Tag: 3BL

PepsiCo Foods North America (PFNA) is spearheading transformative change in the agricultural industry through its innovative Planting Pathways initiative. By forging partnerships with two industry-leading nonprofits, Farm Foundation and Practical Farmers of Iowa, PFNA is piloting programs that aim to drive sustainable and systemic change across the agricultural supply chain. These efforts are a testament to PepsiCo’s commitment to building a more equitable and sustainable food system, an essential component of the company’s pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) strategy.

The Planting Pathways initiative underscores PFNA’s dedication to fostering equitable access within the agriculture industry. By leveraging the company’s vast scale, influence, and expertise, PFNA is working to create a positive agriculture system that uplifts the communities PepsiCo serves. This approach addresses the most pressing global food system challenges, positioning PFNA as a driving force for positive and measurable change.

In Segment Three of the Agriculture of America podcast, Margaret Henry, VP of Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture at PepsiCo, dives into the launch of the Planting Pathways initiative. She discusses the program’s potential to drive sustainable impact across the agricultural industry and highlights how PepsiCo is leading the way in creating a more equitable food system. Tune in here to learn more about how PepsiCo’s innovative approach is set to transform the future of agriculture.

New Holland, a brand of CNH, and Bluewhite, a leading autonomous technology company enabling AI-driven autonomous farming, has announced a multi-phase partnership.

The companies will collaborate on distribution, manufacturing and integration of Bluewhite’s autonomous solutions for New Holland tractors in North America. This partnership will enable New Holland tractors to operate fully autonomously in orchards, vineyards and other specialty crop operations.

Bluewhite’s AI-driven autonomous farm solution leverages AI, sensor fusion, advanced vehicle integration and precision. It also helps growers to manage their fleets and data — and, ultimately, produce more with less. Bluewhite works with over 20 leading permanent crop growers, enabling autonomous farming on multiple crops and tractor models across 150,000 acres in the U.S.

The proven capabilities of Bluewhite in orchards and vineyards bolsters New Holland’s strategy to bring autonomous solutions across all segments it serves, especially in the specialty crop market.

This unique technology helps New Holland customers address immediate challenges, such as labor shortages and rising operational costs in the specialty crop market. Depending on the specific use case, the technology has proven to reduce operational costs by up to 85% through a combination of savings in inputs, labor and maintenance costs.

“With this tech, we’re not only helping address the financial aspect of an operation by freeing up an operator to tackle other tasks; we’re alleviating some of the biggest pain points growers contend with every day that slow them down during the most critical times in the growing season,” stated Paul Welbig, precision product marketing director for New Holland Agriculture North America.

Key points:

The new children’s museum in El Paso, Texas, focuses on interactive experiences that incorporate science, technology, engineering, art and math.La Nube includes four floors of hands-on exhibits that explore fundamental principles of subjects such as meteorology, veterinary science, 3D printing and robotics.The museum resulted from a public-private collaboration, including a foundational investment from Marathon Petroleum to support project funding and future programs.

The new children’s museum in El Paso, Texas, La Nube (noo-beh) – Spanish for ‘the cloud’, recently opened with four stories and more than 70,000 square-feet of interactive spaces and learning zones that incorporate science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).

“The museum’s name reflects a theme about the sky being limitless and how clouds can take any shape, representing infinite possibilities,” said V.J. Smith, Principal Corporate Social Responsibility & Community Relations Representative with Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC). “We are proud to support this kind of inspiration through a community resource that is likely to motivate generations of young El Pasoans to dream big.”

MPC was among several local stakeholders that joined the city of El Paso and the El Paso Community Foundation in advancing the project. As a leading sponsor, MPC provided a foundational investment to aid project funding and the development of future interactive programs, making possible one of La Nube’s nine themed learning zones, called Flow.

“Flow uses play to introduce children to concepts about water, including how machinery harnesses its power and the importance of conservation,” Smith said. “Among the features are a pump room that shows how water is treated and recycled as well as fun elements like water noodles and hoses.”

