Author: sHq_LoGiNz

Originally published on CVS Health Company Newsroom

Key points

• Many men develop silent risks for heart disease and certain cancers sooner than they may realize.
• Preventive screenings can catch issues early, yet men are less likely than women to seek routine care.
• CVS Health offers convenient ways to get screened — from walk in clinics to virtual care and mobile health vans

Why health screenings matter

Taking care of health doesn’t have to be complicated — but it does need to be consistent. Regular screenings can identify potential issues before symptoms appear.

“Most of the conditions we worry about in men develop quietly. Screenings give us a chance to catch issues early, when treatment is simpler and outcomes are far better,” says David Fairchild, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Retail Health at CVS Health.

Conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and some cancers often develop undetected. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and men tend to develop cardiovascular disease at younger ages than women.^{1, 2}

The average age of a first heart attack is about 65 for men, compared to 72 for women.³ Nearly 1 in 5 heart attacks occurs without clear symptoms — making routine screenings essential.³

Preventive care is about staying well, not just treating illness. Screenings help detect issues early, prevent complications, and provide a clearer picture of overall health.

What early detection can look like

Across care settings, routine screenings often uncover important risks — sometimes when individuals feel completely fine:

• A firefighter in his 20s learns during a routine screening that he has dangerously high blood pressure, allowing him to take action before long-term damage occurs.
• A busy administrator in his 40s discovers elevated blood sugar levels at a preventive visit, leading to early diabetes management and reduced risk of complications.
• A retired teacher in his 60s completes a colorectal cancer screening that detects an issue early, when treatment is most effective.

While these illustrative scenarios differ, they point to a shared takeaway: Screening needs change with age and risk — and accessible, convenient care makes it easier to stay on track. Knowing what to check, and when, helps men take a more proactive role in their health.

What men should prioritize for better health at every age

Preventive care isn’t one-size-fits-all—but there is a set of recommended core screenings men should stay on top of throughout adulthood, regardless of age. These foundational screenings help track overall health, catch early risk factors, and guide timely care decisions.

Recommended core screenings for adult men include:

• Annual physical exam
• Blood pressure screening
• Cholesterol screening
• Diabetes screening (based on age and risk)
• Mental health screening
• Routine infectious disease and STI screening as appropriate

As men age, these core screenings continue, while additional age-specific screenings are layered in to detect conditions that become more common over time.

Here’s how screening recommendations typically evolve by decade. People should talk with a health care provider to determine what’s right for them.

20s: Build a baseline

In the late teens and twenties, many men feel healthy—which makes this an ideal time to establish a baseline through preventive care.

Continue core screenings, with the focus on:

• Establishing baseline metrics (blood pressure, cholesterol)
• HIV and hepatitis C screening (at least once)⁴

30s: Stay proactive

Risk for heart disease can begin to rise in the 30s, often without noticeable symptoms.¹

Continue core screenings, plus:

• Monitoring trends in blood pressure and cholesterol
• Diabetes screening for individuals with risk factors⁴

40s: Shift toward early detection

Risk continues to increase in the 40s, making early detection more important than ever.

Continue core screenings, plus:

• Colorectal cancer screening starting at age 45⁴

Cancer screenings become especially important during this stage. Prostate cancer has more than 99% five-year survival when detected early.⁶ Colorectal cancer is also rising in younger adults, with about 1 in 5 cases occurring under age 55.⁵

50s and early 60s: Make prevention a priority

These years are a critical window for preventive care and cancer detection.

Continue core screenings, plus:

• Colorectal cancer screening
• Prostate cancer screening (based on individual risk)⁴
• Lung cancer screening (for those with a history of smoking)⁴

“Screening needs change with age, but the goal stays the same: Understand risks early and stay ahead of them,” says Dr. Fairchild.

65 and beyond: Focus on long-term health

Screening continues to play a key role in maintaining independence and quality of life.

