Month: May 2025

Direct Relief is pleased to debut a new public service announcement featuring Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian, and long-time supporter Jane Lynch.

In the PSA, Lynch lends her signature voice and presence to spotlight Direct Relief’s mission: improving the health and lives of people affected by poverty, disaster, and emergency situations.

“Every day across the United States and around the world, Direct Relief is making an enormous difference,” Lynch said. “If someone needs help, Direct Relief helps – no politics, no red tape.”

Her involvement underscores the urgent need to support frontline health efforts across the globe.

A passionate advocate for humanitarian causes, Lynch has supported Direct Relief for years, helping raise awareness of the organization’s global impact. That impact is significant—in the past year alone, Direct Relief delivered more than $1.8 billion in medical aid to health facilities in over 90 countries and all 50 U.S. states, including:

• More than 330 million defined daily doses of essential medications
• Support for over 2,600 healthcare facilities and frontline organizations
• Rapid response efforts in the wake of hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and global conflicts

“We’re incredibly grateful to Jane for using her platform to amplify this message,” said Amy Weaver, Chief Executive Officer. “Her voice helps shine a spotlight on the lifesaving work that happens every day—work that wouldn’t be possible without the support of donors and partners around the world.”

The PSA will run across digital platforms and select broadcast outlets starting this week.

The best way to celebrate Gopher Tortoise Day is to ensure there are more gopher tortoises across their natural range in the southeast United States. Founded in 2013, the Forestland Stewards Partnership between the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and International Paper, funds a variety of forest and wildlife conservation projects across the southeast — including efforts to restore and conserve gopher tortoise populations and longleaf habitat.

Helping gopher tortoises to thrive isn’t just good news for tortoises; it also means good news for hundreds of other species that depend in big and small ways on the tortoise in its role as a keystone species.

They are called a ‘keystone species’ because more than 350 other animals — like owls, snakes, foxes, toads, skunks, and lizards — use gopher tortoise burrows to shelter from the heat, fires, and predators.
– Kurt Buhlmann, Senior Research Associate, University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

Gopher tortoises spend most of their lives in burrows that can be more than 20 feet long and eight feet deep.

Forestland Stewards Partnership grants are helping gopher tortoises and their habitat by supporting collaboration between The Longleaf Alliance, the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Eglin Air Force Base and many other partners. These organizations are helping to conserve gopher tortoises threatened by development by translocating, or moving, tortoises from planned development sites to protected habitat and augmenting and restoring gopher tortoise populations through a technique called “head-starting.”

In Florida, where relatively large numbers of adult tortoises remain compared to other states, partners have successfully translocated over 3,000 tortoises from planned development sites to Eglin Air Force Base and other sites, where restoration efforts have created suitable habitats in these protected properties.

In South Carolina, where adult tortoises are less abundant, about 350 eggs have been collected from wild populations to hatch in captivity. Hatchling tortoises are reared indoors for one year to achieve larger body sizes than would occur naturally and thus become more resistant to predation. This gives tortoises a greater chance to survive and eventually become subadults.

Head-starting increases survival

“Hatchling tortoises have naturally low survival in the wild. Raccoons, coyotes, and other predators often eat tortoise eggs and hatchlings, and mortality rates can be as high as 95%,” says Lisa Lord, Conservation Programs Director at The Longleaf Alliance. “The head-started juveniles are about a year old — but the size of wild 3-to-4-year-olds — when released back into well-managed longleaf pine habitat. The juveniles are released in a 1.5-acre pen to minimize wandering, help establish fidelity to the site, and increase their chances of staying in the area when the pen walls are removed.”

Gopher tortoise habitat covers the coastal plain from South Carolina through Florida to southeastern Louisiana, mostly in longleaf pine savanna habitats. The gopher tortoise is federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the western portion of its range (from Louisiana, east to the Mobile River in Alabama).

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), the agency responsible for assessing the potential listing of species as threatened or endangered under the ESA, issued a decision in October 2022 announcing that the eastern population of the gopher tortoise (east of the Mobile and Tombigbee rivers in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina) did not warrant federal listing as threatened. The Service cited the collective work of federal agencies, state agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private landowners to restore, maintain, and protect longleaf pine habitat, conserve existing tortoise populations and head-starting efforts like the one in South Carolina as contributing to their decision.

