Tag: 3BL

At Cisco, we believe the growth of our company is inextricably linked to the growth of our people. That’s why we are proud to host Cisco Illuminate, our employee development series that shines a light on continuous learning and development. This company-wide event helps employees uplevel their skills throughout the year to compete in an ever-changing business landscape.

Exciting Speakers on a Range of Subjects 

Cisco Illuminate lets participants tap into engaging sessions led by industry experts and cultural thought leaders from Cisco and beyond. Past events have included speakers like Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Ng, and Michelle Obama, covering topics that support attendees’ personal and professional growth. With sessions on a variety of subjects such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, Well-being, and Leadership Development, this event is designed to create a growth mindset and prepare our employees for the future of work. 

Interactive and Engaging Formats 

Learning comes in many forms, and we know everyone learns differently, so Cisco Illuminate features a mix of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive workshops. Attendees can choose to livestream the event from home, gather at a watch party on campus, or peruse the recordings library. By embracing various learning modalities, we empower our employees to thrive. For us, it’s not just a moral necessity but a strategic advantage, helping us shape an inclusive future for all. Employees can continue to expand their skills on their own schedule with access to on-demand platforms like Masterclass, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera.

Next Illuminate is Approaching

We are gearing up for our next Cisco Illuminate on June 25-26 that will enable Cisconians to enhance their skills in topics like AI, innovation, and well-being. In addition to Cisco and Splunk leaders and experts, employees will hear from James Clear, the New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits, on how to boost productivity and foster personal growth.

By fostering an inclusive environment that empowers our team to learn and tackle the world’s greatest challenges, we create a more inclusive future for all. Our employees are the heart and soul of Cisco Illuminate, and their experiences speak volumes. But don’t just take our word for it—read their stories and see the impact firsthand!

“Grateful for Cisco Illuminate – our program dedicated to global employee development. Last quarter’s self-paced learning option promoted inclusivity and flexibility, accommodating the diverse schedules of Cisconians worldwide. This approach supports our commitment to an inclusive workplace by respecting our team’s varied work hours and their customer-centric problem-solving.”

Aurelia Takacs – Program Manager, Strategy and Planning, Belgium

“I loved participating in Cisco Illuminate Your Team! The transformative workshops provided invaluable opportunity to connect with our teams, fostering collaboration, connection, and trust – the very core elements that make teams thrive. We explored how open communication, mutual support, and shared goals drive exceptional business results”

Elena Lewis – Leader, Customer Delivery, North Carolina

“It’s not a surprise to many of my peers that I always look forward to Illuminate – in actuality, I’m sure I cause a couple of headaches talking about Lumi and the amazing team behind the event all year round. As an attendee of the Illuminate events in the past, I have always admired how every session showcases the power of creativity and collaboration.”

Brinda Thangada – Communications Manager, Customer Experience, Chicago

Explore more ways that Cisco supports its employees’ learning and development in our latest FY23 Purpose Report.

View original content here.

July 3, 2024 /3BL/ – With increasing attention from policymakers and regulators on the responsible supply of minerals, and multiple stakeholders demanding higher transparency, GRI has launched an implementation guide and new translations of the GRI Sector Standard for Mining.

Launched in February, GRI 14: Mining Sector 2024 supports companies involved with mining to produce consistent and comparable reports, contributing to more transparent and accountable mining practices globally. The Standard sheds light on the dual nature of the sector – providing essential minerals and metals that society relies on, while having significant impacts on the environment, communities and workers.

The new GRI 14: Mining Sector 2024 Implementation Guide for Report Preparers helps practitioners to produce effective reports using the GRI 14. Moreover, it includes guidance and examples for determining material topics and reporting disclosures.

This guide helps companies of any size, type or geography operating in the mining sector to streamline reporting and communicate on their most pressing sustainability issues. Using GRI 14 allows organizations from the sector to contribute to more transparent and accountable mining practices globally.

In addition to English, GRI 14 is now also available in other three languages with a further seven translations still to come. As part of GRI’s commitment to make the standards accessible to a diverse global audience, the Mining Standard can now also be downloaded free of charge in French, Japanese and Bahasa Indonesian.

GRI thanks the peer reviewers who contributed to ensure the accuracy of the translations, expanding the global reach of the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the independent, international organization that helps businesses and other organizations take responsibility for their impacts, by providing the global common language to report those impacts. The GRI Standards are the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards, which are developed through a multi-stakeholder process and provided as a free public good.

