Month: May 2025

In part two of this three part series, we explore how in 2018, Columbus City Schools (CCS) partnered with Ohio State University Extension to develop a guidebook.  The guidebook was shared with 46 CCS teachers who gave feedback about the guidebook.  Scotts Miracle-Gro and Scotts Miracle Gro Foundation helped gather the supplies for the experience.

Our purpose to GroMoreGood takes many forms. One of those special moments happened with Columbus City Schools in Ohio, where the magic of a single idea blossomed beyond its original intent and became something bigger, something greater. The growth journey of the Columbus City Schools program epitomizes GroMoreGood. A new generation of kids is developing a lifelong connection to the earth.

The idea 
Early in her career, school teacher Katie Young had a writing assignment for her students that was based on a simple question: Do you know where food comes from? Not one of the students answered that it comes from the earth. Katie knew this had to change. 

In 2018, the Columbus City Schools Farm to School program was born in partnership with ScottsMiracle-Gro, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and The Ohio State University Extension. Teachers were given tools and Miracle-Gro supplies to teach kids how to create, tend to and harvest gardens full of fresh vegetables.

Starting to grow 
The initial group of teachers embraced the program, and students did, too. Soon, more schools and teachers were brought into the program, and it started delivering results that exceeded all original expectations.

Benefits beyond expectations 
Students experienced mental health benefits from touching the dirt and taking care of the plants on a regular basis. 

High school students talked about the therapeutic aspect of gardening and the way working with plants brought them a sense of peace. 

Another group of students created ways to invite the community to participate in the gardens, which went beyond the classroom. 

While elementary school students discovered that fresh foods are delicious, sometimes on their own and sometimes when added to a smoothie or pizza!

Read more about ScottsMiracle-Gro and the partnership with the Columbus City Schools.

Watch the video here.

About ScottsMiracle-Gro 
With approximately $3.6 billion in sales, the Company is the world’s largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care. The Company’s brands are among the most recognized in the industry. The Company’s Scotts®, Miracle-Gro®, and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, The Hawthorne Gardening Company, is a leading provider of nutrients, lighting, and other materials used in the indoor and hydroponic growing segment. For additional information, visit us at www.scottsmiraclegro.com.

• Duke Energy Foundation funding goes to 24 nonprofit, governmental organizations across the state
• Grants support efforts that work to ensure future generations enjoy the tremendous benefits of the natural resources of the Palmetto State

GREENVILLE, S.C., May 13, 2025 /3BL/ – Throughout the month of April, Duke Energy highlighted the importance of sustainability of our state’s natural assets with $375,000 in grants to organizations that manage and provide support to state and local parks, tree planting and advocacy, trail maintenance and litter prevention.

Why it matters: By educating ourselves about environmental issues and making small changes, such as reducing plastic use, recycling, conserving energy and planting trees, we can move towards understanding the impact of our actions and become more responsible stewards of the earth, ensuring that it remains a thriving, livable place for us all especially at a time of booming population growth in the state. Every effort, no matter how small, contributes to a better, cleaner world.

Where the money goes: The following qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits and governmental organizations received funding from Duke Energy Foundation (click here for additional details):

Dozens of Duke Energy employees also volunteered their time and energy in April by supporting five organized trash pickups and similar events in communities across the state.

What they’re saying

Tim Pearson, Duke Energy’s South Carolina president:
“The natural beauty of South Carolina draws new residents and businesses to our state every year, and it’s important for companies like ours to work alongside our communities to protect, enhance and promote these tremendous assets of the Palmetto State.”

Duane Parrish, South Carolina Parks, Recreation and Tourism executive director:
“The Upstate has been through a lot since last fall. From the first responders who secured our safety after Helene and in the recent wildfires, to the partners who have stepped up afterwards to help make us whole again, we have not had to face those dark days and difficult challenges alone. We are incredibly grateful to Duke Energy, who has been an amazing partner to South Carolina State Parks for many years. They have a heart for what we do in State Parks, and their generous support is pivotal in helping us protect, advance, and share our treasured places with visitors.”

Aaron Davis, TreesUpstate executive director:
“For the past nine years, Duke Energy has helped thousands of Upstate residents save electricity costs through this really “cool” Energy Savings Tree Giveaway program. Their generosity and partnership show how much Duke Energy values nonprofits, communities, and our wonderful natural resources.”