Hatchling tortoises have naturally low survival in the wild. Raccoons, coyotes, and other predators often eat tortoise eggs and hatchlings, and mortality rates can be as high as 95%
– Lisa Lord, Conservation Programs Director at The Longleaf Alliance

Private landowners help gopher tortoises by caring for longleaf pine habitats, including by using prescribed burning

Longleaf pine forests and savannas are fire-adapted, meaning they depend on periodic burning to thrive. They also make up one of North America’s most biodiverse forest ecosystems and are home to countless rare species, especially when they have open canopies and diverse ground cover. Longleaf pine once covered an estimated 90 million acres across the southeast but now covers only about 5.2 million acres. The diminished forest significantly contributes to the decline in gopher tortoise populations.

The decline in longleaf pine forests means the other critical piece supporting translocation and head-starting efforts is having enough restored longleaf habitat for the gopher tortoise to be released. More than 80% of potential tortoise habitat is privately owned, with the rest managed by local, state, federal, or conservation organizations.

“We have educational and cost-sharing programs to help landowners restore and conserve the longleaf pine ecosystem, which also helps gopher tortoises. A big focus is teaching landowners to use prescribed burning, which also maintains the ground cover that tortoises need to thrive,” Lord says.

The Longleaf Alliance’s Longleaf Academy Program prepares private landowners and natural resource professionals to manage, restore, and enhance longleaf pine ecosystems through techniques like prescribed fire. The Academy Program includes Fire and Longleaf 201, a three-day course that teaches people how to maintain their longleaf stands with fire.

Coming together for the gopher tortoise

Improving and sustaining gopher tortoise populations takes a multi-faceted approach — from restoring and maintaining longleaf habitat with prescribed fire to giving young tortoises a head-start in the wild. The efforts of partners like The Longleaf Alliance to rally public agencies, private organizations and landowners around this important work is critical to ensuring the gopher tortoise and the many other species that live in the longleaf pine ecosystem can thrive.

Learn more about our forest restoration and conservation efforts in our latest sustainability report.

About International Paper 
International Paper (NYSE: IP; LSE: IPC) is the global leader in sustainable packaging solutions. With company headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) headquarters in London, UK, we employ more than 65,000 team members and serve customers around the world with operations in more than 30 countries. Together with our customers, we make the world safer and more productive, one sustainable packaging solution at a time. Net sales for 2024 were $18.6 billion. In 2025, International Paper acquired DS Smith creating an industry leader focused on the attractive and growing North American and EMEA regions. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com

AMSTERDAM, HONG KONG, OAKLAND, Calif., May 19, 2025 /3BL/ – At the recent Cascale Forum: Ho Chi Minh City, over 600 manufacturers, leading brands, service providers, and supply chain partners – Cascale members and non-members alike – convened to address urgent challenges and opportunities in the consumer goods value chain. Topics spanned industry decarbonization, trade shifts, regulatory changes, facility improvements, responsible contracting, worker rights, and more. Discussions were especially critical for Vietnam-based apparel manufacturers, who may face impacts of higher U.S. tariffs when a 90-day pause on proposed 46-percent tariffs ends on July 8. A dedicated Vietnamese stage spotlighted local expertise and leadership, and the entire program was delivered bilingually to ensure full participation from Vietnamese stakeholders.

Colin Browne, Cascale CEO, opened the event by challenging brands and suppliers to work together to set Science-Based Targets (SBTs) for decarbonization. “Setting an SBT without close consultation with one’s supply chain is unacceptable and irresponsible given the near-term deadline of 2030,” he said. “But with the right actionable data and mutual support, there is hope.”

Vu Duc Giang, Chairman of the Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association (VITAS, a Cascale association partner), delivered the opening keynote address. “None of us can go alone – collaboration is the only way,” he said. “When brands, manufacturers, organizations and governments come together and share responsibility, any goal can be achieved.”

During the session “Navigating Global Policy: Impact on Sourcing Countries & Strategies,” Andrew Martin, Cascale executive vice president, said: “In EMEA and the Americas, manufacturers are navigating an evolving maze of often conflicting regulations. Yet in the Asia-Pacific region, regulation is fast becoming strategy — as we are increasingly seeing many countries stepping up with more progressive policies. To support this, Cascale advocates for clear, consistent guidance that manufacturers can actually use. We’re actively engaging across all three regions to push for global and regional frameworks that are practical, aligned, and grounded in manufacturers’ realities. The Cascale Forum in Ho Chi Minh City reminds us that while policy can shift and stall, manufacturers have a great opportunity to lead. Our ongoing mandate is to ensure that this progress isn’t slowed by uncertainty — but accelerated through collaboration.” With Worldly, Cascale recently released a new report, “Navigating Regulation and Building Resilience: Key Trends in Corporate Supply Chain Responsibility for APAC in 2025,” available in both Vietnamese and Chinese.

