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In a challenging economic year, Vancity stayed focused on its vision of driving meaningful social and systemic change. Vancity continues to demonstrate that a financial institution can be an agent of positive change. Vancity’s 2023 financial results show areas of continued strength despite modest operating earnings amid a challenging rate environment.

Vancity’s 2023 Annual Report can be viewed here: Annual Report – Vancity

Action on the climate crisis remains a high priority. Vancity issued its second climate report including updating the progress made on both Vancity’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions across its loans and mortgages by 2040 and its Net Zero Bankers Alliance (NZBA) commitments. The climate report also includes disclosures on managing climate risks and opportunities, including through public policy advocacy, guided by the ISSB’s new IFRS S2 Climate-related Disclosures Standard, and detailed greenhouse gas emissions data and methodology. Vancity’s progress toward the 2025 interim targets for financed GHG emissions and “percentage change since 2019” from residential mortgages and commercial real estate are externally assured.

Vancity added a Sustainability Issuance Report to its reporting suite after publishing its first Sustainability Issuance Framework to guide issuances of green, social, and sustainable financing instruments. Vancity issued — the first of its kind by a Canadian community credit union — $200 million in bearer deposit notes (BDNs). The BDN proceeds were used to finance sustainability initiatives.

Vancity’s annual reporting makes a point of showcasing stories of impact about our members and their communities. Those stories reflect Vancity’s use of assets to create long-term value in communities through shareholder engagement, financing of climate-friendly building, and supporting a more diverse co-operative economy.

Report highlights include:

Grew total assets and assets under administration from $34.3 billion to $35.5 billionFinanced $14.4 million worth of new Planet-WiseTM loans and commercial retrofits to help members take climate action in affordable waysFinanced 729,635 square feet of energy-efficient buildingsFinanced the construction or renovation of 1,451 units of affordable housingLaunched Indigenous cultural awareness training for all employees as a part of its commitment to the Progressive Aboriginal Relations™ certification programNamed as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, Canada’s Top Family Friendly Employers, and BC’s Top EmployersLaunched a new defined-benefit pension plan and an updated employee benefit program

Vancity’s values-based banking model is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Vancity’s annual reporting was prepared in accordance with the International Integrated Reporting Framework and the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Reporting Standards. The reporting also includes some disclosures using the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards and reporting on the UN Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB).

Vancity takes a double materiality approach to determining what is material to include in the reporting based on what has the most significant impacts on the economy, environment, and people and topics that could substantively affect the ability to create value in the short, medium, and long term.

About Vancity

Vancity is a values-based financial co-operative serving the needs of its 570,000 member-owners and their communities, with offices and more than 50 branches located in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Victoria, Squamish and Alert Bay, within the territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw people. With $35.5 billion in assets plus assets under administration, Vancity is Canada’s largest credit union. Vancity uses its assets to help improve the financial well-being of its members while at the same time helping to develop healthy communities that are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.

Contact

Media Relations
Phone: 778-837-0394

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Vanguard Renewables partners with leading food and beverage companies to recycle food and beverage waste on multi-generational dairy farms across the country to make renewable gas via anaerobic digestion. Vanguard has a long-standing partnership with Barstow’s Longview Farm, a seventh-generation family farm and member-owner of the Cabot Creamery Cooperative, to host one of Vanguard’s Farm Powered® anaerobic digesters in Hadley, MA.

Barstow’s Longview Farm sends their milk to Cabot Creamery Cooperative to be turned into delicious Cabot butter at its West Springfield, MA facility, and the inedible waste produced as a byproduct of that butter manufacturing is sent back to the anaerobic digester on the farm to become renewable gas and low-carbon farm fertilizer. The Cabot Creamery Cooperative reaches circularity by purchasing the renewable energy that their waste creates at Barstow’s Longview Farm to power its butter plant and help decarbonize their operations.

Cabot Creamery has long been a sustainability leader in the food and beverage industry. The farmer-owned co-operative was an early adopter of Vanguard’s Farm Powered solution to recycle its inedible food waste to create clean, renewable energy and helping to mitigate the release of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

For over 100 years, Cabot Creamery has been working to sustain local dairy farms and help build strong communities. Cabot is dedicated to regenerative agriculture and sustainability and was the world’s first dairy co-operative to become a certified B Corporation.

In addition to being a certified B-Corp, the Company also has implemented several sustainable initiatives across its creameries and operations including a solar-powered waste compactor at their plant in Cabot, Vermont, outfitting their trucks with energy efficient technology such as aerodynamic body modifications and low rolling resistance tires resulting in almost 20% more miles per gallon than the national average and decreasing its fleet’s idle time by around 60%, and Cabot upcycles water to wash out its milk trucks. These are just a few examples of how Cabot Creamery is leading the way on sustainability.

