Month: September 2024

As a young gay professional, Terrell Parker spent several years working at the National Minority AIDS Council in Washington, D.C. during his 20s, advocating to help end the HIV epidemic and reduce stigma.

When Terrell moved back home to Indianapolis, he ran into an issue with his insurance that left him unable to get his prescription for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP – a once-daily medication that helps prevent HIV infection. Despite his new physician submitting three authorizations for PrEP within a three-month period, each authorization request was rejected and considered medically unnecessary.

“As part of my work, I strive to increase access to PrEP so it was ironic that I faced the reality that PrEP wasn’t accessible to me,” Terrell says.

To compound matters, it was during this same period that he discovered he was living with HIV. “I was always proactive about prevention and treatment and felt like I was an HIV expert, so I couldn’t believe this was happening,” he recalls.

Terrell shared his journey and underscored the resilience needed to navigate HIV healthcare barriers when he spoke earlier this year at Gilead’s inaugural Global Health Equity Summit – part of the company’s commitment to improve health equity and advance access to care.

“I feel I can offer a unique perspective on the benefit of taking PrEP, what’s it’s like to be living with HIV, and now being on treatment to help keep my HIV undetectable,” explains Terrell.

Today Terrell works as the Chief Operating Officer at the Indiana Youth Group (IYG), the longest-running LGBTQ+ center in the United States. IYG offers services to LGBTQ+ youth in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, including assistance in accessing PrEP and testing for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Last year alone, 10 young people were diagnosed with HIV through the program and then assisted with access to treatment.

The organization also focuses on eliminating stigma through its judgment-free environment and its focus on addressing the social determinants of health that prevent young people from getting the care and support they need.

“We want to make sure we support every aspect of their lives and empower them to use the prevention tools available,” he says.

Mental health therapy is one such tool available to anyone ages 12 to 24, regardless of their ability to pay. Community-wide educational sessions are available to IYG clients as well as programs that help support caregivers navigating their child’s LGBTQ+ identity.

The center’s long-term goal is to expand so every child within the state can live within an hour of an LGBTQ+ resource center, as well as to open centers in neighboring states.

“The reality is that stigma looks different regionally, and it also looks different in each community,” says Terrell. “That’s why it’s important to broaden our reach and open centers like this that are accessible for youth throughout the state and beyond.”

Originally published by Gilead Sciences

Climate change is both an urgent issue needing immediate action and a topic that requires long-term planning for positive transformation. Balancing these two horizons can be a challenge and key to making progress is defining a north star. Three years ago, Cisco announced its north star: a goal to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our value chain by 2040, and in 2022 that goal was approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). In 2023, we revealed The Plan for Possible, Cisco’s next generation environmental sustainability strategy. Aligned with the work we will do to reach net zero, one of the key pillars in our strategy is accelerating the transition to clean energy.

As we celebrate our three-year anniversary, we want to highlight some of the progress we’ve made so far and look ahead to what solutions might be available to help us, and the planet, on our journey to net zero.

Our journey so far

In alignment with climate science, our net zero goal encompasses our value chain, which includes both our suppliers’ and our customers’ use of energy. Here are a few ways Cisco has been addressing this and actions you may consider to reduce your organization’s footprint:

Direct operational emissions: We are increasing the energy efficiency of our buildings, with a focus on electrification, to reduce emissions from our operations. We have also been working to transition our vehicle fleet to electric vehicles (EVs).Indirect operational emissions: Cisco joined the RE100 initiative, which brings together businesses committed to sourcing 100 percent renewable electricity. Beyond helping us address our own goals, joining RE100 supports our ambition to increase clean energy access and contributes to private sector demand for renewables.Value chain emissions: We also set a goal that 80 percent of Cisco component, manufacturing, and logistics suppliers by spend will have a public, absolute GHG emissions reduction target by fiscal year (FY) 2025. As of FY23, 92 percent of these suppliers have a public, absolute GHG reduction goal.

Note: Direct operational emissions are Cisco’s Scope 1 emissions; indirect operational emissions are Cisco’s Scope 2 emissions; value chain emissions are Cisco’s Scope 3 emissions, as defined by the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. Learn more about how corporate GHG emissions are calculated in this blog.

