Tag: 3BL

When Marja Kienhuis, from the FedEx Express P&E European Road Network team, found out that a vacation park dedicated to helping families who need special accommodations was looking for support, she seized the opportunity.

“Our team is always eager to help people who need it through FedEx Cares. When I heard that the Bio Holiday Park resort nearby was looking for volunteers to do repairs and improvements on their grounds and buildings, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for us to get involved,” says Marja.

The Bio Holiday Park is a unique vacation spot for families who have children with disabilities. The public spaces and vacation bungalows are fully adapted and have the necessary aids to enable families to enjoy a welcome break in safe surroundings. The resort has an adapted swimming pool, an equestrian center with professional guidance tailored for guests, a real cinema, and a variety of other activities.

Last fall, team members from the Netherlands spent an afternoon doing projects like carpentry and maintenance jobs; reinforcing water holes; replacing old woodwork in the forest to ensure wheelchair access and safety; and landscaping, weed pulling, and other outdoor jobs.

“As a team, we greatly value the opportunities FedEx Cares provides to support local communities. For me, volunteering is very rewarding and it’s a pleasure to lend a hand where I can. At the same time it brings us closer as a team,” says Marja.

When Marja Kienhuis, from the FedEx Express P&E European Road Network team, found out that a vacation park dedicated to helping families who need special accommodations was looking for support, she seized the opportunity.

“Our team is always eager to help people who need it through FedEx Cares. When I heard that the Bio Holiday Park resort nearby was looking for volunteers to do repairs and improvements on their grounds and buildings, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity for us to get involved,” says Marja.

The Bio Holiday Park is a unique vacation spot for families who have children with disabilities. The public spaces and vacation bungalows are fully adapted and have the necessary aids to enable families to enjoy a welcome break in safe surroundings. The resort has an adapted swimming pool, an equestrian center with professional guidance tailored for guests, a real cinema, and a variety of other activities.

Last fall, team members from the Netherlands spent an afternoon doing projects like carpentry and maintenance jobs; reinforcing water holes; replacing old woodwork in the forest to ensure wheelchair access and safety; and landscaping, weed pulling, and other outdoor jobs.

“As a team, we greatly value the opportunities FedEx Cares provides to support local communities. For me, volunteering is very rewarding and it’s a pleasure to lend a hand where I can. At the same time it brings us closer as a team,” says Marja.

PHILADELPHIA, April 18, 2024 /3BL/ – For the second year in a row, Great Place To Work® and Fortune Media have recognized Comcast NBCUniversal as one of the top 10 of 100 Best Companies to Work For™ in 2024, ranking the company No. 10 on this year’s list.

It’s an honor to be recognized by Fortune and Great Place to Work alongside many other notable companies for the seventh consecutive year. To determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place To Work analyzed the anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work Certified™ U.S. companies with at least 1,000 workers. Companies also submitted essays describing their efforts to offer generous and innovative support for workers, which were validated against the employee survey responses.

“Our employees are at the heart of what make Comcast NBCUniversal a great place to work,” said Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation. 
 

We’re honored by this recognition and are proud to have a culture where people can innovate, collaborate, and develop their careers.

MIKE CAVANAGH 
President of Comcast Corporation

Comcast NBCUniversal was the only media and telecommunications company selected to the 2024 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

PHILADELPHIA, April 18, 2024 /3BL/ – For the second year in a row, Great Place To Work® and Fortune Media have recognized Comcast NBCUniversal as one of the top 10 of 100 Best Companies to Work For™ in 2024, ranking the company No. 10 on this year’s list.

It’s an honor to be recognized by Fortune and Great Place to Work alongside many other notable companies for the seventh consecutive year. To determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place To Work analyzed the anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work Certified™ U.S. companies with at least 1,000 workers. Companies also submitted essays describing their efforts to offer generous and innovative support for workers, which were validated against the employee survey responses.

“Our employees are at the heart of what make Comcast NBCUniversal a great place to work,” said Mike Cavanagh, President of Comcast Corporation. 
 

We’re honored by this recognition and are proud to have a culture where people can innovate, collaborate, and develop their careers.

MIKE CAVANAGH 
President of Comcast Corporation

Comcast NBCUniversal was the only media and telecommunications company selected to the 2024 100 Best Companies to Work For list.

Gilead Sciences published its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Impact Report, which uses the ESG framework to highlight the successes and achievements of the prior year.

