Tag: 3BL

18 Florida-based organizations receive significant investments to support new programming, sustainability and resiliency initiatives, direct scholarships for students at all educational levels to support Florida’s growing workforce

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – The Duke Energy Foundation has announced $740,000 in grants to support 18 education-based organizations to continue Duke Energy Florida’s investment in education and future workforce needs statewide.

The resources will fund a variety of energy and engineering initiatives to benefit a diverse population of students. Grantees will be hosting career exploration field trips and summer camps for K-12 students, providing resources for teachers to expand educational programming and encouraging energy and resiliency research opportunities among Florida universities.

“Education can spark a lifelong interest in a given field,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “It’s a privilege to support so many unique initiatives this year aimed at reaching individual students with new opportunities that can drive a career and love for energy, engineering and climate resiliency.”

University of Florida (UF) received a $75,000 grant to support three energy-focused, education initiatives that will directly impact students in these fields. One of which, the “Energy Education, Mentoring and Scholarship Program,” will enable participation in scholarship, educational and research opportunities for a diverse group of energy-focused students. Through this program, eight engineering students interested in the energy sector will receive $2,000 Duke Energy Scholar awards.

Additionally, the University will be creating a Sustainable and Resilient Energy Engineering Certificate (SREEC) to encourage student-led research using solar measurement and conversion infrastructure installed at the UF Energy Research Park.

“UF is committed to employing community-focused strategies to spur economic and workforce development across Florida,” said Maria Gutierrez Martin, UF Foundation associate vice president. “Our shared work is helping high school and middle school students increase their understanding of the energy grid, prepping college students for careers in solar energy and supporting five Florida communities as they plan for an environmentally resilient future.”

In Volusia County, FUTURES Foundation will use a $30,000 grant to increase student engagement in three different initiatives within Volusia County Schools. These programs are focused on energy design studies: solar/alternative, electrical and plant.

“FUTURES is grateful for the consistent support provided by Duke Energy. This grant will allow students to participate in STEM programs at Rose Bay,” said Shimene Shepard, FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools executive director. “Although we are a coastal community, this is often the first opportunity these students have to be on the water.”

A complete list of grant recipients can be found below, with additional details available here.

K-12 Education

Citrus County Education Foundation 
 Consortium of Florida Education Foundation 
 Education Foundation of Lake County 
 Foundation for Orange County Public Schools 
 Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools 
 FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools 
 Highlands County Education Foundation 
 Jefferson County Education Foundation 
 Madison County Education Foundation 
 Orlando Science Center 
 Pinellas County Education Foundation 
 Polk County Education Foundation

Higher Education

Seminole State College of Florida 
 Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University 
 Florida Polytechnic University 
 University of Central Florida 
 University of Florida 
 University of South Florida

For more information about the Duke Energy Foundation, please visit duke-energy.com/community/duke-energy-foundation/Florida.

Duke Energy Foundation

The 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 Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853

View original content here.

International Paper’s Chief Sustainability Officer Sophie Beckham was recognized this week at Futur/io’s 2024 CSO Awards North America.

The CSO Awards honor North American Chief Sustainability Officers who are driving corporate sustainability for major companies in USA and Canada, with high, scalable impact. Beckham received the Bronze Award, alongside the CSOs of Starbucks (Gold) and Salesforce (Silver). 

The CSO Awards North America is an initiative of the Futur/io Institute, a pioneering organization dedicated to nurturing and inspiring leadership in sustainable innovation and building the most impactful network of Chief Sustainability Officers globally.

“Our mission for the CSO Awards North America goes beyond rewarding the companies,” said Harald Neidhardt CEO & Curator, Futur/io Institute. “We shine a light on the role of the Chief Sustainability Officers that are active change-makers fostering action and ambition across their organisations.”

Beckham was chosen after a rigorous selection process developed by Futur/io and scientific partner Leonardo Centre on Business for Society at Imperial College Business School, and supported by knowledge partners Denominator, specialized in human-centric data, and Rainforest Partnership, focused on biodiversity.

According to Futur/io, recipients were selected using a four-quadrant model criteria, taking into consideration the maturity of corporate behaviors, regulatory performance on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) criteria, environmental and human impact and also a self-assessment survey. The Top 20 ranking CSOs were then assessed by a Grand Jury, who selected the final winners.