This project at Barstow’s Longview Farm churns up a host of benefits for the farm, the community, the Cooperative, and the planet.

Learn more: https://www.vanguardrenewables.com/

From his earliest days, Thomas Neblett could usually be found on a farm – often out among the soybeans, corn, cotton and rice fields of his family’s 9,000 acres in the Mississippi Delta.

Today, he is up before dawn and working well into the evening hours managing his own farming operation Sunrise Farms Partnership, with approximately 3,600 acres in Jonestown, Mississippi. But it wasn’t always a given that Neblett would go into the family business. His father Rives Neblett was a successful attorney and wasn’t hands-on in his farming operation the way many farm owners may be. The younger Neblett knew he was free to explore the world and discover his own passion and way once he graduated from high school, but that the farm would always be there.

“We’re a little different in that my dad was a farmer, landowner, a lawyer, a real estate guy, commodity trader and he didn’t have his hands directly in the pie on the farm,” said Thomas Neblett. “He let me know you don’t have to drive a tractor and be out on that farm if that’s not what you want to do. And he let it be known early on that he didn’t want me to feel like I had to farm or that that was what he wanted me to do.”

When Thomas Neblett graduated from high school, he took the path that many Americans follow, and he headed off to college. While a freshman at the University of Mississippi, Thomas went into kidney failure and needed an emergency transplant. That confirmed his growing belief that college was not the path to his future.

I knew then that farming was what I wanted to do – I can tell you for a fact – but this land we own and what my family has been doing for four generations, I think is literally in my blood.
Thomas Neblett

Farming in His Blood

“School was not for me and by the time I got to college, I was over it,” noted Thomas Neblett. “I knew then that farming was what I wanted to do – I can tell you for a fact – but this land we own and what my family has been doing for four generations, I think is literally in my blood.”

His father, Rives, would agree. His own grandfather, also a lawyer, launched the farming family dynasty in the late 1920s when he began acquiring farmland while practicing law. And on Thomas’ mother’s side of the family, the farming gene reaches back to his grandfather Charlie Lowrance who was a successful farmer and ginner in Arkansas.

“Thomas has grown up in the operation, worked on the farm in the summers and over the holidays and was active in learning the ropes through my farm managers,” shared Rives Neblett, owner of Allendale Planting Company in Shelby, Mississippi, one of the premier farming operations in the Delta. “I had hoped Thomas would finish college, but when he came home at 19 and said he wanted to go into farming, I knew his mind was made up.”

Rives Neblett shared his own farming family history and some of the best advice he had ever received from his own father.

“He told me, you can’t come back and farm for five years until you have proven yourself in another profession working for someone else,” said Rives. “It was the best advice that anyone ever gave me because it would have been tempting to return and start farming for my father right after college. Knowing that I couldn’t, I went to law school, got a degree and went to work for IRS for a few years, then for a firm in Mississippi. I took a similar approach with Thomas when he decided to go into farming.”

Failure Wasn’t an Option

Rather than having Thomas work for him on the family farm, Rives Neblett turned to his longtime Regions Agriculture Banking Leader Alan Sims.

“I took Thomas to the bank and asked to borrow enough money to farm about 2,400 acres – a stretch for me, Thomas, Alan and the bank given Thomas was only 20 years old – but I had developed a relationship with Regions, and if I was putting Thomas in that position, I’d make sure he was succeeding,” shared Rives.

Sims concurred.

“Even with the existing relationship, a bank doesn’t make a loan to someone simply because they can pay it back, the business plan had to make sense – and it did,” said Sims.

It seemed there was nothing to worry about from the very beginning, Thomas Neblett confirmed.

“I was confident enough in myself – I wouldn’t allow myself to do it if I didn’t think I could make it,” Thomas said. “I love what I do. I didn’t realize you could have a passion about something and not consider it work. The work is there – and it can be tiring and frustrating, but there is never a day I wake up and don’t want to go and do it.”

When I got started, we knew we were working with Regions. There are a lot of turnovers in banking, but Regions hasn’t changed.
Thomas Neblett

All About the Relationship

“My dad has been a long-time Regions customer and has a great relationship with the bank,” said Thomas. “When I got started, we knew we were working with Regions. There are a lot of turnovers in banking, but Regions hasn’t changed. Alan has been able to keep a close eye on our business.”

Sims agreed.

