Tag: 3BL

By Jason Hartke, Ph.D.

From a seminal call to action last year issued by former Surgeons General to an indoor air policy proposal from a group of expert researchers, as well as the recent launch of a new global accord signed by hundreds of advocates and practitioners, healthy building advocacy is reaching new heights

In an historic move last year, a group of former U.S. Surgeons General and public health leaders came together to call on policymakers to prioritize buildings as instruments of public health. This seminal call to action led by a dozen public health luminaries has helped spark what is becoming a growing global policy conversation aimed at improving health in our buildings and, in doing so, creating unprecedented advocacy momentum.

Surgeons General Unite for Healthy Buildings
In September of 2023, in a landmark moment, six former U.S. Surgeons General, alongside another six prominent public health leaders, issued an open letter to all U.S. policymakers emphasizing the pivotal role buildings play in health and well-being. “We hope all policymakers will embrace this new policy paradigm wherein buildings are not seen merely as structures, but as pillars supporting our nation’s health,” declared the signatories of the open letter.

Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the United States and one of the signatories, added, “Buildings are not just walls and roofs; they are health-critical environments where we spend 90% of our lives.” This recognition of buildings as fundamental to public health represents a pivotal shift in our policy thinking, urging leaders to embrace healthy building practices.

Researchers Also Stepped up to Advocate for Health in Buildings
Following suit, this past March more than three dozen researchers, led by lead author Lidia Morawska, a distinguished professor at Queensland University of Technology, wrote in Science, to urge for mandatory indoor air quality (IAQ) standards in public buildings. Their joint article highlighted the critical importance of clean indoor air to human health, saying, “The COVID-19 pandemic has made all levels of society, from community members to decision-makers, realize the importance of IAQ for human health, wellbeing, productivity, and learning.”

The Recent Launch of the International Healthy Building Accord
Further building on these efforts, this past May nearly 200 leaders signed on for the launch of the International Healthy Building Accord. The Accord, shaped by contributions from foremost health authorities and informed by an extensive and thorough body of health and buildings research, communicates the imperative for healthy buildings and outlines key focus areas and strategic policy actions necessary to accelerate healthy buildings. It emphasizes the importance of indoor air quality, water quality, healthy materials, biophilia and design practices that prioritize human health as well as environmental sustainability. Over the next year, this initiative aims to unite global advocates, experts and practitioners to push for healthier building practices worldwide.

“We invite healthy building champions to unite around the imperative of making sure the places and spaces where we live our lives enhance our health and well-being, not compromise it,” said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO of IWBI, upon the Accord’s launch. (For those interested in supporting the Accord, please sign here.)

Together, these efforts represent monumental momentum for healthy building policy. With the combined efforts of these iconic public health leaders, distinguished researchers, and hundreds of global advocates (and growing), we are laying the fundamental groundwork to elevate health as a major focus in all future building policy. The opportunity is clear: by reimagining building policy to support health, we can better position our spaces and places to move much faster to improve our health, safety, well-being and resilience.

View original content here.

From replacing non-recyclable packing peanuts with biodegradable alternatives to downsizing packaging material, engineers at MilliporeSigma, the U.S. and Canada Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, are improving the sustainability of packaging without compromising safety and quality. And that’s important with a portfolio of over 300,000 products and approximately 50,000 shipments dispatched daily.

Each sustainable packaging project aligns with the organization’s SMASH Packaging plan, which works toward more sustainable packaging for new and existing products. So far, these projects combined avoid more than 400 metric tons of packaging materials annually.

To learn more about five of these innovative packaging solutions, read the full article on MilliporeSigma’s website.

Authored by Tyler R. Inda, Manjima Bose, Michelle Isenhouer Hanlin, Tom Bucher, Joe Marchese, Serena Walters

President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) created the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), a $27 billion investment to facilitate advancement in climate technologies.

Under the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) initiative, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ran a competitive procurement and selected five applicants to establish hubs. These hubs provide funding and technical assistance to community lenders working in low-income and disadvantaged communities, providing an immediate pathway to deploy projects in those communities while also building capacity of these lenders to finance projects for years to come.

Download the whitepaper for more information on CCIA’s requirements and complexities.

