Tag: 3BL

Cleveland State University has launched the new Beth E. Mooney Center for Transformative Leadership. The mission of the newly formed university-wide Center is to develop lifelong learners across Northeast Ohio into leaders who transform the economic, civic and cultural life of the region. An opening event for the Center was held on October 2nd. It was made possible by a $1 million gift from KeyBank.

“As an anchor research institution for the city of Cleveland, CSU has a responsibility to empower the next generation of leaders to collaborate, innovate and promote equity within our communities,” said CSU President Laura J. Bloomberg. “With this generous gift from KeyBank, we are confident that The Beth E. Mooney Center for Transformative Leadership at Cleveland State University will become a vital part of our institution and a national model in higher education for transformative leadership development.”

Beth E. Mooney, the Center’s namesake and the first woman in history to lead a top-20 U.S. bank as Chairman and CEO of KeyCorp, retired in 2020. She spoke at the Center’s launch on October 2nd. Mooney also served as KeyCorp’s president and chief operating officer from 2010 to 2011, having worked her way up from her first position in 2006 as vice chair of Community Banking.

“Beth Mooney left an indelible impact on KeyBank, the communities we serve and all who are fortunate to know her,” said Chris Gorman, chairman and CEO of KeyCorp. “On behalf of the entire KeyBank team and in recognition of Beth’s lasting legacy, we are proud to invest in this Center that will develop and elevate generations of leaders to come.”

The Center is already working to infuse innovative transformative leadership competencies into CSU’s core curriculum. Plans call for the development of credit and non-credit bearing programs such as interdisciplinary courses on transformative leadership, as well as a Certificate in Transformative Leadership. The Center is also working toward extending its curricular offerings and providing customized continuing education to CSU’s alumni and off-campus partners. To learn more about the Center, contact CSU’s Shilpa Kedar at s.kedar@csuohio.edu.

Quest Diagnostics was recently recognized by the Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ) at the A Seat at the Table Corporate Gender Diversity Awards Breakfast.

Quest, a Gold Sponsor of the event, was honored for making the EWNJ Honor Roll, a list of 17 New Jersey public companies that have 35% or more women in senior governance positions. Of Quest’s 10 board members, 4 of them are women, and we continue to seek opportunities to advance female leadership at all levels.

At the event EWNJ released their exclusive report on the number of women serving on boards and in the t​op leadership of public companies in New Jersey.

Leaders from our Inclusion & Diversity team and members of our Women in Leadership (WIL) Employee Business Network supported the breakfast to show our commitment to closing the gender gap in boardrooms and celebrate those who join us in this important initiative.

Quest colleagues in attendance, pictured from left to right:

Pamela Williams, Specialist, Licenses and AccreditationMaribel Rodriguez, Manager, Inclusion and DiversityDesyra Highsmith Holcomb, Director, Inclusion & DiversityAlexsys Sohayda, Specialist, Inclusion & DiversitySandy Bardenett, Senior Manager, Purchasing Shared Services Center, Corporate Procurement, and Co-Chair, Women In Leadership National Employee Business NetworkGayle Gannon, Director, Health Systems BusinessMinoo Mahulkar, Senior Director, QMS Program Management, North Region, and Co-Chair, Women In Leadership National Employee Business NetworkBill O’ Shaughnessy, Counsel, Deputy General & Corp Secretary

Read more about the report here.

Originally published on bloomberg.com

Not everyone has the same starting point in life — and not everyone has the same access to opportunities. In the UK, the poorest children are already 11 months behind their peers at the start of primary school and by the age of 16, highly-able students from disadvantaged backgrounds are almost twice as likely as similarly talented classmates to drop out of the top third of attainment. Driven by founder Mike Bloomberg’s view that a strong and inclusive education system is good for students, communities and the economy, Bloomberg works with a broad network of education and mentoring non-profit organizations to inspire and invest in young talent from varying socio-economic backgrounds. This includes our partnership with the Sutton Trust, a UK-based educational charity that champions social mobility from birth to the workplace.

