Tag: 3BL

Outreach Aid to the Americas (OAA) effectively mobilizes resources and partners for relief and preparedness, advocacy, and sustainable development, responding to the needs of the most vulnerable people and communities in Latin America. They mitigate the impact of disasters by helping airports, first responders, and communities respond effectively and restore critical operations as quickly as possible, and help communities be more resilient.

For over a decade, FedEx has supported and sponsored OAA’s Community Port Resiliency Program (C-PReP), which provides capacity building opportunities to airport personnel, key stakeholders, and community-based organizations that would have a resiliency role while facing disasters. A few years ago, FedEx expanded its support of OAA’s relief efforts through a charitable shipping grant, in which FedEx covers charitable shipping expenses.

Honduras has one of the highest poverty rates in the Americas. Many Honduran parents struggle to even buy backpacks and school supplies for their children while preparing them for the new school year. Using their FedEx charitable shipping grant, OAA was able to send more than 60 backpacks filled with supplies to children in La Ceiba, Honduras. The backpacks were received and distributed to families in need.

Honduras’ neighbor, El Salvador, has also benefited from OAA’s recent efforts. Thanks to the FedEx charitable shipping grant, OAA provided much-needed kitchen and eating supplies to Apopa, a very poor rural town in El Salvador. Partnering with a pastor in El Salvador, OAA has served meals to more than a hundred children every week.

FedEx delivered these shipments as a part of the company’s FedEx Cares “Delivering for Good” initiative, in which FedEx lends its global network and unparalleled logistics expertise to organizations with mission-critical needs and helps communities before, during, and after crises. Learn more about FedEx Cares Delivering for Good initiative here.

***Photo credit Outreach Aid to the Americas

Originally published on DICK’S Sporting Goods Sideline Report

In middle school, Dmitri Thompson got noticed by a former professional basketball player who was starting a seventh grade Amateur Athletic Union team. This opened a world of opportunities in both basketball and business for him and his brother, Dwight. While grateful, the Thompsons felt some guilt.

“There were so many talented kids like us in our community, we felt obligated to pay it forward,” Dwight said.

From then on, the Thompsons were driven to find a way to connect the resources they had with local kids to create an equal playing field.

They founded The Rise League in 2019 to do just that – provide young people with the skills, knowledge and resources they need to succeed in business and sports. The goal of the Orlando, Florida-based organization is twofold. There’s a youth basketball program with leagues, tournaments, camps and training clinics to help kids develop their skills and showcase their talent. There’s also a business education program that focuses on four different pillars of business.

“We teach the kids about entrepreneurship, financial literacy, media and tech,” said Dmitri. “We want to help them reach their full potential on and off the court.”

DICK’S Sporting Goods Community Marketing Manager Philip Birkbeck first learned about The Rise League in early 2023 when he was researching local organizations. When The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation launched the 75for75 Sports Matter Grant program, he knew The Rise League was a worthy recipient and got the ball rolling.

“We really love when a youth sports organization looks to help a child holistically,” said Director of Sports Matter and Community Relations Kristen Garmey. “Not only does The Rise League offer basketball to local kids, but it also provides them with financial literacy.”

According to Birkbeck, the Thompsons had no idea the grant was coming.

At the end of a one-day clinic, The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation presented the Thompsons with a letter announcing The Rise League as a 75for75 Sports Matter Grant recipient. “It was one of the most surreal experiences we’ve ever had in our lives,” Dmitri said.

While they weren’t expecting a grant, the Thompsons said it could not have come at a better time. Earlier that same week, the brothers discussed restructuring the organization due to financial obstacles.

“We had been doing everything out-of-pocket, and it was just really hard,” Dwight said. “Now that this weight has been lifted off our shoulders, we can focus more on the future.”

So, what does the future of The Rise League look like? The Thompson brothers hope bigger.

“Our big future goal is to grow our organization in a way where we can have our concept in multiple cities,” said Dwight.