In this year’s report, you will see examples of Gilead’s impact across four pillars:

Innovating Scientific SolutionsAdvancing Health Equity and AccessEmpowering People and CommunitiesSustaining Our Shared Planet

Learn how we’re advancing our vision to create a healthier world while benefiting our people, the communities we support and our planet.

https://www.gilead.com/-/media/files/pdfs/2023-Environmental-Social-Governance-Impact-Report.pdf

Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives to transform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California.

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to solve the plastic pollution crisis.

There is overwhelming support around the world to reduce plastic pollution, even among major plastic-production countries. In fact, recent polling shows that 85% of people globally would be in favor of a ban on single-use plastic. Leaders in the business community see a future without plastic pollution and are actively pursuing measures to develop alternatives to petroleum-based plastic. But to sustain these efforts, we need policymakers to develop regulations that ensure a level playing field and deliver greater transparency to minimize supply chain risks.

That’s where the Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution comes in. The fourth negotiating session, or INC-4, begins April 23rd, and is our last best chance to focus on achieving a successful treaty outcome.

We recently sat down with Erin Simon, WWF’s Vice President and Head of Plastic Waste + Business, to discuss what’s at stake with INC-4, how a global plastics treaty would impact Americans, and what we can all do to support the adoption of a strong, legally-binding agreement.

Why is INC-4 important?

“The global plastic treaty is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prevent irreversible economic, health, and environmental damage from plastic pollution. INC-4 is a pivotal moment in the treaty’s development—will we seize this opportunity, with an ambitious treaty, or will we kick the can further down the road?”

How will the Global Plastics Treaty affect Americans?

“We are advocating for a strong treaty that bans the most harmful and avoidable high-risk plastic products. So you would see a phase out of things like polystyrene, opaque or pigmented PET and everyday items like single-use cutlery and straws replaced by more effective, safer materials that are already widely available. We also want to see strong financial mechanisms to support a just transition, so historically disadvantaged areas—especially in the global South but even communities in the US—will no longer be left to suffer the worst effects of plastic pollution. And bottom line, a strong treaty would mean less plastic polluting our oceans, neighborhoods, and even our bodies.”
 

What can the average person do to support the Global Plastics Treaty?

“There is so much the average person can do to support. First be loud—tell your friends, talk about the treaty on social media, help get the word out that this is important. Next, call your representatives, let them know you support local and global action to tackle the plastic crisis. Only have a minute to spare? You can sign World Wildlife Fund’s petition for a successful and effective global treaty.“

Albertsons Companies’ Jewel-Osco Division Hosts 10th Annual Mind, Body, Planet event series! 

This program aims to enlighten shoppers on the significance (and enjoyment) of eating and shopping for food that promotes personal wellness and environmental sustainability, all within a vibrant in-store celebration. 

Highlights of the event included informative sessions led by dietitian May Zhu, samples from over 30 brands such as Proud Source Water, Skinny Pop, Mission Foods, La Preferida, and Quaker Oats (some of which are B-Corp certified), live performances by both a band and a DJ, a special appearance by Jewel-Osco’s beloved mascot, JoJo, as well as a charitable donation to local non-profit, EcoShip, among other activities. 

This collaboration between brands and community partners exemplifies a commitment to healthy futures and bettering the environment. 

Get more details on the event series here.

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

BATON ROUGE, La., April 18, 2024 /3BL/ – The Pelican State just got a major boost. Today, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) announced the completion of a multi-year 5G network investment totaling more than $290 million across the state, including a $50 million network upgrade in the Greater New Orleans area. The announcement comes on the heels of the company’s expansion last month of Ultra Capacity 5G to new communities across Louisiana and the entire country.

Over the past three years, T-Mobile has improved Ultra Capacity 5G (5G UC) connectivity for more than 1.7 million Louisianans, including residents in small towns and rural areas in the state. This expansion provides access to 5G UC coverage to new geographical areas, significantly increases speeds and creates new opportunities for local businesses, schools, healthcare providers, first responders and anyone on T-Mobile’s network.

“T-Mobile’s investment in our state’s infrastructure will pay dividends for years to come,” said Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. “By bringing high-speed 5G connectivity to more areas of Louisiana, we are making it easier for people to stay connected with their loved ones, access educational opportunities and grow their businesses. I applaud T-Mobile for their commitment to our state and for helping us get even closer to closing the digital divide.”