In 2020, we pledged over £1 million in a multi-year grant to launch Sutton Trust Online as a UK-based pilot of our CollegePoint initiative. Our partnership, including direct support from Bloomberg engineers, supported the development of a digital platform that guides high potential students from poorer backgrounds through all the information, skills and advice they need to apply to and succeed at university. To date, we have reached close to 31,000 students through the platform, and this figure only continues to grow.

Then, in 2022, we launched the Career Skills Bursary program, which is aimed at boosting students’ employability by providing access to work experience, mentoring sessions and other career development opportunities. 60 students have already benefited from the 12-month program, which includes a bursary of £3,000 and a summer insight week at Bloomberg.

Programs such as these can give young people a stepping stone to success. Indeed, Sutton Trust students are four times more likely than their peers to receive an offer from a leading university, and 93% move from the lowest to the highest socio-economic groups after leaving university.

Below, Sutton Trust alumnus Emily Emiru shares more about her experience interning with Bloomberg’s Buy-side Analytics team.

Emily Emiru
Intern, Buy-side Analytics

How did you hear about Sutton Trust?
I attended a summer school program through the Sutton Trust, which I discovered through personal research when looking for educational guidance. I had heard about the Sutton Trust from my peers and knew that I could benefit from their programs.
 How was your experience interning at Bloomberg?
I enjoyed the opportunity to gain exposure within the industry and I learned that no two roles are the same. Everyone plays a vital part at Bloomberg, and I felt that my achievements, as well as that of others, are celebrated. My experience allowed me to network with different people from various parts of the business and hone my presentation skills.
 Did anything surprise you about the Bloomberg culture?
When I looked around, I saw so many different people from all sorts of backgrounds. There was a culture of openness and I could see it around the office and in how people collaborate. It was very different from other places I have been, and I could tell that Bloomberg truly cares about creating a diverse workplace.
 What were your key takeaways from your mentoring experience?
As a black female, it was an added bonus that my mentor was also a black woman and in a senior position. I was grateful to have a role model I could connect with on both a professional and a personal level. Overall, I learned that you should always use your skills and personality to your advantage. Not everyone is the same and that is okay, because it means that every individual will bring something unique to the table. It’s important to know yourself and invest in your personal development.
 What is one piece of advice you have for anyone considering a career in the financial industry?
It can be difficult to know what you want to do for a career unless you give yourself the chance to explore the options out there. There are so many different career paths within the financial industry, so it’s important to network and take time to discover where you want to be and thrive.

At Bloomberg, we also encourage employees to help nurture the next generation of talent through various mentoring programs — both long- and short-term, virtual and in-person. These initiatives give employees the opportunity to help young people figure out their career paths, particularly in the areas that Bloomberg knows best — including finance, technology, data and journalism. Last year, we facilitated 38,653 employee mentoring interactions through our Best of Bloomberg volunteering program, supporting thousands of students from underrepresented communities around the world.

Here, Annick Aboya, who is Emily’s mentor at Bloomberg, tells us more about the importance of investing in the next generation.

Annick Aboya
Team Leader, France, Sell-side & Insurance

How did you hear about this mentoring opportunity?
Recently, I helped develop an internal mentoring program for the Black Professionals Community at Bloomberg. As part of the project, I connected with the Corporate Philanthropy team, who introduced me to Sutton Trust. The work that Sutton Trust does to advance social mobility is very close to my heart as I was born and raised in Cameroon, where opportunities are limited. I acknowledge that while talent is everywhere, opportunities are not available to everyone.
 Do you have any professional role models?
I’m a big advocate of learning from others, and I believe the best gift someone can give you is sharing their story, knowledge and experience. Throughout my career, I’ve had many professional role models — I look up to some for their leadership style and skills, and others for their business vision.
 What inspires you to be a mentor?
I’m passionate about meritocracy, equality and fairness, and mentoring is one of many ways to advance society. Bloomberg really invests in talent development and social mobility, and this is brought to life through our employee engagement programs[1].
 What did you gain from these mentoring sessions?
A mentor can definitely learn from a mentee. For instance, I discovered that Emily is an incredibly talented individual who is passionate about advancing her community. The work that she is doing to positively influence the younger generation and those around her really inspired me. Also, mentoring allowed me to sharpen my inclusive leadership skills and better understand what motivates the younger generation.
 What is one piece of advice you have for anyone considering mentoring?
Do it intentionally and be authentic, open-minded and purpose-driven. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience!