“I remember that meeting: Rives, long-tenured relationship, asking for that start-up loan with Thomas. We sat down and Rives had a well-prepared loan request we reviewed and tweaked, and we were able to make the loan,” said Sims. “The rest is history.”

Sims noted on that day, Rives pulled him aside and said, I can teach him farming, but I’d like you to teach him the rest.

“Thomas has a work ethic like no other and has done really well,” said Sims. “He’s made tremendous yields on his farm and has been very successful since starting his farming operation a decade ago.”

Sustainability is Key

“From the very beginning in the 1970s, we stressed land forming in our operation and irrigation,” shared Rives Neblett. “We were some of the first people to start an actual program of land forming – engineering/forming the land so you can thoroughly irrigate it.”

He explained that in the Delta, that was the way to go given the climate. They had to have the ability to irrigate. Allendale Planting Company started that program and as they developed the land forming of the land, they worked with the soil conservation services putting highly erodible land next to streams into a Conservation Reserve Program for conservation and recreational purposes.

Thomas Neblett has continued and expanded the processes to ensure sustainability and soil health.

“One of the biggest things I have learned since I started this business is how important drainage is – getting the water off my fields quickly and efficiently so I can grow my crops,” Thomas Neblett noted. “My dad and his farm managers have been pioneers in developing land and putting in pipes, digging new ditches and keeping that land from eroding.”

My dad has told me my whole life, in order to stay where you are in the world, you have to work harder than everyone else – if you do that, it will pay off.
Thomas Neblett

Trusting Your Instincts

Thomas Neblett credits some of his success with his ability to assess the appropriate risks that have the potential to yield strong rewards.

“One major thing I’ve learned is that what you read and what people can tell you doesn’t mean anything. It is what you can do and what you believe yourself that matters,” said Thomas. “I’ve picked up land that people have said was worthless and turned it profitable. More often than not, I’ve made it work. I’ve made mistakes, but the good decision have outweighed the missteps.”

And he credits his dad with instilling in him the strong work ethic that has driven his success.

“My dad has told me my whole life, in order to stay where you are in the world, you have to work harder than everyone else – if you do that, it will pay off.”

Thomas and his wife Beth are instilling this same work ethic in their three girls, ages 4 through 12, who represent a sixth generation of this farming family.

Experiences and opinions stated by customers are their own. Customers were told in advance they might be featured in an article when they were asked about their experiences with Regions. References to companies in this video not owned by Regions do not imply endorsement.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode, entrepreneurs David Roubach and Felix Bobbink share their sustainability innovations within the plastics industry and how they are revolutionizing plastics at both consumer and industrial levels. Dow Global Business Development Director Christophe Marché highlights the need for large businesses to pivot and become disruptive, and University of California, Berkeley professor Dr. Ting Xu shares how at the core of all this disruptive innovation is science and research.

EPISODE NOTES

From compostable fashion developed in the Middle East to simplifying waste into feedstock in Switzerland to reduce fossil fuels in plastics, entrepreneurs David Roubach and Felix Bobbink share their journey of being disrupters in an industry grappling with waste management. But as Dow Global Business Director Christophe Marché explains, scaling disruptive solutions will require incumbent industry leaders to take risks, invest in disrupters and pivot their business models. University of California, Berkeley professor Dr. Ting Xu shares how it will also require the industry to look into the research and science behind scalable solutions.

SHOW CONTRIBUTORS

Host: Maithreyi Seetharaman 
Show Producer: Lisa Desai 
Sound Production: PhiLipp Schweidler, Department of Noise 
Communications Advisor: Jonny West-Symes, Teneo 
Artwork: Dow Creative Element

Throughout the year, IWBI will mobilize its global community of healthy building leaders, practitioners and advocates to gather signatures for the Accord, with the goal of presenting it to government leaders, international bodies such as the United Nations, and global health organizations, urging action and implementation of its recommendations.

NEW YORK, May 8, 2024 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), the global authority for transforming health and well-being in buildings, organizations and communities, in collaboration with renowned health luminaries, building science experts and industry leaders, today announced the launch of the International Healthy Building Accord. This groundbreaking initiative seeks to redefine the future of our built environment, emphasizing the critical role of health in building design, construction and operations.

The Accord, shaped by contributions from foremost health authorities and informed by an extensive and thorough body of health and buildings research and scientific evidence, outlines the imperative for healthy buildings, key focus areas and strategic policy actions necessary to accelerate healthy buildings worldwide. It emphasizes the importance of indoor air quality, water quality, healthy materials and design practices that prioritize human health as well as environmental sustainability.