The Thompsons also hope to one day host large annual weekend conferences and open a Rise Academy school in Orlando.

“We just really want to inspire kids to try their best and chase their dreams,” Dmitri said.

As part of the CGF 2023 Year of Employee Wellbeing Campaign, Özgür Tort CEO of Migros Ticaret & member of the CGF Board of Directors, led an online masterclass session to share how Migros Ticaret is engaged in boosting the health and wellbeing, not only for their employees in HQ, but for over sixty thousand working in-stores and warehouses. 

Hosted by Wai-Chan Chan, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum, this masterclass session focused on why employee wellbeing programmes are critical to business and the importance of leadership in driving change and successful implementation of such programs. 

Özgür stressed the importance of having cohesive employee wellbeing programs at the core of business practices. The retail sector is a people sector and business results are linked to the wellbeing of the people – both customers and employees.  Support is needed for new leadership skills and creating a working environment with purpose in particular for the new generation of employees. He highlighted the importance of: 

Incorporating Workforce Nutrition Programs 

Firstly prioritising the employees physical health, the “Healthy Meals for All” program provides free nutritious meals to all employees at Migros Ticaret, in order to encourage and facilitate a balanced diet. This programme also includes a food allowance (equivalent to two months of minimum wage) to be spent in the Migros Ticaret stores to encourage healthier eating habits outside of work. 

Board level support and investment in employee wellbeing facilitation programmes in order to understand the employee’s health and wellbeing needs in real-time. Migros Ticaret has introduced a “Mental Health Hotline” which receives over 2,000 calls per year.   Migros also tracks engagement and penetration levels of its wellbeing programmes to ensure they are meeting employees needs.

Watch the entire masterclass above.

CGF’s 2023 Year of Employee Wellbeing Campaign: 

Its’ goal is to raise awareness around the issue of employee health and provide a call to action for companies to create a workplace culture which actively promotes and supports wellbeing. Learn more about our Board engagement. 

Co-Chair Ambition on Employee Health and Wellbeing: 

In June 2023 the CGF elected its new Co-chairs Frans Muller, President & CEO of Ahold Delhaize, and Dirk Van de Put, Chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International who called to amplify the Forum’s ambition on boosting employee health and wellbeing across all 400 CGF members. As part of this journey, the CGF wants to collaborate to create a workplace wellbeing culture. The CGF’s Collaboration for Healthier Lives Coalition of Action strives to work with CGF members to support the creation of a workplace culture which actively promotes and supports wellbeing and makes it part of people’s everyday experience at work is key to delivering the outcomes our businesses and people need. 

Originally published in Quest Diagnostics Corporate Responsibility Report 2022

Our global suppliers play a significant role in enabling us to deliver safe and high-quality services to patients.

We expect our suppliers to uphold our commitments to ethics, safety, quality, and more. Suppliers are required to read and adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct as a condition of doing business with Quest. They must train their employees in our code of conduct, self-monitor, and demonstrate their compliance. In keeping with best practices, we conduct facility audits at intervals determined by risk assessments. By adhering to our code, suppliers agree to provide the highest-quality products and services and to operate under quality management principles based on industry standards.

Managing ESG risks in our supply chain 

We have defined ESG screening factors in our Supplier Business Engagement Model (SBEM) framework and embedded our ESG program into our strategic sourcing process. The SBEM requires that Quest weigh supplier ESG performance in our evaluation matrix for supplier selection. Our procurement team is trained on our SBEM framework, including the importance of our Supply Chain ESG program.

We began rolling out an ESG assessment to our suppliers in 2022. By the end of the year, over 40% of suppliers (based on volume of spend) successfully completed their assessments, allowing our team to improve monitoring of ESG-related risks across our supply chain.

Additionally, our Supply Chain team communicates with and learns from our peers about innovations and best practices that can enhance our efforts to improve the sustainability of our testing materials, packaging, and product delivery logistics.