“I am so honored to have been selected from among so many talented and dedicated leaders in sustainability,” Beckham said. “This award is for all of us at IP and for all the work that our teams around the world do to advance our Vision 2030 goals.” 

Sophie Beckham is VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at International Paper, where she works across the enterprise to develop sustainability strategies that achieve the company’s Vision 2030 goals. She also serves as the company’s primary external spokesperson and thought leader on issues related to sustainability and stewardship.

Her career has been dedicated to driving sustainable business outcomes through purposeful leadership in consumer goods and forest product manufacturing sectors. Sophie has been advancing IP’s planet stewardship initiatives since 2013, serving in various roles throughout her time with the company. She holds a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, now known as the Yale School of the Environment.

Learn more about Futur/io’s 2024 CSO Awards North America at https://www.csoawards.org.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of the world’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2023 were $18.9 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com/.

About International Paper – EMEA

In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and specialty pulp, employing approximately 4,400 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Specialty pulp is made in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include a variety of Kraft linerboard and other pulp products.

SWORDS, Ireland, September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT), a global climate innovator, is proud to announce that Scott Tew has been named to The Independent’s inaugural Climate 100 List. This prestigious list celebrates individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing positive climate solutions and features changemakers from various fields including science, academia, philanthropy, politics, business, and technology.

Tew serves as Vice President of Sustainability and co-founder of the Center for Energy Efficiency & Sustainability (CEES) at Trane Technologies. CEES integrates sustainable practices into the company’s daily operations, supporting its brands Trane and Thermo King, and is responsible for forward-looking sustainability initiatives.

Under his leadership, Trane Technologies has launched several groundbreaking initiatives, including the company’s comprehensive 2030 Sustainability Commitments, the Gigaton Challenge – the largest customer-facing commitment to combat climate change – and a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, Trane Technologies became the first company in its industry to have its near-and long-term emissions reduction targets externally validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

“We are incredibly proud of Scott for being recognized on The Independent’s Climate 100 List,” said Dave Regnery, Chairman and CEO of Trane Technologies. “His unwavering commitment to sustainability and his visionary leadership have been instrumental in driving our ambitious climate initiatives. This recognition is a testament to Scott’s dedication and the impactful strides we are making toward a more sustainable future.”

Recently, Tew played a pivotal role in Trane Technologies’ industry-first commitment to reduce embodied carbon by 40% by 2030. This commitment focuses on partnering with suppliers of key materials used in buildings and building equipment, such as steel, aluminum, copper, and refrigerants, and builds on the company’s leadership in sourcing more sustainable solutions like low-carbon steel.

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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.

For students, summer is a time for long days, great weather and no school. For those in underserved communities, students may not have the resources to participate in special programs that support their development throughout the summer in key subjects, such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). AMD recognizes the importance of continued learning in hopes of curbing the “summer slide” as well as introducing STEM concepts and careers to students, which increases the chance that they will pursue a STEM track in school. That is why this summer, offices around the globe provided a variety of activities such as visiting AMD offices and participating in hackathons to engage students. 

Exploring STEM Careers

Students from The Hidden Genius Project, Visions of Science, South High School and Breakthrough Central Texas visited AMD sites in San Jose, Markham, Boxborough and Austin. Employees, interns and members of Employee Resource Groups, including Advancing Black Leadership Excellence and the AMD Women’s Forum, hosted career panels where AMDers shared their career experiences and advice. Students also participated in hands-on STEM activities with AMD volunteers to spark creativity and problem solving such as building computers, conducting science experiments, constructing towers with limited supplies and assembling and racing solar-powered cars. 

Getting Competitive

In Longmont, AMD welcomed 38 middle and high school students to the 6th annual AMD PYNQ™ Bootcamp, a week-long hackathon led by AMD summer interns. The event provided hands-on learning using AMD Kria™ System-on-Modules technology and PYNQ programming to develop AI use cases under the theme of “Deploying AI in the Real World.” Volunteers in Hyderabad also hosted a mini hackathon for 45 students in grades eight and nine. The students were challenged to create solutions to a real-life problem using breadboards, sensors, Arduino platforms and other supplies. With help from AMDers, they successfully built their innovative models within two to three hours and presented their projects to volunteer judges.

