Tag: 3BL

By Candace Higginbotham

Homeroom bells are ringing, new sneakers are being sported, and yellow buses are on the move.

Back to school is a fun and exciting time, but for some families it can also be challenging. The National Retail Federation predicts that K-12 back-to-school spending will increase to a record high this year, with an average family spending close to $900. With the many other inflationary price increases for goods and services, this can be a real burden for many in our community.

Regions Bank associates are pitching in to help ease this financial pressure for families and ensure students and teachers across the bank’s footprint are equipped and ready for a fresh start to the new school year.

Here are a few highlights:

Nashville

Regions associates worked with the United Way of Greater Nashville on their annual Stuff the Bus campaign. For this popular program, volunteers collect school supplies and fill backpacks so local students can be well equipped and ready to learn on the first day of school. According to Community Relations Officer Yolanda Hollingsworth, the team hoped to gather enough supplies to fill 500 backpacks, but they crushed that goal by assembling a whopping 702 backpacks.

The top-performing Harpeth Village branch contributed 30 backpacks, and the winning team – Private Wealth – stuffed 116 backpacks, which earned them a free lunch. “I’m so happy we had another a successful campaign this year,” Hollingsworth said. “This program helps prevent struggling families from having to choose between buying school supplies or putting food on the table.” All backpacks collected will go toward nine counties around Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee

Other Middle Tennessee teams also did their part for the Stuff the Bus school supply drive. The five Murfreesboro branches, along with Smyrna, Woodbury, Tullahoma and Shelbyville, collected 70 backpacks. Additionally, the McMinnville North branch team collected a total of 45 backpacks to support schools in Warren County.

Birmingham

As part of the recent Regions DEI Symposium in Regions’ headquarters city, 115 associates from 26 markets packed 200 school supply bags to help students in Blount County, Alabama, start the school year off right. “The supply drive was a welcome addition to this important company event that celebrated inclusion and belonging,” said Gina Sian, Community Affairs manager of execution and operations, who helped coordinate the drive. “Our associates helped lessen the stress of back-to-school expenses by providing not only basic school supplies but also critical learning tools like a scientific calculator and geometry kit.” The supply bags also included an unexpected and thoughtful treat: Volunteers wrote notes for teachers and students wishing them a successful school year.

Regions South and North Consumer Teams who were in town for the DEI Symposium also had an opportunity to support local schools. As part of their Volunteer Extravaganza, Regions teams set up a school supply shop at the East Lake Initiative. Consumer Bank teams and other associates performed gardening and clean-up tasks on a super-hot day at Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s Woodlawn High School facility.

Steve Nivet, Regions Consumer Banking regional executive, was pleased with the participation and the results of the Volunteer Extravaganza. “We fostered teamwork, collaboration and reinforced our commitment to giving back to the communities we serve,” he said.

The Birmingham-based Women in Finance group led a back-to-school shoe drive that resulted in 142 pairs of brand-new sneakers being donated to The United Way of Central Alabama. “These shoes will provide local students with a sense of pride and confidence and ensure they have a great start to the new school year,” said Amanda Saint, Business Unit Controller for Credit and Corporate Administration and chair of the Women in Finance community service working group. “We’re so grateful to our Finance teammates who participated in this important effort.”

Another Birmingham-area effort benefited the Shelby County Schools Education Foundation. Several teams working at the Regions Riverchase North and South locations recently relocated to the nearby Riverchase Operations Center, which required a significant workspace clean-out. Patricia Day, an administrative assistant in Technology, Operations, Digital and Data organization, served as coordinator for the project and organized a large office-supply donation to the foundation. Day was on hand when the “Regions Resource Room” was unveiled on the first day of orientation and training for new teachers. “To see the reactions of the new teachers of what was available to them at no cost was extremely rewarding,” Day said. “The teachers were so appreciative of the supplies donated by Regions.”

The Regions Procurement department is also doing their part in the back-to-school effort. They are donating printers to schools throughout the footprint, including the Tupelo, Fort Myers, Shreveport and Columbus, Georgia, markets.

Tallahassee

The Regions Centerville Road branch team connected with local customers for a two-week back-to-school drive in early August. School supplies were collected and delivered to the Pace Center for Girls Leon – just in time for the first day of school. “We were pleased to provide supplies for students and families to reduce the additional financial burden,” said Felicia Richardson, Tallahassee market executive and branch manager.