Duke Energy Foundation

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

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. The company’s electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables and energy storage.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

Contact: Ryan Mosier
24-Hour: 800.559.3853

View original content here.

At Gilead, we innovate for impact. This commitment helps us drive scientific solutions forward, reach more people in more places and protect the planet we all share. Read our 2024 Responsible Business and Impact Report to see how we’re driving change and working toward our vision to create a healthier world for all people. https://www.gilead.com/company/annual-impact-reports

Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California. 

Originally published by Gilead Sciences

The United States is at a tipping point when it comes to women’s health, and heart health remains the deadliest concern of all.¹ For more than 100 years, cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in women, accounting for about one out of every three female deaths (more than all cancers combined).^2,3 Medtronic is working relentlessly to ensure women receive personalized, evidence-based solutions, tailored to them.

This May, during Women’s Health Month and Mother’s Day, we encourage people to make the pledge to talk to their mother or the women in their lives about heart health. From high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats to common conditions like heart valve failure (severe aortic stenosis)^† and coronary artery disease, it’s important today and every day to not skip a beat — learn your family history, risk factors, and the signs and symptoms of heart disease.

Receiving the right advice at the right time can impact your life, and in the case of heart disease, may help save your life.¹ One letter can help start a new conversation about what it means to take care of your own heart health. What would you say to your mother or a woman in your life if you knew it could change the course of her life?

A new Medtronic-sponsored survey of women ages 30–50 sheds light on a gap in awareness and discussion around heart health, despite more than 60 million women in the United States living with some form of heart disease.^‡ Women discuss sensitive topics like “the birds and the bees” and body image — but heart health is left out of conversations at the doctor’s office and dinner table.

• 60% of women find it hard to make their own health a priority.
• 30% of women have not talked with a healthcare provider about their heart health.
• 44% of women have talked about their heart risk with their family.

Heart disease can present differently in women, with symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, or pain in the neck, jaw, or throat.^4,5Learn more and talk to your doctor about solutions for heart disease and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Learn more and take the pledge to talk to your mother or the women in your life about heart health today.

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‡ Medtronic engaged Wakefield Research to conduct a nationally representative survey to gain insights into consumer perceptions and awareness of heart disease in women, targeted to the “daughters” that are sandwiched between taking care of their health, their children, and parents. The survey was deployed among 1,000 U.S. women, ages 30 to 50, with a living mother and a living child, between March 13 and March 17, 2025, using an email invitation and an online survey. Data has been weighted.

1. American Heart Association. More than half of U.S. adults don’t know heart disease is the leading cause of death, despite 100-year reign. Updated January 24, 2024. Accessed April 17, 2025.
2. American Heart Association. Facts | Go Red for Women. Accessed April 23, 2025.
3. Garcia M, Mulvagh SL, Merz CNB, Buring JE, Manson JE. Cardiovascular disease in women: clinical perspectives. Circ Res. 2016;118(8):1273–1293. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.307547.
4. American Heart Association. Changing the way we view women’s heart attack symptoms. Updated March 6, 2020. Accessed April 17, 2025.
5. Iribarren AC, AlBadri A, Wei J, et al. Sex differences in aortic stenosis: Identification of knowledge gaps for sex specific personalized medicine. Am Heart J Plus. 2022;21:100197. doi:10.1016/j.ahjo.2022.100197.

Company plans to invest $37 billion in the electric grid through 2028

May 12-16 marks National Infrastructure Week, but for Entergy employees, it seems like the observance is celebrated daily.

Throughout the company’s service area, a dizzying number of projects are being planned, designed, approved, built and put into service. These projects will improve resiliency, enhance reliability, supply economic growth and meet increased residential demand for Entergy’s 3 million customers.

Interested in how the company is investing in serving customers better, both now and for the future? Below are just a few of the many initiatives active right now.

Entergy Louisiana is investing more than $400 million over the next four years to upgrade approximately 730 miles of distribution and transmission lines across the state’s Capital Region. As part of the project, approximately 20,300 poles will be upgraded to withstand winds of up to 150 mph, helping to ensure the continuity of service in the face of increasingly severe weather events.

The initiative will directly benefit the Capital Region’s vital industries, as well as small businesses, schools, hospitals and residential customers that rely on affordable and reliable power. With more than $30 billion in industrial projects currently evaluating investment in the region, enhanced grid reliability is a critical factor in supporting continued economic growth.

