Tag: 3BL

STAMFORD, Conn., October 3, 2023 /3BL/ – Webster Bank is pleased to announce its recognition as a Corporate Citizen of the Year by Long Island Business News in the publication’s 2023 Corporate Citizenship Awards.

Long Island Business News annually publishes this list to showcase companies that promote and prioritize giving back to the Long Island community. Corporate Citizenship honorees are recognized for their impact on multiple nonprofit organizations through financial contributions, fundraising and volunteer efforts.

“We are honored to be recognized by Long Island Business Journal for our support of the many organizations that work to create opportunity and economic vitality on Long Island,” said Marissa Weidner, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer at Webster. “As a values-driven organization, we are proud to support the communities we serve throughout our footprint.”

Webster Bank, whose contributions are made by the corporation as well as its charitable foundation, will be honored along with fellow honorees at the LIBN’s Corporate Citizenship Awards on September 19 at Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, New York.

About Webster

Webster Bank (“Webster”) is a leading commercial bank in the Northeast that provides a wide range of digital and traditional financial solutions across three differentiated lines of business: Commercial Banking, Consumer Banking and its HSA Bank division, one of the country’s largest providers of employee benefits solutions. Headquartered in Stamford, CT, Webster is a values-driven organization with more than $70 billion in assets. Its core footprint spans the northeastern U.S. from New York to Massachusetts, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Webster Bank is a member of the FDIC and an equal housing lender. For more information about Webster, including our latest annual report, please visit our About page. To find our latest press releases, visit the Webster Newsroom.

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Originally published by Pepco

As the electric service provider in the nation’s capital, we regularly see new policies and programs come to life and have the opportunity to partner with important stakeholders to drive the clean energy transformation forward.

One example of this is our recently announced partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), an independent agency of the United States government that helps manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies, including providing transportation and office space to federal employees.

Through our partnership and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), we will further advance the Biden administration’s sustainability and decarbonization goals with efforts targeted at specific GSA-owned buildings in the District of Columbia and with an emphasis on pursuing efficient, economical solutions that are good for the public, GSA and other federal customers service by Pepco. This work will focus on four key areas:

Fleet electrification and electric vehicle infrastructureBuilding energy efficiency and electrificationEnabling more climate resilient infrastructure and operationsBolstering opportunities in our under-resourced communities with jobs and focusing on using local and diverse suppliers and businesses

For example, GSA and Pepco will work to plan the infrastructure upgrades needed to install electric vehicle charging stations and electrification projects at GSA’s St. Elizabeths West campus, where GSA is investing nearly $288 million of Inflation Reduction Act funds to make the U.S Department of Homeland Security’s new headquarters a model for sustainability.

“It was an honor to stand alongside Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan, and GSA Regional Administrator Elliot Doomes, in support of our common goals,” said Pepco Holdings President and CEO Tyler Anthony during a press conference announcing this MOU and partnership, “This is an important recognition of the experience and expertise that our company brings to the table and our integral role in helping to enable a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for our customers and communities.”

Learn more here about our partnership and GSA’s plans for the St. Elizabeths campus.

PORTLAND, Ore., October 3, 2023 /3BL/ – The Global Electronics Council® (GEC) is thrilled to announce the listing of the first EPEAT® Climate+TM designated products. Climate+ is a new product designation meant to connect forward-thinking electronics brands with carbon-conscious purchasers. Climate+ designated products will empower organizations to drive change through a progressive set of criteria focused on increased transparency, goal setting and concrete corporate actions to decarbonize the supply chain. In addition, public and third-party verified product GHG disclosures will ease the challenge of procurement related Scope-3 emissions tracking and decision making.

As the world seeks new and innovative ways to address the urgent climate crisis, those on both the supply and demand side of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector can leverage this new offering immediately. Climate+ designated products are now available as a proactive means to combat this urgent issue, taking the EPEAT system to the next solution level. GEC expects the number of products with this designation to grow substantially in the coming months from the already impressive initial offerings.