National Grid announced plans to invest an estimated $75 billion* across the company’s service territory in the UK and US over the next five years, with nearly half of the funding dedicated to US energy system improvements in Massachusetts and New York. This significant step up to approximately $35 billion* of investment represents an increase of more than 60% on National Grid’s investment in the region in the last five years. Today’s announcement makes National Grid one of the biggest investors in the energy transition in the Northeast and demonstrates the company’s commitment to help both states achieve their climate goals and deliver economic growth.

Group CEO of National Grid John Pettigrew said: “Today’s announcement is a clear illustration that National Grid is committed to playing our part in achieving the ambitious decarbonization targets that New York and Massachusetts governments have set. The increased investment we’re announcing today follows positive engagement with our regulators in these states, reflecting a willingness to upgrade electricity networks to provide long term affordable energy to all, and reduce emissions across our gas networks.”

According to the US Department of Energy (DOE), lack of transmission infrastructure can directly contribute to higher electric bills, and more frequent and longer power outages. Preliminary findings from DOE’s National Transmission Needs Study also found that developing new transmission in the New York-New England corridor would not only improve reliability, but also support the increasing electric demand in the region. The federal analysis found the region needs a 255% increase in transmission development to support the clean energy growth expected under New York and Massachusetts policies.

As a result of the investment announced today, National Grid will unlock economic growth across New York and Massachusetts. By the end of the decade, National Grid will support 127,000 jobs.

In New York, National Grid is investing around $21 billion* between now and 2029. Among those investments is the Upstate Upgrade which comprises more than 70 transmission enhancement projects across Upstate New York. The portfolio of projects will transform the grid, improve reliability and resilience, and enable National Grid to deliver renewable energy to homes and businesses across the state. This investment will also generate thousands of new jobs and create additional economic growth, all while ensuring the grid is able to meet the growing demand for electricity.

“This landmark investment will transform the energy grid to meet growing energy needs and is a much-needed piece of the puzzle to support the clean energy transition,” said National Grid New York President Rudy Wynter. “The money we are spending to make these upgrades is necessary to deliver renewable energy to homes and businesses across New York.”

In New England, our five-year investment will total roughly $14 billion*. As part of this investment, National Grid will implement innovative solutions, like smart meters, to help consumers manage energy use; build modernized energy infrastructure; construct and upgrade infrastructure to make it less susceptible to extreme weather events; and maintain and improve the quality of our existing gas and transmission assets.

One such proposed project, the Massachusetts Electric Sector Modernization Plan (ESMP) would create a path to upgrade and expand the electric grid, accelerate the connection of renewables to the grid, and introduce new customer programs to encourage energy efficiency, and the adoption of clean energy.

“National Grid is making it clear that we are a committed partner to help Massachusetts meet its climate and clean energy goals” said National Grid New England President Lisa Wieland. “The investment is essential to transform the energy ecosystem, build new and expanded infrastructure, and deliver an electric network that is fundamentally smarter, stronger, cleaner and more equitable than today.”

In addition to the transmission investments, National Grid has proposed a three-year investment plan to modernize the Downstate gas businesses, reducing emissions, and making them more resilient and reliable. This includes a focus on disadvantaged communities and accelerating gas main replacements to reduce emissions, with a target of 45 miles/year of replacements in New York City and 119 miles/year on Long Island. Since 2013 National Grid has replaced 1,500 miles of gas main, lowering system emissions by 102,385 metric tons of CO2e, the equivalent to removing 22,257 cars from the road.

*Based on £1: $1.25 exchange rate

About National Grid

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, please visit our website, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), watch us on YouTube, like us on Facebook and find us on Instagram.

Media Contacts

Mary-Leah Messenger
Massachusetts
(781) 907-3980
Email
Emily Demarest
Massachusetts
(781) 907-3980
Email

A woman with money is a woman with options. We’re working to simultaneously improve her earning potential and address normative and systemic barriers to her economic exclusion ensure she has access to and control of her money. This is critical for her safety, and her ability to make decisions. Through savings groups, entrepreneurship programming, and supply chain policy advisory, we’re increasing women’s control, capability, confidence, and choice to earn, save, and invest in themselves, their businesses, families, and communities. These interventions also decrease GBV, improve education and access to healthcare, and increase engagement in collective action, and more.