La Nube’s other STEAM-oriented learning zones explore fundamental principles of subjects such as meteorology, geometry, veterinary science, music, coding, acoustics, 3D printing and robotics. Some of the larger elements include a 50-foot-tall climber that’s part art installation and part jungle gym, a glow-in-the-dark cavern and a green screen system to provide backdrops for creating videos.

All museum visitors receive radio frequency identification bracelets called Discovery Bands. These devices wirelessly connect to exhibits to provide an even more immersive experience, allowing children to track their learning progress and save digital data. After they leave the museum, visitors receive emails with links that allow them to download records of their activities.

Several days before La Nube’s Aug. 10 grand opening, the museum hosted a facility preview for about 400 employees and family members from MPC’s El Paso refinery. The refinery’s Education and Outreach Committee plans to host programs at the museum in partnership with local schools.

In this four-part series, learn how our diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) volunteer community impacts culture, career, company and community. Be sure to check out parts one and two of the series, Empowering Inclusion Through Culture and Empowering Inclusion Through Career, if you missed them.

Motorola Solutions’ DEI initiatives are closely aligned with our business objectives, enhancing our ability to serve customers more effectively while building both the business and cultural acumen of our employees. Our business councils offer diverse opportunities for employees to engage in our company’s strategy and how our DEI initiatives ladder up to this strategy and our business overall.

Here are some highlights from spring:

Our LatinX Business Council and Young Professionals Group (YPG) led sessions on the use and impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI), demonstrating how AI technologies drive innovation and improve efficiency. LatinX also created virtual opportunities for employees around the world to engage in a three-part series on empowering AI within our business. The sessions focused on the introduction and impact of AI tools, harnessing ChatGPT and Motorola Solutions-specific generative AI tools, which provided a strong understanding of how our customers leverage our technology to help keep their communities safer.YPG organized two sessions to further build the acumen of our employees. The group hosted a product blitz session – an overview of 30 Motorola Solutions products in 30 minutes – ensuring all employees, regardless of function, are equipped with knowledge about our leading-edge technologies.YPG led a session on our narrative, “Solving for safer,” designed to explore the essence of the Motorola Solutions brand and empower employees to share our story about who we are, what we do and the value we deliver to the world. Importantly, the session highlighted the vital role every employee individually plays in bringing our brand to life and reminded all about the absolute importance of our work.

Motorola Solutions is dedicated to creating a workplace where every employee feels valued and empowered. Through our impact on culture, career, company and community, we build a strong foundation for an inclusive and innovative future. Read more about our impact in our 2023 DEI Annual Report, and stay tuned for the fourth installment in this series – Empowering Inclusion Through Community – coming soon!

August 27, 2024 /3BL/ – Action Against Hunger is sounding the alarm around a growing nutritional emergency after the latest Survey Monitoring and Assessment of Malnutrition (SMART) revealed the prevalence of child malnutrition in Mali far exceeds critical thresholds set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In camps for people displaced by the conflict in Gao, in the north-east of the country, 30.1% of children aged 6-59 months are suffering from moderate acute malnutrition, twice the rate considered “severe” by the WHO. The national rate of severe acute malnutrition, which is the deadliest form of hunger, rose from 4.2% last year to 11% today (Rapid SMART June 2024), the highest level in a decade.

“We haven’t seen such severe data on the prevalence of acute malnutrition in children since famine was declared in Somalia in 2011,” said Action Against Hunger’s Africa Operations Manager, Paloma Martín de Miguel. “The conflicts unfolding in Mali since 2012 have unleashed a chain of food and nutrition crises with devastating consequences for the population, forcing people to flee affected areas, leaving behind their homes and all their resources without being able to meet their most basic needs.”

UN data suggests nearly 1.5 million children were acutely malnourished nationally between June 2023 and May 2024.

Conflict, food insecurity, lack of access to health services, poverty and forced displacement, coupled with a lack of knowledge about good nutritional practices, contribute to persistently high levels of malnutrition. This is further exacerbated by the lean season, the period between planting and harvesting crops, when food stocks are at their lowest. This time is particularly hard on vulnerable households which, without assistance, have no means of securing their food supply.

“The nutrition emergency in Mali is a complex and multifaceted problem that requires concerted action by the international community,” said Action Against Hunger’s Country Director in Mali, Mamadou Diop. “This crisis requires a comprehensive response that addresses both immediate and structural needs, including improving food security, strengthening health systems, access to water and promoting hygiene and nutrition practices.”