Our commitment to human rights 

We uphold our commitment to human rights by operating in a way that treats all people with respect and dignity. Furthermore, we embrace diversity across our workforce and strive for a work environment that promotes diverse opinions and equal opportunities. We also respect our employees’ rights to freedom of association, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We hold our suppliers to the same high standards, including:

Providing fair and equitable opportunity, wages, benefits, and other conditions of employmentProhibiting child labor and human trafficking in workforce operationsProhibiting coerced, indentured, or prison laborProviding a safe and healthy work environment, including personal protection equipment and the tools for a safe working environmentMaintaining a workplace intended to be free of discrimination and harassment and prohibiting threats or abuseMaintaining an inclusive culture that values the diversity and opinions of all employees

If a supplier fails to follow the standards established within our Code of Conduct, their relationship with Quest may be terminated.

Growing our supplier diversity program 

Quest promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion across our supply chain through our procurement efforts, supplier engagement, and professional memberships and networking. In the last 4 years, we purchased more than $1.4 billion in goods and services from small and diverse US businesses, including $375 million in 2022. We aim to grow our small business and diverse supplier spend annually.

Review our full approach in our Supply Chain Transparency overview and Supplier Diversity overview.

Read more

Southern Company

ATLANTA, November 15, 2023 /3BL/ – Southern Company Gas recently announced its board of directors has elected Bradley J. Henderson, CEO of P33 Chicago and Eric S. Smith, vice chair of BMO Bank to join the board, effective Oct. 15.

“We are excited to have Brad and Eric join our board of directors,” said Jim Kerr, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company Gas. “I am confident their vast leadership and strategic experience will prove invaluable as we continue to evolve as an industry and as a business, committed to creating a more sustainable energy future for our 4.4 million customers.”

Kerr also thanked Vanessa Allen Sutherland, executive vice president of government affairs, general counsel and corporate secretary at Phillips 66, for her two plus years of service on the Southern Company Gas board. “Vanessa brought expertise and passion to the board, and we are grateful for her contribution,” he said. Sutherland stepped down from her director role Sept. 15.

Brad Henderson brings 20 years of management consulting experience within and leading The Boston Consulting Group’s North American operations practice. Today he is CEO of P33, a nonprofit organization founded by business and technology leaders across the private and public sectors to transform Chicago into a tier one tech innovation hub and promote inclusive economic growth.

Henderson and his team orchestrate critical dialogue between commercial, civic and public leaders and officials to advance P33’s mission and Chicago’s economic growth. He currently serves on the Chicago Council of Global Affairs board of directors, the Chicago History Museum board of trustees, the Rush University Medical Center board of directors and Rush University board of governors.

Eric Smith has more than 30 years of banking experience and currently serves as vice chair of BMO Bank. Smith is responsible for working with the U.S. Commercial Banking team and across other lines of business to develop the bank’s strategy and product capabilities, while maintaining effective governance practices as it expands nationwide by cultivating new and existing client relationships.

Smith is an integral senior leader responsible for executing the successful integration of BMO’s recent acquisition of Bank of the West. He also leads BMO Empower which is the Bank’s $40 billion, five-year commitment to providing increased access to capital for minority businesses and communities.

“I am particularly excited to add Brad and Eric to our board given their experience and proven leadership in Illinois,” Kerr said. “With the vital role Nicor Gas and Southern Company Gas play in more than 650 communities, their service on our board will be invaluable to the customers and communities in northern Illinois we are privileged to serve.”

About Southern Company Gas 
Southern Company Gas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE:SO), America’s premier energy company. Southern Company Gas serves approximately 4.4 million natural gas utility customers through its regulated distribution companies in four states with more than 600,000 retail customers through its companies that market natural gas. Other nonutility businesses include investments in interstate pipelines and ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities. For more information, visit southerncompanygas.com.

SOURCE Southern Company Gas

For further information: Amoi Geter, amgeter@southernco.com

November 15, 2023 /3BL/ – Ceres President and CEO Mindy Lubber issued the following statement today following the release of the fifth National Climate Assessment.