In Taipei, AMD partnered with New Taipei City’s Department of Education to support FIRST Robotics Competition events. At the Poster Competition, 210 students presented STEM projects to AMDers, revealing their creativity. Later, 30 teams participated in the “2024 National High School FIRST Robotics Competition Off-Season Event,” designing robots to collect and shoot foam rings into goals, showcasing their technical skills and teamwork to volunteer judges.

Exploring STEM at Home

AMD volunteers assembled and donated 2,000 STEM kits to six global nonprofits to encourage hands-on STEM learning. The kits offer engaging engineering challenges such as programming robots to learn coding, making light-up wearables to understand how circuits work, and other activities designed to spark interest in engineering and technology

AMD remains deeply committed to fostering STEM education and preparing the next generation of innovators. Not only did 2,500+ students experience STEM activities in a meaningful and inspiring way, but our employees experienced firsthand the positive impact their efforts made in their communities.

For more information on STEM initiatives at AMD, please visit: https://www.amd.com/en/corporate/corporate-responsibility/digital-impact.html

Clorox was named a 2024 Safer Choice Partner of the Year for manufacturing products with ingredients that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designates as safer for families, pets, workplaces, communities, and the environment. We spoke with Lisa Pankiewicz, our vice president of global stewardship, about how we continue to achieve this recognition through advanced product safety and ingredient transparency.

What does it mean to be an EPA Safer Choice partner, and how does it reflect Clorox’s overall commitment to safer product innovation?

Product stewardship is a direct expression of Clorox’s commitment to do the right thing and ensure consumers know what’s in the products they bring into their homes. This marks Clorox’s seventh year as a Safer Choice partner, building upon 17 years of partnership with the EPA’s Design for the Environment/Safer Choice Product Labeling program since we first participated.

Our certified products, which proudly display the Safer Choice or Design for the Environment labels from the EPA, signal to our consumers that they have met the rigorous human health and environmental standards that these programs stand for. This includes four products in our Clorox EcoClean line and two products in our Clorox Free & Clear line — all of which are formulated to provide superior cleaning performance, not tested on animals and packaged in bottles that can be recycled.

Ingredient transparency and advocacy are critical elements of Clorox’s environmental, social, governance, or ESG, goals embedded in the company’s IGNITE strategy. Representing a key benchmark in this ongoing work, this award supports Clorox’s commitment to enhance consumer confidence in its products through certification programs.

This recognition also builds on Clorox’s longstanding product stewardship efforts, including becoming the first major consumer packaged goods company to voluntarily disclose ingredients in our U.S. retail and professional cleaning, disinfecting and laundry products over a decade ago.

Can you share any specific breakthroughs in ingredient sourcing or formulation that were key to making these products safer for families, pets, workplaces, communities and the environment?

When we formulate and manufacture Clorox products, we keep both our consumers and our planet in mind. Our product safety team is involved at the start of every formulation process across our entire portfolio of brands to encourage the selection of safer ingredients. We also consistently work to develop more efficient, more sustainable solutions for our product packaging that include optimizing the use of resin, recyclable or compostable materials.

To meet growing demand for safer cleaners and disinfectants without sacrificing efficacy, in 2022 we proudly launched our Clorox EcoClean line. The EcoClean disinfecting spray utilizes plant-acid based active ingredient that kills 99.9% of common germs in 2 minutes or less and sanitizes hard surfaces in 15 seconds. That same year we also launched our Clorox Free & Clear line, which was made possible by a breakthrough cleaning formula free of dyes, bleach or ammonia.

In addition to the EPA, what other partnerships or collaborations have been most instrumental in driving ingredient safety and transparency?

The challenge of balancing performance and safety in ingredient innovation isn’t something one company can tackle alone. That’s why we partner with a wide range of external collaborators to contribute learnings and develop scalable solutions to move this work forward.

For example, the CleanGredients database, from GreenBlue, has been critical to our product stewardship efforts, and we encourage the product formulators of all Clorox products, not just those with the certifications, to consult this resource to help them understand the available options for safer chemistries during ingredient selection.

Through our participation in the American Cleaning Institute Sustainability Committee, we’ve contributed to creation of a Material Circularity Index to help members assess progress and status against the ambitious ACI-led industry public goal of eliminating all cleaning product packaging waste by 2040. Through this partnership we also helped establish a Sustainable Concentrates & Refills Initiative to understand consumers motivations and desires with concentrate/refill products and generate greater awareness of what the industry can do to enable adoption of these more sustainable product forms while ensuring consumer safety.