Action Against Hunger, present in Mali since 1996, is responding to this crisis with a multi-sectoral approach. Darsalam, a camp for people internally displaced by the conflict in Ménaka, is home to more than 4, 000 people who have fled the fighting in the region. In this camp, Action Against Hunger teams are screening for moderate and severe acute malnutrition in children aged 6-59 months and in pregnant and lactating women. The nonprofit is treating this health emergency through a community-based approach combined with mobile clinics, while providing food aid to vulnerable households. There are also plans to rehabilitate and construct water, hygiene and sanitation infrastructure in the camps, and support the distribution of hygiene and livelihood kits to households in need. Unclean water is a significant risk for malnourished children who are vulnerable to diarrheal diseases.

In the face of this emergency situation, Action Against Hunger and more than 40 other NGOs are calling for immediate action to prevent an increase in malnutrition rates in the most affected areas, as well as urgent mobilization of funds to cover the urgent nutritional needs of 517,695 people in high priority areas during the lean season.

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 59 countries, our 8,900 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.

Amanda DeVoe-Bice is no stranger to heavy-duty vehicles. She spent her childhood on a farm in Iowa, learning how to drive a tractor before a car. She would navigate rows of corn and soybeans to pick out large rocks before the crops grew too high. “My time on the farm grounded in me many things that contribute to who I am today,” Amanda says.

Amanda has moved from driving a tractor to transforming a fleet of 80,000 vehicles today. She leads the transition of PepsiCo’s fleet to lower-emission and electric alternatives across PepsiCo in North America. “We are one of the largest fleet operations in North America, and it’s something we take incredible pride in,” Amanda says. “If you look across the decarbonization space, there’s been a lot of meaningful progress in the industry. It’s exciting and it’s helping PepsiCo shape the future.”

One of the most high-profile aspects of Amanda’s job is growing PepsiCo’s electric fleet. She’s worked with Tesla to roll out their fully electric Semi trucks — making PepsiCo the first company in the world to put them on the road. The company also has a sizable fleet of Ford E-Transit electric vans in its lineup from coast to coast. PepsiCo Beverages recently announced plans to triple the size of its electric fleet in California with the addition of Tesla Semis operating out of Fresno, California to transport Pepsi, Gatorade, Starry, Aquafina and more and adding to its fleet of Ford E-Transits deployed across the state. PepsiCo also continues to transform key sites into 100% all-electric vehicle hubs, most recently at Frito-Lay facilities in the Charlotte and Chicago-area markets.

“The men and women who drive our trucks are at the heart of what we do. Our food and beverages get to the shelf because of our drivers.”

The work doesn’t solely involve putting EVs on the road — Amanda acts as an expert voice to help pave the way for more charging stations to be built. “Installing charging infrastructure requires an incredible amount of collaboration with utility providers, contractors, hardware providers and vehicle manufacturers to shape the roadmap to install equipment,” Amanda explains. “It’s a great complexity for the industry as we grow and deploy more electric.”

Reducing emissions puts Amanda on the hunt for new technology to incorporate more sustainable fuels including renewable natural gas and biodiesel, which can come from sources like used cooking oil. “We continue to explore additional alternative fuels that allow us to impact our carbon footprint,” Amanda says.

The company’s associates are key in creating this future, Amanda explains, as the success of the frontline employees behind the wheel is essential to transitioning the fleet. “The men and women who drive our trucks are at the heart of what we do,” Amanda says. “Our food and beverages get to the shelf because of our drivers.” To support them, Amanda and her team develop training and upskilling programs to ensure the frontline stays current in the skills needed to operate the new technology.

For Amanda, seeing the excitement of the drivers driving these sustainable trucks is just as rewarding as putting another EV on the road. “One of my favorite conversations with the drivers who have driven the Semis is how they feel like celebrities when they’re in these trucks, because they evoke such a topic of conversation and interest from people,” Amanda says. “When they drive that zero-emissions vehicle, they don’t want to go back.”