The multi-year network enhancements include newly deployed 5G coverage and capacity enhancements, via the addition of more than 300 new cell sites and nearly 1,870 upgrades to existing ones. Statewide, T-Mobile now provides 5G service along 99% of interstate highways, U.S. highways, and state routes across Louisiana. Additionally, 92% of the state’s residents now have access to Mid Band-Ultra Capacity 5G, up 192% in just three years. According to Ookla, a company that monitors and analyzes the nation’s wireless networks, T-Mobile is also the fastest provider in the state of Louisiana.

“Governor Landry’s leadership in driving economic development in Louisiana, especially for those in more rural and underserved communities, aligns with T-Mobile’s commitment to create the best possible network experience in the places where it matters most,” said Ulf Ewaldsson, President of Technology, T-Mobile. “Our multi-year effort to enhance 5G connectivity across Louisiana is already bringing new opportunities for growth through enhanced speeds and better reliability in more places than ever before. And we’re just getting started!”

Local Highlights 

Locations such as Champion Square, the Superdome, the Convention Center, the New Orleans International Airport, and the French Quarter have also received recent boosts in coverage and speeds.

Louisiana parishes receiving immediate benefits from expanded and accelerated 5G service include:

AscensionAvoyellesCaddoCalcasieuEast Baton RougeIberiaJeffersonLafayetteLafourcheOrleansOuachitaRapidesSt. TammanyTangipahoaTerrebonneWest Baton Rouge

With these upgrades, T-Mobile is ready to meet the increased demand for wireless connectivity and to continue providing top-notch network coverage for the people of Louisiana.

T-Mobile 5G Internet

T-Mobile’s recent upgrades have already made a huge difference, especially through its fixed wireless internet service. By leveraging the power of its leading 5G network, T-Mobile is bringing a new choice for reliable, affordable home and business internet to Louisiana. Customers in the state are already taking full advantage of the service, with Home Internet users putting Louisiana in the top 10 states for highest average monthly usage.

Today, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet is available to over 50% of homes in Louisiana – that’s over one million households. Plus, the Un-carrier simplifies business internet, enabling business to connect offices and locations nationwide. This means homes and businesses across the state, from small cities to big towns, can finally ditch traditional internet providers for affordable and reliable 5G internet from T-Mobile.

Louisianans can learn more and check eligibility at www.t-mobile.com/home-internet, and Louisiana businesses can learn more about T-Mobile Business Internet and solutions by visiting www.t-mobile.com/business-internet.

Retail Growth

Since 2021, T-Mobile has opened 35 new retail locations across the state, including in Amite City, Baton Rouge, Covington, Denham Springs, Hammond, Jennings, Minden, Natchitoches, and several stores in the New Orleans market. The additional new stores have created nearly 250 new jobs.

Community and Disaster Support

T-Mobile’s commitment to Louisiana goes beyond the network and retail, with community initiatives like its Hometown Grants program – a five-year program launched in early 2021 to provide grants to 100 small towns each year to use toward city beautification projects, public improvements and more. Hammond — the first town in Louisiana to receive a T-Mobile Hometown Grant — recently received $50,000 to install a public address communications system at Chappapeela Sports Park. The system will allow the town to instantly communicate critical information such as traffic or weather-related emergencies. Towns with populations of less than 50,000 are eligible and encouraged to apply. For full details, visit https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/hometown-grants.

Another important initiative benefiting the state of Louisiana is T-Mobile’s Project 10Million, which offers free internet connectivity and mobile hotspots to eligible students to help close the digital divide. The company has connected over 41,000 students, from over 40 school districts across Louisiana and is also offering school districts free and heavily subsidized data plans and access to affordable laptops and tablets through Project 10Million and its other education initiatives.

Finally, T-Mobile has also increased investments in network hardening nationwide by more than 30% over the past two years to reduce service interruptions and has expanded backup power sources to ensure redundancy in case of severe weather or other emergencies. To prepare for major weather events, T-Mobile has also added 50% more heavy-duty disaster response satellite vehicles to its ready-to-respond fleet as well as expanding its community support fleet with new, fully loaded RV command centers and heavy-duty Wi-Fi vehicles.

T-Mobile Lights Up Louisiana

To celebrate today’s announcement and everything the Un-carrier has done to provide Louisiana with exceptional network capabilities, T-Mobile is lighting the Pelican State up with magenta spotlights at some T-Mobile stores across Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport, Hammond, Alexandria, and Lafayette. T-Mobile is also offering anyone in Louisiana — customers and non-customers alike — a chance to win four new iPhone 15 or Samsung Galaxy S24 devices. For your chance to enter, follow the magenta lit road to participating stores between April 18 and 26!