To track our progress toward reducing the chemical footprint of our cleaning products, in 2021 we began participating in the Chemical Footprint Project to ensure we are meaningfully benchmarking our efforts. This partnership has been a game changer for proactively identifying opportunities for further improvement, and we are on track to achieve our 2025 interim goal of improving the Chemical Footprint Project score for our domestic cleaning portfolio by 35%.

As Clorox plans its next steps to advance product stewardship across its portfolio, what emerging trends or technologies in sustainable chemistry are you most excited about?

As proud recipients of the EPA’s Green Chemistry Award, Clorox understands that we all share a responsibility to help prevent pollution by advancing green innovation and the design of more eco-friendly chemicals and materials. Looking to the future, we’re excited by the potential for our industry to drive even greater breakthroughs in green chemistry and circular packaging. Achieving innovations in those areas could enable the development of biodegradable and renewable alternatives. These innovations would serve growing consumer trends and present an exciting opportunity to build a future where products are safer for both people and the planet.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – As Hurricane Helene travels toward the Florida panhandle, Truist Foundation today announced it will donate $500,000 to support relief and recovery efforts in communities impacted by the storm. The funds will be distributed to the American Red Cross and World Central Kitchen for immediate relief efforts as well as Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Fund for long-term recovery efforts.

“Our hearts go out to our teammates, clients and communities in the path of Hurricane Helene, which is expected to make landfall as the strongest storm yet this hurricane season,” said Lynette Bell, president of Truist Foundation. “The importance of Truist’s purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities is never clearer than when disaster strikes. Truist Foundation is dedicated to ensuring communities have the critical resources needed to prepare, respond and restore as quickly as possible.”

The selected organizations will use their grant funds to identify and deliver the most essential immediate community needs such as access to food, shelter and medical services. A portion of the donation will be focused on medium- and long-term recovery informed by disaster experts in partnership with those in the affected communities. Restoration efforts may address needs such as rebuilding homes, providing mental health, legal and disaster case management services, and other urgent challenges identified as recovery efforts progress.

Additionally, earlier this year, Truist Foundation donated $1 million to the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program, designed to deploy assistance quickly to communities impacted by events such as Hurricane Helene. Those funds help provide food, shelter, emotional support, comfort kits and other immediate relief supplies to thousands of families and individuals impacted by such disasters.

About Truist Foundation 
Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. The foundation, an endowed private foundation established in 2020 whose operating budget is independent of Truist Financial Corporation, makes strategic investments in a wide variety of nonprofit organizations centered around two focus areas: building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Embodying these focus areas are the foundation’s leading initiatives — the Inspire Awards and Where It Starts. Learn more at Truist.com/Foundation.

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Media Contact: 
Kristen Fraser 
media@truist.com

SWORDS, Ireland, September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – Thermo King® by Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT), a global climate innovator, unveiled a new lineup of electric refrigeration solutions designed to accelerate the industry’s shift towards electrification. The company introduced these new products at this year’s IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany, demonstrating its leadership in electric, hybrid and sustainable cold-chain technology, while also addressing the traditional transport needs of its customers.

“Thermo King’s dedication to innovation and the decarbonization of the cold chain is unwavering,” said Claudio Zanframundo, president Thermo King EMEA Truck, Trailer, Bus and Global Marine, Rail and Air. “Our growing investment in technology, research and development has enabled us to provide fully qualified electric solutions across all transport segments, positioning Thermo King as an industry leader. At IAA 2024, we are demonstrating our capability to provide these solutions today, supporting the transition to low-carbon operations for commercial fleets leveraging multi-modal solutions.”

Making its world premiere at IAA, Thermo King’s® new E-Series represents a leap forward in electric refrigeration for vans and trucks and feature advanced connectivity for real-time monitoring and energy management, ensuring optimal performance and reduced operational costs.

Thermo King’s® Advancer A-500e Spectrum also made its debut at IAA and was recognized with the prestigious International Trailer Award 2025 in the Environment category. The A-500e Spectrum allows for precise multi-zone temperature control across various cargo types. The unit is powered by AxlePower, which can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 12 tons per year for distribution trailers.