Continue core screenings, plus:

• Monitoring and managing chronic conditions
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm screening for certain men (typically ages 65–75 with smoking history)⁴
• Conversations about mobility, cognitive health, and overall wellness

Why many men delay preventive care

Even though screenings can save lives, many men still put them off. Men are also less likely than women to seek preventive care or visit a doctor regularly.⁷

Mental health is another gap. Only about half of men with mental illness receive care, and men are nearly four times more likely to die by suicide.⁸ Persistent stigma and social expectations can limit men’s willingness to seek care. Improving access is key to closing this gap.

How CVS Health expands access to preventive screenings and care

Convenience is often the biggest barrier to preventive care. CVS Health offers multiple ways to get screened — meeting people where they are:

• MinuteClinic®: Walk-in preventive services including screening for blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and STIs; wellness visits, as well as adult primary care in select markets and virtual mental health counseling in most states.
• Oak Street Health®: Primary care for older adults on Medicare with a team-based model integrating physical, behavioral and social health and a strong focus on preventive care and chronic condition management.
• Signify Health®: In-home health evaluations for eligible health plan members, which may include certain preventive screenings, along with care coordination and referrals.
• Project Health: Free community-based screenings through mobile units and in-store events.
• Aetna®: Coverage and care coordination that help members stay on track with recommended screenings.

“When care is convenient and close to home, people are far more likely to get the screenings they need. Reducing barriers is essential,” says Dr. Fairchild.

A simple step toward better health

Staying healthy doesn’t require a major overhaul. Consistent, proactive care can make a meaningful difference over time.

“Don’t wait. Schedule the screening. Small steps like this can make a life-changing difference,” says Dr. Fairchild.

Preventive care is easier than ever — whether it’s a walk-in clinic, a primary care visit, or a community screening event. The key is making it routine, not an afterthought.

DENTON, Texas, June 30, 2026 /3BL/ – Following a thorough review of additional information regarding new carton sortation for recycling across California, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has published an update to its Senate Bill 343 Final Findings Report findings to confirm that food and beverage cartons meet the statewide sortation threshold required for recyclable labeling under the statute.

The June 24, 2026 update revises Table 2 of CalRecycle’s SB 343 Final Findings Report to reflect that cartons are now sorted for recycling by large-volume transfer and processing facilities serving 62% of California counties. This exceeds the threshold established by SB 343 that determines whether a package can be labeled as recyclable.

“This update reflects the real and growing capacity of California’s recycling system to recover and recycle food and beverage cartons,” said Jordan Fengel, President of the Carton Council. “We are pleased that on-package labeling will continue to accurately communicate that cartons should be recycled, helping to provide sufficient material to established and emerging recycling end markets.”

CalRecycle’s updated evaluation incorporates newly verified sortation at three California material recovery facilities (MRFs):

• Western Placer Waste Management Authority MRF in Roseville
• Pacific Recycling Solutions MRF in Ukiah
• Cold Canyon Landfill MRF in San Luis Obispo

Together with facilities previously identified by CalRecycle, these operations sort cartons into PSI Grade 52 bales and serve 21 California counties. The update reflects how cartons are collected, sorted, and marketed throughout the recycling system.

“This milestone is the result of continued collaboration across the recycling value chain,” Fengel said. “We appreciate the facilities that have invested with us in carton sortation, the communities that include cartons in their recycling programs, and CalRecycle’s careful review of all available data.”

SB 343 permits the use of the chasing-arrows symbol and other recyclability claims only for products and packaging that satisfy the criteria outlined in California law. CalRecycle’s characterization findings provide the collection and sortation data used to evaluate materials under those requirements.

The Carton Council will continue working with communities, material recovery facilities and recycling end markets to expand carton recovery and ensure that valuable carton material is returned to productive use.

About the Carton Council
The Carton Council is composed of four leading carton manufacturers, Elopak, Novolex, SIG, and Tetra Pak. Formed in 2009, the Carton Council works to deliver long-term collaborative solutions to divert valuable cartons from the landfill. Cartons are commonly used to package products like milk, broth, soup, juice and other beverages. When recycled, they can be transformed into premium building materials or new paper products, contributing to a circular economy.

