Month: January 2024

There’s the proverbial knowledge sponge. On the flipside, there’s the dreaded fun sponge.

In this case, off the Texas coast, researchers believe they may be dealing with an environmental game-changer—the invaluable carbon sponge.

In October 2022, work began on a groundbreaking carbon sequestration study on the RGV Reef, a 1,650-acre artificial reef off South Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The project is being managed by the Friends of RGV Reef, a non-profit group that created the reef in 2017, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) researchers, and funded through a $250,000 Fueling Futures grant from Enbridge.

At the outset, it was hoped that the study could provide a seminal moment in the battle against climate change. And at the project’s midway point, the UTRGV researchers are seeing promising results.

“The early data that we are seeing is delivering some encouraging results. The sponges and soft corals that cover the reef do contain high amounts of carbon,” says Dr. Richard Kline, Ph.D., Professor, School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences at UTRGV, whose team is leading the research.

“We suspected that reefs, man-made or natural, could sequester or capture carbon. Now, initial data shows that the reef’s structure, the bottom or sediment, and the biomass, fish and other marine life in the water column, is indeed capturing or trapping CO2, a known greenhouse gas, in some significant proportions.”

Since its creation, the RGV Reef has already brought back substantial populations of fish and attracted growing numbers of other sea life. The majority of the artificial reef consists of cleansed, intentionally sunken vessels, concrete rail ties, and cinder blocks.

“UTRGV’s research is the most comprehensive study in the world to determine the ability of artificial reefs to capture or trap carbon—and maybe provide a solution in dealing with our real-life climate challenges,” says Gary Glick, President of the Friends of RGV Reef.

“If reefs prove to be a major force or a way to capture carbon, then this research could benefit every country in the world that has a coastline,” he adds. “As human beings, we need to look at all the ways we can reduce emissions and capture greenhouse gases. Reefs may be an important tool in our bigger toolbox that we can use to help us achieve a cleaner and brighter future.”

After refining the data collection process, with supporting lab analysis, the study now enters its final 12-month phase.

“The study is driven by the data we’re collecting. At the end of the study, we will publish our findings for the world to see,” says Dr. Kline. “We’ll be able to know definitively if reefs have the ability to capture carbon in enough concentrations to have a significant impact.”

Whirlpool Corporation announced that it has been named to the 2023 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) in recognition of the company’s dedication to responsible and ethical business practices. This marks the second consecutive year Whirlpool Corp. has been named to the World Index. The company is also on the North America Index for the 17th year.

“For 112 years we have held ourselves to the highest ethical standards in our business operations, and we are proud of our long history of purposeful innovation, sustainable operations and local community engagement,” said Marc Bitzer, chairman and CEO of Whirlpool Corporation. “Receiving this recognition once again validates the efforts of our thousands of employees and their dedication to our vision of improving life at home.”

For 112 years we have held ourselves to the highest ethical standards in our business operations, and we are proud of our long history of purposeful innovation, sustainable operations and local community engagement,”

Whirlpool Corp. advanced its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy, reaching Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWtL) gold or platinum level at 100% of its large global manufacturing sites in 2022, a goal set in 2012. Zero Waste to Landfill is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to World Class Manufacturing, the foundation for the company’s sustainable manufacturing journey. Whirlpool Corp. continues to invest in plant efficiency and waste reduction by working closely with recycling and sustainability organizations to find new, innovative ways to eliminate waste and contribute to the circular economy.

To further reduce the company’s environmental footprint, Whirlpool Corp. has increased its focus on renewable energy. In 2022, two Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) were activated, which, when fully operational, are expected to yield renewable energy to cover 100% of electricity consumption by U.S. plants. In addition, four North American manufacturing facilities now feature nine wind turbines that source the equivalent of approximately 2,300 homes’ electricity use for one year. For each wind turbine, one $5,000 megawatt scholarship is given in Whirlpool Corporation’s name for STEM education per year in use.

As part of their 24 year relationship, Whirlpool Corp. supports Habitat for Humanity’s BuildBetter with Whirlpool program, an initiative dedicated to building more than 250 climate-resilient and energy efficient homes across the U.S. To help further reduce utility bills for Build Better with Whirlpool homeowners, the company added high-efficiency dishwashers to the refrigerators and ranges already included in each build. Whirlpool Corp. dishwashers are three to four times more water-efficient than hand washing, saving over 2,500 gallons of water per home per year¹. In addition, Whirlpool Corp. surpassed the $125 million milestone for in-kind donated product to Habitat for Humanity International in 2023. Since 1999, Whirlpool Corp. has donated more than 241,000 major home appliances to nearly 197,000 Habitat households across the U.S.

