Month: August 2023

Our commitment to sustainability means striving to create shared value with our stakeholders – empowering people to achieve more, contributing to progress in our communities and protecting the environment we all share.

We are challenging ourselves to lead in sustainable energy – meeting the needs of today while investing in an energy-diverse future. This objective drives us to strengthen the resiliency of our business, innovate for the future and embed sustainability in all we do.

Read about our recent accomplishments and progress toward achieving goals in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of our business in our latest Sustainability Report.

Published by Las Vegas Sands on May 25, 2023

LAS VEGAS /3BL/ – Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) announced it has donated $175,000 to the Asian Community Development Council (ACDC), building on the company’s Sands Cares partnership with the leading nonprofit organization serving the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Southern Nevada.

Coinciding with AAPI Heritage Month in May, the 2023 Sands Cares donation to ACDC supports two capacity-building initiatives: the Healthy Asians & Pacific Islanders (HAPI) Medical Center and the API Language Link, enabling ACDC to provide critical in-language health and social services to the AAPI community.

Sands previously supported ACDC with funding to open the HAPI Medical Center last September. The clinic provides the AAPI community with a 100% bilingual staff to deliver high-quality, in-language care, removing barriers often faced in obtaining health care services. Sands’ 2023 funding will help the HAPI Medical Center host community health care events to deliver medical and dental services, mammograms and vaccinations.

In 2021 Sands enabled ACDC to establish the API Language Link, which facilitates connections to a variety of social services, and the 2023 Sands Cares funding will enable ACDC to hire more language specialists to ensure the organization meets the needs of the HAPI Medical Center and its other direct service locations, including a culturally-sensitive food distribution warehouse in Las Vegas and a second community resource center in Reno, Nevada.

Both areas of support represent Sands Cares’ focus areas of helping nonprofit organizations build capacity to increase their impact and assisting diverse communities in removing systemic barriers to critical needs and opportunities.

“The support we have received from Sands Cares over the past three years has made possible two tremendous service expansions, both underscored by the fact that language should never present a barrier to receiving the care and services people need,” Vida Lin, founder and president of ACDC, said. “Sands’ partnership is helping us make vital connections to ensure the well-being of the diverse AAPI communities we serve.”

The HAPI Medical Center provides culturally sensitive primary health care spanning urgent care for acute symptoms, chronic disease management and preventive health care services, with the future goal of providing access to specialty care such as cardiology, diabetes, nephrology, behavioral health, gastroenterology and infectious disease services. With Sands support in 2022, the HAPI Medical Center provided free medical care to patients in January and February, enrolled patients in its financial scholarship program to cover medical expenses and hosted 19 vaccine clinics.

The API Language Link offers support in 10 languages with translation specialists assisting ACDC’s service delivery for food distribution and assistance, health insurance navigation, citizenship applications, and voter registration, as well as at the HAPI Medical Center. In 2022, API Language Link specialists conducted more than 1,000 in-language meetings, hosted more than 350 community events, created and distributed 5,500 Chinese-language voting guides, and sent more than 270,000 pieces of in-language mail.

“ACDC is improving lives daily, while advancing the long-term health and well-being of the AAPI community in Southern Nevada,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, who spearheads corporate responsibility initiatives at Sands. “The significant impact they have made with these programs is why we continue to invest in their efforts. Not only are we committed to being an ally for the AAPI community as a whole – we believe in ACDC’s ability to provide leadership in addressing the diverse needs of the many populations it serves.”

Sands Cares’ support for ACDC is one of several engagements with diverse community organizations. Through these efforts, Sands aims to propel programs that remove systemic barriers and advance opportunities for underrepresented groups.

To learn more about Sands Cares, visit https://www.sands.com/responsibility/communities/#our-program-sands-cares. To learn more about the Asian Community Development Council, visit https://acdcnv.org/

About Sands (NYSE: LVS)

Sands is the world’s preeminent developer and operator of world-class integrated resorts. Our iconic properties drive valuable leisure and business tourism and deliver significant economic benefits, sustained job creation, financial opportunities for local businesses and community investment to help make our host regions ideal places to live, work and visit.

Sands’ portfolio of properties includes Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and The Venetian Macao, The Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, The Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao and Sands Macao in Macao SAR, China, through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd.

Sands is dedicated to being a leader in corporate responsibility, anchored by the core tenets of serving people, planet and communities. Our ESG leadership has led to inclusion on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for World and North America. To learn more, visit www.sands.com.

About the Asian Community Development Council

The Asian Community Development Council (ACDC) is a nonprofit and non-partisan organization of volunteers dedicated to building, connecting, and educating the Asian American Pacific Islander community in Nevada. ACDC was officially chartered in 2015. The mission of ACDC is to improve the general well-being and education of the Asian American Pacific Islander and other ethnic communities in Nevada. Services that ACDC offers include voter education, health insurance enrollment assistance, citizenship application assistance, vaccination clinics (Influenza and COVID-19), food distribution, College Readiness Bootcamp and GraduAsian.