Through a united effort, the Carton Council is committed to building a sustainable infrastructure for carton recycling in the U.S.  and Canada and works toward its goals of adding access to carton recycling, as well as increasing recycling rates. For more information, visit recyclecartons.com.

The 2026 World Cup is on track to be the most sustainable ever, but there’s an intriguing quirk behind that headline: it’s also estimated to be the most carbon-intensive sporting event ever held.

The story of FIFA’s efforts to bring the world together while also conserving it provides important insights about how intent and effect can diverge for those working in sustainability. 

The 2026 World Cup made genuinely impressive operational sustainability choices:  

• No new stadium construction. Unlike Qatar, which built seven venues from scratch and saw infrastructure account for nearly a quarter of its total carbon footprint, organizers used existing NFL and MLS stadiums, reducing that figure to just 3.1%. 
• Venues like SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles deploy passive cooling systems and specialized roofing that reduces direct solar heat gain by approximately 86%. 
• Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium became the first professional sports venue in North America to earn LEED Platinum certification when it opened in 2017. More than 4,000 solar panels generate approximately 1.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.  
• Houston committed all main official World Cup sites to operating on 100% renewable electricity throughout the tournament
• Across all 16 venues, the tournament average hit 84% renewable supply across match-day electricity consumption during test events, with three Mexican venues exceeding 90% due to solar buildout around Guadalajara and Monterrey.  
• Lumen Field in Seattle has implemented programs that divert between 90% and 95% of waste from landfills through recycling and composting — efforts the city has expanded for the tournament. 

By any reasonable measure of facility-level sustainability, this tournament is a success story worth telling.

And yet carbon accounting platform Greenly, using publicly available data and established emissions methodologies, estimates the tournament will generate 7.8 million metric tons of CO₂e — roughly 2.1 times the footprint of Qatar 2022. 

How does this happen? The commercial strategy produces impacts the sustainability strategy cannot compensate for. 

The tournament expanded from 32 to 48 teams and increased match count from 64 to 104. The competition footprint stretches from Vancouver to Mexico City, making continental-scale air travel required. Greenly estimates spectator travel alone accounts for 87.8% of total emissions. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has drawn sharp criticism for his use of a Qatar Airways private jet to attend matches across North America — Greenly estimates his travel alone will generate between 300 and 500 tons of CO₂ over the course of the tournament.

FIFA did not ignore sustainability. They optimized for it where they could.

The gap between genuine operational progress and absolute emissions is the central tension every corporate sustainability leader needs to reckon with. FIFA is a unique case; the scale of fan travel attached to a global sporting event has no corporate equivalent. But the underlying dynamic—operational efficiency overwhelmed by structural growth decisions—is a common challenge we see in all industries. 

Three sustainable business lessons from FIFA

1. Scope 3 is where your strategy will be won or lost—not your facilities.

Many organizations have made real progress reducing facility energy, cutting waste, and greening their direct operations. That work is legitimate and worth doing. But when a growth strategy requires geographic expansion, increased logistics, or a more complex supply chain, Scope 3 emissions can erase facility-level gains many times over. FIFA optimized Scope 1 and 2, then designed a commercial strategy that guaranteed a massive Scope 3 increase. Before your next market expansion, product launch, or operational scale-up, the question worth asking is not “how do we offset what this costs?” It is: what does this decision do to our total carbon picture — not just what we control directly, but what we cause?

