Author: sHq_LoGiNz

ATLANTA, April 9, 2026 /3BL/ – At the recent Super South Summit for Sustainable Innovation and Impact, BoldImpact^™ ATL convened an influential panel of women leaders shaping the future of sustainability in Atlanta and beyond.

Held at the Georgia Aquarium, the session, “From Vision to Velocity: Women Leading Atlanta’s Sustainability,” brought together leaders from a cross-section of Atlanta’s sustainability ecosystem – from the world’s busiest and most efficient airport, to a global supply chain, a leading educational institution, local entrepreneur and manufacturer and the city’s community-based ambassadors.

“Sustainability is shaped every day by leaders like the women on this panel who bring vision, curiosity, determination, and commitment in ways that positively impact our resilient future,” noted Marianne Faloni, Founder and CEO of BoldImpact ATL. “It starts with people who choose to see the world differently – and act on it.”

This dynamic conversation highlighted how sustainability leadership is evolving – requiring strategies that translate bold ideas into scalable solutions. Panelists echoed this sentiment: sustainability and profitability are no longer competing priorities – they go hand in hand.

Opening the session, Sree Kancherla, Chief Growth and Innovation Officer at HeneKom Group, reflected on the role of women leaders, “Women leaders bring a grounded understanding of impact – thinking about what we create, who it serves, and how it affects the world beyond us.”

BoldImpact ATL’s Marianne Faloni moderated the panel, “From Vision to Velocity: Women Leading Atlanta’s Sustainability,” featuring:

• Jennifer Chirico, PhD, Associate Vice President of Sustainability, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Sandra Leyva Martinez, Head of Sustainability – Americas, CHEP (a Brambles company)
• Tia Robinson, Founder/CEO, Vertical Activewear
• Dr. Quinta Warren, Senior Director of Sustainability, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
• Michelle Wiseman, Executive Director, Atlanta Sustainability Ambassadors (City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience)

Together they delivered candid insights on the skills required to lead sustainability initiatives today, the realities of gaining buy-in, and the innovations taking shape in Atlanta today.

A Defining Moment for Atlanta

As Atlanta prepares to welcome the world for the 2026 World Cup, these leaders emphasized that sustainability efforts underway today are designed to extend far beyond this global event.

What do they want the world to learn about Atlanta during the World Cup 2026? Panelists painted a compelling collective portrait: a city with a civically engaged community; an airport built for the next 100 years; a research university where innovation and sustainability share a campus; a supply chain operating as a circular system; and a manufacturing sector that proves sustainability and style can coexist.

About BoldImpact™ ATL

BoldImpact^™ ATL is a culture-driven non-profit organization catalyzing sustainability ambition into bold, measurable outcomes across Metro Atlanta. Real impact – bold impact – happens when we convene leaders, connect sustainability initiatives, break down silos, and amplify the work that is shaping Atlanta and beyond.

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Media Contact:
Lynne D. Filderman
Chief Strategy Officer
BoldImpact ATL
lynne@boldimpactatl.org

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 9, 2026 /3BL/ – Wells Fargo announced a $6 million philanthropic investment in Charlotte, North Carolina, reinforcing the company’s long‑standing commitment to the city. Focused on West Charlotte, the new funding will support six nonprofit organizations working across housing, workforce training, and small business growth to deliver coordinated, community‑driven solutions. The announcement was made at an event hosted at Johnson C. Smith University.

The grant announcement builds on Wells Fargo’s broader community engagement in Charlotte, where the company has its largest employee base. Between 2020 and 2025, Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation invested more than 
$48 million in philanthropic initiatives in the Charlotte region, and employees have volunteered more than 675,000 hours in the local community.

“Wells Fargo’s deep roots in Charlotte drive our commitment to fuel economic growth for our customers, employees, and the communities we serve across North Carolina,” said Jason Rosenberg, Wells Fargo’s Head of Public Affairs. “This investment in West Charlotte will support expanded housing options, more capital for businesses, and access to workforce development in the community.”

