Author: sHq_LoGiNz

As part of its Recipe for Change impact framework, Albertsons Companies is educating customers in an Earth Month Instagram post by showcasing a variety of products with on-pack labels and certifications. These certifications include USDA Organic Certified, Fair Trade USA Certified™, Responsible Choice™ and EPA Safer Choice Certified. Albertsons Cos. also features its Own Brands packaged salad with trays made from recycled plastic.

See original post on Instagram and read more about Albertsons Companies and our Recipe for Change on our website.

Direct Relief today announced a $2.7 million initiative to enhance healthcare access and bolster recovery efforts for Los Angeles communities severely impacted by recent wildfires.

Funds for this critical initiative were raised in part by MusiCares during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards® telecast in February.

Immediate Response and Expanded Healthcare

The wildfires caused significant disruptions, leading to widespread evacuations and severely straining healthcare infrastructure across the region. Thousands of residents, particularly those uninsured or underinsured, face increased health challenges due to disruptions in housing, nutrition, and essential community services.

The initiative will support 15 community health centers and charitable clinics throughout Los Angeles, enabling them to:

• Expand healthcare services and extend operating hours to meet heightened demand.
• Provide critical care for chronic illnesses, mental health, and respiratory conditions exacerbated by wildfire smoke.
• Deliver preventive care and educational outreach in neighborhoods frequently underserved by traditional healthcare systems.
• Address housing instability, food insecurity, and emotional trauma recovery.

Comprehensive Support for Long-term Recovery

“Recovery from wildfires involves more than rebuilding physical infrastructure—it requires addressing complex social challenges such as housing instability, food insecurity, and healthcare disparities,” said Dr. Byron Scott, CEO at Direct Relief. “Community health centers and free and charitable clinics serve as vital anchors, providing not just medical care but comprehensive support including mental health counseling, housing assistance, and nutritional services. MusiCares’ generous funding will empower safety-net providers to continue delivering the holistic care that Los Angeles communities urgently need.”

Healthcare providers serving vulnerable populations have seen a dramatic surge in demand following wildfire-related displacement and health issues intensified by smoke exposure. This initiative specifically targets the health inequities amplified by the disaster, enhancing care for chronic conditions, mental health concerns, and respiratory health.

“As a community-focused health care leader, AltaMed understands that in times of crisis, it is vital to address the needs of the most vulnerable populations. We quickly mobilized to offer relief to individuals at the Pasadena evacuation center, providing medical care, behavioral health services, and social service support,” said Sharlene Risdon Jackson, Vice President of the AltaMed Foundation.

“As well as providing direct care, our role is to foster resilience and recovery within our community following disasters like the Eaton Fire, which present long-term environmental and social challenges. Partners like Direct Relief ensure that we can carry out this essential work. Direct Relief’s unwavering commitment and shared vision are crucial for rebuilding stronger, healthier communities.”

Strengthening Community Resilience

Beyond medical care, the grants will also help health centers and clinics provide crucial social support addressing housing instability, nutrition challenges, and emotional recovery from disaster-related trauma.

“Community health centers provided critical services to their communities throughout the devastating wildfires. Health center workers, despite being directly impacted by the wildfires, continued to serve others during the emergency,” said Louise McCarthy, President & CEO of Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. “Direct Relief has been a vital partner in emergency response. This grant will help bring financial relief to health care workers who continue to recover from the wildfires’ devastating impact.”

Direct Relief’s Response to Date

Direct Relief mobilized within hours after the fires erupted on January 7, providing critical support within hours. Since then, Direct Relief has assisted over 60 organizations across Los Angeles County with more than $7.5 million in medical aid and grants, including the funds announced today.

In celebration of Earth Month, on April 10, 2025, AEG’s LA Kings welcomed 20 high school students from Grades of Green’s SOAR Eco-Innovation Academy to Crypto.com Arena for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the arena’s industry leading sustainability operations.

The students, who are part of a year-long program that empowers them to develop innovative solutions to real-world environmental challenges, learned first-hand about arena’s energy practices waste operations. The immersive tour was given by AEG’s Kadamia Hubbard, Senior Analyst, Sustainability, who offered students a look at the arena’s Bloom Energy fuel cells, which generate electricity on site and help to reduce the venue’s carbon footprint, as well as its event-level waste sorting operations, which have helped divert approximately 298 tons of recyclable materials from landfills in 2024 alone.

“It’s always exciting to connect with young leaders who are passionate about the environment,” said Kadamia Hubbard, AEG’s Senior Analyst in Sustainability. “Our goal is to show students that sustainability isn’t just a concept—it’s something we actively implement every day behind the scenes at large-scale operations like Crypto.com Arena. We hope this experience helps spark new ideas and reinforces how their efforts can make a real impact in the world.”