“The International Healthy Building Accord embodies our shared vision and serves as a global clarion call, urging the world’s policymakers and health leaders to do their part to help accelerate people-first buildings for everyone, everywhere,” said Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO, IWBI. “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.”

Throughout the year, IWBI will engage with its global community, including public health professionals, architects, engineers, facility managers, developers, business leaders, researchers and others, to gather support and collect signatories for the Accord. The campaign will culminate in presenting the Accord to national government agencies, the United Nations and its agencies, and international health institutions, including the World Health Organization, at the end of the year.

The Accord calls for the world’s governments to prioritize health in buildings, highlighting the need for strategic policy actions in areas such as building codes, financial incentives, public-private partnerships, and research and innovation. By endorsing the Accord, signatories are also committing to play a role in helping transform the built environment into a healthier, more sustainable space for current and future generations.

“In the role of Surgeon General, we would issue a call to action when the nation’s health, well-being or safety was at risk. This is a similar situation and precisely why we are uniting under the banner of the International Healthy Building Accord, a global call to action urging the world’s leaders to take key policy actions to accelerate change,” said Dr. Richard Carmona, the 17th Surgeon General of the United States. “And considering we spend 90% of our lives indoors, it is imperative that our buildings protect, support and enhance our health, such as providing clean air to breathe and clean water to drink.”

As of today’s launch, the Accord already has nearly 200 signatories, including these notable leaders:

Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO, IWBI
Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States
George R. Oliver, Chairman and CEO, Johnson Controls
Michelle Williams, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Harvard University
Cheryl Durst, EVP and CEO, International Interior Design Association
Kenneth Mendez, President and CEO, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Lakisha Ann Woods, CEO, American Institute of Architects
Khoi Vo, CEO, American Society of Interior Designers
Peter Templeton, President and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council
Esther Sternberg, MD, Author of Well at Work
Yasushi Kinoshita, Representative Member, Eminence Partners
Christhina Candido, Associate Professor, University of Melbourne
Chris Pyke, Chief Innovation Officer, GRESB
Avi Rajagopal, Editor in Chief, Metropolis Magazine
Sarah Enaharo, Director of Global Sustainability and Health, Milliken & Company
Deepa Sathiaram, Executive Director, En3 Sustainability Solutions
Lawrence Sloan, CEO, American Industrial Hygiene Association
Courtney Howard, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Stephen Huddart, Adjunct Professor, University of Victoria
Kay Sargent, Director of Thought Leadership, Interiors, HOK
Prateek Khanna, COO, IWBI
Pauline Souza, Director of Sustainability, WRNS Studio
Quaiser Parvez, CEO, Nucleus Office Parks
Jennifer Berthelot-Jelovic, Founder & CEO, A SustainAble Production (ASAP)
Tyler Smith, Vice President of Healthy Buildings, Johnson Controls
Carlie Bullock-Jones, Founder and Principal, Ecoworks Studio
Ben Stapleton, Executive Director, USGBC California
Liam Bates, CEO, Kaiterra
Christine Bruckner, Director, M Moser Associates
Colin Milner, CEO, International Council in Active Aging
Deborah Cloutier, President, RE Tech Advisors
Erik Malmstrom, CEO, SafeTraces
Nora Wang Esram, Senior Director for Research, ACEEE
Sam Pickering, Executive Director of Sustainability, The Instant Group
Alexis Holcombe, Faculty, Virginia Commonwealth University
Scott Tew, Vice President of Sustainability, Trane Technologies
Emily Duff, Director of Climate Impact, JLL
Sean O’Reilly, Global SVP, AAF International
Rick Fedrizzi, Executive Chairman, IWBI
Tracy Backus, Director of Sustainable Programs, Teknion
Bill Browning, Founding Partner, Terrapin Bright Green
April Vacca, Associate Principal, Dewberry
Paul Scialla, Founder and CEO, Delos
Jason Shearer, Hybrid Work CTO, Cisco
Komal Kotwal, Founder and Principal, EquiSustain
Steve Levine, CEO, AtmosAir
Lauren M. Wallace, Principal, Epsten Group
Guido Petinelli, Founder and CEO, Petinelli
Wendy Feldman Block, Executive Managing Director, Savills
William Bridge, CEO, Global Green
John Nothdurft, Director, ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association
John Loyer, Head of Government Affairs, Somfy North America
Annemarie Lombard, Founder, Sensory Intelligence Consulting
Theresa Lehman, Director of Sustainable Services, Miron Construction Co.
Vicki Worden, President and CEO, Green Building Initiative
Michael White, Director of Business Development, Siemens
Ze Li, Senior Engineer, SOM

“I’m excited to see as leading figures across the healthy building movement mobilize around the Accord,” said Jason Hartke, Executive Vice President, External Affairs and Advocacy. “It’s our chance to speak with one voice and tell all our government leaders to take note and take action by embracing the policy prescriptions in the Accord, ensuring that the places and spaces where we live, work and play contribute positively to our health and well-being.”

