Month: September 2025

By Eric Best

It’s a simple fact many take for granted: Where you live can influence the smallest details of life. For affordable housing developments, adding amenities and services like a community center, recreation center, communal garden, reading rooms, and coworking spaces could drastically enhance the quality of life for residents, improving chances at long-term success and economic mobility.

Just ask Antoine Lewis.

Lewis, a lifelong resident of Sunnydale, San Francisco’s largest public housing project, said he and his neighbors not only feel better today but are doing better, too. The difference is the result of a groundbreaking rebuild of an entire 50-acre community now under construction in one of the densest cities in America.

“Sometimes, [the old Sunnydale buildings] might’ve brought peoples’ attitude and behavior down, just because [they were] waking up to an environment like that. Now it looks a little brighter. There’s more greenery. It’s just better,” he said. “When you see better, you do better.”

Sunnydale co-developers Mercy Housing California and Related California are aiming to do more than provide housing, but strengthen community, too.

“It’s not just about the brick and mortar of rebuilding homes. It’s about how we create comfortable, vibrant communities,” said Ashlei Hurst, Mercy Housing’s vice president of community life, who is overseeing the revitalization of Sunnydale. “Our focus is on belonging. Do you feel like you belong here and can thrive here?”

At Sunnydale, many of these services are housed at The Hub, a 30,000-square-foot community center. It’s where residents and even neighbors who aren’t Sunnydale residents eat free meals and drink coffee, practice yoga, play board games, or enjoy amenities like a recording studio and library. Across the street, a new resource center offers counseling and supportive services.

For Lewis and his family, the new Wu Yee Children’s Services early learning center in the nearby Hub means his son, a toddler, has a place to be active during the day.

“The Hub is a really nice place to have a whole lot of activities here for people to do and everything,” he said.

Envisioning the next generation of community-building

The Hub is more than a community center for residents who’ve lived at Sunnydale for decades without many amenities. It’s become something for them to rally around.

“This is the heart of the neighborhood,” Hurst said. “People from all over San Francisco come to The Hub right now.”

To make The Hub and Sunnydale’s lengthy list of resources not only possible but sustainable, the development team turned to philanthropic partners in addition to traditional funding sources like city and state funds. “This work began more than a decade before construction started,” said Tiffany Bohee, president of Mercy Housing California. “In a neighborhood long underserved, The Hub represents lasting change made possible through investments by Mercy Housing California and a coalition of philanthropic partners who believe in Sunnydale’s future.”

“We’ve been longtime supporters of Mercy Housing to give people with limited income really good options for housing,” said Darlene Goins, president of the Wells Fargo Foundation, which contributed $1 million to seed a new endowment that funds The Hub’s resident services.

Wells Fargo, an early collaborator, supported multiple parts of the revitalization.

“The bank provided financing to 4 phases of the affordable housing project totaling more than $535 million in debt, equity, and permanent financing. The bank also provided $13.1 million in equity investment in New Market Tax Credit for the Community Center, bringing the total Community Lending and Investment (CLI) into Sunnydale to approximately $549 million.”

A development like Sunnydale that doesn’t displace residents and builds belonging is “some of the hardest work you can do” as a developer, Hurst said, but it will be a win if people feel proud of their community. It will be another win if others can look to Visitacion Valley as an example of how a neighborhood can be rebuilt in a way that honors residents, new and old.

“I would like [Sunnydale’s revitalization] to be replicated,” Hurst said. “If we’ve figured out some of the pieces and also share lessons learned, I think it would be helpful for the next generation of people who are trying to do this in their neighborhoods.”

Inside a resident-focused approach to affordable housing

Emerging building by building are Mercy Housing’s colorful four-story apartments with affordable hoimes. Even the original street grid is getting a modern overhaul.

Key to the developers’ resident-centered “housing-first” model is not displacing residents who choose to stay, Hurst said, a principle baked into the project as part of the HOPE SF initiative. So, as new homes become available, Sunnydale residents — including many who’ve lived there for decades — move in.

Plus, once completed, the project will add room for hundreds more families, with roughly 1,000 affordable units and potential for 600–700 market-rate apartments with a development partner.

This community-building approach addresses residents’ needs and intentionally creates places and moments for them to connect. Mercy Housing staff, including several Visitacion Valley residents, surveyed hundreds of neighbors to hear what they needed firsthand.

Commercial spaces will add a grocery store, a café, and a food hall, among other shops. Residents can connect over meals or cooking classes in The Hub’s community kitchen, too.