Learn more about future projects in the Louisiana 100 plan.

Entergy Texas is roughly 70% complete with construction of the Orange County Advanced Power Station. The plant, designed to generate 1,215 megawatts of power, remains on track to power more than 230,000 homes by June 2026.

Bringing this massive project to life requires an impressive inventory of materials:

• Over 1.3 million feet of electrical cables
• More than 43,000 feet of underground piping
• Nearly 2,000 tons of steel
• Over 22,000 cubic yards of concrete

Entergy Texas expects energy demand across residential, commercial and industrial customer bases to increase over the next few years. This growth in energy consumption requires the Entergy Texas power grid to have an additional 1,600 megawatts of generation capacity by 2028, which is approximately 40% of current generation capacity. Learn more about how the company is readying for that growth with its STEP Ahead plan.

Entergy New Orleans has announced a $100 million Accelerated Resilience Plan, approved by the New Orleans City Council in October 2024. The plan reflects a commitment to strengthening the grid and creating jobs while driving long-term growth.

The first phase of work, to be completed in 2025-2026, will include 65 individual projects, strengthening 3,096 structures and upgrading 63 electric line miles.

Company employees are already working closely with local partners to help transform the city’s economic landscape in other positive ways:

• The River District Neighborhood Initiative will feature a mixed-use neighborhood with sustainable designs, green spaces, and advanced infrastructure. This project is expected to generate over $1 billion in economic activity and $43 million in annual tax revenue.
• Five O’ Four Golf, a $40 million golf-entertainment facility, will include a driving range, dining options, and other amenities, bringing jobs, tourism, and entertainment to the region.
• CSX’s property in New Orleans East, the first site in the city to be classified as a “Certified Site” under the Louisiana Economic Development’s Certified Sites Program, will benefit residents by creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and enhancing logistics and transportation services.

Entergy Arkansas continues its plans to invest millions of dollars into grid upgrades and one example is the recently completed significant reliability upgrades in the Harrisburg community aimed at modernizing aging infrastructure, increasing resilience and reducing the risk of power interruptions. The year-long project, which includes more than two miles of new distribution lines and enhancing substation equipment, is expected to bring improved stability to the area, providing farmers and residents with the reliable power needed to operate essential irrigation systems during the hot summer months.

These upgrades represent a proactive investment in the community’s future, helping farmers, residents and local businesses thrive with expanded electrical stability. In total for this project, Entergy Arkansas has invested more than $12 million in new upgrades and has rebuilt more than a mile of existing distribution lines allowing the company to support increased load demands and provide consistent power delivery, even during high-demand periods.

For more on long-term plans: entergy.com/brightfutureark

At Entergy Mississippi, construction is underway at the Delta Blues Advanced Power Station in Greenville. By replacing end-of-life gas generation with more clean and efficient generation, the company is ensuring customers continue to have modern, reliable energy well into the future.

Delta Blues Advanced Power Station will be a 754-megawatt facility capable of powering 385,000 homes across Entergy Mississippi’s 45-county service area.

The $1.2 billion investment represents a significant economic impact for the Mississippi Delta, including more than 300 construction jobs in the area over the next several years and additional tax revenue for Washington County. Entergy will employ about 21 full-time personnel to operate the plant when it comes online. When fully operational, the plant will provide the state a newer, cleaner and more attractive power source to highlight when recruiting new industry and jobs to Mississippi.

For more on long-term plans: entergy.com/brightfuturems

The Entergy Nuclear River Bend Station in St. Francisville, La., has recently modernized the local emergency notification process, transitioning to a nationally approved system that continues to alert local broadcast and news outlets about severe weather, while putting information directly in the hands of residents.

Similar to how people now get storm warnings through their electronic and mobile devices, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System is now set to give local residents more information in a timelier manner should an emergency occur.

IPAWS works by sending local emergency messages to the public to customer’s mobile phones using wireless emergency alerts, to radio and television via the Emergency Alert System and also on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s, or NOAA, weather radio. The Federal Emergency Management Agency developed IPAWS over a decade ago is currently being used by major nuclear plants across the nation.

These investments, and many more like them, are part of an aggressive plan to invest $37 billion in the grid through 2028. For details, check out Entergy’s most recent performance report.