Month: September 2024

NEW ORLEANS, September 19, 2024 /3BL/ – With soaring high temperatures this summer, Entergy donated $3 million to help its low-income customers become more energy efficient and save money on their energy bills. Through Entergy’s “Beat the Heat” program, customers received bill payment assistance, fans, energy efficiency kits, home weatherization and invaluable support from local community partners. The company also launched Single Stop, a free program that helps households in need access financial assistance and more.

“We are deeply committed to empowering our customers, especially during challenging times like the summer heat,” said Patty Riddlebarger, Entergy’s vice president of corporate social responsibility. “Through our ‘Beat the Heat’ program and our partnerships with local organizations, we’re helping our neighbors stay safe, cool and reduce their energy expenses. We’re proud to provide ongoing support to those who need it most in the communities we serve.”

For 23 years, Entergy has partnered with local organizations across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to ease the burden of hot summer temperatures resulting in increased usage and higher energy costs for our most vulnerable customers. Year after year, this collaborative program provides customers with energy bill assistance, tools and resources, and support during the critical summer months. Through this program the company:

Donated more than $2.8 million in funds from Entergy shareholders, employees and customers to The Power to Care program, which provides energy bill assistance to older adults and customers with disabilities. 
 Provided 3 million customers with free access to Single Stop, an online resource that connects households in need with financial assistance and more. More than 8,000 Entergy customers completed the Single Stop screening, which identified more than $61 million in potential financial aid and other resources. 
 Awarded more than $83,250 in grants to vulnerable customers to provide free resources like electric fans and home weatherization kits. 
 Donated $25,000 to local organizations that weatherized homes for customers in need. 
 Held Entergy Navigators fairs in underserved communities, providing customers with assistance and resources to help manage their bills, energy efficiency kits, pro bono legal aid, Kids to College savings accounts and more. 
 Provided more than 3,900 free electric fans to help customers beat high temperatures and save on electricity bills throughout the summer. 
 Distributed over 900 energy efficiency kits to customers. The kits included money-saving LED lightbulbs, advanced power strips, bathroom faucet aerators and V-seal weather-stripping. 
 Over 200 low-income homes were weatherproofed during neighborhood sweeps that were held in select, underserved communities.

Savings programs and bill help

Entergy offers several energy efficiency and bill help programs, including:

Our newly launched Bill Toolkit website connects customers to bill management, energy efficiency and financial assistance resources. This new resource helps customers explore simple ways they can lower their electricity use and costs. 
 The Power to Care program provides emergency bill payment help to older adults and customers with disabilities. 
 Our partnership with Single Stop helps build pathways out of poverty by connecting our customers to available resources in a one-stop site. Single Stop makes it easy for customers to check if they qualify for financial assistance and connects them with opportunities for education, counseling, training and support. 
 myAdvisor lets customers track their energy usage and alerts them on how much power they use each day. 
 Level Billing allows customers to “level out” spikes in seasonal energy use, making their energy bills more consistent every month. 
 Payment arrangements for customers needing flexibility with paying their energy bill.

Entergy is dedicated to ensuring all customers have access to the resources and support they need to stay safe and comfortable year-round. To learn more about our customer assistance programs, visit billtoolkit.entergy.com.

About Entergy

Entergy (NYSE: ETR) is a Fortune 500 company that powers life for 3 million customers through our operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. We’re investing in the reliability and resilience of the energy system while helping our region transition to cleaner, more efficient energy solutions. With roots in our communities for more than 100 years, Entergy is a nationally recognized leader in sustainability and corporate citizenship. Since 2018, we have delivered more than $100 million in economic benefits each year to local communities through philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy. Entergy is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has approximately 12,000 employees. Learn more at entergy.com and connect with @Entergy on social media. #WePowerLife

Starting every May, people who work at Viatris’ facility in Komárom, Hungary, are serenaded by a chorus of chirping sounds from above while walking from the car park to the building. These familiar sounds signal the annual return of the site’s winged residents, the birds.

Home to a vibrant and diverse birdlife, the Komárom site is near the Danube River and encompasses an undisturbed area of about 4 hectares (about 9.8 acres). The sandy grassland is interspersed with clumps of trees and intermittent waterlogged areas, making the land a paradise for many species of birds and insects.

In addition to packaging operations, Viatris’ Komárom site is also home to the European Center of Excellence, the company’s largest Quality organization in the region. The location has a long history of commitment to advancing sustainability.

This year, the site’s lush space gained new enhancements when Viatris partnered with the Hungarian Ornithological Society to join its Bird-Friendly Workplace Program. The idea was first suggested by Róbert Klinga, a Quality Control Support Manager at the site, who has been a bird lover since childhood. Growing up on the edge of a forest, watching and later photographing birds became one of his favorite pastimes. His hope is that the initiative will make a positive impact on many colleagues’ interest in nature conservation.

“We are working in an industrial environment where it is particularly important to manage well the natural assets that surround us. At Viatris in Komárom, we do our part to contribute to Viatris’ deep commitment to sustainability and reducing our environmental impact,” Róbert said. (Click here to see video of the site.)

The bird-friendly workplace idea was fully supported by both Raymond Keeling, the former site head, and Mihály Régi, the current site manager. During the preparation and planning phases it became clear that the employee population in Komárom includes several bird lovers, amateur ornithologists, bird photographers and keen conservationists.

In February 2024, the Viatris Komárom team, in collaboration with the Hundred Valley Nature Conservation Society – the local branch of the Hungarian Ornithological Society — installed 50 bird houses of various types in the area, helping the species already living there to breed and new species to settle in. About 40 different bird species are expected to find a home in this green oasis.

As part of the program, the bird houses will be regularly monitored by experts, with Viatris colleagues joining in. In addition, a breeding wall was established in the spring which has already been taken over by several pairs of birds.

To raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity in providing a sustainable future, the Komárom site organized a Bird-Friendly Family Day for employees at the end of June. About 80 participants took part in bird ringing, burrow checks and a five-station tour where they could solve activities related to environmental protection and knowledge of plants and animals at each station.

“Every day we see the colorful bird life that surrounds us here,” said Róbert. “Preserving and trying to enhance the biodiversity of our green area is a worthy initiative not only for our site, but for Viatris as a whole.”

For more detail about the company’s efforts to advance responsible practices and operations, read Building Sustainable Access at Scale.Connecting People With Medicines, Around the WorldIn Business, as in Life, Success is Powered by Authenticity