As we celebrate National Forest Week, it is important to recognize the partnership between the 193,000,000 acres of national forests and the communities, across the nation, that depend on them.

Our national forests play a crucial role in providing clean air, clean water, wildlife habitats and forest products. These resources are not confined to the forest; they enhance the lives of every citizen across the nation. The trees and associated ecosystems within the national forests are the backbone of a healthy environment for future generations.

My lifelong connection to the forest runs deep. From a young age, I have been deeply involved with our national forests. Whether it was helping my family graze cattle on US Forest Service grazing allotments, enjoying our family’s recreation residence cabin on the Klamath National Forest, or being captivated by the sawmill my grandfather managed in northern California, the forest has always been a significant part of my life. It has not only been a catalyst for prosperity in my family but has also served as a home, a classroom, and a true sanctuary.

This year, National Forest Week encourages Americans to embrace the theme of “Forest Mode,” inviting them to disconnect from technology and reconnect with the beauty of nature. In our busy lives, spending time in the forest provides a chance to recharge and ground ourselves.

While national forests are a shared resource, their conservation requires active management and engagement from all of us. The growing threat of wildfires endangers lives and disrupts carbon storage, oxygen production, and wildlife habitats. To tackle this issue, we must prioritize maintaining fire-resilient forests through effective forest management.

Effective forest management is essential for ensuring sustainable forests that meet societal needs. Through sustainable harvest practices that promote forest health and growth, we can avoid overgrown forestland that is susceptible to wildfires and creates economic incentives for Americans, much like it did for my family.

At Georgia-Pacific, although we procure a small volume of our timber from public lands, we are committed to supporting effective forest management practices on both public and private lands. We help by actively contributing to responsible utilization of forest resources, protection of endangered areas, and wildlife conservation.

National Forest Week provides us with an excellent opportunity to reflect on the critical role our forests play in sustaining our planet. Let us celebrate this week by going #ForestMode, and together we can promote the conservation and responsible use of our forests and ensure a promising future for them for years to come.

Happy National Forest Week!

View original content here.

July 10, 2024 /3BL/ – Climate change is driving broader stakeholder scrutiny of financial reporting, with regulators, investors and the public focusing on how companies report on climate-related matters — such as net-zero commitments. And they are demanding clarity about climate.

That’s why KPMG has launched its Clear on climate reporting hub to provide insights and guidance to help organisations and their stakeholders understand how to be clear on climate in corporate reporting.

Covering key reporting issues companies are facing — through FAQs, podcasts and videos — it’s the first place companies should go when considering how to clearly explain to investors and stakeholders the financial implications of climate-related matters. The resources will constantly grow and be regularly refreshed — for example, a whole new emissions section will be added soon.

Larry Bradley, Global Head of Audit, KPMG International said: “What’s described in the front of the annual report won’t always be mirrored in the financial statements in the way users expect. This is often true for climate. It is important that companies both comply with the IFRS® Accounting Standards and connect the dots between financial and non-financial information.”

Most, if not all, companies are facing risks arising from the physical effects of climate change and the transition to a lower-carbon economy. They should consider whether these matters are material to the financial statements and ensure users can understand the impact of climate. There is no single standard that addresses everything and there are a lot of bases to cover to get the accounting right. The essential question for companies is: would an investor make a different decision if a piece of information were included?

Ultimately, investors and regulators want to see clarity and connectivity between a company’s financial and sustainability performance. A lot is happening in the corporate reporting space and companies are at varying stages in their sustainability reporting journey. But one of the first jobs is for companies to address climate in their financial statements today and ensure they’re complying with the relevant requirements and are clear about the policies applied and judgements made. They should also join the dots to connect all climate-related information in their corporate reporting.

Brian O’Donovan, Global IFRS and Corporate Reporting Leader, KPMG International, added: “Essentially, companies need to tell investors what the financial implications of their climate-related plans are; and if they believe there’s no financial impact, tell investors why. Investors are looking for a connected picture of performance, showing the financial implications of sustainability plans and actions.”