The evening also included a networking dinner in the Wells Fargo Premium Lounge, where students had the chance to speak with LA Kings and AEG team members working in sustainability, operations, and event management.

Grades of Green’s SOAR Eco-Innovation Academy provides students the opportunity to collaborate with businesses and industry leaders to build more sustainable practices across various sectors. To learn more about Grades of Green, please click here.

FedEx Cares is the company’s commitment to giving back and volunteering – values core to our culture inspired and created by our founder, Frederick W. Smith.

The FedEx Founder’s Fund Award was established in 2023 in recognition of Mr. Smith’s legacy during our 50th anniversary. It celebrates team members who give back to their communities in meaningful ways.

Join FedEx Cares in congratulating the winners of the FedEx Founder’s Fund Award for FY25, the most prestigious recognition team members can achieve within the FedEx Cares program.

The top three team members globally, with the most recorded volunteer hours, will have grants made in their names to the nonprofits of their choice in the amounts of $25,000, $15,000, and $10,000 respectively.

1st place winner

Karen Boozer
Digital Forensic Advisor
Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Karen, the first-place winner, has worked for FedEx for 42 years and consistently seeks opportunities to serve and assist others, both through significant acts and small gestures of kindness. Her extensive list of volunteer organizations reflects her dedication to addressing issues that impact and support children/youth, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, affordable housing, homelessness, hunger/food insecurity, and the arts.

Currently, she dedicates much of her personal time to volunteering with the Scouting America where she serves as an Assistant Scoutmaster for a new Troop and contributes to the Family Pack, as well as serving as a committee member for both the Pack and Troop.

You can often find Karen volunteering at numerous Memphis-area FedEx Cares events. She regularly contributes to organizations such as Operation Warm, Mid-South Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, among others.

Karen attributes her commitment to service to the example set by her grandmother and mother, which became ingrained in her. Even during her elementary school years, she visited nursing homes and provided supplies to support the residents. She was taught that everyone can serve and benefit others through their knowledge, talents, money, and/or time.

“Volunteering contributes to the well-being of communities and can address local needs. FedEx Cares provides employees various ways to serve that hopefully they can tap into what they are good at and/or enjoy.”

2nd place winner

Marko Skubiak 
District Manager 
Chicago, Illinois, USA

Marko, a 12-year veteran of the FedEx Office team, was inspired to volunteer in his local community by the tangible impact he could see on individuals. His early involvement in Scouting instilled a lifelong spirit of giving, which he has carried throughout his professional career.

At FedEx, he has actively participated in initiatives like Feed My Starving Children, Operation Warm, and various purple tote drives to address food insecurity, support children in need, and, most recently, contribute to a multicultural children’s book drive.

For the past five years, he has also volunteered personally with his local YMCA, supporting children in their swimming development. By becoming a volunteer official, he witnesses firsthand the children’s progress, their growing love for the sport, their teamwork, and their sportsmanship. Volunteering with the YMCA has provided him with a fulfilling weekend purpose and allows him to support student athletes in Illinois and surrounding states.

“FedEx Cares ties FedEx to the community. Being as large of a company as we are we can lose focus on some of the things that impact us the most. FedEx Cares opens avenues for the employees to help those that they feel need it.”

3rd place winner

Steven Hudson 
Specialist-Linehaul Planner III 
Harrison, Arkansas, USA

Steven, with over six years at FedEx Freight, pursues a personal goal of making a meaningful impact through volunteering. Through the collaboration of FedEx Cares and FedEx Freight, he has contributed to the Trees for Troops program at Fort Leonard Wood in the Missouri Ozarks, delivering Christmas trees to military families.

Beyond traditional FedEx Cares projects, Steven is an active volunteer in the Harrison, Arkansas, area. He regularly volunteers with his family through his church and dedicates his time to the Branded Equine Based Therapy group. This organization holds significant personal importance for him, as it provides occupational, physical, and speech therapy, as well as a veteran’s program that pairs veterans and first responders with wild mustangs.

Witnessing the transformative impact that horses and mustangs have on children and veterans, easing their challenges, is a truly remarkable experience for him.

“FedEx Cares is an incredible source of resources, talent, and connections that can make a lasting impact on lives. All my volunteer work is an honor and my way of giving back to those in need.”

The top volunteer from each of the super regions, based on recorded volunteer hours, will have a $7,500 grant made in their name to a nonprofit of their choice.

AMEA – Top volunteer

Mohammed Abou Hassan 
Manager Security
Dubai, UAE

Mohammed, a 12-year FedEx employee, has a lifelong commitment to volunteering, beginning in his teenage years. He finds immense joy in connecting with people and bringing them happiness.

He actively participates in and encourages his Dubai team members to join FedEx Cares events, such as Ramadan food packing and the Global Litter Challenge, aimed at community beautification. He also dedicates significant personal time to volunteering with family and friends on causes close to his heart.