Climate+ designated products meet evolved new requirements developed in a multi-stakeholder process meant to reduce their lifecycle carbon, potentially years ahead of the rest of the market. The products set themselves apart on the EPEAT Registry because of these climate change mitigation measures. Purchasers can easily identify these products with this new designation on the public-facing registry.

Bob Mitchell, CEO of GEC, emphasizes, “EPEAT Climate+ isn’t just a product distinction; it’s a catalyst for change in the electronics industry. Our goal is to amplify the market for electronics that are purposefully designed and built with greenhouse gas reduction in mind by companies that prioritize climate action. By equipping individuals and organizations with valuable insights into what constitutes a climate-conscious product, EPEAT Climate+ provides a simple way to collectively recognize and mitigate carbon emissions in the lifecycle of electronics.”

In addition to verified product GHG disclosures, manufacturers seeking Climate+ designation must also demonstrate their commitment to several other critical requirements. These include energy-efficient upstream manufacturing, GHG reduction targets, renewable energy sourcing, and product energy efficiency standards. These comprehensive criteria are specifically designed to track and, where possible, reduce GHG emissions throughout the entire product lifecycle – from material mining and assembly to use and disposal.

Climate+ offers a unique opportunity for both electronics brands and purchasers to take immediate action years ahead of the criteria becoming a requirement for all EPEAT registered products. Climate+ gives electronics brands a new opportunity to stand out as an EPEAT Climate+ Champion. Purchasers and other stakeholders can commit to furthering impacts by signing the GEC Climate+ Pledge as either a Climate+ Purchasing Leader or a Climate+ Purchasing Advocate.

To learn more about Climate+, the GEC Climate+ Pledge, requirements for product manufacturing and more, visit globalelectronicscouncil.org/climateplus/ or contact epeat@gec.org.

Global Electronics Council 
The Global Electronics Council (GEC) is a mission-driven nonprofit that leverages the power of purchasers to create a world where only sustainable technology is bought and sold. GEC’s work is focused on high-impact sustainability issues, such as climate change and product circularity. It manages the EPEAT ecolabel and produces other resources to support sustainable technology procurement, including training, purchasing guides, sample procurement language, and more. Visit gec.org to learn more.

EPEAT 
Managed by GEC, EPEAT is the world’s premier electronics ecolabel. It serves as a free resource for procurement professionals to identify and select products with reduced impacts across key sustainability issues. Since its launch in 2006, procurement professionals have reported purchases of 2.4 billion EPEAT products, generating cost savings of USD 24.6 billion and a reduction of 286 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Visit epeat.net to learn more.

Contact 
Erik Fessler 
Manager, Global Communications 
Phone Number: +1 971-380-4088 
Email: efessler@gec.org

WASHINGTON, October 3, 2023 /3BL/ – Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is proud to partner with Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, to launch the Research & Development Engagement program, which provides grants to support innovation, ideas, and solutions in STEM, medical technology, and business research at select Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Medtronic is the sole funder of the grants, which are the latest results of a strategic partnership with TMCF to advance diversity in STEM education and career development.

“It’s always great to be able to support Medtronic as it continues to raise the bar of excellence for faculty at the member schools we support,” TMCF President & CEO Dr. Harry Williams said. “The Research & Development Engagement Program is a game-changer. We are glad that Medtronic has been an intentional partner about equipping our faculty with access to opportunities to enhance their skill set, which in turn impacts our students and increases the opportunities they have to enjoy STEM careers in corporate America.”

“Supporting HBCUs through the R&D Engagement Program expands access to opportunities and skill-building to students from diverse backgrounds,” said Cynthia Reese, Medtronic Director of External Partnerships and Community. “Medtronic is proud to partner with TMCF on this impactful program, as part of its commitment to achieving zero barriers to equity.”