The Clear on Climate Reporting Hub can be accessed by clicking the link below:

Click here to visit the Clear on Climate Reporting Hub

Notes to editors: 

For media queries, please contact: 
Brian O’Neill, Senior Manager, Global External Communications 
T: +44 7823 668 689 
E: Brian.O’Neill@kpmg.co.uk

About KPMG International 

KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited (“KPMG International”) operate and provide professional services. “KPMG” is used to refer to individual member firms within the KPMG organization or to one or more member firms collectively.

KPMG firms operate in 143 countries and territories with more than 273,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. Each KPMG member firm is responsible for its own obligations and liabilities.

KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.

At MPC, we use proactive measures designed to protect plant and animal species in areas where we operate. Our Operational Excellence Management System (OEMS) provides us with a framework to account for the potential effects of our activities on ecosystems and determine the best way to mitigate those effects.

This is particularly important at our subsidiary, Marathon Pipe Line, which manages large amounts of land along our pipeline rights-of-way.

“While Marathon Pipe Line’s prior right-of-way clearing program maintained regulatory compliance, it did not address any vegetation structure,” said Julie Beaschler, Senior Right of Way Specialist and Right of Way Maintenance Process Leader – Sustainable Landscapes. “Now, by enhancing the right of way with native vegetation and pollinator-friendly wildflowers, we are benefiting at-risk species like the monarch butterfly.”

Here’s how we mitigate biodiversity impacts throughout the pipeline life cycle:

Incorporating species preservation into operational approaches, including voluntarily adopting both temporary and permanent changes to prioritize endangered species and their critical habitats.Developing our construction schedules to avoid disrupting species migration, spawning, nesting and other activities.Being mindful of pesticide and herbicide types, volumes and timing of use to reduce impacts to compatible vegetation that supports pollinators and wildlife.Implementing conservation mowing on select pipeline rights of way to avoid disrupting population dynamics such as breeding, feeding and reproductive behaviors.Restoring all disturbed areas to pre-construction conditions by seeding/hydroseeding with native seed mixes.Adhering to weed management plans to keep previously disturbed areas free of invasive and non-native weeds.Conducting post-construction surveys and research to verify sensitive areas have been appropriately restored.Monitoring wetland and waterway crossing sites on pipeline rights of way to confirm they are fully restored and functioning.Training affected employees and contractors about biodiversity and maintaining assets in sensitive areas.Using signage to indicate sensitive areas.

Learn more in the Biodiversity section of our Sustainability Report.

DES MOINES, Iowa, July 10, 2024 /3BL/– The Principal Financial Group® Veterans Employee Resource Group received a Governor’s Volunteer Award from Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg during a special recognition ceremony held Tuesday, June 25 in Ankeny.

The group was nominated by the Iowa Veterans Home for their decades long work coordinating flag placement at the Veterans Cemetery for Memorial Day and Veterans Day every year. In recent years the group has also worked to clean gravestones in addition to their flag placement duties.

“Principal has a long-standing tradition of supporting those who serve for us in uniform. We are proud of our dedicated employees with their long-standing acts of service at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery.” Jon Couture, executive vice president and chief human resources officer. “While we are honored to receive this recognition, our volunteerism at the Veterans Cemetery is driven by our commitment to the veterans and their families.”

 Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, a bureau within the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS), the Governor’s Volunteer Award program—now in its 40th year—provides an easy way for Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations, and government entities to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award. 

“Those being recognized are the people who invest in others without expecting anything in return—except, of course, for the fulfillment that comes from doing their part to give back to their community,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “This collective impact is nothing short of remarkable.”

About Principal Financial Group®    

Principal Financial Group® (Nasdaq: PFG) is a global financial company with 20,000 employees1 passionate about improving the wealth and well-being of people and businesses. In business for 145 years, we’re helping more than 62 million customers1 plan, protect, invest, and retire, while working to support the communities where we do business, and build a diverse, inclusive workforce. Principal® is proud to be recognized as one of the 2023 World’s Most Ethical Companies2, a member of the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and named as a “Best Places to Work in Money Management3.” Learn more about Principal and our commitment to sustainability, inclusion, and purpose at principal.com.    

1 As of March 31, 2024    
 2 Ethisphere, 2024     
 3 Pensions & Investments, 2023 

© 2024 Principal Financial Services, Inc.