Grant recipients and community impact

The $6 million philanthropic investment from the Wells Fargo Foundation includes grants to six nonprofits:

Housing access

• Freedom Communities: Supporting the creation of 12 affordable rental units for workforce program participants, helping promote housing stability and economic mobility
• Lakeview Neighborhood Alliance: Supporting construction of 15 accessory dwelling units (ADUs), expanding affordable rental options, and enabling home repairs, solar installations, and energy upgrades

Workforce development

• CodePath: Expansion of CodePath’s industry-aligned computer science courses, career services, and interview preparation into programs at UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University, with plans to expand to additional institutions across the region

Local business growth

• CLT Alliance Foundation: Supporting assessment of small business needs and launching readiness programs with a focus on West Charlotte
• ASPIRE Community Capital: Investment in the Financial Empowerment for Growth initiative to help 24 business owners work toward sustainable growth
• West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition: Establishing Three Sisters Market, the first full‑service grocery store in more than 30 years for West Boulevard Corridor, expanding access to fresh food

“Philanthropic investments like this, backed by Wells Fargo’s long-standing support of Charlotte, help translate community vision into measurable progress,” said Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles. “Supporting housing access, workforce training, and local businesses in West Charlotte strengthens the city as a whole.”

“Community development means that each person is doing what they can to lift their neighbors up,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Wells Fargo’s $6 million investment will support meaningful work on affordable housing, workforce development, and financial literacy.”

“West Charlotte is a community defined by resilience, leadership, and possibility,” said U.S. Rep. Alma Adams. “With Wells Fargo’s investment, local leaders can advance their vision and position the community for long‑term success.”

“Wells Fargo’s $6 million investment in West Charlotte is a strong example of how public-private partnerships can expand opportunity and strengthen communities across North Carolina,” said U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis. “By supporting housing access, workforce development, and small business growth, this effort will help more families achieve stability and economic mobility. I appreciate Wells Fargo’s continued commitment to Charlotte and look forward to the lasting impact these investments will have on the region.” 

“Wells Fargo’s investments in the Charlotte community will help families find affordable housing, provide opportunities for individuals to learn new skills, offer more resources to local businesses, and bring a new grocery store to West Charlotte,” said U.S. Sen. Ted Budd. “I am grateful that Charlotte is home to strong partners like Wells Fargo who are working to better the community they call home.”

Energy is rapidly moving from the background of port operations to the center of global trade strategy.

In a recent Forbes Business Council article – “Ports And Power: Why Energy Security Is Becoming A Port Strategy” – Morten Johansen, COO of DP World in the Americas, outlines how energy security is emerging as a defining factor for ports, supply chains, and nearshoring decisions.

The shift reflects a broader global trend. As volatility in energy markets increases and electrification accelerates across logistics, ports are facing new pressures — and new opportunities — to rethink how they power operations.

A Structural Shift in How Ports Compete

The article points to a clear evolution: ports are no longer competing on location and capacity alone.

Instead, three converging dynamics are reshaping the landscape:

• Energy volatility is impacting trade reliability, with price swings and supply constraints affecting operations in real time
• Electrification is accelerating across port equipment and infrastructure, increasing dependence on consistent, high-quality power
• Grid limitations are emerging as a constraint, particularly as demand outpaces investment in energy infrastructure

Together, these forces are pushing energy strategy to the forefront of operational and investment decisions.

From Logistics Hubs to Energy-Enabled Ecosystems

As outlined in the piece, ports are evolving into more complex, integrated systems where managing energy is as critical as managing cargo.

This includes a growing focus on:

• Diversifying energy sources, including on-site generation
• Improving visibility into energy demand and usage
• Supporting customers’ expectations around resilience and emissions

In this model, energy becomes a core enabler of both efficiency and decarbonization.

Why It Matters for Business Leaders

For companies evaluating supply chains, corridors, and nearshoring opportunities, energy is becoming a key decision factor.

The article highlights a shift in how leaders assess logistics ecosystems, placing greater emphasis on:

• Reliability and resilience of power supply
• Exposure to energy cost volatility
• Ability to support long-term sustainability goals

In short, energy strategy is becoming inseparable from supply chain strategy.

Read the Full Perspective

As global trade continues to evolve and disruptions persist, the role of energy in shaping competitive, resilient logistics networks will only grow.