Additionally, due to his rare blood type, he is a regular blood donor, striving to save lives through his contributions.

“FedEx Cares offers lots of values to the company & its employees. I believe that volunteering not only helps others but also the volunteers themselves. While giving back, it also provides a physical & mental reward to me. It connects people and reminds us all about human’s values like Equality.”

The Americas – Top volunteer

Grant Dusyk
Service Solution Specialist
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Grant, a 33-year FedEx veteran, spent most of his career in Sales before joining the Customer Experience team. However, his true passion lies in community service, particularly supporting those in need.

His dedication to addressing homelessness and homelessness prevention intensified during the pandemic, as he witnessed its devastating impact on marginalized individuals struggling with employment, housing, and food security. This inspired him to significantly increase his volunteer efforts.

Currently, he serves on multiple nonprofit boards, coordinates volunteers for a food assistance initiative, and utilizes his web design skills to enhance resources and improve the lives of those less fortunate.

“FedEx Cares provides an opportunity for employees to engage with their community in meaningful ways. I am grateful for the opportunity to give back to the community by sharing my experiences and skills, which I have developed through various roles at FedEx, embracing the Purple Promise, and the Servant Leadership Culture. In return, employees gain invaluable experience and insights through their volunteer work, which can be applied back to their jobs—benefiting both FedEx and its team members.”

Europe Winner – Top volunteer

Allart Goekoop 
Service Solution Specialist
Hoofddorp, Netherlands

Allart, who began his FedEx journey 18 years ago with TNT, has been volunteering since 2022 to educate, promote, and participate in sustainable energy activities, driven by a passion for creating a livable planet.

He serves as a board member for Soester Energie, utilizing his skills and resources to make his local community greener and more sustainable. Additionally, through FedEx Cares, he collaborates with colleagues from the Hoofddorp office to maintain an organic food garden.

He appreciates the opportunity to participate in FedEx-led volunteer activities and the ability to log personal volunteer hours for projects he is passionate about, particularly those close to home. He aspires to inspire others to adopt sustainable habits and volunteer to protect the planet, leading by example.

“FedEx Cares provides an opportunity to meet colleagues you would otherwise maybe never talk to, so it’s a great networking opportunity.”

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

Name: Hannah Hunt | Carbon Policy Lead

Company:  HEINEKEN

Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn

Welcome to our series aimed at spotlighting the individual leaders within BIER member companies and stakeholder organizations. Learn how these practitioners and their companies are addressing pressing challenges around water, energy, agriculture, climate change, and what inspires each of them to advance environmental sustainability in the beverage sector and collectively, overall.

Briefly describe your role and responsibilities and how long you have worked with your company. 

I’ve been with HEINEKEN for almost three years, working as part of the Global Corporate Affairs Sustainability team. My role involves both internal policy development and external advocacy, primarily focused on our carbon agenda. However, my work also extends into broader aspects of our climate and nature strategy under HEINEKEN’s ‘Brew a Better World‘ initiative.

How has the company’s sustainability program evolved over the years, and what are your specific priorities for 2025?

HEINEKEN’s sustainability agenda has been evolving for over a decade, long before I joined. In 2021, we launched the latest iteration of our strategy, Brew a Better World. This is when we first announced our ambition to reach net zero carbon across our value chain (Scope 1, 2 and 3) by 2040. Since then, I’ve seen real progress in both the sophistication of our approach and the scale of our efforts.

One of the biggest shifts has been the expansion of internal expertise. We’ve significantly increased the number of people dedicated to sustainability—now more than 50 at our head office alone—while also upskilling teams across functions like legal, supply chain, procurement, and finance. This integration has been critical in embedding Brew a Better World into daily business operations.

Our roadmap focuses on emissions reductions, systematically reducing emissions across our sites while strengthening our reporting and disclosures. It often feels like we’re building the machine as we operate it, but seeing our progress in the first half of this decade has been rewarding. With our goal to reach net zero in Scope 1 and 2 by 2030, scaling these efforts is more important than ever.

Looking ahead to 2025, it’s about sharpening our focus. Environmental sustainability today requires a more holistic approach, addressing not just carbon but also water, biodiversity, land management, and circularity. For example, we recently set circularity targets to increase the reusability and recycled content of our packaging, directly linking back to emissions reductions. Water is another major focus, given its central role in making beer.

On a personal level, 2025 is an exciting year for my work. While our primary focus remains emissions reductions, we’re also laying the groundwork for high-quality carbon removals. Following Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) guidelines, once we reach a 90% reduction in emissions, we’ll address the remaining 10% through removals. We’re being deliberate in our approach; we want to ensure the credibility of projects by aligning with improved industry standards like the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) and the incoming EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework.