Interested in hearing more about Bloomberg internships? Find out more here.

National Grid

WALTHAM, Mass., /3BL/ – In celebration of Massachusetts STEM week, National Grid is pleased to announce a new three-year community partnership with Boston Children’s Museum to create a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) program for afterschool educators, focused on communities that have been historically underrepresented in the STEM field.

Leveraging Boston Children’s Museum’s significant STEAM education expertise and a $500,000 financial commitment from National Grid, the program will bring together afterschool program educators each year to receive professional development opportunities, a stipend, and museum-led assistance creating hands-on STEAM learning opportunities for the children they serve. The collaboration will begin in early 2024 with a pilot program in the City of Lynn and will expand to additional gateway cities, creating a statewide impact over the next three years.

“We are honored to be selected as the city to pilot this program,” said Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson. “We are excited for our students to be taking part in these amazing learning opportunities that will help propel them forward and inspire them to become life-long learners. Thank you to National Grid and Boston Children’s Museum for their continued support of our community.”

Since 2006, National Grid has played an integral role in furthering the Museum’s STEAM efforts. This new community-based partnership reinforces and extends the informal learning that takes place in the Museum’s exhibits and expands the capacity for adults to support STEAM learning among the children. This partnership focuses even greater attention on both Boston Children’s Museum’s and National Grid’s efforts to promote STEAM learning and inspire kids and their families to develop skills that last a lifetime.

“Science, technology, engineering, and math are at the core of what we do every day at National Grid. As we work to combat the climate crisis and advance the clean energy ecosystem in Massachusetts, a STEAM education is critical to developing innovative and creative leaders of tomorrow,” said Melissa Lavinson, Head of Corporate Affairs for National Grid New England. “We are committed to ensuring communities throughout the Commonwealth have access to these learning opportunities, and we are excited to see these programs come to life.”

“Boston Children’s Museum invites children and families to engage in STEAM challenges, use tools, and develop skills every day. These STEAM activities provide opportunities for hands-on, open-ended explorations that ignite imaginations,” said Carole Charnow, President & CEO of Boston Children’s Museum. “To build on this work, the Museum is grateful for funding from National Grid that allows us to foster deeper connections with parents, guardians, neighborhoods, and communities.”

About National Grid

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

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

Media Contacts 
Michael Dalo 
Massachusetts 
(781) 907-3980

by Benjamin Bailey, Praxis Mutual Funds

When thinking about ways to help the planet and its people, investments in fixed income rarely come to mind — but they should! No longer are bonds just the sleepy, safe, under-attended corner of one’s portfolio. Today impact-targeted fixed income (or “impact bonds”) offer a rapidly expanding opportunity to directly support the type of change you are seeking in the world. At Praxis Mutual Funds, we’ve grown our use of these bonds from 12 percent to 36 percent over the past 10 years, while still maintaining a broadly diversified fixed income portfolio. This mirrors the explosive growth and innovation we’ve seen in the green, social, and sustainable bond space as a whole during this period — including product that supports the green building movement.

The need for impact investments crosses many different sectors and industries, but green buildings are among the most important for several reasons. Green buildings can be developed in commercial, industrial, and residential areas and they are integral to lowering our collective energy use. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the “operation of buildings account for 30 percent of global final energy consumption and 26 percent of global energy related emissions.”1 Buildings are central to our lives because they encompass our homes, our workplaces, and the places where we eat and shop. Reducing the use of fossil fuels to heat and cool these buildings makes a critical contribution to our climate-challenged planet.

Understanding Bonds for Green Building – There are four main categories where the impact — and specifically “green” — bond market intersects with green buildings. Green bonds are securities issued with a clear environmental impact focus. In some cases, the money has already been spent for the intended green purpose or the issuer has detailed specific areas where the money will be used. Three of those four green bond categories are related to residential green buildings including: multi-family housing, single-family housing, and green home improvement loans. The final green bond category is non-Agency CMBS (Commercial Mortgage-Backed Security) that have green attributes.