Additionally, Thermo King won the ETM Awards Best Brand category with its Transport Management Systems with ThermoKare 24/7 Fleet Monitoring and received second place in the same category for its Trailer Refrigeration with A-500 Spectrum.

The new lineup is the latest examples of Thermo King’s long-standing commitment to develop innovative transport refrigeration solutions that reduce carbon emissions and waste of food and pharmaceutical products in the cold chain. Solutions like these are helping Trane Technologies make significant progress toward its bold 2030 Sustainability Commitments, including the Gigaton Challenge, and its 2050 net-zero carbon emissions target. The company is first in its industry with near and long-term emissions reduction targets externally validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

For more information about the Thermo King solutions, please visit www.europe.thermoking.com.

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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 Thermo King 
Thermo King – by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), a global climate innovator – is a worldwide leader in sustainable transport temperature control solutions. Thermo King has been providing transport temperature control solutions for a variety of applications, including trailers, truck bodies, buses, air, shipboard containers and railway cars since 1938. For more information, visit www.europe.thermoking.com.

NEW YORK, September 25, 2024 /3BL/ – The Global Heat Reduction Initiative (GHR) is bringing advanced climate accounting metrics to the table to help companies and other decision makers identify mitigation strategies that can most rapidly and responsibly reduce excess trapped heat in the atmosphere.

This was the message Executive Director Kiff Gallagher delivered on stage at the “Climate X Data” Knowledge Series event on Wednesday during Climate Week in New York, hosted at the global business law firm, Brown Rudnick.

“While conventional climate accounting has provided valuable information about greenhouse gas emission levels and emission reductions, there’s a lot more to the story,” said Kiff Gallagher, GHR Executive Director. “Now we can fully value methane mitigation over the crucial next decade, account for very powerful short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon that have been largely left out, consider the effects of changing surface reflectivity, and much more.”

The newly launched initiative unveiled its first set of tools to help private and public sector organizations route their climate dollars where they have the greatest, most immediate impact. It is a groundbreaking, practical application of the latest IPCC-published consensus science aimed at moving the needle on climate stabilization and recovery.

“As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” said Gallagher. “The comprehensive climate change information built into the peer-reviewed GHR protocols triggers an ‘Aha!’ moment. People immediately sit up straight when you tell them about this.” 

The GHR initiative was launched last week by SCS Global Services, a pioneer and international leader in third-party certification and standards setting in the sustainability arena. The initiative currently includes a climate registry, third-party footprint calculation and verification services, and advisory services.

Background

The summer of 2024 was the warmest on record for the Northern hemisphere – again. Nine of the ten hottest years on the books fell in the last decade, and expectations are that 2024 set another record. Climate efforts to date are not meeting the targets identified by the international community.

Non-CO2 climate super pollutants are one of the keys. Roughly half of all current anthropogenic global warming is caused by supercharged heat-trapping pollutants such as methane, black carbon, and HCFs, with methane alone responsible for about 30 percent of all warming since the Industrial Revolution.

Projects that reduce or eliminate these pollutants can often be undertaken with off-the-shelf technologies, with a huge pay-off in terms of short-term heat mitigation – enough to create the necessary bridge to longer term results from reductions of CO2 and other long-lived climate pollutants. And they can simultaneously benefit local communities and ecosystems by improving air and water quality and reducing environmental impacts.

“Companies clearly care about getting heat reduction results – their supply chains, their own operations, and their customers are all being affected,” said Gallagher. “The SEC just said that heat is a financial risk. The time to focus on heat is now.”

To learn more about the GHR, please visit: https://www.heatreduction.com/documents

About the Global Heat Reduction Initiative

The Global Heat Reduction Initiative (GHR) was launched in 2024 to bring new tools to market that will help slow global warming within the next decade and beyond. The Initiative delivers the most comprehensive climate accounting approach available today, including critical data to unlock financing for projects that can rapidly reduce excess atmospheric heat. GHR services include a climate registry, footprint calculation and verification, and advisory services. GHR is an initiative of SCS Global Services. Learn more at www.heatreduction.com.

 About SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development, currently celebrating its 40th year. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies, and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a California-chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.  SCS is also a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business.  For more information, visit www.SCSGlobalServices.com.