Medtronic plc and TMCF have partnered since 2020 to develop an annual internship program across the U.S., as well as a scholarship program sponsored by the Medtronic Foundation.

For the R&D Engagement Program specifically, TMCF and Medtronic plc partnered to award five grants of $40,000 each to faculty members at TMCF member schools, with a focus in the following areas:

Innovative academic support that will meet the specific academic needs of STEM, medical technology, and/or business students.Enhanced academic-related innovation on campus and/or the community to support adequate resources to enable the completion of groundbreaking research and development in STEM, medical technology, and/or business.Other creative ideas for capacity building within Medtronic-aligned fields.

The recipients of this year’s grants are:

Dr. Stephen Knisley (North Carolina A&T, Professor of Bioengineering)

Program/Research: NIH Houston Shadowing Program.

Dr. Laquanda Leaven Johnson (North Carolina A&T, Associate Professor in Supply Chain Management)

Program/Research: Collegiate Underrepresented Business and Engineering Drone Training Intensive Program.

Dr. Ali Salmon (North Carolina A&T, Associate Professor, School of Nursing)

Program/Research: Smart and Connected Health Teaching and Research Lab.

Dr. Francis Tuluri (Jackson State, Professor, Software Engineering)

Program/Research: Academic Development of Autonomous Robotics Education to Broaden Participation in STEM Disciplines.

Dr. Zhibin Yu (Florida A&M, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering)

Program/Research: Enabling AI-Assisted Early Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Diseases with Stretchable Optical Sensors.

ABOUT THURGOOD MARSHALL COLLEGE FUND

Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation’s largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member schools include publicly supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) and Historically Black Community Colleges. Publicly supported HBCUs enroll over 80% of all students attending HBCUs. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education spaces. The organization is also a source for top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs.

ABOUT MEDTRONIC 
Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people across more than 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), visit http://www.Medtronic.com and follow @Medtronic on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic’s periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

October 3, 2023 /3BL/ – A global recruitment call is underway to appoint new members to the body that underpins the continued success of the world’s most widely used standards for sustainability reporting – the GRI Standards.

Individuals of high integrity with relevant professional experience are invited to apply to join the Global Sustainability Standards Board. The GSSB is the independent entity with sole responsibility for setting the GRI Standards, ensuring they continue to reflect global best practice for sustainability reporting and drive transparency and accountability for corporate impacts on the economy, environment and society.

With inclusive, multi-stakeholder representation at the heart of GRI’s ways of working, representation is sought that spans sectors, functions, gender and geographic boundaries. Stakeholders and supporters from around the world are encouraged to review the vacancy and share the opportunities with prospective candidates.

In particular, there are vacancies for members with a focus on business and investment institutions. Applications by individuals from the other defined constituencies will also be considered.

Jack Ehnes, Chair of the GRI Supervisory Board, said:

“The work of the Global Sustainability Reporting Board is critical in supporting GRI to carry out our mission, which is to empower decisions that create social, environmental and economic benefits for everyone. To take sustainability reporting to the next level, we need the right people to counsel us. That is why we are seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds to join the GSSB, bringing their unique expertise and perspectives to inform GRI’s decision-making and future direction.”

All appointments are on a voluntary basis for a three-year term, starting from 1 January 2024. Find out more about the remit, expectations, responsibilities, constituencies and time commitment, as well as details of the nomination and selection process, and how to apply. The nomination period for applications is open until 3 November 2023 (23.59 CEST).

The GSSB is responsible for the development and approval of the GRI Standards and works exclusively in the public interest, according to a formally defined due process. For a detailed overview, read the GSSB FAQs.

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the independent, international organization that helps businesses and other organizations take responsibility for their impacts, by providing the global common language to report those impacts. The GRI Standards are the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting standards, which are developed through a multi-stakeholder process and provided as a free public good.