T-Mobile is the leader in 5G, delivering the country’s largest, fastest and most awarded 5G network. The Un-carrier’s 5G network covers more than 330 million people across two million square miles — more square miles than AT&T and Verizon combined. More than 300 million people nationwide are covered by T-Mobile’s super-fast Ultra Capacity 5G with over 2x more square miles of coverage than similar mid-band 5G offerings from the Un-carrier’s closest competitors.

Follow @TMobileNews on X, formerly known as Twitter, to stay up to date with the latest company news.

# # #

Coverage values are based on outdoor coverage levels. Sweepstakes: No purchase necessary. Open to Louisiana residents who are 18 or older. See store for full rules & entry form. Void where prohibited. Opensignal analysis of Overall and 5G Download Speeds in New Orleans-Metairie and Louisiana, based on independent mobile measurements comparing February 25 and April 6, 2024. See 5G device, coverage, & access details at T-Mobile.com.

About T-Mobile

T-Mobile US, Inc. (NASDAQ: TMUS) is America’s supercharged Un-carrier, delivering an advanced 4G LTE and transformative nationwide 5G network that will offer reliable connectivity for all. T-Mobile’s customers benefit from its unmatched combination of value and quality, unwavering obsession with offering them the best possible service experience and undisputable drive for disruption that creates competition and innovation in wireless and beyond. Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Sprint. For more information please visit: https://www.t-mobile.com

Media Contacts 
T-Mobile US, Inc. Media Relations 
MediaRelations@t-mobile.com

Originally published in the IBM 2023 Impact Report

IBM has set a target of reaching operational net zero GHG emissions by 2030 with 350,000 metric tons or less of residual CO2 emissions. This requires that we reduce our current operational emissions as much as possible through energy conservation – increasing operational efficiency and energy conservation and reducing energy consumption.

One of the key challenges is data. In sustainability, it’s a popular saying that you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Jimmy McDonough, Global Energy Manager at IBM Global Real Estate, knows the key to address this – artificial intelligence (AI) powered tools.

In 2023, AI allowed Jimmy and other teams at IBM to capture and analyze IBM’s energy data within a single, auditable tool across a portfolio of over 600 locations. With this, the company can pull reports and filter by location, geography, and utility, among others, to understand where energy consumption is highest, where there are unexpected changes in energy, and where the company has the most opportunity to drive energy conservation to help meet our 2030 net zero target.

For Jimmy and other IBMers, embedding this philosophy and strategy across the company’s operations generates new insights that can create new energy conservation opportunities.

Learn more about how IBM is embedding its net zero goal in its business operations using AI in the 2023 Impact Report

Originally published on Illumina News Center

Inside a lab that is off-limits to most employees, Staff Engineer Allie Duchnak coordinates hundreds of details for highly confidential projects. Based at Illumina’s San Diego headquarters, her interdisciplinary team, Advanced Platforms, builds test beds for components that may one day become part of a sequencer.

If you were allowed a peek, you’d see a lab filled with fluidic tubes, flow cells, computers, imaging, and syringe pumps. “What we do looks pretty ugly,” Duchnak laughs. “There are parts and things going in all different directions.”

The first project she worked on that made it to market became part of the Illumina NovaSeq X Sequencing System. She had joined the project in 2019, but the work began even before that. “Everything else I’ve worked on is still not yet a product,” she says. Her timelines stretch into next year or 2026 (and that’s fast-tracked, believe it or not); more commonly she works within a three-to-five-year timeframe and generates ideas for items that are a decade out.

Duchnak studied nanoengineering at the University of California, San Diego, but she always wanted to do something related to health and health care, and she found her way to Illumina through her on-campus volunteer work. As an undergraduate, she got involved in Global TIES (Teams in Engineering Service), which pairs students with not-for-profits to deliver a useful engineering task. In TIES, she was part of a group developing a low-cost HIV monitoring system at the university’s San Diego Center for AIDS Research. At the same time, she and her undergrad teammates founded a startup, which led her to transition from nanoengineering to bioengineering and biology.

After a year in the San Diego Center for AIDS Research, Illumina hired her—just as she happened to begin a master’s program in biotechnology. “I ended up doing both because it just didn’t make sense to turn either down,” she says. Illumina is her first job in the industry.