2. Your digital footprint is real, and it is almost certainly uncounted.

Entirely absent from FIFA’s official sustainability accounting is the energy cost of the tournament’s digital ecosystem — global broadcasting infrastructure, multi-screen streaming, sports data feeds, and fan engagement platforms. The UK’s National Energy System Operator predicts that England and Scotland’s group stage matches could each spike national electricity demand by 600 megawatts — the equivalent of the combined electricity demand of Leeds and Glasgow. That is the energy cost of people watching on TV and devices, not of anyone traveling to a stadium. This is not a quirk of sports. As companies accelerate AI adoption, expand cloud infrastructure, and scale data-intensive operations, the energy required to power their digital presence is growing rapidly. True accounting catches up to reality eventually. Getting ahead of it is both a risk management decision and a credibility one. 

3. Sustainability organized at the operational level has no power over decisions made at the commercial level.

FIFA did not lack sustainability leadership. Each of the 16 host cities was required by FIFA to appoint its own sustainability officer and produce a formal sustainability plan. Those professionals did serious work. But their authority was confined entirely to operations: waste diversion at venues, renewable electricity procurement, fan festival composting programs. The decisions that determined the tournament’s actual carbon trajectory—expanding the format to 48 teams, selecting 16 cities across three countries—were made at the commercial level, where sustainability had no seat and apparently no voice.

A joint report from Loughborough University, the University of Bristol, and the University of Manchester, released ahead of the tournament, found that sustainability managers involved in FIFA operate in isolated compliance roles rather than being embedded in all levels of decision-making.  The researchers described soccer’s carbon footprint as not simply caused by fan travel or stadiums, but as politically produced through decades of commercial growth, globalization, and ties to fossil fuel companies.  The structural critique is precise: sustainability was positioned to manage consequences, not to shape decisions.

Sustainability Deserves a Seat at the Strategy Table

The 2026 World Cup will be remembered as a case study in what happens when sustainability is treated as an operational layer bolted onto a commercial strategy rather than embedded within it. The stadiums were efficient. The growth model overwhelmed them. Companies across industries face similar challenges. Keeping an eye on Scope 3 emissions, the growing digital footprint and getting sustainability to the strategy table can help.

DAVIDSON, N.C., June 30, 2026 /3BL/ – Trane^® – by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator, is introducing a new connectivity solution that helps customers modernize building operations through secure, simplified access to equipment data and connected services. Purpose-built for speed, simplicity and security, the Trane® Cell Modem provides a seamless path for customers to connect their equipment to Trane Cloud – unlocking real-time insights, analytics and digital services that help enable smarter, more efficient facilities.

For many building owners and operators, the complexity, cost and security considerations of connecting equipment to IT networks have been major barriers to modernization – particularly for legacy equipment not originally designed for digital connectivity. As a new connectivity gateway, the solution helps address those challenges with a streamlined, secure path to accelerate digital transformation across their portfolios, delivering broader visibility, faster decision-making and stronger operational performance.

The solution uses cellular connectivity to connect installed Trane commercial equipment to Trane Cloud instead of relying on a building’s local Wi‑Fi or IT network. Designed for quick deployment and simplified installation, it provides a scalable, secure and affordable way to extend digital access across more equipment already in the field.

“Early customer interest reinforces that connected equipment is a critical first step in modernizing building operations,” said Brian Fox, Director of Digital Sales, Commercial HVAC Americas, Trane Technologies. “This new offering helps customers take that step with simple, secure connectivity to Trane Cloud, where they can access the insights, analytics and expertise needed to optimize performance, improve reliability and operate more sustainably.”

Through Trane Cloud, building owners, operators, and facility teams gain a connected view of equipment performance across sites and portfolios, enabling organizations to better manage energy use, help reduce downtime and enhance reliability. By combining Trane’s deep expertise in building systems with proven telematics capabilities, customers gain a simple, scalable and secure path to digital transformation – unlocking the full value of Trane Cloud, supporting circularity by extending the useful life of installed equipment and enabling smarter, data-driven building performance.

Importantly, the solution also strengthens how Trane delivers service. Live data helps Trane experts continuously optimize offerings, while technicians can log in remotely to triage issues faster, diagnose performance trends and pair data-driven insights with the expertise of Trane’s best-in-class service teams. This combination of intelligent analytics and human expertise allows customers to resolve issues more quickly and improve performance across the equipment lifecycle.