What changed? 
CARE has helped 5.1 million women and girls achieve economic justice, since July 2021, through economic empowerment, shifting gender norms, access to market-based solutions, and more. For every $1 investment, interventions range from an estimated $8-$25 return for women, in terms of increased savings and incomes for participants

150K+ entrepreneurs have improved access to finance or skills375K+ people in supply chains have improved gender equality policies.19M savings group members and $690M+ savings mobilized since 2008.68% of people reached were women/girls (vs. CARE average of 61%).

How did we get there? 
The Women’s Economic Justice team is focused on making market systems work for women and delivering high ROI programs where women have control, capability, confidence, and choice to earn, save, and invest in themselves, their businesses, families, and communities.

Challenging social norms: 64% of projects worked to challenge social norms.Women and girls first: 69% of projects were gender transformative (43%) or responsive (26%).Working with local market systems and partners: 70% of projects worked with partners (vs. CARE average of 62%), including 3 national government partners who adopted our savings group model, and 35+ partners and financial service providers to support entrepreneurs.

What did we learn? 
The benefits of financial inclusion extend beyond money. When she has money, the lives of her and her family improve. She is 40% more food secure, 75% more resilient, 15% more politically active, 80% likely to invest in her children’s education, and more. Financial inclusion puts more than money in women’s hands: it equips them to make their own decisions, take entrepreneurial risks, and reshape the role of women in their families and communities. 

Everyone benefits when women are active, dynamic players in local economies and societies. 
Where do we go next? 
Investing in women’s economic power can help the global economy grow an additional $10 trillion by 2030 (Eurasia Group, Oct 2023). Yet, market systems have largely been designed by and for men. These systems exclude women from opportunities, resources, and markets, and prevent women from having access to and control of finances. To create sustainable change at scale, these systems must work for women too.

Cross-sector partnerships that close the gender gap and engage banks, governments, and corporations can enhance the effectiveness of donations by building women’s needs into policies, norms, and institutions.

Read more about ways cross-sector partnerships can enhance the effectiveness of donations by measuring and reporting the ROI of their programs, to deliver more economic growth that promotes equality in our latest oped in World Economic Forum.

Want to learn more? Visit https://www.care.org/our-work/womens-economic-justice/

NEW YORK and LONDON, July 2, 2024 /3BL/ – AccountAbility was honored to host Chairman Myung-Soo Kang and the Korean Standards Association (KSA) at the University Club of New York on Friday, June 21, 2024, to continue our partnership towards advancing sustainability reporting and disclosure. 

AccountAbility CEO, Mr. Sunny Misser, and KSA Chairman, Mr. Myung-Soo Kang, signed the AA1000 training licensing agreement, which enables the KSA to continue delivering AA1000 training courses to practitioners in the region.

Chairman Kang was joined by Professor Chul Woo Moon, a Professor in Strategy at the Sungkyunkwan University business school and a member of the GSG Working Group for Impact Wholesale Fund, and Sung-Sik Kwon, a Director of ESG at KSA.

AccountAbility also welcomed guests from The International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) to reinforce our strong relationship with their Chair – Ms. Gabriela Figueiredo Dias – as part of our push to build strong global networks with other standards bodies. These guests included James Gunn, IFEA, Secretary and Treasurer, and IAASB, IESBA, and IPSASB Managing Director, and Principals, Kam Leung and Jon Reid.

With the ever-evolving global landscape of ESG regulations and standards, these partnerships represent the shared commitment that entities like AccountAbility, KSA and IESBA make to educate businesses about the importance of high-quality sustainability disclosures and assurance for greater transparency, performance, and impact.

Contact: 
Ms. Rachel Rose 
AccountAbility 
Global Head of Operations 
Email: rachel.rose@accountability.org 
Web: www.accountability.org

About AccountAbility: 

AccountAbility is a specialist global Consulting and Standards firm that works with businesses, investors, governments, and multilateral organizations to innovate and advance the global Sustainability/ ESG agenda by improving the practices, performance, and impact of organizations. The firm focuses on delivering practical, effective, and enduring results that enable our clients to succeed.