Whirlpool Corporation announced that it has been recognized as one of the World’s Most Trustworthy Companies in 2023 by Newsweek. To create the list, Newsweek partnered with Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, to evaluate companies’ business practices and relationships with key stakeholders. Whirlpool Corp.’s inclusion in the list highlights the company’s commitment to do the right thing for employees, consumers, investors, and the communities around the world where the company does business.

“At Whirlpool Corporation, one of our enduring values is integrity — this means that across our global business, there is no right way to do a wrong thing,“ said Ava Harter, global chief legal officer for Whirlpool Corporation. “We are honored to receive this recognition. It reflects the dedication of 61,000 global employees who believe in our mission of improving life at home for consumers. We cannot fulfill this vision if we don’t operate with integrity and trust.”

Whirlpool Corp.’s Global Ethics and Compliance Program is focused on enhancing and sustaining the company’s culture of winning with integrity and empowering employees with tools and resources to act with integrity within a risk-based framework. As part of these efforts, Whirlpool Corp. launched its Integrity Manual in 2019, which outlines the company’s values and helps translate these values into everyday actions.

In addition to its Global Ethics and Compliance program, Whirlpool Corp. continues to build trust with its consumers by manufacturing high-quality products, industry-leading customer service, and purposeful innovation.

The World’s Most Trustworthy Companies 2023 were identified in an independent survey based on a vast sample of more than 70,000 participants from 21 countries. A total of 269,000 evaluations were analyzed. The three main public pillars of trust were considered: Customer Trust, Investor Trust, and Employee Trust.

Click here to see the full list of World’s Most Trustworthy Companies.

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New agreement will focus on CRISPR applications for Bayer’s Preceon™ Smart Corn System / Collaboration builds on successful initial gene-editing partnership between the two companies that resulted in 27 novel traits being transferred into Bayer’s testing programs

DURHAM, N.C. and MONHEIM, Germany, October 3, 2023 /3BL/ – Pairwise, a food and agriculture company known for bringing the first gene-edited food to the U.S. market, and Bayer today announced a new five-year, multi-million Dollar agreement focused on innovations in short-stature corn. This new program leverages Pairwise’s Fulcrum™ platform and builds on the success of the companies’ initial five-year collaboration for corn, soy, wheat, cotton, and canola.

The upcoming collaboration between Pairwise and Bayer will be focused on optimizing and enhancing gene-edited short-stature corn for future use in Bayer’s Preceon™ Smart Corn System. Short-stature corn – with a targeted height of 30 to 40 percent less than traditional corn – is an innovative new approach to growing corn and offers a number of sustainability benefits, including protections from crop loss due to increasingly severe weather events and extreme winds brought about by climate change. Short-stature corn also allows for more precise application of inputs throughout the growing season, sustainably growing more through reduced risk of crop loss.

“Pairwise’s proprietary base editing tools allow for specific changes at virtually any location in the genome, which has the potential to make targeted and much needed improvements in agriculture,” said Bob Reiter, Head of R&D at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “These kinds of new genomic techniques are extraordinarily focused and produce results much more quickly and precisely than the conventional breeding process, ensuring that we can accelerate the delivery of solutions that growers need.”

The initial five-year collaboration focused on corn, soy, wheat, cotton and canola with the aim of empowering producers to grow more with fewer inputs on the same amount of land. The partnership, which concluded in June 2023, resulted in 27 novel traits being transferred into Bayer’s testing programs. Results of the program demonstrated significant commercial value including edited corn phenotypes with a 20 percent increase in kernel row numbers, which could lead to significantly more yield on the same number of acres. Another outcome has been edited soy that reduces the severity of Asian soybean rust, potentially reducing the need for fungicides to combat the disease and protecting the potential for higher yields.

These, and other significant achievements, were made possible through the development of custom gene editing tools by Pairwise. These include REDRAW™, or RNA encoded DNA replacement of alleles with CRISPR, a precise templated editing toolbox that can make any type of small edit at CRISPR-targeted sites. Another tool is SHARC™, a proprietary enzyme that works well for cutting, base editing, and REDRAW editing. These tools will also be used in the new collaboration focused on advancing short-stature corn.

