons of paper, and over 500 tons of woodrelated waste since 2011. FedEx Express recycled over 41.7 million pounds of cardboard, wood pallet, paper, and metal waste in FY22. FedEx Ground facilities diverted nearly 80% of their waste to recycling. In FY22 FedEx Office continued its toner recycling program, preventing 38,000 cartridges from ending up in landfills. Overall, we sent 61% of reported solid waste from our global facilities to recyclers in FY22.

CO2 e emissions avoided from facility energy efficiency initiatives 
(metric tons) 
FY19 179,638 
FY20 193,492 
FY21 147,231 
FY22 160,392

Key links 
Our approach | Facilities 
Environmental Policy

Read more

Supply chains account for up to 90% of some organizations’ greenhouse gas emissions: reportAn algorithm will help the companies cut emissions and costs

By Elizabeth Utley and Alison Tudor Ackroyd

Cainiao Group, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, signed a cooperation agreement with consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) this week to create an AI-powered supply chain.

The partners aim to reduce transportation costs and carbon emissions. They are deploying a fulfillment algorithm that can predict demand for goods and then consolidates cargo headed for the same address.

Cainiao is leveraging its technology to provide supply chain solutions and will help P&G upgrade its own fulfillment services, Shuai Yong, Vice President of Cainiao Group, noted in a statement.

Cainiao issued its inaugural social responsibility report last year to engage consumers and business partners in sustainable practices for the benefit of people and the planet alike.

The delivery service has developed an end-to-end green logistics system from purchase to delivery, including paperless shipping labels, smart route planning, recycling, and solar-powered warehouses.

These measures are part of a promise made by Alibaba to reach carbon neutrality and halve carbon intensity in its supply chain by 2030.

More companies are examining the environmental impact of their supply chains. Up to 90% of an organization’s greenhouse gas emissions, and 50% to 70% of operating costs, are attributable to supply chains, according to a report by research group CDP.

Retailers including Unilever and Nestle have joined forces with Alibaba to transform operations along their supply chains.

New Warehouse

Cainiao and P&G, owners of household brands like Pampers diapers and Gillette razors, are working together in other ways in interest of sustainability.

Earlier this week, the two companies also announced their first jointly built front warehouse. Located in Zhejiang, the site functions as a halfway point between P&G factories upstream and consumers and retailers downstream.

Using the recently unveiled fulfillment algorithm, the company will be able to pinpoint demand and quickly meet it with Cainiao’s network of cargo vehicles.

The two companies are developing a solid and lasting foundation for cooperation, said Yin Chao, Vice President of P&G Greater China Supply Chain Operations, in a statement.

During recent major shopping festivals like 11.11, they have also collaborated on using parcels and wrapping methods to cut waste.

Learn more about green logistics in China

Please refer to https://www.alizila.com/esg/ for additional information about Alibaba’s sustainability efforts.

View original content here.