“The findings of the assessment are sobering and proof-positive that we need to significantly accelerate and scale up the transition already underway to clean energy and away from fossil fuels. The science, data, and facts are crystal clear: we must limit global temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius in order to stabilize the climate, protect our water and natural resources, and build a livable future for all. Evidence shows that a stronger, more resilient, cleaner economy is achievable. Business is already innovating and speeding up the transition at pace and scale, but we need action to go further and faster and be much bolder.”

The assessment found that on average there was a billion-dollar weather and climate disaster every four months in our country in the 1980s. By the 2010s, there was one every three weeks. This year, the United States experienced one every two weeks—setting a record for extreme weather events totaling $73 billion or more. Extreme weather now costs the U.S. at least $150 billion a year — not including the very real costs stemming from loss of life, healthcare-related, or damages to ecosystems, according to the assessment. With global greenhouse gas emissions and average temperatures continuing to rise, these numbers will continue to grow and dampen economic growth by 0.13% of GDP for every 1 degree rise in global temperature.

The United Nations also warned today that countries’ climate pledges are ‘severely off track’ and will cut carbon emissions by just two percent by the end of the decade from 2019 levels, far short of the 43 percent fall needed to limit warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The assessment comes ahead of COP28 and follows the first global stocktake report which showed that the world is not on track to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. This starkly worded report highlighted the steps the global community needed to keep the goals in reach, including increased investment of trillions of dollars as well as the phase out of fossil fuels.

“COP28 will be a pivotal moment to raise global ambition and action. Investors and companies are already setting net zero targets, laying out transition plans, and engaging with governments, but more needs to be done to reduce methane emissions and reverse nature loss and water degradation across key sectors. And we need governments to act including implementing the historic investments of the Inflation Reduction Act, mandating corporate climate disclosure, and phasing out fossil fuels.”

As part of today’s announcement, the Biden administration also announced a new $6 billion commitment in investments to make communities—many who have been underserved and underrepresented—more resilient in the face of the climate crisis through advancing environmental justice, strengthening the nation’s electric grid, reducing flood risk, and bolstering conservation. This coming on top of the IRA’s investment in underserved and vulnerable communities, represents an unprecedented commitment to populations who have traditionally been left out of climate remediation efforts. Ceres remains committed to mobilizing private sector action on our global threats and building a more just and inclusive economy. Among our impactful initiatives include Ambition 2030 to drive emissions reductions in six high-emitting sectors; Nature Action 100 to drive corporate action on nature loss and biodiversity decline; and the Ceres Valuing Water Finance Initiative to engage companies to value and act on water as a financial risk.

About Ceres 

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit www.ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.

Media Contact: Reginald Zimmerman, rzimmerman@ceres.org, 617-247-0700 ext. 136

We’re pleased to celebrate Melissa Kral, Sr. Manager of Sustainability, for being selected as a 2023 Progressive Grocer GenNext winner! The GenNext program honors emerging grocery leaders who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to a career in the food retailing industry and the communities their company serves. 

Melissa has played an important role in launching Recipe for Change, Albertsons Companies‘ strategic environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework. Among other accomplishments, she led workstreams to elevate our approach to external reporting — including the expansion of our annual sustainability report from a single-page flyer to a more than 50-page document — and developed ways to engage both employees and customers in our ESG journey. 

Please join us in congratulating Melissa on her incredible recognition! 

See the full list of winners here.

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

Energized by Edison

by Taylor Hillo, ENERGIZED by Edison Writer

From a small town in southern Louisiana to the jungles of Latin America, Bryan Landry had quite the journey before joining Southern California Edison. At 17, he enlisted in the Louisiana Army National Guard and was soon deployed with the 769th Engineer Battalion. 