AccountAbility is a Public Benefit Corporation, operating globally through a highly qualified team from offices in New York, London, Riyadh, and Dubai. The firm is the recipient of multiple business awards from the Financial Times, Forbes, and Capital Finance International, and its website is archived with the United States Library of Congress. Learn more at www.accountability.org.

BROOKLYN /3BL/ – National Grid’s New York President Rudy Wynter has been appointed to the inaugural board of directors for the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s first ever agency-related foundation.

“I am honored to have been appointed to serve as an inaugural board member of FESI and thrilled that the DOE’s first ever agency-related Foundation will focus on a topic I care deeply about – developing transformative technological solutions to the greatest challenges of our time,” said Wynter. “A key pillar of National Grid’s mission is accelerating New York’s clean energy transition through innovation, research, and investments in groundbreaking technologies. I’m proud to play a role in this important work and look forward to working with partners in New York and across the country to support new innovations that will enable us to achieve our clean energy goals.”

“FESI offers an unparalleled opportunity for support and advancement in our nation’s rapid and equitable transition to a clean energy economy,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The FESI Board of Directors will help meet the Department’s goals, and bring alive the biggest, boldest solutions to the challenges of our time.”

Authorized through the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, FESI is an independent non-profit entity that supports DOE in its critical mission to ensure America’s continued security and prosperity through transformative science and technology solutions for addressing energy and environmental challenges.

Once established, FESI will help accelerate the commercialization of new and existing energy technologies by raising and investing funds through engagements with the private sector and philanthropic communities. The Foundation will help DOE provide additional resources, tools, and capacities for potential partners and communities across the country – supporting solutions-driven research and innovation that strengthens America’s energy and national security while helping achieve the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious clean energy goals.

Since 1959, twelve agency-related independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations have been created, which have averaged a return of $67 for every dollar in federal contributions.

As directed in the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, DOE identified individuals to serve on FESI’s governing board. Board members will have the opportunity to set priorities for FESI, make key hires including the executive director, establish bylaws and governance structure, as well as actively fundraise for FESI activities and initiatives – including fostering public-private partnerships, investing in companies commercializing critical energy technologies, supporting underrepresented groups and regions responding to DOE funding opportunities, and tackling a wide variety of systemic and distributed federal, state, and local deployment challenges.

The board members represent some of the nation’s top leaders in energy and related sectors. In addition to Wynter, the inaugural board includes:

The Honorable Vicky A. Bailey, Founder and CEO, Anderson Stratton Enterprises LLC. Chair of United States Energy Association (USEA). Former Assistant Secretary, Domestic Policy and International Affairs, U. S. Department of Energy.Dr. Noël Bakhtian, Director of Tech Acceleration, Bezos Earth Fund. Former Executive Director of the Energy Storage Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Former senior leadership team at Idaho National Laboratory.The Honorable Miranda Ballentine, an industry expert with 25 years of experience in the retail, defense, energy, utilities, and infrastructure sectors. Ballentine is devoted to accelerating clean energy for national security, economic prosperity, and solving climate change.The Honorable Rita Baranwal, Senior Vice President, Westinghouse Electric Company. Former Assistant Secretary, Nuclear Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy.Mike Boots, Executive Vice President, Breakthrough Energy and Former Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.Dr. Mung Chiang, President and Roscoe H. George Distinguished Professor, Purdue University. Former Science and Technology Advisor to U.S. Secretary of State.Noelle Laing, Chief Investment Officer, Builders Initiative, Builders Vision.The Honorable Kathleen A. McGinty, Vice President and Chief Sustainability and External Relations Officer, Johnson Controls. Former Environmental Advisor & Chair of White House Council on Environmental Quality. Former Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.Tomeka McLeod, Vice President Hydrogen, US, bp.Nancy E. Pfund, Founder and Managing Partner of DBL Partners, a pioneer impact investing venture capital firm driving strong financial returns while promoting social change and environmental improvement.Stephen Pearse, Managing Director, Yucatán Rock Ventures.Jason Walsh, Executive Director, BlueGreen Alliance. Former Director of the Office of Strategic Programs in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Former Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Domestic Policy Council.

In addition to the appointed individuals, the authorizing statute language names four (4) Ex-Officio nonvoting board members from designated DOE Leadership positions:

Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy.Dr. Geri Richmond, Under Secretary for Science and Innovation, U.S. Department of Energy.Jill Hruby, Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration.Dr. Vanessa Chan, Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the Office of Technology Transitions.