“The way we think about it is creating a community where people can be more self-sufficient within their own neighborhood,” said Julia Katz, Mercy Housing California commercial developer. “This not only makes people’s lives easier, because they can walk to services and goods, but it can also bring [them] together in really meaningful ways.”

Connections are forming. Hub activities like senior programs and art classes have brought Tim Harrison, who’s called Sunnydale home since the 1970s, out to socialize more.

“I’m happy to see Sunnydale changing and bringing in a lot of new people, bringing in businesses and stores,” he said. “The sudden change is something new for us and for new people — a new generation — to enjoy.”

Key takeaways

• Adding services and amenities to affordable housing could improve the success and economic mobility of residents, a new housing model asserts.
• Nonprofit affordable housing developer Mercy Housing California and its team are using an innovative approach to revitalizing San Francisco’s largest public housing project to address residents’ long-term needs.
• Because of its complexity, the revitalization of the Sunnydale community relies on private and philanthropic supporters like Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation.

To learn more, please visit Wells Fargo Stories.

Originally published on GEC’s Blog.

The Global Electronics Council^® (GEC) is a thought leader on one of the technology industry’s most pressing challenges: ensuring that electronics create value for people, the planet, and the economy. As the trusted steward of EPEAT^® and a global convener of purchasers, manufacturers, investors and other technology stakeholders, GEC plays a unique role in shaping how responsible technology contributes to a better world.

To reflect this role, we are introducing our new tagline: Advancing Responsible Technology.

Why Advancing Responsible Technology

The new tagline reflects what defines GEC today:

• Advancing: signaling GEC’s unique role in accelerating industry and purchasing practices towards sustainable electronics.
• Responsible: reinforcing the environmental and social outcomes GEC advances across the lifecycles of electronics, with room to evolve with the industry and the markets in which it operates.
• Technology: anchoring our role squarely in helping to shape the future of a responsible global electronics sector.

Together, these words express GEC’s position as a global leader in accelerating systemic change in electronics.

A Unifying Message

A tagline is not a mission statement. It is a shorthand that conveys tone, authority, and differentiation across all communications. Advancing Responsible Technology brings together GEC and its globally recognized EPEAT ecolabel under a single, unifying expression of purpose, uniting every program, partnership, and initiative under one voice.

Looking Forward

Electronics shape how organizations work, collaborate, and impact their communities. Managing their impacts is central to addressing climate change, circular electronics, chemicals of concern, and social responsibility. With our new tagline, GEC affirms its role as a trusted leader, delivering measurable impact and guiding the industry toward better outcomes for people, the planet, and the bottom line.

Advancing Responsible Technology is a shorthand for GEC’s commitment to 100% sustainable electronics by 2050 for everyone, everywhere.

This story first appeared on Baker Hughes’ Energy Forward Stories.

Inspired by the opportunity to drive global impact while delivering local value, Marta joined Baker Hughes three years ago as a procurement intern.

Today, Marta is a key member of the sustainability team in the Industrial & Energy Technology (IET) business segment of Baker Hughes. As a procurement specialist focused on sustainability, she co-develops the procurement sustainability strategy and is involved in guiding its operationalization across the business. One of the most rewarding aspects of her role, she says, is ‘‘launching innovative initiatives and cultivating environments where sustainability can thrive.’’

One such initiative is ‘Bees for the Future’, a biodiversity conservation project focused on urban beekeeping and education for sustainable development. It aims at creating a positive impact and fostering sustainability with local suppliers in regions where Baker Hughes employees live and work – which is a key part of  the company’s Planet pillar of sustainability strategy.

The initiative began in Italy, home to eight Baker Hughes sites and 6,600 employees. Launched initially in Talamona in April 2023, the program expanded to Massa in April 2024, reflecting its growing impact across the nation. The project has resulted in multiple benefits to the larger community, such as corporate crowdfunding with urban regeneration, beekeeping, sustainability-focused educational workshops and social inclusion activities for people with disabilities. 

In Talamona, Italy, Baker Hughes manufactures high-tech components for turbomachinery equipment, including parts for gas and steam turbines, compressors, and other related machinery. The facility is a center of excellence for advanced manufacturing, robotics, and digital solutions, leveraging technologies like additive manufacturing. 

In Massa, Italy, center of excellence for gas technology equipment, Baker Hughes excels in welding, assembling, and rigorously testing advanced turbomachinery solutions, including the LM9000 aeroderivative gas turbine and large compressors primarily for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and new energy value chains.