For more information about the International Healthy Building Accord and how to become a signatory, please click here.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the global authority for transforming health and well-being in buildings, organizations and communities. In pursuit of its public-health mission, IWBI mobilizes its community through the development and administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL), WELL for residential, WELL Community Standard, its WELL ratings and management of the WELL AP credential. IWBI also translates research into practice, develops educational resources and advocates for policies that promote people-first for everyone, everywhere. IWBI is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative, and helps companies advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the use of WELL. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Residence, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

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FedEx has been a longtime supporter of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation (MCSF), providing annual support to the organization through scholarships to military veteran’s children. This year FedEx provided scholarships to 22 students through MCSF.

To add to the scholarships FedEx provides, this year FedEx launched the “FedEx Career Readiness Initiative” (FCRI) with MCSF. FCRI is a program that allows the students who receive a scholarship through MCSF access to leadership training, job and interview prep, and a chance for the students and their parents to have insight on internship and job opportunities at FedEx.

This year FedEx hosted the first virtual career session on Jan. 19 with 35 participants on the call. Neil Gibson, SVP of Customer Experience at FedEx, served as keynote speaker, and FedEx veteran recruiter, Josh Link, reviewed career opportunities with the students and their parents.

Written by Angela Baker

The economic value of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to the world is immense. Research from McKinsey estimates that generative AI could add the equivalent of $2.6 trillion to $4.4 trillion annually.1

But the energy cost of AI and its environmental impact can also be extensive unless our technology approach evolves to effectively tackle these challenges.

Current projections vary, but there are startling analyses of generative AI’s energy use and its impact on the environment. A peer-reviewed report in Joule projects AI energy use growing to over 85 terawatt-hours annually, more than the usage of many small countries (Ireland is the example given).2 Popular studies, like those from Gartner, paint dire pictures of the environmental impact and the expense of adapting our computing infrastructure to generative AI. Gartner’s report predicts that by 2030, AI could consume up to 3.5% of the world’s electricity.3

Additionally, data center processing requires cooling, and cooling consumes water. In its latest environmental report, Microsoft disclosed that its global water consumption spiked 34% from 2021 to 2022, an increase that outside researchers tie to AI.

It is imperative to find ways to make AI processing more energy efficient and sustainable. But most reports focus almost entirely on the energy used by AI in the cloud and in data centers.

Increasing Efficiency by Running AI Models in Devices

Generative AI does not have to run exclusively in the cloud.

Currently, training a consumer-grade generative AI model requires a massive cluster of AI hardware and the power to run it. A researcher at the University of Washington estimated that training a model like ChatGPT-3 could use up to 10 gigawatt-hours, roughly equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 1,000 U.S. households.4

But once an AI model is trained, it can be reduced and optimized to run on a significantly less power-hungry piece of hardware, like a smartphone or battery-powered laptop.

For instance, research by analyst firm Creative Strategies5 concludes that Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a flagship processor for smartphones, is 30 times more efficient than a data center on image generation tasks. For laptop PCs, the same report states that Snapdragon X Elite Compute Platform is nearly 28 times more efficient than running the AI task on the data center.

Running AI on local, private devices also saves the expense of sending queries and data across the network (and through the internal data-routing systems at a cloud provider) and sending the answers back.

Finally, the limited processing power of local devices, compared to massive resources available to run queries in cloud data centers, enforces a form of AI discipline on AI software companies, app developers and users. Not all generative AI queries require the resources of cloud-based ChatGPT-4 or its equivalent. By reallocating a portion of AI tasks to the edge, we can leverage the benefits of on-device AI processing, which offers efficient computations with minimal power consumption. A balanced strategy, involving a deliberate distribution of AI workloads across the cloud and edge, can enhance performance efficiency and minimize energy consumption.

As technology providers begin to distribute generative AI capabilities to personal devices and start to gather data on the economics of various query types and where those queries run, we expect that they will start to surface these calculations for users, allowing people to make individual cost-based decisions about how much AI processing power they consume.