The Office of Technology Transition (OTT) within DOE will serve as a formal liaison to FESI as the Foundation works to advance the goals of the Department and support technology commercialization.

Learn more about FESI and how it will complement DOE’s efforts to combat the climate crisis and enhance the nation’s energy security.

About National Grid

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information, please visit our website, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), watch us on YouTube, like us on Facebook and find us on Instagram.

Media Contacts 
Karen Young 
Downstate New York 
(929) 324-4809

A New Holland special edition T7.300 tractor made a colourful impression with pupils, parents and teachers when it rolled into St Anne Line Catholic Junior School in Basildon, England.

New Holland, a brand of CNH, produced the tractor, adorned in psychedelic livery, to celebrate 60 years of manufacturing at the Basildon plant. The plant opened in 1964 when swinging London was at its peak.

The tractor was taken to the school as part of King Charles’ nationwide campaign, The Big Help Out. The campaign’s aim is to showcase the benefits of volunteering to encourage more people to give back to their communities.

The Basildon Plant team attended the event to strengthen the link between the tractor plant, one of the area’s biggest employers, and the community.

Prior to The Big Help Out CNH also ran a tractor knowledge, colouring and drawing competition with the school where pupils could win prizes.

Kasia Camargo, who works in quality assurance at the UK’s Basildon Tractor Plant, said: “As a proud employee I felt it would be a great opportunity to spread awareness of the company and its brands. Having our tractor there on display attracted families to take part in the event and also promoted a conversation about what we do in Basildon and globally. This year, children, parents and teachers were extremely excited to see the special edition T7.300 built on their doorstep. Another generation of young farmers and future tractor fanatics in the making.”

From comedies and dramas to musicals and contemporary works, The Ensemble Theatre is lifting the curtain on culture and letting creativity take center stage.

“The arts teach more than the basics,” says Eileen Morris, artistic director at Houston-based Ensemble Theatre. “Our young performers learn theatre, dance, music and writing, but there are other basic skills you’re learning that you will use for the rest of your life.”

Such skills include learning how to build confidence when speaking to others, expressing oneself with clear communication, taking direction and working in teams.

You could say that students of theatre learn how to be part of an ensemble.

Since its inception in 1976, The Ensemble Theatre has produced fifteen world premieres and over 100 regional productions out of Houston. More than 200 artists, including actors, crew designers and distinguished teaching guests, work with the theatre annually.

“We are an arts non-profit, but we’re still a business,” says Donald Mason, managing director at The Ensemble Theatre. “We steward relationships with our business communities to get them as involved as possible with the incredible engagement we have here.”

While many have heard of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the theatre also embraces the concept of STEAM to include the arts among the fields that are commonly associated with problem solving, innovation and critical thinking. The revised acronym is growing swiftly in popularity among business and educational audiences.

“That one letter can make such a big difference,” says Mason. “It adds an extra layer of creativity and encourages young thinkers to explores different alternatives to a question or problem.”

June 19 is Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when more than 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Texas received news of their freedom, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Enbridge has a history of supporting The Ensemble Theatre for more than 40 years. In 2023, a $10,000 Enbridge Fueling Futures grant supported the theatre with its 2023 holiday production of A Motown Christmas, featuring classics from the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and The Jackson 5.

“We sent out a survey after that show, which was months ago now, and we are still getting responses,” says Mason. “The energy was really special—people were holding back their claps and snaps.”

The Ensemble Theatre doesn’t reserve its entertainment and education for ticketholders only. The institution runs multiple residencies and in-school programs that teach youth about theatre, such as its Young Performers Program catered towards those aged 6 through 17 in the Houston area.

“The arts are well-celebrated in Houston,” says Mason. “Yes, we are putting professionals on a stage and providing entertainment, but we want people to find their creative self in that process.”

Fans can attend any of the six mainstage plays the theatre puts on each year. The theatre’s next production, Pullman Porter Blues, begins June 28 and runs through July 28.

Morris, who has been with the theatre since the mid-1980s with founder George Hawkins, has a simple goal with each production: “It’s all about bringing families together to enjoy the artistic experience that makes you want to get up on your feet and scream and shout—because it stirs your soul.”