As a result of these and other ESG initiatives, Whirlpool Corp. has received additional recognition over the past year, including being named one of America’s Most JUST Companies for 2023, one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies for the Thirteenth Consecutive Year in 2023 as well as inclusion on the U.S. News & World Report Best Companies to Work For in 2023.

The DJSI, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World), were launched in 1999 as the pioneering series of global sustainability benchmarks available in the market. The index family is comprised of global, regional and country benchmarks.

¹Based on favorable water and energy use comparison against KitchenAid Model No. KDTM354ESS, which was compared to manual handwashing among 40 study subjects using conditions and assumptions set forth in Gabriela Y Porras et al 2020 Environ. Res. Commun. 2 021004. Assumes 215 cycles/year.

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M·A·C Cosmetics Germany was proud to sponsor and be the official partner of the 27th annual Operngala in Berlin. Held at the Berlin Opera, the event was a fundraiser for the organization Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung, which has been a longtime M·A·C VIVA GLAM grantee.

At the event, the M·A·C Germany team presented a check for 100,000€ for a new donation to support a project that Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung is leading called Cape Town Hope. This workstream will aim to directly address the HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing access to education, treatment, and ongoing support within the existing provincial and municipal health structures.

M·A·C hosted a group of 12 influencers to attend the event and represent the brand, providing them with a VIP experience with each talent getting styled with a full glam look by M·A·C Artists before the gala. Attendees included @aliciaawa, @baochiinguyen, @jeyisbaee, @oluwatolinobaa, @tschary and more, and generated over 4.5M impressions through the content they shared of the special evening, highlighting M·A·C VIVA GLAM’s support of Deutsche AIDS-Stiftung.

Learn more about M·A·C VIVA GLAM, the brand’s charitable campaign here.

On Oct 4, FedEx and the United Service Organizations (USO) teamed up for the 6th annual holiday packing event. Over 150 FedEx team members spent time kitting thousands of Holiday Care Packs at the FedExForum in Memphis.

Memphis Grizzlies coach, Taylor Jenkins, kicked off the event by rallying the FedEx troops with a quick pep talk and inspiring message to “put a smile in every bag packed” and bring cheer to America’s military service members.

Volunteers filled over 13,300 Holiday Care Packs which included items such as candy, snacks, holiday socks, a deck of playing cards, and more. The packages are expected to be delivered by FedEx to remote locations in the Pacific.

For some volunteers, giving back to service members is personal. During the event, Veterans Brock Carlson and Eddie Johnson explained why participating in volunteer events such as this are important to them.

Brock Carlson, Manager- Talent Acquisition FedEx Logistics

More than 30 years ago, Brock Carlson received his first holiday care package from the USO while serving in the Marine Corps during the Gulf War. Carlson had been overseas for four months and remembers the care package being the first one he received from home since his deployment.

“Receiving a package with items from home, filled with things we couldn’t get, was an incredible reminder that the world back home still existed,” Carlson said. “Knowing that somebody was thinking about me and went through the effort to send it was an amazing feeling.”

“FedEx Cares provides the chance for FedEx team members to give back to their local communities,” he said. “We’re driving forward to give back, and events like this give us the opportunity to deliver excellence to the people we care about in the places where we live.”

Eddie Johnson – Sr. Technical Specialist, FedEx Services

Eddie Johnson, an Air Force Veteran who volunteered at the USO event, felt the event brought him full circle. In the military, Johnson was in hospitality management and helped send out the MREs. Now he’s helping fill holiday care packages, giving him the chance to help those who once helped him.

“I think it’s the most important thing to do because one of the foundations that the Air Force taught me was integrity and taking care of your fellow soldier” Johnson said. “This is just me playing a part (in the) whole entire ecosystem as far as giving back.”

Over the last 20 years, FedEx and the USO have teamed up to create meaningful and fun-filled volunteer events to help deliver a small slice of home to the troops. This care package kitting event is just one of the many ways FedEx supports service members and their families through the USO.