Amanda DeVoe-Bice is no stranger to heavy-duty vehicles. She spent her childhood on a farm in Iowa, learning how to drive a tractor before a car. She would navigate rows of corn and soybeans to pick out large rocks before the crops grew too high. “My time on the farm grounded in me many things that contribute to who I am today,” Amanda says.

Amanda has moved from driving a tractor to transforming a fleet of 80,000 vehicles today. She leads the transition of PepsiCo’s fleet to lower-emission and electric alternatives across PepsiCo in North America. “We are one of the largest fleet operations in North America, and it’s something we take incredible pride in,” Amanda says. “If you look across the decarbonization space, there’s been a lot of meaningful progress in the industry. It’s exciting and it’s helping PepsiCo shape the future.”

One of the most high-profile aspects of Amanda’s job is growing PepsiCo’s electric fleet. She’s worked with Tesla to roll out their fully electric Semi trucks — making PepsiCo the first company in the world to put them on the road. The company also has a sizable fleet of Ford E-Transit electric vans in its lineup from coast to coast. PepsiCo Beverages recently announced plans to triple the size of its electric fleet in California with the addition of Tesla Semis operating out of Fresno, California to transport Pepsi, Gatorade, Starry, Aquafina and more and adding to its fleet of Ford E-Transits deployed across the state. PepsiCo also continues to transform key sites into 100% all-electric vehicle hubs, most recently at Frito-Lay facilities in the Charlotte and Chicago-area markets.

“The men and women who drive our trucks are at the heart of what we do. Our food and beverages get to the shelf because of our drivers.”

The work doesn’t solely involve putting EVs on the road — Amanda acts as an expert voice to help pave the way for more charging stations to be built. “Installing charging infrastructure requires an incredible amount of collaboration with utility providers, contractors, hardware providers and vehicle manufacturers to shape the roadmap to install equipment,” Amanda explains. “It’s a great complexity for the industry as we grow and deploy more electric.”

Reducing emissions puts Amanda on the hunt for new technology to incorporate more sustainable fuels including renewable natural gas and biodiesel, which can come from sources like used cooking oil. “We continue to explore additional alternative fuels that allow us to impact our carbon footprint,” Amanda says.

The company’s associates are key in creating this future, Amanda explains, as the success of the frontline employees behind the wheel is essential to transitioning the fleet. “The men and women who drive our trucks are at the heart of what we do,” Amanda says. “Our food and beverages get to the shelf because of our drivers.” To support them, Amanda and her team develop training and upskilling programs to ensure the frontline stays current in the skills needed to operate the new technology.

For Amanda, seeing the excitement of the drivers driving these sustainable trucks is just as rewarding as putting another EV on the road. “One of my favorite conversations with the drivers who have driven the Semis is how they feel like celebrities when they’re in these trucks, because they evoke such a topic of conversation and interest from people,” Amanda says. “When they drive that zero-emissions vehicle, they don’t want to go back.”

FARMINGTON, Conn., August 27, 2024 /3BL/ –  Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS), the world’s leading company for elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation and service, is proud to announce that Florence Caperaa, Director Talent, Engagement and Inclusion, and Joanne Tetsill, VP, Embedded Software & Systems, have been named 2024 Women on the Rise award recipients by Paradigm for Parity. 

This annual award – released in honor of Women’s Equality Day – celebrates women who inspire and support others, promote gender parity and make a lasting positive impact for women. This year’s Women on the Rise class were all nominated by their sponsors, mentors or colleagues for their influential achievements. 

“This award is a wonderful honor. I will use it to continue to support, encourage and recognize the great work our female engineers do every day, to ensure they are recognized and have a seat at the table,” said Joanne Tetsill. 

“Teamwork and supporting others are at the heart of everything I do, and I would like to share this recognition with everyone who helps me feel inspired and stronger,” said Florence Caperaa.

“These honorees have gone above and beyond to catalyze change and continue moving our mission forward,” said Nadine Bullock-Pottinga, Paradigm for Parity CEO. “We look forward to seeing the contributions that these powerful women make in their workplaces and beyond.”