Read the full article here – https://greenmoney.com/connecting-impact-bonds-and-the-green-building-movement

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November 8, 2023 /3BL/ – The holiday season is a critical period for nonprofits as they fundraise for resources to fuel their mission in the coming year. Unfortunately, 2023 has been a tougher year than most for resource-raising, as social good organizations globally report historically low levels of volunteerism and financial donations. In response to these sector-wide challenges, Taproot Foundation has kicked off a holiday volunteerism drive to help nonprofit organizations connect with crucial resources during this season of giving. 

This winter, the Taproot team is mobilizing professionals from advertising, design, finance, HR, IT, marketing, ops, strategy, and tech in support of social good causes—connecting people with impactful ways to donate time and talents during this season of giving. There are currently 400+ organizations searching for support through Taproot’s free-to-use nonprofit and volunteer match-making platform, with opportunities to give back to teams working to end hunger, advance education access, protect animals, and more! Skill donations are flexible depending on your schedule, virtual, and begin at just one hour. Here are five ways you can make a difference this month:

Indicate interest in donating your professional expertise to social causes by creating your Taproot volunteer profile. Taproot is committed to resource equity for nonprofits and never charges social good organizations a fee for accessing services. With your account, you’ll have the opportunity to support organizations from a huge range of budget sizes, locations, mission areas, and more.Donate an hour of skills to see if pro bono consulting is for you! Currently, Taproot has 100+ social good partners seeking brainstorming and problem-solving support through a one-hour consultation call. Each call equals $195 in donated impact towards the organization’s mission.Join Taproot’s special #GivingTuesday event on November 28. During this live event, Taproot staff will be sharing skills-based volunteering best practices and finding you skill donation opportunities that line up with your social interests and professional expertise.Help Taproot increase support for important missions by advocating for nonprofits. If you don’t have room in your budget to contribute financially or time in your schedule to donate professional expertise to your favorite causes, use your voice and social media platforms to shout out how folks can support their mission.Support Taproot’s mission to get nonprofits the support they need, for free, with a donation. Every gift fuels Taproot’s mission as the leader in catalyzing change through pro bono service, amplifying impact by creating community connections.

Taproot is a US-based nonprofit that helps mission-driven organizations amplify their impact by mobilizing skilled volunteers to advance resource equity. Since 2001, our community has served over 19,000 social change organizations and provided almost 2 million hours of service worth over $300 million. By ensuring nonprofits have access to skilled resources at no cost, we facilitate HR, finance, marketing, and strategy projects that can help them achieve their mission. Volunteers get to support causes they care about in meaningful ways. And the corporations we help to develop skilled volunteering programs boost employee engagement and support their local communities and causes their teams care about.

www.taprootfoundation.org

Expanded collaboration with Vanguard Renewables aims to significantly increase the productivity of US renewable natural gas generation 

More efficient production would aim to accelerate parity for renewable natural gas and advance the transition to clean energy

November 8, 2023 /3BL/ – AstraZeneca (AZN) is leveraging its global industrial-scale manufacturing and digital capabilities to boost US renewable natural gas (RNG) productivity through a planned expanded collaboration with Vanguard Renewables. With an ambition of achieving a multiple fold increase in productivity, the collaboration aims to accelerate parity with fossil fuel-generated natural gas.

Drawing on AstraZeneca’s global manufacturing, supply chain, digital and scientific expertise, the companies plan to work together to increase RNG yield and generate a step change improvement in the production of RNG. Technological improvements and enhanced production can increase access and cost-effectiveness of RNG, a current barrier to widespread renewable energy deployment. The collaboration also aims to add RNG capacity to the US power grid and build capabilities in sustainable innovation for broader public benefit.

Pam Cheng, Executive Vice President of Global Operations & IT and Chief Sustainability Officer, AstraZeneca, said: “The reality is that there are many challenges in adopting new energy sources and bold action is needed if we are going to successfully transition to green energy. Our collaboration with Vanguard Renewables is another important milestone on our path to net zero by driving deep decarbonization, not just across AstraZeneca’s own operations but across the healthcare sector and beyond.”