“We look forward to continuing our work with Bayer, with new emphasis on contributing to their novel smart corn system,” added Tom Adams, Co-founder and CEO at Pairwise. “Working closely with Bayer on furthering this revolution in corn gives us the market reach to enable our technology innovations to more quickly adjust to the biggest challenge of our time: the changing climate.”

Pairwise has already demonstrated the successful use of CRISPR and other emerging technologies to accelerate the delivery of new products to markets, and recently launched its first product, Conscious™ Greens into the U.S. foodservice channel. Through the leading use of cutting-edge technologies, and due to the efficiency of the company’s Fulcrum Platform, the product was advanced from concept to commercialization in just four years. In addition, Pairwise works with other innovative companies and has licensed its IP for applications in additional crops of global importance, including licensing elements of the Fulcrum Platform to Tropic Biosciences for applications in banana and coffee.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About Pairwise
Pairwise is a company dedicated to building a healthier world through better fruits and vegetables and is driven by the belief that healthy food should be consistently fresh, delicious, and convenient, Pairwise brings together leaders in agriculture, technology, and consumer foods to harness the transformative potential of new genomics technologies to create innovative new products. Pairwise is working to develop new varieties of crops, and to partner with organizations that seek to drive innovation and access across the plant-based economy. In February 2021, Pairwise raised $90 million in a successful series B funding round, bringing total fundraising to $115 million. Backed by industry leading investors Deerfield, Aliment Capital, Leaps by Bayer, and Temasek, Pairwise has grown to over 160 employees in five years with locations in North Carolina and California. The company was founded by Chief Executive Officer Tom Adams and Chief Business Officer Haven Baker, with scientific co-founders J. Keith Joung, Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, David Liu, Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, and Vice-Chair of the Faculty at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT; and Feng Zhang, McGovern Investigator and a professor at MIT. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com

Learn more about the Fulcrum Platform here.

Find more information at www.bayer.com.
Follow us on twitter.com/bayer

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Contact for media inquiries:

Bayer:
Alexander Hennig, phone: +49 175 3089736
Email: alexander.hennig@bayer.com

Pairwise:
Jess Fitzgerald, phone: +1 925 247 4057
Email: Jess.Fitzgerald@edible-inc.com

Contact for investor inquiries:
Bayer Investor Relations Team, phone +49 214 30-72704
Email: ir@bayer.com
www.bayer.com/en/investors/ir-team

Grants will support organizations, initiatives committed to uplifting Hispanic students, businesses and events in Florida

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., October 3, 2023 /3BL/ – As the country celebrates and recognizes the contributions, culture and history of Hispanic Americans during National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Duke Energy Foundation is committing $251,000 to support local efforts across Florida.

“Duke Energy serves an increasingly diverse community,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “Not only is it important for us to meet the needs of all of our customers, but it is equally important to support the organizations and efforts that are dedicated to embracing diverse cultures, removing barriers and providing boundless opportunities for our customers and communities.”

The funding will go toward providing personalized business consulting services to Hispanic entrepreneurs and businesses, Hispanic Heritage Month event support, as well as scholarships for Hispanic students in Central Florida, among other local initiatives to uplift communities in Duke Energy Florida’s service territory.

Prospera, an economic development, nonprofit organization specialized in providing bilingual assistance to Hispanic entrepreneurs, received $100,000 to support its Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, which helps Hispanic individuals and families in Florida’s Central and West Coast regions access economic opportunities and upward mobility through personalized guidance and continuous in-culture, inclusive support.

“We value Duke Energy’s continuous support of our mission and this year’s increased funding will impact our program even more positively, allowing us to assist more Hispanics who own or wish to start a business in Florida,” said Augusto Sanabria, Prospera president and CEO. “Our program empowers underserved individuals and families to help them overcome additional barriers to success, increasing their chances of upward mobility, financial independence, and achieving prosperity, while generating numerous benefits for our community at large.”