In 2020, Otis became the first in the vertical transportation industry to join the Paradigm for Parity coalition, pledging our commitment to achieve gender parity in our executive ranks by 2030. Otis ended 2023 with a 38.3% female executive representation, a 2.3 percentage point increase from 2021, and continues to prioritize matching the best talent to open roles. Find out more in our ESG report.

About Otis

Otis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation and servicing of elevators and escalators, we move 2.3 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.3 million customer units worldwide – the industry’s largest Service portfolio. You’ll find us in the world’s most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 71,000 people strong, including 42,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @OtisElevatorCo.

Albertsons Companies’ Southwest Division hosted a special community event to celebrate the grand reopening of one of its Albertsons stores in Las Vegas. The event provided a delightful opportunity for Albertsons associates and customers to come together in festivity, while also contributing positively to the local community. Through the Albertsons Companies Foundation, more than $110,000 in grants was donated to nonprofit organizations that make a difference in our neighbors’ lives.

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

Sometimes, you need an extra set of hands to get work done. But, what if you can’t add to your headcount? For numerous reasons, our clients find they can’t always hire the environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) professional they might need. Antea Group offers an easy EHS Staffing Solution for situations like this. This temporary staffing solution, also known as Resources-as-a-Service (RaaS), was introduced in 2020. What sets this solution apart is that it’s flexible, tailored to our client’s needs, and it meets the client where they are.

RaaS matches our clients with Antea Group personnel that have the technical skills and knowledge needed for many projects, while also ensuring they’re a good fit for the culture of the organization. With this solution, you can temporarily hire a variety of professionals, from entry-level to seasoned experts.

Flexibility is the key here. So, whether you need full-time assistance for a few months, just a few hours with an EHS professional a month, one individual, or a whole team, we work to ensure you have the right Antea Group employee(s) ready to go. Atir Chak, who has completed a RaaS assignment, shares his experience.

My name is Atir Chak. As a Senior Project Manager for Anti Group, I’ve managed multiple project portfolios, internal company initiatives and resources.

A few years ago, I was introduced to a RaaS opportunity with a petroleum client of ours that was looking for a program manager for their environmental liabilities related to their midstream and downstream assets, which included pipeline facilities, retail petroleum stations, bulk fuel plants, and refineries.

What did the day-to-day experience look like?

My day-to-day experience in the RaaS assignment for the petroleum client was primarily working closely with our client senior leadership and internal teams and the selected environmental consultant to manage strategy direction for the entire portfolio. Safety management was a big part of it, financial management, reserve forecasting, as well as any stakeholder, legal, contractual issues that would arise.

What did you enjoy most about the experience?

What I enjoy most about the RaaS experience is being on the client side of the organization was a very refreshing change in my career as opposed to the traditional consulting.

In addition, the direct interaction with various different departments of the client organization was definitely a plus, getting to see how they work internally and getting facetime with some of the leadership was definitely a growth experience and learning for me. Finally, I think the autonomy and freedom to focus in on the actual portfolio work with minimal administrative responsibilities was definitely a key to the enjoyable experience for me.

How do you think it benefited the client you worked for?

I think this Ras arrangement benefited the client in a number of ways. One was they had an immediate need for an experienced program manager, and you know they were able to fill that role with a knowledgeable, qualified professional with the skills and expertise that fit the role right away. It also eliminates the client’s HR responsibilities related to hiring, training, and getting somebody up to speed.

All in all, I think the RaaS arrangement benefited the client and Antea Group and myself in my professional career. So, I would say it’s a win, win for all.

Are you Considering a temporary EHS Staffing Solution?

As EHS&S consultants, our expertise lies in understanding your resource requirements and ensuring that the RaaS resources we recommend are tailored to your specific needs. Through our partnership with the Inogen Alliance, we have the capability to provide RaaS services either locally or globally, precisely where and when you require them. To learn more, contact us today!

Careers with Antea Group

RaaS positions not only address our clients’ staffing requirements but also offer valuable opportunities for Antea Group employees to enhance their skills and broaden their experiences. To hear other Antea Group employee testimonials about RaaS assignments, listen to Jill Hauck here and Michael Zhou here.

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in EHS&S and aspire to gain hands-on experience with Antea Group while potentially filling RaaS roles for diverse clients, explore our careers page for more information.