Taking Efficient Edge AI Technologies to the Cloud

The technology that enables edge devices, such as smartphones and tablets, has evolved to be both powerful and power-efficient. Users expect these devices to be fast, responsive, and capable of lasting a full day on a single battery charge.

In fact, modern smartphones have surpassed the power of IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer, which gained fame for defeating chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1997.6 What’s even more impressive is that these powerful mobile devices consume significantly less energy than an LED light bulb.7

This remarkable energy efficiency is the result of decades of innovation in the field. Lean computing instruction sets have been developed to process data using fewer operations, while systems-on-chip integrate multiple components into a single chip to reduce power consumption.

Such innovations have allowed Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to deliver record-breaking power-efficient cloud AI processing products. This showcases the significant potential of edge technologies in addressing the energy challenge associated with processing AI models in the cloud.

AI might mitigate its own efficiency problems

AI tools are well-suited to optimizing complex systems and can be used to reduce energy requirements and environmental impacts.8 There’s a possibility that AI tools can help offset some of the impacts of human-caused climate change. Research from the Boston Consulting Group says that, “AI can accelerate climate action by taking climate modeling to the next level, enabling new approaches to climate education, and supporting breakthroughs in climate science, climate economics, and fundamental research.”9

At the moment, the world is still gathering data on the environmental costs and benefits of our new AI tools. The recent COP 28 – UN Climate Change conference highlighted these data gaps to an extent. We are heartened that progress is being made and that AI can help; as Microsoft’s Brad Smith put it, “You can’t fix what you can’t measure, and these new AI and data tools will allow nations to measure emissions far better than they can today.”10

In the meantime, it’s imperative that we get a better handle on AI’s energy use itself, and do what we can to reduce that use — when possible — by running AI models on lower-power devices, and by using models that simply require less power.

At Qualcomm, we believe that AI systems should be designed, developed and deployed in a way that is mindful of environmental impact throughout their lifecycle and value chain. We are working to allow edge devices to run AI processing more efficiently, with leading performance per watt.

Learn more about Qualcomm’s responsible AI principles

Read about Qualcomm’s sustainability efforts

Opinions expressed in the content posted here are the personal opinions of the original authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of Qualcomm Incorporated or its subsidiaries (“Qualcomm”). The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to be an endorsement or representation by Qualcomm or any other party. This site may also provide links or references to non-Qualcomm sites and resources. Qualcomm makes no representations, warranties, or other commitments whatsoever about any non-Qualcomm sites or third-party resources that may be referenced, accessible from, or linked to this site.

Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

References:

1: McKinsey & Company. (Jun 14, 2023). The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier. Retrieved on Jan 12, 2024 from: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier#introduction

2: Alex de Vries. (Oct 10, 2023). The growing energy footprint of artificial intelligence. Retrieved on Jan 12, 2024 from: https://www.cell.com/joule/abstract/S2542-4351(23)00365-3

3: Gartner. (Nov 7, 2023). Gartner says CIOs must balance the environmental promises and risks of AI. Retrieved on Jan 12, 2024 from: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-11-07-gartner-says-cios-must-balance-the-environmental-promises-and-risks-of-ai

4: University of Washington. (Jul 27, 2023). Q&A: UW researcher discusses just how much energy ChatGPT uses. Retrieved on Jan 12, 2024 from: https://www.washington.edu/news/2023/07/27/how-much-energy-does-chatgpt-use/

5: Max Weinbach, Creative Strategies. (Apr 3, 2024). The Power of Efficiency: Edge Al’s Role in Sustainable Generative Al Adoption. Retrieved on Apr 11, 2024 from: https://creativestrategies.com/research/gen-ai-edge-testing/

6: ZME Science. (May 11, 2023). Your smartphone is millions of times more powerful than the Apollo 11 guidance computers. Retrieved on Apr 8, 2024 from: https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/technology-articles/computer-science/smartphone-power-compared-to-apollo-432/

7: TechFow. (Nov 17, 2022). How Many Watts Does a Phone Use Per Hour. Retrieved on Apr 8, 2024 from: https://www.techfow.com/how-many-watts-does-a-phone-use-per-hour-beginners-guide/

8: Earth.org. (Sep 27, 2023). 7 Ways AI can support energy conservation efforts. Retrieved on Jan 12, 2024 from: https://earth.org/7-ways-ai-can-support-energy-conservation-efforts/

9: Boston Consulting Group. (Nov 20, 2023). How AI can speed climate action. Retrieved on Jan 12, 2024 from: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-ai-can-speedup-climate-action