SCS Media Contact

Tom Vandyck 
Public Affairs Manager, Global Heat Reduction Initiative 
Email

NEW YORK, September 25, 2024 /3BL/ – The Global Heat Reduction Initiative (GHR) is bringing advanced climate accounting metrics to the table to help companies and other decision makers identify mitigation strategies that can most rapidly and responsibly reduce excess trapped heat in the atmosphere.

This was the message Executive Director Kiff Gallagher delivered on stage at the “Climate X Data” Knowledge Series event on Wednesday during Climate Week in New York, hosted at the global business law firm, Brown Rudnick.

“While conventional climate accounting has provided valuable information about greenhouse gas emission levels and emission reductions, there’s a lot more to the story,” said Kiff Gallagher, GHR Executive Director. “Now we can fully value methane mitigation over the crucial next decade, account for very powerful short-lived climate pollutants like black carbon that have been largely left out, consider the effects of changing surface reflectivity, and much more.”

The newly launched initiative unveiled its first set of tools to help private and public sector organizations route their climate dollars where they have the greatest, most immediate impact. It is a groundbreaking, practical application of the latest IPCC-published consensus science aimed at moving the needle on climate stabilization and recovery.

“As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” said Gallagher. “The comprehensive climate change information built into the peer-reviewed GHR protocols triggers an ‘Aha!’ moment. People immediately sit up straight when you tell them about this.” 

The GHR initiative was launched last week by SCS Global Services, a pioneer and international leader in third-party certification and standards setting in the sustainability arena. The initiative currently includes a climate registry, third-party footprint calculation and verification services, and advisory services.

Background

The summer of 2024 was the warmest on record for the Northern hemisphere – again. Nine of the ten hottest years on the books fell in the last decade, and expectations are that 2024 set another record. Climate efforts to date are not meeting the targets identified by the international community.

Non-CO2 climate super pollutants are one of the keys. Roughly half of all current anthropogenic global warming is caused by supercharged heat-trapping pollutants such as methane, black carbon, and HCFs, with methane alone responsible for about 30 percent of all warming since the Industrial Revolution.

Projects that reduce or eliminate these pollutants can often be undertaken with off-the-shelf technologies, with a huge pay-off in terms of short-term heat mitigation – enough to create the necessary bridge to longer term results from reductions of CO2 and other long-lived climate pollutants. And they can simultaneously benefit local communities and ecosystems by improving air and water quality and reducing environmental impacts.

“Companies clearly care about getting heat reduction results – their supply chains, their own operations, and their customers are all being affected,” said Gallagher. “The SEC just said that heat is a financial risk. The time to focus on heat is now.”

To learn more about the GHR, please visit: https://www.heatreduction.com/documents

About the Global Heat Reduction Initiative

The Global Heat Reduction Initiative (GHR) was launched in 2024 to bring new tools to market that will help slow global warming within the next decade and beyond. The Initiative delivers the most comprehensive climate accounting approach available today, including critical data to unlock financing for projects that can rapidly reduce excess atmospheric heat. GHR services include a climate registry, footprint calculation and verification, and advisory services. GHR is an initiative of SCS Global Services. Learn more at www.heatreduction.com.

 About SCS Global Services

SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development, currently celebrating its 40th year. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies, and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a California-chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.  SCS is also a Participant of the United Nations Global Compact and adheres to its principles-based approach to responsible business.  For more information, visit www.SCSGlobalServices.com.

SCS Media Contact

Tom Vandyck 
Public Affairs Manager, Global Heat Reduction Initiative 
Email

Every couple of weeks, a child arrives in a diabetic coma at Haiti’s Hôpital Sacré Coeur. Some are experiencing the initial onset of Type 1 diabetes, while others have run out of the injectable insulin their bodies need to keep them alive.

“Their family cannot afford to buy their insulin, and very often we have witnessed them come to the hospital in a coma,” said Dr. Harold Previl, CEO of Hôpital Sacré Coeur, the largest private hospital in northern Haiti. “In a country where people are struggling for food, they are bearing a disease whose treatment [must be continued] for their entire lives.”

A child in Haiti diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 10 has a life expectancy of 13 more years, compared to 57 more years of life for a similar child in the United States, according to a study in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Many die before even learning they have the disease; 35,000 young people around the world died at the onset of Type 1 diabetes in 2021 without being diagnosed, according to the T1D Index.