Grants were awarded to the following organizations:

Prospera’s Hispanic Business Initiative Fund – $100,000 
 Hispanic Heritage Scholarship Fund of Metro Orlando – $75,000 
 Hispanic Heritage Network of Orange County (HHNOC) – $25,000 
 Local organizations supporting the Hispanic Community in collaboration with Duke Energy Florida’s government and community relations managers – $50,000 
 Ceccarelli Rosenberg Foundation in collaboration with Duke Energy Florida’s Latinos Energizing Diversity employee resource group – $1,000

In addition to the recent contributions, the company has an employee resource group, Latinos Energizing Diversity (LED), dedicated to providing educational opportunities about the Latino culture, assisting in the recruitment, retention, engagement and development of Latino employees and helping the company maintain and increase relationships between the company and a growing Latino community.

Throughout the year, the Florida LED chapter actively participates in numerous local events to support initiatives focused on embracing Latino culture and positively impacting communities.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,500 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853 
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS

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Now that my kids have left for college, I’ve had a chance to reflect on our summer, which included visits to five national parks (White Sands, Grand Canyon, Zion, Arches, and Canyonlands) and a return to southwest Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. As I hiked through the hot desert of New Mexico, camped at a chilly 11,000’ on Imogene Pass, or looked down at whitewater rafters braving the rushing Colorado River hundreds of feet below my perch on the north rim, I was struck by the unique gifts our natural environment provides.

While being a nice respite from the office, it at the same time reinforced the importance of Georgia-Pacific LLC’s commitment to stewardship. I work as a part of a team that helps my company source raw materials more responsibly, use resources more efficiently, and reduce waste. We also work to understand the needs of our customers, employees, and communities and look for opportunities to create mutual benefit. Georgia-Pacific relies on the natural environment for the timber, water, and other resources we use to create products that meet societal needs. GP has been helping people improve their lives through mutual benefit for almost a century. As a forest products company, we rely on healthy and abundant forests, and clean and plentiful water. Forests protect air and water quality, serve as habitat for wildlife, provide recreational, spiritual, and cultural uses, deliver carbon benefits, and offer natural resources to make products people want and need. My family certainly enjoyed those recreational and spiritual benefits during our time together out west. At Georgia-Pacific, we work to use these resources efficiently, source responsibly, protect endangered areas, and support wildlife conservation and biodiversity.

I’d like to highlight three areas where Georgia-Pacific is investing in conservation outcomes across the country:

Our endangered forest program. We use scientific methodologies — developed in conjunction with experts in ecology and geographic information system mapping from the University of Georgia and NatureServe — that considers and ranks ecological values associated with forestlands in our procurement basins. Some of these ecological values include rare and endangered species, high biodiversity, intact forest landscapes, and resilient and connected landscapes. In addition, each of these areas is verified through on-the-ground visits and / or satellite imagery.Our participation in the Wildlife Habitat Council’s Wildlife at Work program. We currently have WHC sites at a dozen GP manufacturing locations. These projects span from pollinator plots to blue bird boxes to longleaf pine restoration and on-going monitoring of gopher tortoise populations.The partnership between of our Quilted Northern Ultra Soft & Strong® brand and the Arbor Day Foundation to restore ecosystems by planting two trees for every one used to manufacture the product. Much of these plantings are targeted at wildfire and hurricane recovery across the United States. The Quilted Northern® brand is committed to aid in restoring forests and rehabilitating the habitats of endangered and threatened species in the process. As of 2023, we are responsible for the planting of over 7 million trees across 46 projects sites.

