Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Originally published on Guiding Stars Health & Nutrition News

by Kitty Broihier

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the United States for all people. American Heart Association statistics from 2024 indicate that about 48% of Americans older than age 20 have cardiovascular disease. This includes coronary heart disease (the most common type of cardiovascular disease), heart failure, stroke, and hypertension.

While we can’t control all the risk factors for heart disease, we can make a difference in two important areas: the way we eat and our level of physical activity. We’ve covered the top recommendations for heart-healthy eating in the past (check here and here). And our coverage is still relevant and current with American Heart Association recommendations for a healthy diet and lifestyle. Of course, knowing the recommendations and actually following them in your daily life are two different things. So here are some of my top strategies to help make heart-healthy eating a reality in your life.

Determine Your Dietary Priorities

Focusing on healthy eating efforts that will make the most difference just makes sense—it’s being strategic. Trying to do everything all at once (aka a complete diet overhaul) is usually overwhelming, spreads your efforts too thin, and doesn’t “move the needle” much on anything. Instead, take a look at your overall diet and see which areas need the most work. Then pick one or two specific swaps or changes and concentrate on those.

Often the biggest impact is made by improving the food choices you eat daily versus those you have just occasionally. For example, let’s say you have cereal and whole milk for breakfast every day. Maybe you focus on making the switch from whole milk to skim milk in a step-wise fashion, little by little. Or perhaps you eat red meat every day at lunch and dinner. You might decide to swap a plant-based food into one meal as a first step on the journey toward a more healthful diet.

Choose Heart-Healthy Foods the Easy Way

Selecting foods that fit into your heart-smart eating plan can be daunting, especially if you’re not in the habit of reading food labels. There’s a lot to learn from ingredient statements and the Nutrition Facts labels on food packages, but if you don’t have time to read and compare products in every aisle, start using Guiding Stars.

The Guiding Stars program is based on an ongoing review of current nutritional recommendations and scientific consensus, which is translated into a system that makes it easy to shop for the best foods and beverages for your health priorities. The Guiding Stars algorithms are the “formulas” we use to rate products, determine point values, and assign stars. These algorithms align closely with diet recommendations from the American Heart Association and other groups. They are also in line with eating plans such as the DASH diet, which supports cardiovascular health.

Choosing foods with Guiding Stars is an efficient and effective way to fill your cart with more heart-healthy food. For example, eating foods that are low in saturated fat is a heart-smart diet move, and the Guiding Stars algorithms debit points for saturated fats. It’s the same for other ingredients or food characteristics that negatively impact cardiovascular health—like trans fats, added sodium, and sugar. On the flip side, Guiding Stars awards more points—and more stars—to foods that have heart-healthy attributes or ingredients. These include foods with more fiber, whole grains, and omega-3 fats. By choosing foods that earn stars, you can trust you’re choosing nutritious options.

Simplify Your Cooking

You probably know that deep-fat frying isn’t recommended if you want to keep your ticker in top shape. But what are the best ways to prepare heart-healthy meals? Try cooking methods that don’t rely on sauces, heavy frying, batter/coatings, and a lot of fuss. Here are the suggestions:

• Steam
• Sauté
• Bake
• Poach
• Roast
• Grill
• Broil
• Stir-fry

You see the idea: keep it simple and let the quality of the ingredients shine on their own. Tasty food doesn’t have to involve a lot of dishes, complicated recipes, or unusual ingredients. When it comes to good food, most chefs will tell you, simpler is better. For added flavor, rely on heart-smart ingredients such as:

• A splash of vinegar or squeeze of lemon or lime
• Fresh or dried herbs
• Dried chiles or fresh peppers
• Citrus zest
• No-added-salt or low-salt seasoning blends
• Pungent vegetables like onions, shallots, and garlic
• Reduced-sodium and low-sodium broths and stocks

Finally, once you find an appropriate recipe, try to find a way to batch-cook, meal-prep, or otherwise make cooking easier. Anything you can do to simplify your healthy way of eating will make good heart health easier to achieve.