 About Volunteer Iowa

Volunteer Iowa—a bureau within Iowa HHS–and its partner agencies work with organizations and individuals on three main fronts. The first is to help agencies develop quality programs that use service as a strategy to fulfill their missions and address Iowa’s greatest areas of need. The second is to help engage Iowans in their communities by promoting service and expanding the volunteer base. Finally, the third area of work is to connect individuals with appropriate service opportunities by building volunteer infrastructure. More information is available at volunteeriowa.org. 

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Insurance products issued by Principal National Life Insurance Co (except in NY) and Principal Life Insurance Company®. Plan administrative services offered by Principal Life. Principal Funds, Inc. is distributed by Principal Funds Distributor, Inc. Securities offered through Principal Securities, Inc., member SIPC and/or independent broker/dealers. Referenced companies are members of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.​

3679901-072024

The University of Alberta may have one of the best summer gigs going.

Forget office jobs. Since being launched in 2020, Indigenous students hired onto one of the research projects through the U of A’s I-STEAM Pathways (I-STEAM) program could spend their summer studying water toxicity, regenerative agriculture, environmental policy or flood forecasting tools—just to name a few.

“Many of our interns are actually hired out of non-STEM-related fields of study,” says Dr. Makere Stewart-Harawira, professor at Edmonton-based University of Alberta and original co-founder of the I-STEAM Pathways program. “They might be enrolled in a health or psychology program, but this internship offers an opportunity to explore an enormous variety of other fields in engineering, biology or agriculture.”

The I-STEAM program is the first of its kind in Canada, and is dedicated to giving Indigenous students the opportunity to engage in environmental research, ideally leading them to consider it as a future career path.

“There is a real call in both the research community and within Indigenous communities to increase the number of Indigenous people in positions of authority in environmental policy,” says Dr. Stewart-Harawira.

Open to students in their first year of undergraduate studies and upwards, I-STEAM matches students with carefully selected research projects and a dedicated mentor for a four-month paid internship over the summer.

Last year, the program hired 18 students to environmental research projects, up from 16 in 2022. While the upward trend is encouraging, the program’s ability to accept research proposals and facilitate summer internships is entirely donor dependent.

In 2023, Alliance Pipeline donated $60,000 to the I-STEAM Pathways program as part of its commitment to communities. The funding facilitated internships for the program and contributed to research costs and student wages. After a 24-year span, Enbridge sold its ownership interest in Alliance to Pembina Pipeline Corporation in April 2024.

The research projects are not just confined to labs—they often have real-world impact.

Jordan Eleniak, a 2023 I-STEAM program participant and Metis student hailing from Lac La Biche, AB, developed a device that helps predict algae blooms during his internship. Eleniak is also the president of the U of A’s Indigenous in STEM Students Association.

“Jordan’s work is exactly the type of hands-on research that we get excited about,” says. Dr. Stewart-Harawira. “I am constantly moved by the interchange of knowledge and witnessing as students build a passion and interest in their environment.”

Dr. Stewart-Harawira, who is New Zealand Maori, arrived in Alberta in 2004 with the intention of spending “four or five” in Alberta, and ultimately to launch a program around Indigenous environmental education.

But 20 years later, she’s still here, with I-STEAM Pathways programming running strong, thanks at least in part to the good work of her co-leads in the program, Navajo environmental engineer Dr. Chelsea Benally and biological scientist Dr. Greg Goss, both at the University of Alberta and equally dedicated to the program.

“I guess I’ve just been having so much fun,” she says.

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

By: Mark McCaffrey, GoDaddy CFO

In May, I enjoyed sitting down with Jennifer Carson, the inspiring owner of Sonoma Cake Creations and Sonoma Sauces. Jennifer has turned her passion into not one but two flourishing businesses. Her story is one of resilience, family, creativity, and dedication. I’m excited to share highlights from our discussion.

A special thank you to Adam Housley for letting us meet with Jennifer in his wine-tasting room, Housley Napa Valley. Adam is a small business owner and, like Jennifer, is another GoDaddy customer who supports local businesses. (Adam sells Sonoma Sauces in his shop.)

