Month: September 2024

Watch video: Don’t Feed the Landfills – Subaru x NPCA

It takes all of us to make a difference – ‪@Subaru‬ the National Parks Conservation Association (‪@NpcaOrg‬ ) and our partners have been doing our part! Over nearly 10 years, we’ve kept more than 22 MILLION pounds of trash out of national parks like Denali, Grand Teton and Yosemite in coordination with the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and community partners. Together, we achieved this through waste reduction, recycling, composting, and educational initiatives to engage park visitors on ways to lessen their environmental footprint. That’s a real commitment to clean, green sustainability for America’s most iconic places. Subscribe to learn how you can keep making a difference for our national parks.

To learn more about Subaru Loves the Earth®, visit: www.subaru.com/earth.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of about 640 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants, including Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $320 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged over 100,000 volunteer hours. Subaru is dedicated to being More Than a Car Company® and to making the world a better place. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

The energy transition stands as the defining challenge of our era. Every sector faces mounting pressure to power human progress in a way that is reliable and affordable but also, critically, more sustainable and equitable. In this episode, join Pravin Chandran, Managing Director in the KPMG US Data and Technology practice who will be facilitating a Q&A discussion with Dan Harple, Founder & CEO of Context Labs, on the energy transition, and how Context Labs is helping their customers navigate the increasingly complex landscape and deliver on their goals.

Click here to listen to Episode 27 of ESG voices

18 Florida-based organizations receive significant investments to support new programming, sustainability and resiliency initiatives, direct scholarships for students at all educational levels to support Florida’s growing workforce

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – The Duke Energy Foundation has announced $740,000 in grants to support 18 education-based organizations to continue Duke Energy Florida’s investment in education and future workforce needs statewide.

The resources will fund a variety of energy and engineering initiatives to benefit a diverse population of students. Grantees will be hosting career exploration field trips and summer camps for K-12 students, providing resources for teachers to expand educational programming and encouraging energy and resiliency research opportunities among Florida universities.

“Education can spark a lifelong interest in a given field,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “It’s a privilege to support so many unique initiatives this year aimed at reaching individual students with new opportunities that can drive a career and love for energy, engineering and climate resiliency.”

University of Florida (UF) received a $75,000 grant to support three energy-focused, education initiatives that will directly impact students in these fields. One of which, the “Energy Education, Mentoring and Scholarship Program,” will enable participation in scholarship, educational and research opportunities for a diverse group of energy-focused students. Through this program, eight engineering students interested in the energy sector will receive $2,000 Duke Energy Scholar awards.

Additionally, the University will be creating a Sustainable and Resilient Energy Engineering Certificate (SREEC) to encourage student-led research using solar measurement and conversion infrastructure installed at the UF Energy Research Park.

“UF is committed to employing community-focused strategies to spur economic and workforce development across Florida,” said Maria Gutierrez Martin, UF Foundation associate vice president. “Our shared work is helping high school and middle school students increase their understanding of the energy grid, prepping college students for careers in solar energy and supporting five Florida communities as they plan for an environmentally resilient future.”

In Volusia County, FUTURES Foundation will use a $30,000 grant to increase student engagement in three different initiatives within Volusia County Schools. These programs are focused on energy design studies: solar/alternative, electrical and plant.

“FUTURES is grateful for the consistent support provided by Duke Energy. This grant will allow students to participate in STEM programs at Rose Bay,” said Shimene Shepard, FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools executive director. “Although we are a coastal community, this is often the first opportunity these students have to be on the water.”

A complete list of grant recipients can be found below, with additional details available here.

K-12 Education

Citrus County Education Foundation 
 Consortium of Florida Education Foundation 
 Education Foundation of Lake County 
 Foundation for Orange County Public Schools 
 Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools 
 FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools 
 Highlands County Education Foundation 
 Jefferson County Education Foundation 
 Madison County Education Foundation 
 Orlando Science Center 
 Pinellas County Education Foundation 
 Polk County Education Foundation

Higher Education

Seminole State College of Florida 
 Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University 
 Florida Polytechnic University 
 University of Central Florida 
 University of Florida 
 University of South Florida

For more information about the Duke Energy Foundation, please visit duke-energy.com/community/duke-energy-foundation/Florida.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853

View original content here.

International Paper’s Chief Sustainability Officer Sophie Beckham was recognized this week at Futur/io’s 2024 CSO Awards North America.

The CSO Awards honor North American Chief Sustainability Officers who are driving corporate sustainability for major companies in USA and Canada, with high, scalable impact. Beckham received the Bronze Award, alongside the CSOs of Starbucks (Gold) and Salesforce (Silver). 

The CSO Awards North America is an initiative of the Futur/io Institute, a pioneering organization dedicated to nurturing and inspiring leadership in sustainable innovation and building the most impactful network of Chief Sustainability Officers globally.

“Our mission for the CSO Awards North America goes beyond rewarding the companies,” said Harald Neidhardt CEO & Curator, Futur/io Institute. “We shine a light on the role of the Chief Sustainability Officers that are active change-makers fostering action and ambition across their organisations.”

Beckham was chosen after a rigorous selection process developed by Futur/io and scientific partner Leonardo Centre on Business for Society at Imperial College Business School, and supported by knowledge partners Denominator, specialized in human-centric data, and Rainforest Partnership, focused on biodiversity.

According to Futur/io, recipients were selected using a four-quadrant model criteria, taking into consideration the maturity of corporate behaviors, regulatory performance on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) criteria, environmental and human impact and also a self-assessment survey. The Top 20 ranking CSOs were then assessed by a Grand Jury, who selected the final winners.

“I am so honored to have been selected from among so many talented and dedicated leaders in sustainability,” Beckham said. “This award is for all of us at IP and for all the work that our teams around the world do to advance our Vision 2030 goals.” 

Sophie Beckham is VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at International Paper, where she works across the enterprise to develop sustainability strategies that achieve the company’s Vision 2030 goals. She also serves as the company’s primary external spokesperson and thought leader on issues related to sustainability and stewardship.

Her career has been dedicated to driving sustainable business outcomes through purposeful leadership in consumer goods and forest product manufacturing sectors. Sophie has been advancing IP’s planet stewardship initiatives since 2013, serving in various roles throughout her time with the company. She holds a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, now known as the Yale School of the Environment.

Learn more about Futur/io’s 2024 CSO Awards North America at https://www.csoawards.org.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of the world’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2023 were $18.9 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com/.

About International Paper – EMEA

In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and specialty pulp, employing approximately 4,400 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Specialty pulp is made in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include a variety of Kraft linerboard and other pulp products.