GP’s Conservation Projects

For us at GP, Stewardship encompasses the responsible management of our actions and the resources entrusted to our care in a manner that respects the rights of others. By “rights,” we mean everyone’s right to their own life, property, and equal treatment under the law. This is the basis of our Stewardship Framework, through which we help people improve their lives by providing products and services they value more highly than their alternatives. We experiment and innovate to responsibly create more value while consuming fewer resources. These resources include the natural environment which we rely upon for our raw materials, the processes we manage to transform them into goods and services, and the relationships we have with our employees and communities. That’s why we prioritize responsible resource management, where we work to ensure that our resources are managed to create value for GP and our constituencies. You can learn more about our commitment to stewardship in the Koch Industries Stewardship Framework.

Progress with Purpose

Our stewardship report, Progress with Purpose, provides an annual update on how we’re doing.

The outdoors has been an important part of my life and my relationship with my family and friends. This summer’s trip has energized me while connecting me to the importance of our Framework and the progress Georgia-Pacific continues to make in being a good steward of the environment including driving conservation activities that leave more resources available to satisfy other needs in society.

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The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com), a global leader in engineered bearings and industrial motion products, has issued its annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) report, which features an update on progress towards its 2030 environmental emissions target. The report also details Timken’s efforts to improve the lives of individuals and communities and build a more efficient and resilient world.

“As we advance our corporate social responsibility programs, it is increasingly evident how interconnected they are,” said Richard G. Kyle, Timken president and CEO. “From our global operations to the communities where we live and work, we are pursuing a sustainable CSR strategy with long-term impact. At Timken, we continually focus on improving our operations. And, with our customers, we are continuously innovating to deliver more efficient and sustainable products — including for the renewable energy industry, our largest end-market sector.”

Announced in 2022 and measured against a 2018 baseline, Timken’s environmental emissions target is to reduce aggregate Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 50 percent by 2030i. This includes direct emissions intensity from its operations, and indirect emissions intensity from purchased energy. As of the end of 2022, the company had achieved a decrease of nearly 25 percent from its 2018 baseline. Helping to drive down emissions intensity, Timken used 10x more energy from renewable sources in its global operations last year than it did in 2018. Through the use of on-site solar arrays and purchase power agreements, the company expects to double its renewable energy use over the next three to five years.

Meanwhile, Timken’s Sustainable Engineering Process guides how the company creates and evaluates product sustainability across its portfolio and how it innovates with customers to advance everyone’s CSR objectives. The process also helps the company identify opportunities to target additional improvements and progress across its portfolio.

In addition, Timken is investing in strategic partnerships and STEM education, increasing the impact the company makes in developing the next generation of diverse engineering talent. Timken is focused on strengthening the skills and broadening the perspectives of its current and future workforce and next-generation leaders. The company provides employees with the necessary support to thrive and become leaders who understand the needs and desires of the global workforce of today and tomorrow.

Reflective of its unwavering commitment to ethics, integrity and good corporate governance, Timken has been honored 12 times, including this year, by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For the last three years, Newsweek has named Timken one of America’s Most Responsible Companies.

About The Timken Company
The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) designs a growing portfolio of engineered bearings and industrial motion products. With more than a century of knowledge and innovation, we continuously improve the reliability and efficiency of global machinery and equipment to move the world forward. Timken posted $4.5 billion in sales in 2022 and employs more than 19,000 people globally, operating from 46 countries. Timken has been recognized among America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek, the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere, America’s Most Innovative Companies by Fortune and America’s Best Large Employers, Best Employers for New Graduates and Best Employers for Women by Forbes.

Safe Harbor
Certain statements in this release (including statements regarding the company’s beliefs, estimates, and expectations) that are not historical in nature are “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, the statements related to Timken’s environmental sustainability plans, developments, targets, goals and, expectations are forward-looking. Timken cautions that actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, including those discussed in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. Except as required by the federal securities laws, the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Media Relations:
Scott Schroeder
234.262.6420

i See the 2022 CSR report for additional details on the 2030 environmental emissions target

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