Jennifer has been running her dessert company, Sonoma Cake Creations, for nearly 25 years, a journey that started unexpectedly. Initially, she enjoyed working on cars, but her path took a dramatic turn when she baked a cake for a relative’s wedding. 

This wasn’t just any cake; it was for a wedding in San Francisco with 400 guests!

Despite having no formal culinary training (she had taken one four-week class on wedding cake making to meet the credits to keep her scholarship), the success of the cake sparked an idea: If she could do this for free, why not make money from it?

Her foray into sauces began almost by accident. At the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, she entered her dark cherry zinfandel sauce into the pantry category. To her surprise, it won Double Gold and Best of Show.

Encouraged by this success and advice from a renowned local chef, she decided to pursue sauce-making more seriously and Sonoma Sauces was born. Her subsequent creations, like the blackberry merlot and mango pinot grigio sauces, have all won Double Gold, proving her exceptional talent.

Her philosophy is simple yet profound: less is more. She refuses to use preservatives and focuses on a few high-quality products. Her sauces are unique and unmatched in the market and her dedication to quality and innovation is evident in every jar.

Her journey hasn’t been without challenges. The 2017 Tubbs Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in United States history that burned more than 36,000 acres in northern California, devastated her business, destroying years of contacts, financial records and supplies (including her sauces) stored at her business and at her mother’s home.

The pandemic added another layer of difficulty as she balanced working over 30 hours a week at a hospital with her side hustles. Eventually, an injury forced her to leave the hospital, allowing her to focus entirely on her business.

Exciting developments are on the horizon for Sonoma Cake Creations and Sonoma Sauces. Jennifer, with the support of her family, dreams of opening a brick-and-mortar store in Sonoma, expanding her cheesecake line to ship across the U.S., and would love to introduce a line of wine-based ice creams. 

My tasting session confirmed the exceptional quality of her products, and I believe they have the potential to become a well-known brand.  

 Jennifer has used GoDaddy products for more than 20 years, I shared with her our new advancements with GoDaddy Airo™, our intelligent experience that proactively helps anyone build and grow their business with the power of AI. We discussed how it will soon allow for seamless integration with her GoDaddy site, enhancing her online presence.

Her children, for whom she has already bought domains, are also excited to try out GoDaddy Airo to create websites for their businesses. Because Jennifer sells at a lot of events, having a payment system that seamlessly integrates is also important, and she’s excited to learn more about GoDaddy’s payment offerings.

My chat with Jennifer was an inspiring journey through a story of passion, resilience and innovation. We are excited to support her as she takes her business to new heights, and I am eager to see her dreams become a reality.

At GoDaddy, we love our customers, and I’m thrilled to continue to share these inspiring stories. Until next time!

Cheers,

Mark

Logitech Blog

Last month, two of Logitech’s female leaders made an impact at the Dublin Tech Summit, a major event in the European tech scene.

Anne Carrigy, Logitech’s CIO, participated in a panel discussion on the collaboration between humans and AI for a smarter future. The topic is open to much debate and will continue to be discussed for a while to come.

During the panel, Carrigy highlighted Logitech’s view of AI as a tool to augment human capability. By embedding AI across its offerings, Logitech empowers its workforce to operate with increased efficiency and productivity. Practical AI applications, such as features Logitech’s RightSight offers during remote meetings, facilitate equitable collaboration, regardless of participants’ locations. She underlined the opportunities AI brings in democratizing digital access whilst keeping the human at the center and how important a combination of critical thinking, digital literacy, and human creativity is in a future where technology continues to amplify our collective abilities. Listen to the full panel discussion here.

Additionally, Emerald de Leeuw, Logitech’s Head of Privacy and AI governance, also took part in an important panel on AI ethics. The discussion tackled critical issues like data protection and the ethical use of AI, emphasizing Logitech’s commitment to ethical standards and privacy in the digital age.

The Dublin Tech Summit provides a uniquely intimate Irish cultural and networking experience, providing a gateway for global tech leaders to connect and debate what is happening next in our fast-paced world. Logitech’s participation at the Dublin Tech Summit serves as a testament to its unwavering commitment to human-centric AI and ethical standards in the digital era.