In Massa, the project supported the redevelopment of an abandoned area and several walking trails within the Monte di Pasta Park. There, a honey garden was created featuring over ten species of pollinator-friendly plants and flowers. Together with Baker Hughes suppliers, the initiative adopted nine bee colonies, which are lovingly tended by a professional beekeeper.  

To find out more about the project, the Energy Forward Stories team caught up with Marta, as she explained key highlights and learnings:

Question:
What inspired your team to launch this project?
Marta Rinaldi:

At Baker Hughes, our sustainability strategy includes climate stewardship, biodiversity, inclusion, and supporting education and knowledge to improve quality of life and food security. Sustainability for us, starts with people and the communities where we live and operate in.

This project was created because we really wanted to do something with our suppliers on sustainability that would have a positive impact locally. The idea was to involve different stakeholders. Some of our partners are members of the local community and non-profit associations, and with such diverse stakeholders, we wanted to create something innovative that encourages dialogue between different realities – one, true hands-on sustainability project!

Question:
How did you engage with the team?
Marta:

At first, people wanted to better understand the value of getting involved. My role was to focus on explaining the benefits and understanding the specific needs of our stakeholders including the Baker Hughes team, our suppliers, and the local community. As the initiative evolved and we developed more details, there was positivity and enthusiasm from everyone.

Question:
How were the locations for the installation of the beehives chosen?
Marta:

The town of Talamona is close to a local apiary APAS (Association of Beekeeping Producers of the Province of Sondrio), making it ideal for a pilot project. In Massa, the location offered a unique opportunity to regenerate the Monte di Pasta public park, allowing us to integrate biodiversity support with urban renewal and social inclusion. 

Both Baker Hughes facilities in these two towns have a strong relationship with the community and were therefore identified as potential ‘sustainability hubs’. They were ideal locations for projects that blend local impact with addressing global challenges like decline of pollinators and climate change.  

Question: 
How did you and the team make this project a reality?
Marta:

We began by defining with a local crowdfunding partner the baseline of the project. This was to ensure we established a clear purpose, enabling us to achieve our sustainability goals and respond to specific needs of our stakeholders.

We then engaged with employees and key external collaborators  to build a cross-functional approach for co-creation, setting-up and fine-tuning the project scope.

Finally, we launched the initiative by hosting  opening ceremonies , kicking off all the activities related to sustainability such as training sessions, beekeeping and social inclusion. On May 20, 2024, International Bee Day, we officially launched the Massa project at Monte di Pasta Park. The event brought together local officials, school children, suppliers, and community members. In addition to being a celebration, it demonstrated our deep commitment to biodiversity, sustainability education and inclusion. The buzz of the bees was matched only by the energy and smiles of the people.

Every step was designed to engage and inspire everyone involved.

Question: 
What are the three key goals your team established for this project?
Marta:

First, our goal is to protect biodiversity and the quality of life by supporting pollinators. Creating habitats that help ecosystems thrive through the adoption of bees and creation of pollinator-friendly environments is essential. Second, we want to foster a culture of keeping sustainability top of mind for all our actions and behaviors – both at work and outside of work – one that is lived, not just talked about. And third, we wanted to respond to the needs of our local community and promote social inclusion, revitalizing public spaces and ensuring that the benefits of the project reach far beyond our office and factory walls.

Question: 
Have the beehives made a noticeable impact so far?
Marta:

Yes. A single bee can visit up to 5,000 flowers a day and we adopted 650,000 bees, meaning from our Massa plant alone, they could visit 3 billion flowers in a single day, a massive boost to any ecosystem. Such a large population of bees could cover hundreds of acres of crops like apples, almonds, or blueberries in the region.

So far, we have donated 130 kg of honey, we involved 12 strategic partners and four non-profit associations. Through this initiative, around 80 people, employees and non-employees, have been trained.

In addition, we were able to get insights from the ecosystems’ health. Bees are bio-indicators. They are super sensitive to pollution, so they are perfect for naturally monitoring the environment. The honey analysis confirmed high purity and biodiversity, with no traces of pesticides or harmful pathogens.  So, we were very pleased.

These results are especially meaningful in the context of pollinator crisis. According to the European Commission, one in three pollinator species in the EU is in decline, and one in ten is at risk of extinction. Around four out of five crop and wild flowering plant species depend on animal pollination, this means that pollinators have a key role in food security and thriving ecosystems. Our project is a small but powerful step in reversing that trend. 