What the future may bring

In our work to advance Cisco’s net zero goal, we are encountering many new opportunities that could potentially help other companies, countries, and even individual cities reach their net zero goals as well. Here are a few notable examples:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and sustainability: As AI adoption spreads across different sectors, it opens numerous opportunities for climate change mitigation and adaptation through predictive analytics, data analysis, and machine learning. For example, AI can help reduce energy and water use through real-time monitoring and control.Climate technology investments: Climate technology aims to find innovative solutions to climate change, like smart grids that monitor and manage the distribution of electricity more efficiently, and devices that capture CO2 emissions. Climate investing has grown over the past few years, with more than 330 new sustainability, ESG (environmental, social, and governance), and impact funds launched from 2019 through 2022. Globally, annual clean energy technology investments are expected to exceed $900 billion by 2030, helping to spur innovation.Accelerating the transition to clean energy: Clean energy adoption is on the rise. Wind and solar energy overtook fossil fuel power in the EU for the first time for the first six months of 2024, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) now projects that demand for certain fossil fuels will peak this decade even without any new climate policies. Increasing the use of renewables, improving energy efficiency, reducing methane emissions, and enhancing electrification can achieve over 80% of emissions reductions needed by 2030.

Working together toward net zero

Progressing toward net zero is a task that requires the collective effort of individuals, businesses, and governments. We are proud to be leading this important work for Cisco, and to be collaborating with partners, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to turn the vision of a net zero future into reality.

Visit Cisco’s ESG Reporting Hub to learn more about our environmental goals.

View original content here.

As the modern world continues to progress faster each year, we are facing both societal challenges and opportunities for creating a more sustainable world. Climate change, nature loss, social inequality, and public health are some of the most pressing issues of our time, and they require bold and collaborative action from all sectors of society. We believe in the power of partnerships to find the best solutions to big challenges. By working together with our customers, regulators, policymakers, and communities our products can help enable important applications that deliver on societal goals, such as transitioning to clean energy, advancing electronics and electrifying transportation, progressing a greener and more inclusive future, and helping improve lives everywhere.

That’s why we are leaning in and deepening our commitment to sustainability, putting it at the center of everything we do, from the way we operate our facilities, to the way we innovate our products, to the way we engage with our stakeholders and employees. We organize our sustainability strategy around four pillars: Environmental Leadership, Innovation & Sustainable Solutions, Community Impact, and Greatest Place to Work. These pillars are built upon our values, inspired by our vision, and guide our actions and decisions every day. We know we cannot achieve our goals alone, and that is why we are strengthening our partnerships as a way to accelerate progress. I want to highlight just a few examples of the progress that makes us proud and the partnerships that we know will allow us to go even further:

Under the Environmental Leadership pillar we are focused on reducing our environmental footprint and enhancing our positive impact. We set an ambitious target for 2030 to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 60%, and we are thrilled that Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recently approved our near-term target. Our Scope 3 target for 2030 to reduce by 25% per ton of production was also approved by SBTi, and we look forward to providing further detail on that goal in next year’s report. In this report, we celebrate that we have already achieved a 52% reduction in our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions since 2018, and we are sharing our decarbonization roadmap to 2030 and beyond. Looking toward the future, we recognize that we must go beyond climate and understand our intersections with nature. That is why we partnered with the Wildlife Habitat Council in 2023 to begin assessing our impacts and dependencies on nature and continue that partnership through the launch of a Chemours’ signature initiative aimed at natural habitat renewal across our sites.

Through the Innovation & Sustainable Solutions pillar, we are developing and delivering products and solutions that enable our customers and end-users to achieve their own sustainability goals. We have already demonstrated that 48% of our revenue comes from products that make a specific contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). For example, our Nafion™ membranes play a vital role in hydrogen production, fuel cells and energy storage – three transformative energy areas. Through the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, an innovative public-private collaboration that brings together the U.S. Department of Defense, the University of Delaware, Chemours, Plug, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), we expect to further advance membrane performance in order to drive down the cost of clean hydrogen production and improve efficiency in converting hydrogen to energy. Further, the Center for Clean Hydrogen at the University of Delaware, supported by investment from Chemours and part of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, will enable real-world fabrication and testing of hydrogen technologies at commercial scale.

In the Community Impact pillar, we are making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work. In 2023, we awarded more than $5.6 million in grants for initiatives that increased access to STEM skills, advanced safety, and created more sustainable environments within our communities – bringing our total investment since 2018 to more than $24 million. Our partnership with Discovery World Museum in Parkersburg, West Virginia, will provide a hands-on entry point to STEM concepts, activities and experimentation for young visitors. The Chemours grant helps fund Science Saturdays, supplies admission passes for underserved children and families, and gives Chemours volunteers the opportunity to share their passion for STEM with the next generation of problem-solvers while creating a pipeline of future talent for our industry.