Vietnam-based manufacturers spoke up at the Cascale Better Buying: Creating Shared Value for Buyers & Suppliers to Drive Decent Work for All session, reporting fears that global brand customers will pressure them to shoulder the costs of tariff impacts. They also urged prioritization of worker protections in high-risk countries like Vietnam, where apparel production employs three million people. “Manufacturers are clear: Global brands should not use tariffs as an excuse to roll back on their responsible business commitments,” said Lindsay Wright, director of communications and strategic partnerships, Better Buying, Cascale. “If they do, the consumer goods industry will have to pick up the pieces later.”

Leonie Vaas, general manager – sustainability at Hirdaramani Apparel presented a case study during the session “From Factory Floor to Global Impact: How Manufacturers are Leading the Way.” With a manufacturing footprint that includes over 30 facilities across Asia and Africa — including Vietnam — Hirdaramani embeds ESG practices into operations across regions. “At Hirdaramani, our Future First Sustainability Roadmap is built on the belief that manufacturers can be powerful catalysts for real change,” she said. “By embedding sustainability into every part of our operations, from energy and water to employee well-being and community empowerment, we are not just meeting global standards – we are helping shape them. Aligned with global agendas such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our Future First Roadmap is scalable across markets, collaborative, and impact-driven, enabling us to work closely with our partners. As an apparel manufacturer, we know that what we do matters, and delivering progress starts with taking responsibility.”

Matthew Guenther, vice president of corporate sustainability at TAL Apparel Ltd, which manufactures in Ethiopia, Thailand, and Vietnam, contributed to the session “Vietnam’s DPPA: Powering Decarbonization Opportunities” by sharing TAL’s perspective on the importance of renewable energy access for manufacturers. “Renewable electricity is a key intervention on our decarbonization roadmap,” he said. “Rooftop solar will only provide 20–25 percent of our renewable electricity needs. Access to offsite renewable electricity projects, such as that offered through Vietnam’s DPPA, would be a big unlock for our company to achieve our net-zero target.”

Adele Stafford, chief growth officer at Worldly, the leading platform for sustainability data and analytics in consumer goods supply chains, led the Worldly Product Roadmap – Data to Action session. As the Higg Index tools are owned and developed by Cascale and exclusively available on Worldly, the two organizations are tightly integrated, Stafford shared. “Cascale drives industry alignment and standards, while Worldly operationalizes those standards with scalable, dynamic technology,”she said. “Our shared mission is driving positive impact across the largest engaged supply chain network in the industry.” Stafford also reported growing momentum on the platform: Over 20,000 Higg Facility Environmental Modules (FEMs) have already been completed in 2025, with each supplier sharing data with an average of four brands, improving efficiency.

Presented by Lead Partner Worldly, the Cascale Forum: Ho Chi Minh City agenda was shaped by leaders from the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), Crystal International, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Hirdaramani Group, New Balance, Puma Group, and VITAS, who served on the event’s program advisory council. More information about programming, speakers, and sponsors can be found on the Cascale Forum: Ho Chi Minh City webpage.

Next up? The Cascale Annual Meeting 2025, taking place September 15-17 in Hong Kong. Visit the Cascale Annual Meeting 2025 webpage for more information and sponsorship opportunities.

ABOUT CASCALE

Cascale is the global nonprofit alliance empowering collaboration to drive equitable and restorative business practices in the consumer goods industry. Formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cascale owns and develops the Higg Index, which is exclusively available on Worldly, the most comprehensive sustainability data and insights platform. Cascale unites over 300 retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, academics, and NGO/nonprofit affiliates around the globe through one singular vision: To catalyze impact at scale and give back more than we take to the planet and its people.

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By Candace Higginbotham

It’s been a busy spring for Regions volunteers, with Share the Good, Financial Literacy Month and Autism Awareness Month.

Some teams decided to take it outside and celebrate another April event, Earth Week, by sprucing up parks, rivers, neighborhoods and other public spaces.