“I joked with my wife the other day, ‘I know we’ve only been in this house six years, but I think it’s the longest I’ve ever lived in one place,” said Landry, SCE senior advisor of Enterprise Risk Management. 

Landry is now part of some of SCE’s wildfire risk management programs. He works with fire science, engineering, regulatory and wildfire safety teams to ensure SCE deploys cost-effective risk management solutions, such as covered conductor. He also performs risk modeling for other natural hazards. 

“When I talk about wildfire risk, I’m not just talking about physical wildfire risk, like how the wildfire moves across the landscape. I also consider factors like social vulnerability, poverty, disabilities and low income,” he said. “Understanding the vulnerability perspectives helps us prioritize where we deploy mitigations.” 

Growing up, it wasn’t a question of whether Landy would join the military but which branch he would choose. 

“It was weird if you didn’t enlist in my town, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana,” he said. “My grandfather, father, uncles and cousins all joined.

“I wanted to join the National Guard specifically because there are always hurricanes in South Louisiana, and you can see the National Guard’s direct involvement in the community. I also had the opportunity to serve in a number of other locations including Latin America during the 1990s,” he said. “I’m really thankful for those experiences.”

Rob Roel, an SCE Enterprise Cybersecurity senior advisor, had much different military experiences stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry Division, manning and repairing tanks patrolling the Czechoslovakian border during the 1980s.

“I was stationed there at the end of the Cold War before the Berlin Wall came down. To me, that was probably one of the biggest things to have happened in my lifetime,” he said. 

Roel started his SCE career developing cybersecurity for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. He now continues that same type of risk assessment but for technology related to the grid. He serves as SCE’s first line of defense against digital threats to generation, transmission and distribution systems. 

“I look at a component, system or network to identify what may have a potential for risk,” Roel said. “I work with the business organizations and third-party vendors to address potentials for risk before we put their tech in operation.” 

After nearly 20 years, Roel continues to help SCE keep the grid secure from cyberthreats, a career he now enjoys sharing with the next generation of employees he helps train. 

“Paying it forward, I think that’s kind of a military thing,” he said. 

For more information on SCE career opportunities, visit edisoncareers.com. 

Lenovo improves customer experience with new Innovation Centre on site at manufacturing site in BudapestNew capabilities and capacity enables global customers to test proof of concept (POC) solutions on the latest technology with unmatched lead timesHigh Performance Computing solutions will be tested on site with world leading liquid cooling technology facilities

BUDAPEST, Hungary, November 15, 2023 /3BL/ – Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) announced the Europe based Innovation Centre specializing in HPC and AI, will now operate with enhanced customer experience from the in-house manufacturing facility in Budapest.

Running the new Innovation Center operations from the Budapest factory with onsite inventory stock, allows Lenovo customers to access the most advanced power and cooling infrastructure solutions and latest generation technology within the supply chain. This access ensures that workloads are tested on accurate representations of end purchased solutions, enabling customers to know with certainty the Lenovo solution installed will perform successfully for the intended workload.

The location of Lenovo’s new Innovation Centre will provide:

Increased capacity to host up to 50% more customer POC’s a yearAccess to the latest technology for customer POC’s to be built with significantly reduced lead timeOn site facilities for potential and existing customers to see live testing of POC’s and the manufacturing of their final solutions in houseLenovo’s first liquid cooling testing and demonstration facility within Europe

Per Overgaard, CTO, Infrastructure Solutions Group EMEA said “Lenovo leads with a clear commitment to our customers throughout their buying journey. This Innovation Centre facilitates a collaborative approach to infrastructure solution building, and now our customers can test their workloads more accurately, on the latest technology, and ensure their solution is precisely the configuration required.”

Innovation Centre Value and Output

Lenovo Innovation Centers allow potential customers to pilot new data center solutions in real-time before making a purchase. The new facility provides the opportunity for customers to test joint solutions built with partners including Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA.

Virtual, and now in person, access to POC’s allows customers to test workloads in datacenter environments with full transparency, and the ability to adjust configurations that deliver better value.