About Guiding Stars

Guiding Stars is an objective, evidence-based, nutrition guidance program that evaluates foods and beverages to make nutritious choices simple. Products that meet transparent nutrition criteria earn a 1, 2, or 3 star rating for good, better, and best nutrition. Guiding Stars can be found in more than 2,000 grocery stores and through the Guiding Stars Food Finder app.

*Image by Freepik

The Washing Machine Project, a mission-driven organization tackling the hidden burden of laundry on communities, recently published its first annual impact report, The Global Laundry Divide: Understanding the Burden of Hand Washing Clothes. The Washing Machine project is supported by Whirlpool Foundation, and together they are designing, assembling and distributing manual washing machines to low-income, remote and displaced communities worldwide.

• A Global Problem: The research suggests that up to 50% of the world’s population, around 4 billion people, rely on washing clothes by hand. This burden is most concentrated in low and middle income countries, where approximately 85% of people wash clothes by hand with the burden being disproportionately placed on women and girls.
• Proven Impact at Scale: Across 13 countries, evidence shows the Divya Washing Machine dramatically improves daily life – cutting laundry time by 75%, halving water use, and easing the heavy physical burden of handwashing.
• The Potential of Collective Impact: Support from Whirlpool Foundation began in 2024, and the collective goal of the organizations is to bring the Divya manual washing machine to 150,000 people worldwide by 2027, unlocking millions of hours for work, study, and rest.

Navjot Sawhney, Founder of The Washing Machine Project, said, “This report is our launchpad for change. By 2030, The Washing Machine Project wants to impact one million lives—driven by innovation, strengthened through partnerships, and powered by an ecosystem approach that turns saved time into lasting opportunity.”

Research within the report quantifies the challenge—exposing the scale of the problem and highlighting the powerful impact the Divya Washing Machine is delivering in communities. The report also demonstrates what’s possible today and sets a new benchmark for greater change as The Washing Machine Project accelerates its mission.

Download the report here:  https://www.thewashingmachineproject.org/our-impact#download-report

Whirlpool Foundation
Since 1952, the Whirlpool Foundation has been making real, positive differences in local communities where Whirlpool Corporation families live and work. This is accomplished through two central pillars: House+Home. “House” supports a decent and affordable place to live and plan for the future, and “Home” focuses on creating thriving, resilient communities with the essential services, quality education, and job training needed to help people dream bigger and do better. The Foundation has an absolute commitment to equality and fairness and takes an innovative approach to social investing that prioritizes impact with measurable results.
 

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• The Foundation donated $1,000 for every Rays win this season
• Donations will go to community agencies that provide financial assistance for customers in need

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., October 14, 2025 /3BL/ – Duke Energy Foundation and the Tampa Bay Rays announced a $82,000 donation to help customers across Florida pay their energy bills.

With every Tampa Bay Rays win during the 2025 regular season, Duke Energy Foundation donated $1,000 to the company’s Share the Light Fund, which distributes funds to community agencies that provide utility bill assistance for customers in need. The Foundation presented grants to 14 agencies during the Rays’ final home game of the season this weekend.

“While rates will decrease for Duke Energy Florida customers in March 2026, we understand many are still facing financial challenges and may have difficulty paying their bills,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “We remain committed to our customers and providing them with above-and-beyond service, so we appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with the Tampa Bay Rays, once again, to help connect them to the individualized support they need, when they need it most.”

The Share the Light Fund is an assistance program intended to help income-restricted Duke Energy customers pay for utility expenses, such as electric, natural gas, oil or wood. In addition to the funds donated through this partnership with the Tampa Bay Rays, donations are matched, up to $500,000, by Duke Energy Foundation annually.

“The Tampa Bay Rays, like Duke Energy, prioritize contributions that support our community’s needs,” said Rays President Brian Auld. “We are proud to continue this meaningful partnership and help Tampa Bay area residents – and all Floridians – manage their energy costs and power their lives.”

One hundred percent of the funds received by the Share the Light Fund are distributed to social service agencies, including United Way and Tampa Bay 2-1-1, to assist Duke Energy customers in need.

So far in 2025, more than $491,000 has been distributed to Florida customers through the company’s Share the Light Fund.