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About Trane Technologies
Trane Technologies is a global climate innovator. Through our strategic brands Trane® and Thermo King®, and our portfolio of environmentally responsible products and services, we bring efficient and sustainable climate solutions to buildings, homes and transportation. For more on Trane Technologies, visit tranetechnologies.com.

About Trane
Trane® – by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator – creates comfortable, energy efficient indoor environments for commercial and residential applications. For more information, please visit trane.com.

Recently, United Way of Southeast Louisiana celebrated a year of community impact at its annual meeting, highlighting partnerships that strengthened regional nonprofits and expanded support for families across the Gulf South.

Drew Marsh, Entergy chair and CEO, delivered the meeting’s featured address, marking the conclusion of his service as campaign cabinet chair for our company’s employee giving effort. Each year, Entergy employees actively engage in the annual giving campaign to support their local United Way initiatives that enhance education, promote financial stability and improve health in the communities we serve.

For the local campaign, which focuses on supporting residents of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes, Marsh led a team of local business leaders to encourage giving throughout Southeast Louisiana. Under his leadership, the campaign raised more than $7.7 million, surpassing their goal by $262,209.

“Here in Southeast Louisiana, it doesn’t take much — a storm, a medical bill, a lost hour of work, and yes sometimes a high electric bill from a cold winter or hot summer, or even high natural gas prices — for a family to slip into crisis,” Marsh said. “Our customers — the very people we serve — and our communities and even sometimes our employees turn to the United Way for support. And that’s why Entergy’s decades-long partnership with United Way means so much to me. Because United Way steps into those gaps. They don’t wait for crises — they work to prevent them.”

United Way leaders also honored Michelle Delery, Entergy vice president of internal and external communications, with the Edward J. Krause Volunteer of the Year Award. The award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond to volunteer, advocate or donate in support of United Way’s mission to eradicate poverty. Delery, who serves on the United Way board of trustees, was recognized for her dedication to advancing the United Way initiatives and her longstanding commitment to community service.

Under Marsh’s leadership, Entergy employees continued their strong tradition of supporting United Way programs focused on education, financial stability and essential services for vulnerable households. Delery along with Patty Riddlebarger, vice president, corporate social responsibility also accepted the United Way Top Workplace giving campaign award on behalf of the company. United Way leaders praised Entergy for its continued partnership, calling the company a key contributor to long‑term community resiliency.

Learn more about Entergy’s commitment to serving its communities.

View original content here.

Originally published on Aflac Newsroom

COLUMBUS, Ga., June 29, 2026 /3BL/ – Aflac, a pioneer and leader in cancer insurance for seven decades, today announced the launch of Fit Checks, an innovative new awareness campaign developed with fashion designer Rachel Zoe, transforming a familiar pattern into an interactive pathway to understanding cancer risk and educating on the importance of screenings.

At the center of the campaign is a first-of-its-kind garment designed by Rachel Zoe that features a custom checkered pattern with a QR code seamlessly integrated into the design, turning everyday fashion into a health activation tool. The limited-edition garment, when scanned, connects consumers directly to CheckForCancerNow.com, a new website dedicated to increasing awareness of the value of cancer screenings. 

“For too many people, cancer screenings remain something they’ll get around to when it is convenient,” said Virgil Miller, president, Aflac Incorporated and Aflac U.S. “Fit Checks is designed to change that by driving awareness from an unexpected place: the clothes we wear. By partnering with well-known designer and media star Rachel Zoe, we’re creating a new way to meet people in unexpected places with a powerful message, spark action and make conversations about early detection a part of everyday life.”

The campaign comes at a time when too many Americans continue to delay preventive care. According to the 2025 Aflac Wellness Matters Survey, roughly 3 in 5 Americans (59%) admit to avoiding important health screenings, while 9 in 10 Americans (94%) say they have delayed a checkup or recommended health screening. These findings reinforce the urgent need to make early detection more approachable, accessible and actionable.