Contacts:

Kristin Koca, Sands 
Kristin.Koca@sands.com 
702.923.9142

Chloe Hsia, ACDC 
chloe@acdcnv.org 
702.496.9186

When it comes to raising crops, protecting them through harvest is often the toughest part of the job. With each changing season, day, hour and even second, you’re faced with a number of threats ranging from weeds, disease and pests – couple these with climate change, regulatory pressures, and current supply chain issues, and you’ve got as much potential for stress as you do for success. That’s exactly why we’re innovating crop protection solutions that meet your needs today – and anticipate what you may need tomorrow. 

Just as no two fingerprints are alike, no farmer or their fields are, either. From Indiana to India, from corn to cauliflower, we understand that your challenges and needs are unique to you and your farm – and that means developing crop protection solutions that are personalized down to the individual hectares that make up your operation.

Keep reading to discover some of the uniquely-you solutions that are delivering a big impact for farmers around the world – wherever they may be and whatever they may be facing.

Digital Weed Management

Combating Weeds Without Combing Through Fields

Physically inspecting every hectare or acre of your farm for potential problems is neither realistic nor cost-effective. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why data-driven digital tools have become a vital part of monitoring crops for a variety of issues before they impact food production.

These tools integrate with equipment you’re already using to give a range of analyses – from an individual plant to entire farming operations.

Turning Data Into Insights

On your farm – on any farm – outcomes are everything. With the help of digital platforms like Climate FieldViewTM and Sentera, combined with local expertise, farmers are able to collect, store and analyze valuable data utilizing existing tools and equipment.

With Sentera, U.S. farmers work with agronomic partners to monitor pests and risk of crop damage by combining drone imagery with data science, gaining valuable insights that help drive optimized, real-time crop protection decisions. Sentera can deliver detailed, exact snapshots of weed pressure and location for streamlined scouting and application. Precise inputs, improved outcomes. Win, win.

Drone-Based Applications

Easing Labor Pressures in the Pacific

If you’re like most farmers, drones were not-so-long-ago considered futuristic farming tech. Now, though, they’re just another tool in the crop protection toolbox. In the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, especially for smallholder farmers, drones have become a vital operational asset.

Climate change and COVID-19 have severely affected the value chain and labor markets in APAC, and drones are being used to identify and target specific problem areas within crops – saving farmers vital time and resources, ultimately increasing profitability and sustainability.

And They’re Safer, Too.

As a farmer, you know that safety is always top of mind. In rice paddies, where backpack applications often put farmers directly in the application zone, drones have been adopted as a tool to drastically improve input regulation, but also to increase safety.

Drones offer farmers the ability to break through broadleaf crop canopies to apply protectants or individual plant applications all from a safe distance, with greater precision.

Anticipating Crop Disease

Helping Farmers Predict the Unpredictable

Going into any growing season, you’re likely met with hope, excitement – and a little bit of uncertainty. One of the most unpredictable problems for farmers the world over is disease. But what if the unpredictable were…predictable?

Through a new pilot program aimed at cereal farmers, we’re hoping to do just that. PreDiMa (Predictive Disease Management) utilizes data-driven insight and climatory indicators to predict disease issues before they strike. Saving farmers time, money and stress.

Piloting PreDiMa in Europe

Surely, more certainty from planting to post-harvest would be a welcome addition to any farmer. With PreDiMa, our goal is to develop a program to help farmers like you manage risk, better combat disease, increase quality and maximize yield.

More specifically, PreDiMa provides services like pre-season consultations, in-season risk assessments and recommendations as well as a risk-sharing component. We’re finetuning this program to meet each farmer’s individual needs – yours included.

I tried out PreDiMa to minimize the number of treatments, better treat the disease […] and optimize costs.

— Fabrice,Farmer | PreDiMa Pilot Program, France

Personalized Biologicals

Sustainable, Complementary Crop Protection

Crop protection on your farm probably looks a lot different today than it did just a decade ago. We’re committed to developing solutions that, like digital tools, decrease inputs, maximize outputs, and are easier on our planet.

Biologicals are an effective form of defense that provide farmers an opportunity to reduce overall environmental impact while still maintaining tailored, individually suited crop protection scripts.

FLiPPER

A Sustainable Solution in Biological Innovations

Reduce the environmental impact of crop protection by 30% by 2030. That’s our commitment to you, our industry, and the world. With this in mind, we’ve developed a robust and innovative biologicals portfolio.

Say hello to FLiPPER. No, not the dolphin. This insecticide has delivered some pretty groundbreaking results in the UK, where it’s being used by organic and conventional farmers to control damaging, sucking pests — ensuring quality yield without affecting beneficials and pollinators. Again — win, win.