Insulin isn’t manufactured in Haiti, leaving Haitians who need it entirely dependent on imported medicine. (All people with Type 1 diabetes and an estimated 7.5% to 15.5% of those with Type 2 diabetes require insulin.) Years of severe political instability and civil disorder have stretched Haiti’s already-fragile medical supply chains to the point of snapping.

Violence Disrupts Medicine Imports and Distribution

Haiti’s primary international airport and seaport in the capital Port-au-Prince were shut down for nearly three months earlier this year by heavily armed gangs. The land border with neighboring Dominican Republic has been periodically closed, and with gangs controlling the capital’s streets, local distribution of medicine ranges between very dangerous and impossible.

“With air and sea ports closed amid mounting violence in Haiti, access to critically needed supplies came to a sudden halt – including medicines, food, and basic necessities,” said Genevieve Bitter, Senior Director of Program Operations at Direct Relief. “For months, the only source for medicine was local vendors within Haiti.”

Successfully delivering insulin and other cold-chain medicines is especially challenging. Cold-chain medicines must be kept within a specific temperature range from the moment of manufacturing until the time they are administered to the patient. If the temperature goes above the required range for long enough, the medicine is considered potentially unsafe for patients and must be destroyed.

Getting access to insulin and other medicine under these circumstances has required creativity and persistence. Hôpital Sacré Coeur has never completely run out of insulin. “We never let that happen,” Dr. Previl said. “We look everywhere, we have to knock at the doors of everyone, and if we have to purchase it, we purchase it.”

Testing New Delivery Channels

Direct Relief is testing new transportation channels, successfully delivering two shipments of insulin in recent months into northern Haiti, which has been less disrupted by violence. The deliveries have been made possible by working with the Haiti Health Network, or HHN, a collaborative group of healthcare providers and support organizations who meet regularly to discuss current needs, share knowledge, and coordinate resources.

In July, Direct Relief and HHN flew a test shipment of insulin, donated by Eli Lilly and Company, on a small plane from Miami into the northern Haiti airport of Cap-Haitien, where it was delivered to healthcare providers including Hôpital Sacré Coeur. An earlier test shipment of insulin made it through in May, days before heavily armed men set fire to Cap-Haitien’s customs office.

HHN’s support for the insulin deliveries was driven by what it heard in monthly meetings of its members. “For a number of meetings in a row we heard first-hand crisis stories from HHN members about children in diabetic comas, patients dying needlessly from the lack of available insulin, and the stress that searching for insulin was having on healthcare providers and families,” said Rachel Bernard, Haiti country director for the Dalton Foundation, which helped launch the Haiti Health Network and continues to support its activities. “We couldn’t listen to these stories over and over and not do something to help.”

Direct Relief is working on a third test delivery of cold-chain medicines and large pharmaceutical refrigeration units, with the hopes that it can restart regular shipments of insulin to Haiti with its global diabetes partner Life for a Child, said Kelsey Grodzovsky, Direct Relief’s Director of Global Programs. The shipment is intended for La Fondation Haïtienne de Diabète et de Maladies Cardiovasculaires, or FHADIMAC, whose clinics provide care to thousands of Haitians with diabetes.

The third delivery will be sent through the Port-au-Prince airport. Because it isn’t feasible to ship large volumes of aid into the northern airport in Cap-Haitien and transport it by road to Port-au-Prince in south-central Haiti, increasing the volume of medical aid to the country will depend on being able to reliably ship through the Port-au-Prince airport, Grodzovsky said.

Beyond Security: Long-Term Challenges in Getting Medical Aid to Haiti

While Haiti’s need for donated medical supplies is high – it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and little medicine is domestically manufactured – bureaucratic hurdles have long made it a very difficult country to get medicine into. The challenges predate the security breakdown of the past three years.

The process of getting medicine through customs can be difficult and unpredictable. Shipments have gotten stuck in customs for months. Licenses to import medicine expire every three months, and renewing those licenses can take six months.

“Many businesses reported difficult and slow customs clearance processes, resulting in long waits for imported products to become available,” said the U.S. State Department in a 2024 report. And customs clearance is only the first challenge. “The proliferation of gangs in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and persistent roadblocks put in place by the gangs along the main north and south access routes to the capital create major challenges for goods to freely circulate in the country.”