From comedies and dramas to musicals and contemporary works, The Ensemble Theatre is lifting the curtain on culture and letting creativity take center stage.

“The arts teach more than the basics,” says Eileen Morris, artistic director at Houston-based Ensemble Theatre. “Our young performers learn theatre, dance, music and writing, but there are other basic skills you’re learning that you will use for the rest of your life.”

Such skills include learning how to build confidence when speaking to others, expressing oneself with clear communication, taking direction and working in teams.

You could say that students of theatre learn how to be part of an ensemble.

Since its inception in 1976, The Ensemble Theatre has produced fifteen world premieres and over 100 regional productions out of Houston. More than 200 artists, including actors, crew designers and distinguished teaching guests, work with the theatre annually.

“We are an arts non-profit, but we’re still a business,” says Donald Mason, managing director at The Ensemble Theatre. “We steward relationships with our business communities to get them as involved as possible with the incredible engagement we have here.”

While many have heard of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the theatre also embraces the concept of STEAM to include the arts among the fields that are commonly associated with problem solving, innovation and critical thinking. The revised acronym is growing swiftly in popularity among business and educational audiences.

“That one letter can make such a big difference,” says Mason. “It adds an extra layer of creativity and encourages young thinkers to explores different alternatives to a question or problem.”

June 19 is Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when more than 250,000 enslaved African Americans in Texas received news of their freedom, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Enbridge has a history of supporting The Ensemble Theatre for more than 40 years. In 2023, a $10,000 Enbridge Fueling Futures grant supported the theatre with its 2023 holiday production of A Motown Christmas, featuring classics from the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, and The Jackson 5.

“We sent out a survey after that show, which was months ago now, and we are still getting responses,” says Mason. “The energy was really special—people were holding back their claps and snaps.”

The Ensemble Theatre doesn’t reserve its entertainment and education for ticketholders only. The institution runs multiple residencies and in-school programs that teach youth about theatre, such as its Young Performers Program catered towards those aged 6 through 17 in the Houston area.

“The arts are well-celebrated in Houston,” says Mason. “Yes, we are putting professionals on a stage and providing entertainment, but we want people to find their creative self in that process.”

Fans can attend any of the six mainstage plays the theatre puts on each year. The theatre’s next production, Pullman Porter Blues, begins June 28 and runs through July 28.

Morris, who has been with the theatre since the mid-1980s with founder George Hawkins, has a simple goal with each production: “It’s all about bringing families together to enjoy the artistic experience that makes you want to get up on your feet and scream and shout—because it stirs your soul.”

Southern Company

Southern Company is a leader in the development and deployment of technologies that deliver on our commitment to clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy to customers. As our generation fleet grows to meet evolving customer energy needs, we remain committed to our goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Our growing portfolio of low- and zero-carbon resources will play an integral role in meeting this goal, along with other emerging clean technology solutions.

As we continue our journey to net-zero GHG emissions, many customers are increasingly seeking visibility into their carbon emissions to better inform decarbonization strategies. As an example, Southern Company recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), representing all U.S. government agencies, both civilian and defense, to work together to develop a process for the certification and reporting of Renewable Energy Certificates and Scope 2 emissions, including hourly time matching of load and generation, for electricity delivered to federal facilities within Southern Company’s service footprint.

To respond to customer expectations like those of the U.S. government, Southern Company has engaged Singularity Energy, an advanced carbon and clean energy management software platform for utilities and grid operators. The grid carbon data platform is aimed at offering transparency to customers regarding their energy mix. Founded by a team with diverse expertise in power systems, carbon accounting and software development, Singularity is backed by Energy Impact Partners and other energy investors.

Southern Company is collaborating with Singularity to develop a platform that can provide hourly energy emissions data. The collaboration will leverage operational data from our generation fleet and unique customer usage data to provide robust reporting capabilities required by the U.S. government and other customers as they scale clean energy and program participation within Southern Company’s service footprint.

“Tying carbon emissions to a specific customer’s usage is complex, and as we continue to innovate, collaborations like this one with Singularity will help us more efficiently and economically advance emerging solutions our customers expect,” said Clay Rikard, vice president of System Planning for Southern Company.

Southern Company remains at the forefront of delivering sustainable energy solutions. Our commitment to research and development and creative collaborations is essential to developing innovative solutions to meet customer needs.