“Fashion has always been a way for people to express themselves, but it can also be a powerful way to break through in culture and start important conversations,” said Rachel Zoe. “What drew me to this campaign was the opportunity to create something that feels stylish and meaningful at the same time. If fashion can inspire people to check for cancer, we are making fashion not only wearable but purposeful as well.” 

To kick off Aflac’s partnership with Zoe, the company has released, on social media, a brief video previewing the anticipated campaign which launches later this year, showing how her newly designed garment will signal a broader plea to encourage potentially lifesaving cancer screenings. Consumers can take the first step toward understanding their cancer risk by visiting CheckForCancerNow.com to learn more about early detection and why it is so important to check for cancer.

“Fashion occupies a unique place in culture, creating opportunities to reach people beyond traditional settings. Through Fit Checks, Aflac, a leading provider of cancer insurance in the United States and Japan, is leveraging that cultural relevance to make cancer awareness more visible, and to drive action,” Miller said. 

Fit Checks is part of Aflac’s broader Check for Cancer movement, which aims to associate the checkered patterns people see every day with a movement to increase cancer screenings. The goal is to increase screenings in the U.S. by 10% over the next 10 years. 

To learn more, visit www.CheckForCancerNow.com.

FAQs about the Check for Cancer initiative and Fit Checks campaign

1. What does Check for Cancer mean?

   Check for Cancer is a national movement created by Aflac to help increase cancer screenings in the U.S. by 10% over 10 years. By transforming the checkered pattern into a powerful call to action, the movement helps encourage people to prioritize cancer screenings, because early detection can save lives.

At its core, Check for Cancer is about making cancer screenings a more visible and urgent priority, helping people learn about their risks, understand recommended screenings and take action earlier.

2. Why is early detection so important?

   Cancer can affect anyone. One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, but when found early, many cancers have five-year survival rates above 90%.

That is why Aflac is encouraging people to learn about their risks and prioritize recommended screenings. The earlier cancer is found, the more options people may have and the better their chances of a positive outcome.

3. What is Fit Checks?

   Fit Checks is a Check for Cancer awareness campaign designed to help make cancer screening more urgent, accessible and hard to ignore. By leveraging fashion as a powerful vehicle to turn awareness into action, Fit Checks transforms the checkered pattern into a purposeful prompt to check for cancer. In partnership with celebrity fashion designer Rachel Zoe, Aflac created a first-of-its-kind garment with a QR code embedded in the print, making it easy for people to learn about their cancer risk on the spot.

ABOUT AFLAC INCORPORATED 

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE: AFL), a Fortune 500 company, has helped provide financial protection and peace of mind for more than seven decades to millions of policyholders and customers through its subsidiaries in the U.S. and Japan. In the U.S., Aflac is the No. 1 provider of supplemental health insurance products.¹ In Japan, Aflac Life Insurance Japan is the leading provider of cancer and medical insurance in terms of policies in force.² The company takes pride in being there for its policyholders when they need us most, as well as being included in the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for 20 consecutive years (2026) and Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies for 25 years (2026). In addition, the company became a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2021. To find out how to get help with expenses health insurance doesn’t cover, get to know us at aflac.com or aflac.com/español. Investors may learn more about Aflac Incorporated and its commitment to corporate social responsibility and sustainability at investors.aflac.com under “Sustainability.”

¹ LIMRA 2025 U.S. Supplemental Health Insurance Total Market Report 

² As of March 31, 2025, Aflac estimates based on company data

Media contact: Darcy Brito, 706-505-9762 or dbrito@aflac.com

Analyst and investor contact: David A. Young, 706-596-3264, 800-235-2667 or dyoung@aflac.com

Aflac WWHQ | 1932 Wynnton Road | Columbus, GA 31999
Aflac New York | 22 Corporate Woods Boulevard, Suite 2 | Albany, New York 12211
Continental American Insurance Company | Columbia, SC

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