Customers who need financial assistance are encouraged to visit duke-energy.com/ShareTheLight to locate available 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 (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 Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays mission is to energize the community through the magic of Rays baseball. The organization is committed to building a strong community bond through meaningful interactions and charitable donations and has proudly represented Major League Baseball since 1998.

Duke Energy Media Contact: Ana Gibbs
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
 

Tampa Bay Rays Media Contact: De Anna Sheffield Ward
Email: DWard@RaysBaseball.com 
(No office number)

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September 21-27 is National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week. This blog will recognize one of the ways Cisco has collaborated and innovated with these institutions.

When Olga Osaghae accepted the role of Chief Information Officer at Howard University, she walked into a role that was equal parts opportunity and challenge. “It wasn’t just about upgrading Wi-Fi,” she reflected. “It was about reimagining what education could look like in a digital-first world.”

The campus was rich in history, its legacy woven through decades of academic excellence. But beneath that legacy lay an aging IT infrastructure, putting the university at risk of not meeting National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity standards, impacting their eligibility for critical Title IV Federal Student Aid. The need for change was clear—and it wasn’t just about tech. It was about purpose.

From challenges to possibilities

The turning point came during a strategy session with academic leaders and IT stakeholders. Conversations quickly moved beyond pain points—like dropped signals in lecture halls or siloed systems—and began to explore what was possible. Osaghae knew they couldn’t do it alone. That’s when the university turned to Cisco.

• What if every student had seamless access to learning resources from anywhere on campus?
• What if faculty could use real-time data to tailor instruction?
• What if the university could become a model for what a ‘smart campus’ truly looks like?

“Our partnership with Cisco wasn’t just about solutions—it was about shared vision. They understood the scale of what we wanted to do. More importantly, they understood why we wanted to do it.”— Olga Osaghae, CIO

The power—and responsibility—of AI in education

Artificial intelligence quickly emerged as a game-changing opportunity. Used well, it could support faculty, streamline processes, and identify at-risk students. But Osaghae knew this kind of innovation came with deep responsibility—and “power without responsibility is dangerous.”

To ensure ethical, transparent, and responsible use of AI, the university worked with Cisco to establish a governance framework. Training programs were also introduced to help faculty adopt AI tools confidently and effectively.

From connectivity to intelligence: Expanding the vision

What began with network modernization soon evolved into a broader transformation. Today, the university is exploring Cisco’s capabilities in:

• AV technology – to power interactive, hybrid-ready classrooms
• IoT and sensors – to improve safety, energy efficiency, and facility management
• Smart campus innovations – that elevate the day-to-day student experience

Lessons for other institutions on the journey

Reflecting on her university’s transformation, the CIO shared powerful insights for others looking to embark on a similar path:

• Define clear goals rooted in your institution’s unique mission
• Assess and standardize your current infrastructure where possible
• Prioritize security and stakeholder engagement from day one
• Invest in change management to bring your entire community along

Looking ahead: A future-ready campus

Today, the university is a living blueprint for what’s possible when leadership, technology, and purpose align. The impact is already visible—students are more connected, faculty are more empowered, and the institution is more agile in facing the future.

But for Osaghae, this is just the beginning. “Our students are going to change the world. Our job is to give them the environment—and the tools—to do it.”

And with every classroom connected, every system optimized, and every voice heard, that future gets a little closer each day.

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Bloomberg Intelligence’s Talking Transports podcast welcomed Morten Johansen, Chief Operating Officer of DP World in the Americas, for an insightful conversation on supply chain resilience, nearshoring, automation, and sustainability.

Listen to the full episode here. 

The Conversation at a Glance:

In a candid discussion with host Lee Klaskow, Bloomberg’s senior freight transportation and logistics analyst, Johansen shares how DP World is helping businesses navigate ongoing volatility while driving growth across the Americas. From nearshoring in the Dominican Republic to electrification at ports, he outlines how DP World is building reliability and resilience into every link of the supply chain.