On top of her engineering work, Duchnak continues to volunteer through internal opportunities at Illumina. Since 2021, she has served as a volunteer manager for The Future Is Bright, a cornerstone Illumina corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. This monthlong genomic literacy campaign, tied to DNA Day on April 25, sends volunteers to schools near Illumina sites, including San Diego and Foster City, California; Madison, Wisconsin; and various international offices. Illumina employees connect with students by hosting career panels, implementing genomics curricula, and leading hands-on experiments, such as extracting DNA from strawberries. Illumina’s goal is to reach 5 million STEM learners by 2030, with the idea of fueling a diverse pipeline of future scientists.

As the lead volunteer manager, Duchnak coordinates about 15 volunteer managers who, in turn, help prepare the other volunteers and connect with the teachers. It’s a massive undertaking, but the takeaway every year is the small, joyful aha moments. Duchnak remembers one student at San Diego’s Lewis Middle School last year: “He was so enthusiastic about answering our questions and trying to share what he knew, and it was really great for me and the other volunteers to see that what we consider normal daily job activities can be so exciting to kids.”

Making connections 
Another program, Genomics 101, is open to any employee year-round. Volunteers can visit a classroom with a ready-made presentation and tools like the strawberry DNA extraction kit. Duchnak explains: “In addition to presenting about Illumina, we also introduce kids to concepts such as ‘What is a genome?’ and ‘How much DNA is in our bodies?’ The numbers are kind of mind-boggling, even to adults—so to kids, it’s even more so.”

When they’re in the classroom, Duchnak has been passionate about urging her fellow volunteers to share stories that will help students feel a connection—if not to the unfamiliar science material, then to the employees themselves. She revamped a slide template to allow volunteers space to include personal stories, not just career facts. Did they go to a community college? Play soccer? Question what they wanted to do in life? Duchnak says kids are surprised to see someone who went directly to a four-year university standing next to someone raised in a rural area with very few STEM resources or advanced placement classes. “The critical part is not putting the focus so much on what employees do, but connecting with students and showing them there are many different paths. It doesn’t matter where you came from or what you were equipped with. You, too, can do whatever you want, and we’re giving examples within the Illumina community.”

Recently, another opportunity that Duchnak has been involved in is with a nonprofit Illumina supports, called SD Squared. It focuses on increasing diversity in STEM fields in San Diego. Duchnak participates in the SD2 mentorship program for high school and college students in San Diego County and beyond. She mentors a student at UC Riverside. Working with so many students has taught her not just the importance of connecting to each one as a person, but also that having access is key. “SD Squared has taught me what a difference it makes just to have exposure to STEM and resources.”

She is also an ally or contributor to all of Illumina’s employee resource groups (ERG). “I really keep an eye out on what all of them are doing. I’ll check to see if there’s any place that I can plug myself in while also trying to be aware of leaving room for others.”

Another recent volunteer opportunity included working with two local nonprofits that connect to Illumina’s mission, and that the company supports: Rady Children’s Hospital and the San Diego Zoo. Last weekend, Duchnak attended Wild Walkabout at the San Diego Zoo.

Finding opportunities 
Giving back helps connect employees to the company’s mission, and to operating responsibly. Illumina employees can learn about skills-based volunteer opportunities the same way Duchnak does: through CSR emails, Workplace posts from ERGs, and the company’s giving back portal. There is even a volunteer rewards program where employees who log their volunteer time can earn $10 per hour to donate to an eligible charity of their choice. Employees also get 16 hours of paid time off for volunteering, a $500 donation match, and a $25 new-hire donation deposit.

“Imagine a world in which every person or professional could contribute something to our society, and more specifically to our kids,” Duchnak says. “If they volunteered for an hour a month, or even one hour a year, we could make a difference in getting resources and access to more people in our communities. That vision keeps me going forward to contribute as much as I can and to try to rally people around that. If we have the energy, if we have anything extra in our cup, where can we put it to help fill another cup?”

Lightning round with Allie Duchnak

Employee since: 2018

Proudest career moment: Seeing NovaSeq X announced and knowing that a project I worked on in its early stages made it into the world.

Most cherished Illumina tradition, event, or extracurricular: If it’s not clear yet, I love volunteering! So naturally, I think it’s San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering.

Her go-to cafeteria food: The loaded Thai fries! I don’t care what they’re served with, or if I brought lunch that day, I will always get them.

Best engineering tip: The simplest, already existing (sometimes every day household items) can be the best inspiration for even complex systems like sequencer components.

Book on her nightstand: The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama

Favorite place in San Diego: Kate Sessions Park and Pure Project Brewing (among many others)

Learn more about how Illumina is increasing equitable access to STEM education and empowering communities by engaging our people to be agents of change.