The Birmingham-based Regions Finance division took Earth Week literally – by getting their hands in the dirt. The team worked with community partner Friends of Avondale Park to install a new native plant garden and a natural erosion control bank that will improve the water quality of the park’s pond.

“We were looking for a way to give back to our local community and get outdoors during the beautiful spring season,” said Allyson Jansen, an analyst on the Financial Planning and Analysis team.

“Friends of Avondale Park was a perfect community partner for us—it’s a local organization doing meaningful work to preserve and improve one of Birmingham’s historic parks. When we learned about their ongoing efforts to combat erosion damage and restore the park with native plants, we saw a great opportunity to support a cause that impacts both the environment and our community.”

Around 25 associates spent the afternoon in the park, moving piles of topsoil and compost into two large newly tilled beds, which were then covered with mulch to prepare them for planting later in the fall. The hard work paid off and the team was thrilled with the result.

“It was inspiring to see how a few hours of teamwork could make such a visible impact,” Jansen said. “Projects like these help us step outside our daily roles and contribute to something bigger than ourselves. We look forward to continuing this kind of work in the future.”

It was inspiring to see how a few hours of teamwork could make such a visible impact.
Allyson Jansen, Analyst on Regions Financial Planning and Analysis team

According to John Forney, president of Friends of Avondale Park, their effort made a big impact.

“Friends of Avondale Park often requires help to address problems and opportunities across this 37-acre tract,” Forney said. “The Regions Finance crew were great fun to work with, eager and even competitive with each other. Their work will allow us to install native plants next fall, stabilizing the pond bank and the walk running along it. For a group of bankers, they were impressively able and willing to get their hands dirty!”

Another historic neighborhood, Edgehill, just south of downtown Nashville, got a spring facelift thanks to Regions.

Six associates, led by Jackob Murray, a Regions Small Business banker and marketplace co-chair for the Nashville Impact Network, participated in the Community Gardening Day at Edgehill Apartments. The team planted flowers, vegetables and shrubs and refreshed garden beds.

“The garden is one of the largest and oldest community gardens in Nashville,” Murray said. “A few residents came over to visit and help out. They thanked us for helping to get the garden ready for the season.”

Murray has a special connection to the Edgehill neighborhood and says the Nashville Impact Network will continue to support the community with various other events and activities.

Other Regions teams took to the water for their Earth Week activity. Whit Howell, part of the Wealth Management Strategic Execution team, worked with Cahaba Riverkeeper to lead a group of 13 Birmingham-based Wealth Management and Digital Banking associates for a clean-up project on the Cahaba River.

The team floated six miles in canoes and picked up more than 300 pounds of trash.

Those six miles of paddling made a big impact on the local community: The Cahaba River is the main drinking water source for around about one-fifth of all Alabamians and is a habitat for the iconic Cahaba lily.

“I’d heard about Cahaba River cleanups from other Regions associates and after reaching out to Cahaba Riverkeeper, it was a no-brainer to get some teammates together and get out on the water!” Howell said.

Though the team had fun and made a huge difference, he added that it was a bit disheartening to see so much trash left that they didn’t have the resources to gather. A good reason to come back next year!

Jonesboro, Arkansas, associates also took part in some spring cleaning – in their work neighborhood. Shelly Lamb, Private Wealth Management Trust Support administrator, led a team that took part in the Keep Jonesboro Beautiful campaign by picking up trash and debris near the local Regions branch.

Lamb is part of the Green Business Committee of the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a longtime advocate for local conservation and beautification efforts. “Getting a group of coworkers together to pick up trash is a fun way to get lots of people involved in keeping our neighborhoods clean and beautiful.”

Lamb and other Jonesboro associates also participated in the Arkansas State University Earth Day celebration. The event hosted more than 200 elementary students from across northeast Arkansas who learned about protecting the environment, gardening basics and appreciating nature.

“I’m excited we had so much volunteer activity around Earth Day this year,” said Susan Clowdus, volunteer manager for the Regions Making Life Better Institute. “These associates made life better in these neighborhoods and communities by making them more beautiful!”

AUSTIN, Texas, May 19, 2025 /3BL/ – Whole Foods Market Foundation is excited to announce that 10 community-led nonprofit organizations in Newark, New Jersey have been awarded up to $20,000 each through the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant.

In the nine years since the Foundation started the Whole Cities Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access grant, over $1.4 million has been awarded to community-led organizations that are spearheading an increase in long-term access to fresh, healthy food across all five wards of Newark. In that time, the Newark community has developed innovative ways to reach more community members with fresh food access through approaches like community gardens, urban farms, farmers’ markets, healthy cooking classes, agricultural skills development programs, and more!