Key Highlights

• Reliability drives customer decisions. Since the pandemic, businesses are prioritizing stability and visibility. Johansen explains how DP World’s integrated model – combining ports, logistics, and digital solutions – gives customers a single source for end-to-end supply chain transparency.
• Regionalization gains momentum. With Americas operations from Canada to Chile, DP World is seeing strong growth in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic, where free trade zones connected to deep-water ports are attracting new manufacturing and nearshoring investment.
• Automation built around people. As terminals reach record utilization, DP World is electrifying and remotely operating yard cranes and vehicles – boosting efficiency and safety while evolving, not eliminating, jobs.
• Growth outlook for 2026. Johansen expects steady demand, continued strength in South America, and major capacity expansions underway in Brazil, Ecuador, and the Dominican Republic.
• Sustainability at the center. DP World continues to accelerate its net-zero by 2050 roadmap, investing in renewable energy, electrified port equipment, and solar infrastructure across the region.

Quote to Remember

“When your terminals are operating at 85% capacity, technology isn’t optional – it’s how you keep people safe, maintain reliability, and create efficiency without pouring new concrete.”
 — Morten Johansen, COO, DP World in the Americas

Tune In

Listen to the full episode of Talking Transports – also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts – with Bloomberg’s Lee Klaskow to hear Morten Johansen discuss how DP World is reimagining logistics across the Americas: building smarter, safer, and more sustainable supply chains for the future.

Originally published on PSEG NewsRoom

ORANGE, N.J., October 14, 2025 /3BL/ – In a celebration that brought together art, infrastructure, and community spirit, PSEG and City of Orange officials cut the ribbon Thursday on a striking new mural at the Orange Heights Switching Station, in Orange, New Jersey, fusing reliability and critical electrical infrastructure with neighborhood identity.

Located at the intersection of South Jefferson Street and Forest Street in a redevelopment and arts zone, PSEG worked closely with municipal leaders, surrounding residents, and members of the local Valley Arts District to ensure the electric reliability project supported both energy infrastructure needs and community revitalization goals.

“This station is a testament to what happens when collaboration meets imagination, with an active and engaging process around enhancing our energy infrastructure in the neighborhoods where we work and live,” said PSEG Senior Vice President for Corporate Citizenship Rick Thigpen. “It’s a powerful example of how public-private partnerships can elevate not just our infrastructure but also lift the community.”

In service since 2024, the new Orange Heights Street Station replaced the aging Orange Valley Substation just across the street. That former site, with equipment reaching the end of its lifecycle, was prone to flooding during severe weather events — including Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Irene — endangering critical equipment and leaving nearly 9,000 homes and businesses at risk of outages.

FEMA flood maps and historical data confirmed the urgent need for change. The upgraded facility not only meets today’s reliability standards but is also engineered to withstand future climate challenges, support long-term energy demand and improve system reliability.

Critical Infrastructure with a Creative Touch

Committed to reflecting the character and creativity of the neighborhood, PSE&G worked closely with city leaders, residents, and the Valley Arts District to shape a design that belongs in — and to — the community.

As part of its community approach, PSE&G partnered with curator Layqa Nuna Yawar, who worked alongside the City of Orange Arts Committee to solicit mural designs from local artists and organized a student art competition. Public workshops invited neighbors to help guide the vision. The result: a perimeter wall styled like a city block, complete with windows, doors, and thoughtful details like lighting, signage, and a new seating area and sidewalk — all designed to harmonize with the local streetscape.

The project’s centerpiece, a sweeping mural created by artist Tom Nussbaum, is a vivid abstraction inspired by patterns found in global textiles and the intricate web of electrical distribution systems.
“The mural imagery serves as a metaphor for the connections found in the electrical grid, and the connections our community has to the world around it,” Nussbaum said.

Orange Township Mayor Dwayne D. Warren said: “This project is a public example that constructing utility institutions does not have to be a detriment to a community’s quality of life,” said Warren. “It also shows that corporate neighbors like PSE&G respond best when the cooperative voices and talents of the community are loud and vibrant.”

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About PSE&G
Public Service Electric & Gas Co. is New Jersey’s oldest and largest gas and electric delivery public utility, as well as one of the nation’s largest utilities. PSE&G has won the ReliabilityOne® Award for superior electric system reliability in the Mid-Atlantic region for 23 consecutive years. For the third consecutive year, PSE&G is the recipient of the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award in the Energy Efficiency Program Delivery category. In addition, in 2024 J.D. Power named PSE&G number one in customer satisfaction with residential electric service and gas service in the east among large utilities. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc., (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a predominantly regulated infrastructure company focused on a clean energy future and has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for North America for 17 consecutive years (www.pseg.com).