10: Microsoft. (Nov 29, 2023). UNFCCC partners with Microsoft to use AI and advanced data technology to track global carbon emissions and assess progress under the Paris Agreement. Retrieved on Jan 12, 2024 from: https://news.microsoft.com/2023/11/29/unfccc-partners-with-microsoft-to-use-ai-and-advanced-data-technology-to-track-global-carbon-emissions-and-assess-progress-under-the-paris-agreement/

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Premiering Earth Day, April 22 exclusively on Black Experience on Xfinity Channel, Xfinity X1, and Xumo.Co-narrated by Indigenous activist Quannah ChasingHorse and Academy Award-nominated actor Edward Norton.Additional executive producers include Allison Abner, Grammy-nominated singer Tamia, Mato Mayuhi, and Grammy-winning producer Shep Crawford.Bad River takes us into the heart of a battle to save Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake and part of the Great Lakes system, which account for approximately 20% of the world’s freshwater supply.

PHILADELPHIA, May 8, 2024 /3BL/ – Comcast NBCUniversal’s Black Experience on Xfinity teams up with award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio (A Most Beautiful Thing, I Am Jane Doe) and executive producer and NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, to premiere Bad River, a film that chronicles the Wisconsin-based Bad River Band and their ongoing fight for sovereignty.

The story unfolds in a groundbreaking way, through a series of shocking revelations, devastating losses, and a powerful legacy of defiance and resilience.

In honor of Earth Day, Bad River is now available exclusively on Comcast’s Black Experience on Xfinity (BEX) channel, X1, Xumo and Flex.

Co-narrated by indigenous actor and activist Quannah ChasingHorse and award-winning actor Edward Norton (Primal Fear, American History X, Birdman), this inspiring project brings us through an epic sweep of history into the present, with a David vs. Goliath battle to save Lake Superior, the largest freshwater resource in North America. The film chronicles the tenacity of the Bad River Ojibwe, a Native community located in Northern Wisconsin, as they resist, time and again, an effort a millennium in the making to erase and eradicate their culture and community.

“We are passionate about creating the world’s best and most diverse collection of multicultural programming and entertainment available anywhere,” said Loren Hudson, SVP and Chief Diversity Offer, Comcast Cable. “Through our partnership with Mary Mazzio and Grant Hill, and with platforms like the Black Experience on Xfinity, we are proud to play a role in expanding access to original programming that shines a light on the stories of underrepresented communities for millions of additional viewers.”

“This story is about a small group of people, who, with monumental effort and at great personal cost, have been and continue to protect one of the world’s most precious resources, Lake Superior,” says Mary Mazzio. “If this project prompts us into doing more for each other instead of just for ourselves, wouldn’t that be something…”

“It is so important to share stories and create awareness for the Bad River Band and their community, which dispel long-held stereotypes,” said Grant Hill. “I’m so proud to have worked on this with Mary as our third project together, and to partner with the Black Experience on Xfinity.”

Executive producers include Allison Abner (Narcos); NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill; Grammy-nominated singer Tamia; Mato Wayuhi (Reservation Dogs), who wrote several hip-hop tracks for the film; Grammy-winning producer, Shep Crawford (producer/writer for Whitney Houston, Tamia, Boyz II Men), who wrote and produced an original score. Taylor Hensel (Reservation Dogs, Reciprocity Project) worked on both the story and strategy for the project; Alec Sokolow (Toy Story) worked closely with Abner and Mazzio on all aspects of the narrative, and Bad River students created original artwork for the animation team at PunkRobot, an Academy Award winning shop (Bear Story). Quannah ChasingHorse also serves as Executive Producer.

Black Experience on Xfinity is a first-of-its-kind destination of Black entertainment, movies, TV shows, news and more. Available at home on Xfinity X1 and Flex, and on-the-go with the Xfinity Stream app, the Black Experience on Xfinity features original and high-quality content from Comcast NBCUniversal and other major studios, in addition to content from many of Xfinity’s existing network partners, at no additional cost to Xfinity customers. The channel is the only one of its kind endorsed by the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), the world’s largest group of Black film critics that gives annual awards for excellence in film and television.

Xfinity customers can access the Black Experience on channel 1622 or simply say “Black Experience” into the Voice Remote to instantly enjoy the ultimate in Black storytelling. Non-Xfinity customers are able to view the partnership on Xumo Play here, Comcast and Charter’s free ad-supported streaming service app.

The idea of getting a blood draw can produce a variety of feelings for many patients at Quest.

For one patient in New Jersey, the experience of visiting a Patient Service Center (PSC) has turned into one they felt the need to share for good reason!