Starting with three priority areas, the collaboration will pursue capacity and design improvements to Vanguard Renewables’ Farm Powered® process via innovative controls and chemistry to more quickly produce RNG using farm-based anaerobic digestion (AD) from food and farm waste; it also aims to develop Digital Twins for the AD process to enable rapid experimentation and modeling including the potential integration of artificial intelligence (AI); and thirdly aims to enhance supply chain robustness to scale manufacturing and supply.

Neil H. Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Vanguard Renewables stated: “As our partnership with AstraZeneca continues to develop, we believe this cross-collaboration will help us achieve our joint mission of forging a path to net zero.”

This announcement builds on the sector-first collaboration announced in June between AstraZeneca and Vanguard Renewables to deliver RNG to all of AstraZeneca’s US research and manufacturing sites by the end of 2026.

John Hanselman, Chief Strategy Officer at Vanguard Renewables shared: “Anaerobic Digestion technology has not changed in the past decade, but we believe this collaboration with AstraZeneca has the potential to materially improve the quantity and quality of renewable natural gas for the decarbonization of the fossil gas infrastructure in the United States.”

Notes:

Anaerobic Digestion
Inedible or unsaleable food and beverage waste from the manufacturing and retail sectors is collected, sorted, depackaged on-site, and combined with dairy farm manure in a sealed biodigester tank. Once combined in the biodigester, microorganisms that naturally occur in manure digest the waste, converting sugars, fats and other compounds into biogas. Harnessing the waste’s energy captures as much as 95 percent of the potential greenhouse gas emissions that would result if food and beverage waste were sent to a landfill or if the farm manure were field-applied. The process produces RNG that is upgraded to pipeline-quality gas and injected into the existing pipeline infrastructure on-site, displacing traditional fossil fuels. The biogas is then used for heating and cooling or can be used to make Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for vehicles. The by-products of the anaerobic digestion process include a low-carbon and nutrient dense fertilizer (digestate) that reduces the farm’s dependency on chemical fertilizers, and a dry by-product which is used for animal bedding. When food and beverage manufacturers send their organic waste to a Farm Powered site and purchase the RNG created by their waste to power their plants, they are creating a closed-loop solution that helps to address Scope 1 and 3 emissions in their business practices.

About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases and BioPharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries, and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information, please visit www.astrazeneca-us.com and follow us on social media @AstraZeneca.

About Vanguard Renewables
Vanguard Renewables, based in Weston, Massachusetts, is a national leader in developing food and dairy waste-to-renewable energy projects. The Company owns and operates on-farm anaerobic digester facilities in the northeast and currently operates manure-only digesters in the south and west for Dominion Energy. Vanguard Renewables plans to expand nationwide to more than 150 anaerobic digestion facilities by 2026. Vanguard Renewables is committed to advancing decarbonization by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farms and food waste, generating renewable energy, and supporting regenerative agriculture on partner farms via Farm Powered® anaerobic digestion. Vanguard Renewables is a portfolio company of BlackRock Real Assets. To learn more visit www.vanguardrenewables.com

Originally published by Glossy

Moving forward, MAC plans to bring the Viva Glam program to more of Mac’s global markets. “Since we work with so many LGBTQ organizations around the world and have such great relationships with the community, we want to set up similar types of opportunities to introduce those groups to makeup artistry and MAC,” said Elliott.

Continue reading here

What you need to know:

Verizon’s second Climate Resilience Prize has awarded a total of $500,000 to four innovative, climate tech solutions providers focused on reducing climate change impacts on key communities across the U.SSesame Solar Inc., 10Power, Raincoat, and Perimeter were selected as winners for their tech-powered, scalable, and reliable solutions that will advance climate resilience and equity in under-resourced communities.Verizon will continue to support winners in scaling their businesses through consulting and guidance in addition to awarding prize money.

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. /3BL/ – Verizon announced the four winners of its second Climate Resilience Prize, an initiative enacted to help scale proven, in-market solutions that are focused on mitigating the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, while awarding a total prize pool of $500,000, or $125,000 each.