For a deeper look at how these trends are unfolding — and what they mean for business leaders — read Morten’s full article in Forbes Business Council: “Ports And Power: Why Energy Security Is Becoming A Port Strategy”

GENEVA, April 9, 2026 /3BL/ – The Tire Industry Project (TIP) today announced the publication of a scientific study that introduces one of the most advanced models for understanding the movement and concentrations of tire and road wear particles (TRWP) in land and freshwater. The mass balance model as it is known presents a methodology to track and predict with high spatial granularity how TRWP move through watersheds – areas of land where rainfall and surface water drain into a river, lake or estuary – across diverse climates and regions.

TRWP are particles unintentionally generated at the frictional interface between the tire and roadway during vehicle use. As scientific and regulatory interest in these particles grows, tools that can generate reliable TRWP data are an essential prerequisite to understanding how they move through different environments. TRWP flow through waterways in particular remains an understudied topic.

The newly released model is designed to use global and local datasets and open-source modeling frameworks such as the ERA5 global climate dataset by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the Wflow catchment hydrology model by Deltares, a water solutions research consultancy. Validated against field measurements from watersheds on three distinct continents — the Seine River basin in France, the Chesapeake Bay basin in the United States, and the Yodo River basin in Japan – the modeling approach is applicable at a watershed-scale in regions with varying watershed characteristics, climates and stormwater management systems.

Results of applying the model to the three above watersheds show substantial differences in how much TRWP reach surface waters, with amounts reaching estuaries ranging from 2% to 18%, depending on factors such as watershed basin size, level of urbanization, climate and stormwater management infrastructure. The study further indicates that factors like improvements in stormwater systems can reduce TRWP transport to surface waters by up to a half, underscoring the value of infrastructure-based mitigation measures.

“Having a robust, reproducible model for TRWP transport and fate that can be applied worldwide is essential for advancing both scientific understanding and practical solutions,” said Nicolas Tissier, Research Director at TIP. “Our role at TIP is to support rigorous, transparent science that helps researchers, policymakers, and industry make evidence-based decisions. By making this model open access, we aim to support broader collaboration across the scientific community around TRWP in the environment, and to enable the development of more effective mitigation strategies.”

The newly published model is a refinement of earlier work and extends the modeling approach to a global scale. The next phase of development is already underway, aiming to make the model accessible to users beyond the scientific community.

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Notes to editors:

The study Management-oriented modeling of tire and road wear particle fate and transport in the terrestrial and freshwater environment with a global perspective was published in the journal Water and is available to read here.

The study was authored by Jos van Gils (Deltares), Hélène Boisgontier (Deltares), Lora Buckman (Deltares), Steffen Weyrauch (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research—UFZ), Thorsten Reemtsma (UFZ and University of Leipzig), Timothy R. Barber (ERM), and Kenneth M. Unice (TRC Companies).

About TIP

Formed in 2005, the Tire Industry Project (TIP) is a voluntary CEO-driven initiative with a mission to anticipate, understand and address global environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues relevant to the tire industry and its value chain.​

TIP acts by commissioning independent research of the highest standards, collaborating on sectoral solutions and engaging with external stakeholders. ​

TIP is part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), bringing together 10 leading tire companies that represent more than 60% of the world’s tire manufacturing capacity. ​

In 2025, TIP marked its 20th anniversary—a milestone that reflects its long-term commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and fostering collective industry action to improve sustainability across the tire value chain.​

For more information, visit The Tire Industry Project.

Aisho’s Story

Aisho Abdi, a 25-year-old mother of three, always dreamed of keeping her children safe and healthy. She knew the dangers of measles (called “Jadeeco” in Somali) and wanted to protect her children from it.

Illnesses like measles are especially dangerous in communities where malnutrition rates are high because malnutrition and illness go hand in hand. When a child is malnourished, their immune system is weakened, and they face increased risks when ill. With measles, for example, malnutrition can aggravate Vitamin A deficiency, which is a key factor in causing measles-related blindness. Illnesses that should be relatively simple to treat can quickly become dangerous or have lifelong impacts for malnourished children.

Vaccination is one of the best protective measures malnourished children can have against health risks, helping to prevent recurrent illness and improve nutritional status. In Somalia, where an estimated 1.85 million children under 5 are expected to suffer from malnutrition between July 2025 and June 2026, increasing access to preventative measures like vaccination is critical for protecting the health of children.