Question: 
How did you work with charitable organizations to support or guide the project?
Marta:

Charities were essential to the project’s success. In Talamona, the honey was donated to the Opera delle Minime Oblate, which supports disadvantaged youth. In Massa, Caritas distributed the honey to local families in need. These organizations helped us ensure that the project had a strong social impact.

They guided us in understanding local needs and helped us connect sustainability with solidarity, turning honey into a symbol of care in the community.   

Question: 
What does leading this project mean to you personally?
Marta:

I really love to talk and connect with different people. I love nature and I am protective about it. This project has shown us that environmental conservation isn’t just about the planet, but its impact reaches far beyond.  

With a job in corporate sustainability, I found my vocational path and my career, so it is something that gives a meaning to my work. Nature reminds me to listen, not just to the world around me, but to myself and others. It sharpens my focus, sparks brilliant ideas, lifts my mood and energy. Nature has become both a guide and a teacher to me throughout my life.

I’m inspired by biomimicry – sustainability solutions inspired by nature. It taught me to observe how ecosystems thrive through balance, resilience, and interdependence, and to bring those same principles into the way we work and lead. For example, did you know that bees build honeycombs using hexagonal cells, which are mathematically the most efficient shape for storing the most honey with the least wax? This structure maximizes space and strength while minimizing material use – a principle even engineers admire.

Real impact begins when we align our actions with the wisdom of the world we’re trying to protect. True leadership is not about control but about genuine connection.

Question: 
What is your advice for someone looking to lead a sustainability initiative?
Marta:

I would say to start with a clear purpose and look to build strong partnerships. Engage your stakeholders early and often. Explain the ‘why’. Don’t be afraid to start small but think big. Measure your impact, tell your story, and stay open to learning.

Most importantly, remember that sustainability is not a solo act, it is a collective journey. I truly believe that when you bring people together around a shared goal, the results can be extraordinary. 

Published by Action Against Hunger.

For inquiries, please contact Nora Benito at nbenito@accioncontraelhambre.org and Elisa Bernal at ebernal@accioncontraelhambre.org.

New York/Jerusalem, 22 September 2025. Action Against Hunger shares with deep sadness the news of the tragic killing of our former colleague, Mustafa Walid Mohammed Al Ejla, in the Gaza Strip. Mustafa worked at an Action Against Hunger warehouse in Gaza City until it was rendered inaccessible as a result of displacement orders. He was killed on September 16th in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City near his family’s home. He was 29 years old and married.

Mustafa’s devastating death is the third suffered by Action Against Hunger teams in Gaza since June this year. The ongoing assault and ground operation in Gaza City continues to claim the lives of civilians and loved ones, including members of our own team who lived with immeasurable dedication to service.

“Mustafa was an exemplary of ethics,” remembers one of his colleagues. “He was a friend and role model.”

“The loss of our beloved colleague Mustafa exemplifies the terrible conditions of life in Gaza City,” explains Natalia Anguera, Head of Middle East Operations at Action Against Hunger. “Our teams are in a constant state of grief while also being forced to make impossible choices: flee to an overcrowded south that is ill-equipped to sustain human survival on a large scale, or risk death in the north in the face of the offensive.”

“Over half of our colleagues in Gaza City have been forcibly displaced, making the dangerous 15-hour trek to the South. Similarly, half of the families with acutely malnourished babies and toddlers that we treat were forcibly displaced in the last week,” said Natalia Anguera. “With two additional warehouses inaccessible as a result of previous displacement orders, we fear continuous loss of access to critical areas, humanitarian infrastructure and supplies.”

Around 86% of the Gaza Strip is now under displacement orders or in militarized areas, blocking humanitarian access to certain areas, separating farmers from their land, and preventing engineering professionals from accessing essential water and sanitation infrastructure in need of rehabilitation.

More than 65,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, including 20,000 children and at least 540 humanitarian workers. It is the deadliest place on earth to be an aid worker. Action Against Hunger reiterates its urgent call for the protection of the civilian population, including humanitarian workers. The tragedy of these losses once again underscores the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

Action Against Hunger extends our deepest condolences to Mustafa’s family and loved ones. We will not forget Mustafa, nor Obada and Mohammed, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on June 26th.

We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to our humanitarian mission: to continue bringing aid to those facing unimaginable challenges in Gaza.

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Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 26.5 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across over 55 countries, our 8,500+ dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.