Finally, under the Greatest Place to Work pillar, we are committed to living our values and the safety and wellbeing of our employees. We celebrate having 15 global regions certified as a Great Place to Work® in 2023, covering more than 92% of our global workforce. We also added an eighth Employee Resource Group (ERG) in 2023 with the launch of the Native American Employee Network. Our ERGs act as internal partners to help us recognize and celebrate the strength that lies in our diversity.

We are proud of what we have achieved so far, and we know that there is still more work to do. Guided by our values, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our performance, increase our impact, and strengthen our partnerships. 

Read the full Chemours 2023 Sustainability Report

 For more about Chemours and its 2030 Goals, visit our site.

September 25, 2024 /3BL/ – The Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing a Nature Positive, inclusive, and regenerative world inspired and guided by nature’s genius, today announced the launch of its ambitious 10-year strategy at New York Climate Week.

Amanda Sturgeon, CEO of The Biomimicry Institute, commented, “Our new strategic plan acknowledges the critical urgency of today’s environmental and societal challenges, yet we approach these issues with optimism and enthusiasm. We are confident that biomimicry can play a transformative role in creating a Nature Positive future, where our solutions not only address these challenges but do so with a sense of joy and hope, aligning human systems with nature’s wisdom”

This new plan directly addresses three critical global challenges: climate change and biodiversity loss, the disconnection between humans and nature, and the pervasive ‘take-make-waste’ culture.

The Biomimicry Institute seeks to harness natural strategies, encouraging human systems to learn from living systems in order to develop innovative, sustainable solutions. The organization’s programs and AskNature Hive platform supports this endeavor by enabling professionals across various fields— business, designers, innovators, educators, and others—to integrate nature’s genius into their work to solve pressing global issues.

During New York Climate Week, the Institute will unveil its new 10-year strategy at an immersive event at the COOKFOX Architects Office. In conjunction with the strategy, a new website will launch to showcase this vision while providing a comprehensive guide to the future of biomimicry and the role it plays in building a sustainable world.

“This strategy is a significant step for the Biomimicry Institute, amplifying our mission to inspire and empower others to design in harmony with nature, fostering a future where human systems support and sustain the natural world,” said Kent Snyder, Board President of the Biomimicry Institute.

As the Institute looks to 2035, it aims to achieve several key disruptive outcomes through its strategy. Nature-inspired knowledge will guide the transition to a Nature Positive future. Human-built environments and working landscapes will offer ecological benefits comparable to those provided by healthy ecosystems. Nature-inspired Nature-based solutions will become central to addressing climate change and biodiversity loss, while new materials and processes inspired by nature will support the growth of a regenerative economy. By integrating Indigenous wisdom with Western science, the Institute also aims to rekindle humanity’s appreciation of and connection to nature.

For more information on the Biomimicry Institute and to learn how to support the vision, visit biomimicry.org.

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About the Biomimicry Institute 

The Biomimicry Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 2005 that connects individuals to enable a nature-positive, inclusive and regenerative world inspired and guided by nature’s genius. To advance the solution process, the Institute offers AskNature.org, the largest free, living database of biological strategies for sustainable innovation. Recently, the Institute launched the AskNature Hive, a globally engaged community designed to foster collaboration and innovation with members dedicated to a Nature Positive future. The organization also runs the Ray of Hope Accelerator, which supports nature-inspired startups in scaling systemic solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The Institute also launched a new collaborative initiative called Design for Transformation, which will pilot technologies that convert discarded clothes and textiles into biocompatible raw materials.. For more information, visit www.biomimicry.org.

Media Contact:

Director of Communications

media@biomimicry.org

Originally published by Robert Nieminen on BUILDINGS.com

[Editor’s note: This is the first installment of a two-part report on the inaugural IWBI Healthy Buildings Summit held in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16th. Read the second installment.]

If you’re reading this, the chances are high you’re in an indoor environment, given that we spend 90% of our time indoors. Now, take a deep breath.

How certain are you that the air in your building is clean or at least not going to make you sick? Unless your facility is equipped with indoor air quality sensors, you’re probably not sure.

That’s a problem more significant than many building owners and facilities managers realize. And it’s a challenge that was addressed head on at the inaugural International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) Healthy Building Policy Summit held at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 16, for which BUILDINGS served as a media sponsor. The McCourt School’s new building, designed during the COVID pandemic, has achieved LEED Platinum designation and was the perfect backdrop for the event, which was the first public gathering in the space following its ribbon cutting ceremony.

Continue reading here

Read the second installment of this two-part series.