Our first steps are exploring nature-based solutions for carbon removals on our own lands and through our long-standing water balancing projects, which could provide further opportunities for reforestation and afforestation.

Ultimately, 2025 is about scaling what works, ensuring integrity in our ambitions, and continuing to embed Brew a Better World into how HEINEKEN operates.

How do you feel being a BIER member will help you successfully address the key areas you are addressing in 2025? 

I’m really looking forward to deepening my engagement with BIER this year. While HEINEKEN has been involved for some time, I personally plan to step in more actively in 2025, and I see real value in the collaboration it fosters.

One key example is our collective work on land management and zero deforestation policies. Many BIER member companies are navigating similar challenges, particularly around the interpretation and implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Having a dedicated workstream within BIER allows us to align on a shared understanding of the regulation, helping us approach it consistently across the industry. It also provides a unified platform to seek clarity where needed.

It’s one of the things I appreciate most about BIER – the knowledge-sharing that happens when we come together. There’s something incredibly practical about being able to bring a common issue to the table, in a formal and transparent way. One company may be able to say, “We actually just mapped that out – we can share what we learned with the group.” Those real-world insights, from people facing the same operational challenges, are hugely beneficial.

Ultimately, being part of BIER helps accelerate solutions by leveraging collective expertise, creating opportunities for direct, practical knowledge exchange.

Name one of the practical solutions or best practices you learned in working with BIER and its members and why it was important to you and/ or your company.

Up until recently, my involvement with BIER had been more of a light touch, but over the past six months, I’ve had the chance to observe and learn from the collaboration happening within the group—particularly in the water workstreams. For example, it’s been fascinating to see BIER members come together to address shared challenges in overlapping watersheds.

BIER is designed for knowledge-sharing and tackling technical topics, but what stands out to me is seeing that collaboration translates into real, on-the-ground impact. When multiple companies operating in the same watershed work collectively, it goes beyond just exchanging best practices—it drives meaningful action.

This kind of localized approach is very much part of HEINEKEN’s identity. For example, any carbon removals investments we make in the future must have a clear connection to our local communities. Compared to other industries I’ve worked with, I’ve noticed that this isn’t just a HEINEKEN principle, but something deeply embedded across many BIER members as well. There’s a shared understanding that sustainability efforts should be rooted in the communities where we operate, which makes the collaboration within BIER even more valuable.

Share a recent accomplishment of your company’s sustainability initiatives/achievements you are most proud of and why.

While I’m proud of all our 2024 annual results, one initiative from the past year that stands out to me is the launch of REfresh Alliance. This was a major cross-company, cross-industry idea—HEINEKEN, along with Coca-Cola and Diageo, came together as founding members to create a platform aiming to help our common suppliers transition to renewable electricity.

What makes the REfresh Alliance unique is that it will go beyond just education. Many of us have made strong progress in sourcing renewable electricity within our own operations, but we recognized that our suppliers—many of those in shared markets—needed additional support. REfresh provides not only education on renewable electricity but also hands-on guidance in navigating the complexities of contract negotiations and commercial agreements. That extra step is a real value-add and a key differentiator.

Because of its commercial nature, REfresh sits outside of BIER, but BIER has still played an invaluable role in helping us recruit additional members. What started with three founding companies has now grown to nine participants across the beer, soft drinks, water, and spirits industries.

It is a huge team effort—our procurement team played the central role, my focus was on setting the governance and framework to ensure smooth and legally compliant collaboration. Now that REfresh has launched and recruitment has been successful, the real work begins: execution. I’m excited to see the impact it can have as we move forward.

If you had one superpower that could be used to radically accelerate and scale sustainable best practices, which one would it be, and how would you use it? 

If I could have one superpower to accelerate and scale sustainable best practices, it would be the ability to instantly speak and understand any language—both literally and figuratively.

So much of the work we do in sustainability isn’t just about technical solutions; it’s about bridging communication gaps. Many challenges arise not because of disagreement but because of differences in background, perspective, or language. Whether it’s aligning with teams across regions, ensuring supply chain partners fully understand our requirements, or translating environmental sustainability goals into something meaningful for sales teams, so much time is spent just trying to get on the same page.

This superpower wouldn’t just mean speaking every spoken language—it would also mean fluently adapting my communication to any audience, whether it’s a procurement expert, a supply chain manager, or a finance team. Being able to instantly frame sustainability in a way that resonates with whoever I’m talking to, and for them to do the same, would be a game changer. Sustainability at its core is about storytelling and finding common ground. If we could eliminate those friction points, remove cultural or technical misunderstandings, and create instant clarity, we could move so much faster toward our goals.

And beyond just me having this ability, imagine if everyone working on sustainability could do the same. That would truly accelerate progress in a way no policy or technology alone ever could.