Partnering With Farmers to Keep the Future of Crop Protection in Mind

We’re inspired by the ingenuity, innovation, and passion of farmers around the world. Farmers like you. It’s why our research and development pipeline is second to none. It’s why we continue to innovate with your needs, both current and future, at the center of every decision we make. Every breakthrough we discover. Every product we launch.

By partnering with farmers around the world who work tirelessly to feed us all, our commitment is to continuously search for new innovations that are as unique as your fields – and as unique as everything else that makes you, you.

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Grants will benefit 39 nonprofits that have experienced increased demand for servicesGrants will support individuals and families facing homelessness, hunger and other challenges by supporting expanded capacity of community programs

CHARLOTTE, N.C., August 24, 2023 /3BL/ – As North Carolina communities continue to feel financial strain from the rising cost of basic needs, the Duke Energy Foundation is providing $1 million to support nonprofits dedicated to serving low-income communities. These grants will strengthen capacity and increase the impact of local agencies that are on the forefront of helping North Carolinians with essential services like meals and shelter.

“Duke Energy’s long-term success is deeply intertwined with the wellbeing of the communities we serve,” said Kendal Bowman, president of Duke Energy North Carolina. “Many nonprofits have experienced unprecedented demand in the last few years. These grants focus on building nonprofits’ capacities so they can meet the increased need.”

In Raleigh, Oak City Cares has seen a rapid increase in demand from Wake County and the capital region. They are now serving 97% more individuals and families than last year.

“We are so grateful for the ongoing partnership we have with Duke Energy and the Duke Energy Foundation,” said Kathy Johnson, executive director of Oak City Cares. “We have seen a 97% increase in guests seeking services at our center and Duke Energy Foundation’s investment will help Oak City Cares expand our capacity to serve of our guests in meeting their basic needs and achieving stable housing. Not only are they providing this financial investment, but they are true partners on-the-ground in our work, providing both volunteers and in-kind resources to support our work.”

In Winston-Salem, Crisis Control Ministry has seen a significant rise in requests for assistance, with volunteers interviewing over 200 potential clients weekly. In their fifty-year history, the organization has helped more than 100,000 residents in Stokes and Forsyth County meet basic needs and they expect the need for assistance with rent, food and prescriptions to continue to rise.

“Over the years, Duke Energy has been a wonderful partner to Crisis Control Ministry in our mission to support our neighbors in times of crisis,” said Margaret Elliott, Executive Director of Crisis Control Ministry. “We are always looking for ways to better serve our community, and the recent grant awarded by Duke Energy will make it easier and more convenient for our neighbors to access our services.”

Grants were awarded to the following 39 nonprofits in North Carolina across the state.

Organization County

Oak City Cares Wake County 
 Raleigh Rescue Mission Wake County 
 Shepherds Table Soup Kitchen Wake County 
 PLM Families Together Wake County 
 CASA Wake County 
 Good Shepherd Ministries New Hanover County 
 Bladen Crisis Assistance Bladen County 
 Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry New Hanover County 
 Step Up Wilmington New Hanover County 
 Brunswick County Partnership for Housing Brunswick County 
 Safe Haven of Pender Pender County 
 Boys & Girls Homes of North Carolina Columbus County 
 Crisis Control Ministry Forsyth County 
 Eblen Charities Buncombe County 
 United Way of Asheville & Buncombe County Buncombe County 
 Roots & Wings Person County 
 United Way of the Tar River Region Nash County 
 Matthews Help Center Mecklenburg County 
 United Way of Gaston County Gaston County 
 Union County Crisis Assistance Ministry Union County 
 Orange Congregations in Mission Orange County 
 CORA Food Pantry Chatham County 
 Salvation Army of Lee County Lee County 
 Greensboro Urban Ministry Guilford County 
 Cooperative Christian Ministries Rockingham County 
 Cabarrus Cooperative Christian Ministry Cabarrus County 
 Stanly Community Christian Ministry Stanly County 
 Interfaith Assistance Ministry Henderson County 
 Yokefellow Service Center Rutherford County 
 Better Health of Cumberland County Cumberland County 
 Our Daily Bread Christian Food Ministry Richmond County 
 Hoke County Open Door Soup Kitchen Hoke County 
 Montgomery County Council on Aging Montgomery County 
 Caldwell County Yokefellow Caldwell County 
 Christian Crisis Center Alexander County 
 South Caldwell Christian Ministries Caldwell County 
 United Way of Wayne County Wayne County 
 Lenoir County United Way Lenoir County 
 Four-Square Community Action Cherokee County

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the Foundation can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Duke Energy media contact: Emily Kissee 
Media line: 800.559.3853 
@DE_EmilyK

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