Aisho had heard about vaccines and understood their importance, but she struggled to access them. Like many people in Somalia, Aisho lived too far from healthcare services to access them — the nearest clinic being 46 miles away.

Despite this, Aisho was determined. She managed to get two of her sons vaccinated in Kismayo, but not easily. It involved a long journey and high transportation costs that many families cannot afford.

Several years later, floods swept across the region where Aisho lived. She and her family made the decision to relocate to Kismayo for safety and better economic opportunities, but for Aisho, the move meant much more. In Kismayo, Aisho could give her children better access to education, food, and most importantly, healthcare.

“The most important thing I can give my children is protection,” Aisho said, holding her youngest daughter, Hawa, in her arms at the health center in Kismayo. Hawa was there to receive her measles vaccine—a crucial step for protection, since 98.3% of measles cases in Somalia occur among unvaccinated individuals.

The health center is run by Action Against Hunger through the Cross-Border Emergency Relief Project, funded by the French Embassy in Somalia. This project provides maternal and child healthcare, as well as clean water and sanitation services, to vulnerable families.

Aisho expanded her passion for keeping her children healthy and safe to action to support her broader community. She has become an Action Against Hunger volunteer, connecting parents in her community with health workers. At times, she brings children to the health facility herself. She speaks at community meetings, sharing her experience and encouraging other parents to vaccinate their children. Aisho’s efforts have inspired many, and she has become a role model in her neighborhood.

Improving Vaccination Rates in Somalia

Somalia has one of the lowest vaccine coverage rates in the world for a variety of factors, including limited access to healthcare, cultural beliefs, and misinformation about vaccines. According to a recent study, Somalia’s immunization coverage against six major childhood diseases —tuberculosis, diptheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, and measles — stands at only 30-40 per cent.

One of the greatest obstacles to both increasing vaccination rates and providing malnutrition treatment in Somalia is that access to healthcare can be limited. The Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster reports that nearly 40% of people in Somalia’s Baidoa District do not have reliable access to a healthcare facility or have no access at all.

Action Against Hunger is the second largest Ministry of Health partner in Somalia, directly supporting 112 health units and 1,500 health workers, working to reach the most rural neighborhoods and get vulnerable populations the services they need. To spread word of the clinic and the services available, Community Health Workers go door-to-door, searching for children who have not received any vaccines. They particularly visit vulnerable areas, such as refugee camps and rural neighborhoods.

“They are always busy making sure no child is left behind,” observes Aisho.

Through Action Against Hunger’s program, more children in Kismayo are getting vaccinated. The availability of vaccines, the dedication of healthcare workers, and the commitment of mothers like Aisho are making a real difference. Step by step, they are building a healthier future for their children and their community.

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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.

On March 11, 2026, CVS Health proudly celebrated the Grand Opening of Gussie Belle Commons in Salem, Oregon, alongside our valued colleagues, local leaders, community organizations, development partners, and residents. The event marked the opening of a new community featuring 120 intentionally designed affordable housing units for families earning up to 30% and 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).

Co-developers Home First and Green Light Development have created a beautiful and welcoming community for families, offering energy-efficient apartments and a wide range of amenities. These include a clubhouse with a kitchen, a playground, courtyards, on-site parking with EV charging, bike storage, and on-site management and supportive services. Resident services, provided by Seed of Faith Ministries and the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, are designed to support long-term housing stability by connecting residents to employment opportunities, benefits, and resources that promote overall well-being.

It was truly inspiring to celebrate this achievement with everyone who helped bring this vision to life, including CREA, Home First, Green Light Development, Seed of Faith Ministries, the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, First Commercial Real Estate, the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department, and our dedicated colleagues from CVS Health and Aetna.

Additionally, in the days leading up to the Grand Opening, volunteers creatively wrapped useful household items and distributed them to the residents of Gussie Belle Commons in beautiful welcome home baskets. 

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating this milestone. We deeply appreciate these moments and are grateful to all who contributed to making the Grand Opening possible. This achievement reflects the unwavering commitment and collaboration of our colleagues across CVS Health and Aetna.