NEW YORK and LONDON, October 14, 2025 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) today announced at its WELL Flagship Summit in London significant momentum of its WELL Building Standard (WELL) across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, with adoption reaching an impressive 105 million square meters (1.14 billion square feet) across more than 7,500 locations pursuing or having achieved WELL milestones. Representing nearly 20% of global WELL project area, this surge in growth underscores an established and growing commitment to people-first places and health-focused design within the vast EMEA market.

WELL projects are now active in 76 countries across the EMEA region, demonstrating widespread recognition of WELL as the leading framework for healthy buildings, organizations and communities. The United Kingdom leads the region in overall WELL adoption, with more than 1,100 locations pursuing or having achieved WELL milestones across more than 12 million square meters (130 million square feet). Poland has distinguished itself as a hub for WELL-driven healthy building innovation within Central and Eastern Europe, with France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany surging forward as leading centers of excellence across Western Europe. In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has demonstrated strong uptake of WELL, including the WELL Health-Safety Rating in both square meters and number of locations.

“The remarkable growth of WELL across EMEA shows that people everywhere want spaces that truly support their health and well-being,” said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of IWBI. “Organizations are realizing that investing in healthy environments isn’t just good for people—it’s good for business and for communities. This momentum reflects a shared belief that healthier buildings can help shape a healthier world.”

The Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Design (AECD) and Real Estate sectors continue to represent the largest footprints within the EMEA WELL portfolio, reflecting a deep integration of health and well-being principles into the built environment from the earliest stages of development. Financial Services and Insurance, Energy and Utility, and Professional Services and Business Support also figure prominently among regional WELL projects.

Since its launch in 2014, WELL has provided an evidence-based roadmap for thousands of organizations globally to implement health-focused strategies. The WELL ecosystem, which includes WELL Certification, the WELL Health-Safety Rating, the WELL Performance Rating, the WELL Equity Rating, the WELL Coworking Rating, the WELL Community Standard and the WELL for residential pilot, has been embraced by organizations seeking to prioritize human health and well-being, driving market transformation by creating spaces that advance physical and mental health. IWBI’s WELL at scale program, which has attracted participation from 36 organizations based in the region, extends the benefits of WELL across entire organizations or real estate portfolios while supporting business performance and reporting.

The expansion in EMEA contributes to WELL’s global reach, which is estimated to support the health and well-being of approximately 30 million people and represent over $2 trillion USD in assets managed. This emphasizes that prioritizing health is an investment toward better health outcomes, stronger financial returns and higher-performing people.

The WELL Flagship Summit in London focused on the powerful business case for healthy buildings, with a dedicated session highlighting the recently-launched second edition of IWBI’s Investing in Health Pays Back special report. The new report more than doubles the research and citations from the original, integrating numerous academic studies, industry data and real-world case studies from across Europe.

“From the Nordics to South Africa, the takeaway is clear: investing in health isn’t just good for people—it’s a smart business decision that delivers real returns,” said Ann Marie Aguilar, Senior Vice President, EMEA, IWBI. “We’re pleased to put this latest edition of our special report in the hands of the EMEA market, featuring global research which links healthy building strategies to measurable improvements in employee productivity and performance.”

To learn more about WELL projects across EMEA, visit IWBI’s public project directory. The Investing in Health Pays Back: The Business Case for Healthy Buildings and Healthy Organizations special report is available at https://www.wellcertified.com/health-pays-back.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the global authority for transforming health and well-being in buildings, organizations and communities. In pursuit of its public-health mission, IWBI mobilizes its community through the development and administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL), WELL for residential, WELL Community Standard, its WELL ratings and management of the WELL AP credential. IWBI also translates research into practice, develops educational resources and advocates for policies that promote people-first places for everyone, everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Coworking Rated, WELL Residence, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

Media contact:
media@wellcertified.com

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