Since the grant’s inception in 2017, the goal has always been to provide Newark community leaders with the resources they need to drive — and sustain— long-term change. With the last year of formal funding in Newark, the Foundation will help support this transition through initiatives like Leadership and Business Developing Training, where partners can receive one-on-one grant writing, bookkeeping and business development mentoring from subject matter experts. The Foundation is inspired by the momentum of the Newark community to continue expanding access to healthy food and nutrition education.

“Whole Cities has been honored to support locally led organizations increasing access to healthy food across Newark for the past 9 years. During that time, I’ve been inspired to witness the collaborative spirit of so many leaders in this community, which not only fosters a healthy environment but also enables food access efforts to go further, faster,” said Dianna Purcell, Director of Programs at Whole Foods Market Foundation.

This year, the Foundation is awarding a total of $197,199 across the following ten Newark-based organizations that are committed to broadening long-term access to fresh, healthy food and nutrition education:

Al Munir, LLC, Apiary in the Sky, LLC, Clinton Hill Community Action, Giving One Tenth Community Garden, Green Garden Bunches, Ironbound Community Corporation, KIDS IN BUSINESS, INC., Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District, STEAM URBAN, and Urban Agriculture Cooperative.

The Newark Community Advisory Council has been instrumental in helping the Foundation evaluate grant applications for the Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access grant. Their deep knowledge of their community is invaluable in identifying projects that will truly serve Newark’s communities. Having local leaders and community members guide these decisions ensures we’re directing resources where they’ll have the greatest impact – from expanding access to fresh food to supporting nutrition education. The council members have generously shared their time and expertise, and their guidance has been crucial in strengthening Newark’s food ecosystem.

“Partnering with Whole Cities has been a true pleasure to expand fresh food access in Newark,” said Sabrina Ross, a Newark Community Advisory Council member. “Their investment in our community has helped plant seeds of health, hope, and empowerment. Together, we are creating a stronger, more vibrant Newark where every family has the opportunity to thrive through access to fresh, healthy food.”

For more information on Whole Cities’ Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access Grant program, including a list of past grant partners, visit wholecitiesfoundation.org/grants/newark-nj.

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ABOUT WHOLE FOODS MARKET FOUNDATION

Whole Foods Market Foundation works to nourish people and the planet by providing access to essential resources to improve nutrition and create opportunities for financial stability. The registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, based in Austin, Texas, encompasses the pillars of Whole Cities, Whole Kids and Whole Planet. For more information on the Foundation’s work, visit wholefoodsmarketfoundation.org. For ongoing news and updates, follow Whole Foods Market Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Sandra Mariscal, Director of Philanthropy
Sandra.Mariscal@wholefoods.com

by Steve Hoffman of Compass Natural Marketing

The market for organic food and agriculture has grown significantly since the National Organic Program was first established in 2001, placing the USDA Certified Organic seal on products that qualify for this distinction. Today, it’s a $70-billion market that’s been growing an average of 8% per year. And while it may be maturing, younger consumers, including new parents and their babies, are eating it up. And now, in the post-pandemic era, investors are once again paying attention to the potential of organic and regenerative products and brands that take into account health and the environment, and how the way we produce our food and consumer products affects climate change.

A survey released recently by the Organic Trade Association (OTA), the industry’s leading trade group, found that organic’s benefits to personal health and nutrition are resonating deeply with Millennials and Gen Zer’s, making them the most committed organic consumers of any generation. Also, a February 2025 study by the Acosta Group, one of the nation’s top natural and organic products sales firms, reflected that 75% of all shoppers purchased at least one natural or organic product in the six months prior to the survey, with 59% responding that they think it’s important that their groceries and/or household products are natural and organic because they “are better for them” and “they tend to have fewer synthetic chemicals and additives.”

Natural and Organic Industry is a Force. Overall, the natural and organic products industry combined has more than tripled in size since 2007, growing from $97 billion in sales in 2007 to over $325 billion in 2024, according to data compiled by New Hope Network, SPINS (a division of Nielsen), Whipstitch Capital and others.

Read more investment insights in Steve’s article and watch a Video from the 2025 Expo West here– https://greenmoney.com/investing-in-the-earth-natural-organic-and-regenerative-food-and-ag-surges-in-popularity

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