In partnership with GreenBiz and Resilient Cities Network, the initiative showcases companies that are using advanced technology, such as 5G, and have demonstrated results of their climate resilience solutions. The winners are provided with funding and ongoing business support to help scale their solutions and reach more in-need communities.

“The Climate Resilience Prize underscores our commitment to support entrepreneurs and change-agents innovating to help limit the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, and to foster their creativity in strengthening targeted solutions in the areas of technology, community infrastructure, ecosystems and more,” said Carrie Hughes, Director of Social Innovation for Verizon.

The launch of the second Verizon Climate Resilience Prize was announced at the Aspen Ideas: Climate Conference in Miami, Florida in March 2023. Based on an expert-led panel of judges, the below four winners were recognized as creatively and effectively using technology and digital strategies.

An overview of each of the winners can be found below:

Sesame Solar Inc: As extreme weather increases, Sesame Solar Inc. is breaking the dirty cycle of fossil fuel-powered generators that further contribute to climate change—replacing them with renewable, mobile energy solutions that are durable, easy-to-use, and flexible for a variety of use cases.10Power: 10Power’s renewable energy projects create climate resilience through on-site energy generation, and for many projects, energy storage.Raincoat: Raincoat’s mission is to protect every person on the planet from the financial disruption of natural disasters. They collaborate with insurers, financial institutions, nonprofits, and governments to underwrite parametric flood insurance policies.Perimeter: The Perimeter Platform is a solution that supports information sharing and collaboration, making real-time evacuation management software accessible to all types of first responders and the public.

The Climate Resilience Prize, which launched in 2021, is part of Citizen Verizon, the company’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental, and social advancement. Today’s winners are part of Cohort 2; the first group of (three) winners received funding in 2022. To learn more about Verizon’s ongoing efforts to support communities in need, please visit CitizenVerizon.com.

Media contact(s)

Rebecca Laming

rebecca.laming@verizon.com

GRI actively participated in the FT’s Moral Money Summit Americas 2023 at the end of October. Matthew Rusk, Head of GRI North America, served as a panelist in a session titled “Defending Your ESG Credibility – Protecting Your Business From Greenwashing Claims.” GRI’s focus on standardized reporting, improved efficiency and precision in data collection, as well as disclosure auditability helps prevent corporate greenwashing.

Without a globally consistent and comprehensible communication on any topic, there is a risk of intentional or unintentional misrepresentations and misunderstandings. The GRI Standards provide a global common language for organizations to communicate their impacts on the environment, society, and people – including the management of those impacts. The standards are applicable to organizations of all sizes, types, and locations and have already been adopted by over 11,000 organizations globally. Standardized sustainability disclosures not only enable organizations to communicate impacts, but also help stakeholders understand the sustainability performance of the organization.

Accuracy of data is unquestionably paramount if it is to be used in the decision-making to improve business performance. A responsible and valuable disclosure process requires cross-functional teams with subject matter expertise and data ownership. It is for this reason that GRI actively collaborates with over 66 certified software and tools partners that support the increased involvement of essential departments, disciplines, and data systems into the sustainability reporting function. New and improved tools that embed the GRI Standards into products are helping to seamlessly integrate the sustainability reporting process across the organizations, making reporting more efficient and precise. 

Standards are needed for the assurance and verification of sustainability and ESG disclosures. Assurance instills trust in the disclosed data and ultimately contributes to better decision-making. Auditability of data is increasingly becoming a requirement of sustainability and ESG reporting due to elevated stakeholder demands and jurisdictional requirements. In fact, 64% of S&P 500 companies disclosed receiving some form of assurance or verification over certain of their ESG metrics in 2021. Furthermore, information disclosed in accordance with GRI Standards is assured more often than any other reporting framework or standard.

GRI’s commitment to preventing greenwashing and promoting standardized, accurate disclosure is vital. Standardized reporting not only facilitates effective communication but also aids stakeholders in comprehending an organization’s sustainability performance, enabling informed decision-making that results in better performance.