Lenovo’s European customers benefit from knowing that the datacenter infrastructure tested in the Innovation Center, and shipped from Budapest come from a secure and stable supply chain, and contribute to the European economy.

Sustainability

Customers are prioritizing sustainability throughout their buying journey, and Lenovo’s commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by FY2049/50 all operations on site in our manufacturing facilities.

Manufacturing in region eliminates the need for customers to incur long-distance shipping charges and wait times, but the shorter shipping distances also mean the CO2 emissions generated are also reduced.

The European manufacturing facility itself was built from the ground up with sustainability in mind, and since opening has increased the building heating isolation, completed installation of a lighting sensor systems, and optimized air compressor waste heat utilization. The second phase of solar panel installation is now underway and will enable more operations to be run with a reduced impact on the environment in the future.

Onsite, customers testing POC’s in the Innovation Centre will also be able to see the real time energy and water consumption data across the facility on the newly unveiled Environmental, Social and Governance wall (pictured below).

Szabolcs Zolyomi, Factory Site Leader at Lenovo, commented “Over 200 existing and prospective customers have visited our facilities in Budapest since opening just over a year ago, and now with the addition of the new Innovation Centre we look forward to welcoming many more from the testing phase to the manufacturing process. We engage with our customers on a human level and know they care about where their infrastructure comes from, how it’s made, and the impact each test, purchase, and shipment have on the environment. We are focused on enabling deeper collaboration, transparency and understanding between Lenovo and our customers, and now we can offer the benefits from our ongoing sustainability efforts on site too.”

Environment+Energy Leader, a leading B2B news website dedicated to sustainability and energy management, is currently seeking a handful of seasoned executives to join this year’s prestigious panel of judges for the current E+E Leader Awards season, now in its 12th year. This esteemed awards program celebrates excellence and innovation in sustainable and energy efficient products and solutions, as well as outstanding outcomes in environmental and energy management projects.

We welcome applications from C-Suite executives, presidents, vice presidents, engineers, software experts, and other management professionals who are passionate about sustainability, energy efficiency, ESG, and environmental stewardship. Volunteer judges will be expected to dedicate a maximum of 10 hours over a two-month period (January to March) for the evaluation of submissions.

Ideal candidates should demonstrate:

A solid foundation in business and proven leadership across any sector.A keen understanding and appreciation of sustainability, energy, and environmental innovations.The ability to objectively evaluate award entries, ensuring a fair and thorough assessment process.

Selected judges will play a critical role in:

Evaluating submissions based on innovation, performance, and impact.Providing valuable insights and feedback to entrants.Upholding the integrity and high standards of the E+E Leader Awards.

Judges receive:

Access to exclusive networking with prominent industry leaders.Recognition as a field expert and leader, including a Judges eBadge to showcase your volunteerism on your professional profile.Insightful learning experiences through a unique lens on the latest trends and innovations in sustainability and energy management while reviewing submissions.Opportunities to serve as a panelist at the E+E Leader Virtual Solutions Summit in June 2024.Inclusion of your profile and biography in the 2024 Award Winner eBook, highlighting your contributions and expertise.Opportunities to contribute as a Guest Author on the E+E Leader site throughout 2024, offering a platform for your insights and thought leadership.

“We are excited to welcome new judges to our panel this year, bringing fresh perspectives and expertise to the E+E Leader Awards. Their contributions are vital in identifying and honoring the outstanding achievements in this space,” said Kay Harrison at Environment+Energy Leader.

For more information about the E+E Leader Awards and the judging process, please visit E+E Leader Awards or contact Awards@environmentenergyleader.com.

About Environment+Energy Leader:

Environment+Energy Leader is a premier B2B news platform serving over 200,000 unique readers monthly, offering the latest news, trends, and analysis in sustainability, ESG and energy management. Our audience includes C-Suite executives and other top management-level professionals committed to enhancing sustainability and energy efficiency within their organizations.