The Voorhees PSC, located in southern New Jersey recently received the following compliment from a patient:

“I feel compelled to reach out to tell you that your staff at the Voorhees, NJ location on Cooper Road is phenomenal. Every single time I go there they are prompt, caring, and clearly know what they are doing. I used to be annoyed when I had to get bloodwork done but now, I don’t mind it whatsoever. Voorhees staff deserves all the accolades. I’ll never go anywhere else for my labs.”

The team at the PSC, Patient Service Representatives Margaret Muniguia, Pauline Davis, Shaw Dae Johnson-O’Bryant, and PSC site lead Donna Manini have over 20 years of combined professional experience.

This group of colleagues actions are a prime example of demonstrating The Quest Way and many of the behaviors at Quest we value—Customer First, Care, Collaboration, Continuous Improvement, and Curiosity—our 5Cs.

Their supervisor, Traci Rochon, agreed, adding that this one patient’s opinion “is not an exception.”

“We get awesome reviews about this PSC all the time. The team’s dedication and hard work are consistent; they provide excellent service to their patients daily,” Traci said. “I am so proud of my team.”

Ensuring affordable housing for the elderly population is critical in today’s housing marketplace. The Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contract Program (PRAC) through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides rental assistance to elderly residents.

RAD for PRAC background

In 2019, HUD issued Notice PIH 2019-23 (HA) introducing the ability for PRACs to convert to Section 8 through the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program (RAD). Commonly referred to as “RAD for PRAC,” this program aims to preserve and enhance affordable housing for elderly residents. It is administered through the HUD Office of Recapitalization in partnership with the HUD office of multifamily. The RAD for PRAC program forgives the 202 PRAC capital advance mortgage note, allowing owners to bring in financing to rehabilitate and maintain affordable housing units.

The program increases the 202 PRAC focus on the aging gracefully in place concept. When owners can evidence a strong emphasis on supportive services such as transportation, health-related activities, meal and nutritional services, continuing education, recreation and welfare, a rent increase of up to $27 per unit per month is available, upon HUD approval, at the time of conversion. This is an increase in the PRAC rents that will become Section 8 contract rents.

Who can benefit from RAD for PRAC

202 PRAC property owners are familiar with the Budget-Based Rent Increase (BBRI) process through which the owner submits a property budget to its assigned HUD multifamily office each year, justifying the need for a rent increase. At times that increase may be nominal. However, aging PRAC properties, many of which need capital repairs and improvements, can benefit from the Capital Needs Assessment (CNA) required for the RAD for PRAC program.

A BBRI CNA should identify not only deferred maintenance items and necessary renovations, but can also include resiliency and sustainability efforts, as well as owner-driven renovations to improve resident quality of life. The CNA also establishes the baseline capital needs of the property over a 20-year term. An annual deposit to replacement reserves is set based on the amount needed to properly fund the Reserve for Replacement (RFR) account. HUD reviews the increase to the RFR account and, if approved, there is an increase in PRAC rents used for the conversion to Section 8. This is an element not otherwise available in the BBRI process.

Increased rents for owners

Depending on the level that rehabilitation or construction scope includes aging-in-place design, climate resilience, energy efficiency and water efficiency, owners may be able to increase rents by up to $250 per unit per month (PUPM) or $100 PUPM. If the percentage of hard costs exceeds 60% of HUD’s published Housing Construction Costs (HCC) for the market area, up to $250 PUPM is available. $100 PUPM is available when hard costs exceed 30% of HCC. Eligibility criteria must be met, and owners must prove the rent increase is necessary for the transaction to be feasible. A rent increase is also available if there will be a reduction of one or more utility components used to establish the utility allowance. Utility components include gas, water and sewer and electric. When such a reduction is made, HUD will increase the rent by a portion of the utility savings.

Upon conversion to Section 8, properties no longer go through the annual BBRI process. Instead, they receive annual rent increases based on the Operating Cost Adjustment Factor (OCAF), which HUD publishes annually by state. This percentage can fluctuate from year-to-year, however, it never goes negative. To view your state’s 2024 OCAF, visit this link to the Federal Register page.

Now is the time to consider RAD for PRAC conversion

Owners of 202 PRACs can benefit from the RAD for PRAC program in a number of ways including the ability to refinance, reduce risks associated with climate change and energy dependence, preserve long-term affordability and seize opportunities for increased rents to meet the short and long-term goals of your property. In addition, the time has never been better to consider a RAD for PRAC conversion considering the magnitude of green dollars available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

For more information on this topic, or to learn how our Baker Tilly housing specialists can help with your RAD for PRAC conversion, contact our team.