Memphis

Like Nashville and Middle Tennessee, the Memphis market team also participated in a United Way “Stuff the Bus” And these Regions associates took the assignment literally. Count them – more than 1,300 binders, glue sticks, folders, notebooks, dry erasers and more valued at almost $5,000 – were collected and contributed by bank team members to benefit the annual United Way of the Mid-South project assisting Shelby County schools in need.

“Ensuring students have essential classroom supplies creates a solid foundation for them to achieve a successful school year,” said David May, leader of Regions’ Mid-America Commercial Banking group and market executive for Memphis. “Whether it’s the Stuff the Bus project, Driving the Dream initiative or our annual workplace giving campaign, our Memphis associates have a proud history of helping United Way and their partner agencies. Once again, our team members were incredibly generous in lending their support.”

Charlotte

Bluetiful, Inchworm and Razzmatazz: they’re names that may not mean much to you but soon will for young budding artists around Charlotte, North Carolina. That’s because nonprofit Classroom Central is putting a full palette of art supplies in the hands of 150,000-plus students attending under-resourced schools. Regions Bank has worked with Classroom Central for many years, including supporting this year’s Color a Brighter Future for Students in Need campaign focused on drawing in items like crayons, markers, colored pencils and more. Charlotte team members personally donated supplies for the drive. A group of associates also participated in the Kits for a Cause kick-off pizza party earlier this month, assembling school supply packets filled with essentials pencils, pens, erasers and more – 336 to be exact.

“The average teacher spends hundreds of dollars out of their own pocket every year just to cover basic school supplies,” said Pamela Anderson-Rudd, Regions Community Mortgage loan officer and this year’s Classroom Central associate collection drive chair. “Arts and craft supplies, which can be more expensive, are often thought of as ‘extras’ and not always included on supply drive wish lists. Encouraging our associates to collect these items allows us to fuel the creativity of thousands of students all year long.”

Miami

Associates in South Florida helped fill backpacks with classroom essentials during a school-supply drive benefitting Kristi House, an agency that supports families who have experienced physical abuse, child sexual abuse, sex trafficking, substance abuse, and other traumas. “Several leaders and associates from different Miami markets donated to this amazing cause to provide children with school supplies and gift cards for the new school year,” said Chris Cruzpino, market executive for Miami-Dade County.

Montgomery

Market Executive Robert Birmingham, Consumer Banking Manager Edward Lubembe and the Montgomery, Ala. market team donated 200 Regions-logoed backpacks that will be provided to Montgomery public schools. The Regions team helped fill the bags with pens, notebooks, crayons and other goodies supplied from community members as part of the local Tie and Doll Stuff the Truck campaign.

Community Relations Officer Floresha Watkins summed up the event well, saying, “Education is so important to us at Regions and we are happy to support local students and make sure they get a good foundation for learning. We wish all our students a successful 2023-2024 school year!”

Get in on the back-to-school excitement by sending a fun ecard to a student, teacher, colleague or friend.

Originally published on Illumina News Center

The 35th European Congress of Pathology (ECP), taking place September 9–13 in Dublin, Ireland, is a focal point for pathologists from over 100 countries and serves as a platform for the latest advancements in the field.

Illumina is hosting a symposium focusing on the significance of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and the incorporation of rare biomarkers into routine clinical practice. The symposium will delve into the cancer journey, emphasizing the value of CGP in everyday clinical practice and the importance of early testing and treatment for optimal patient care. CGP represents a next-generation sequencing method that employs a single test to evaluate numerous genes, including important cancer biomarkers, which can have implications for patient care. It provides insights into various genetic alterations, including gene fusions, which are a central focus of this year’s symposium.

Dr. Nicole Pfarr, head of the Molecular Pathology Diagnostic Unit at the Technical University of Munich’s Institute of Pathology, is speaking about cancer biomarker identification within a patient’s genomic profile during the seminar Evaluation and Reporting of Complex Biomarkers with Extensive Panels. Pfarr and her team are involved in establishing a national database for genetic information sourced from various molecular tumor boards. She says they have already amassed data from approximately 1500 patients within her university’s database, and they could include 10,000 to 20,000 more records from other molecular tumor boards. This ambitious endeavor is set to make a significant impact on the field of oncology by serving as a substantial dataset to guide treatment decisions.

One crucial aspect of Pfarr’s research is homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) testing, particularly in entities like pancreatic cancer and sarcomas, where her team has discovered high HRD scores. Identifying HRD can be vital in tailoring treatment strategies for patients. Sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy drugs plays a pivotal role in deciding whether a patient should undergo HRD testing.

Ahead of ECP, we spoke with Pfarr about the challenge of evaluating complex biomarkers. “It’s always very difficult to find out which is the right one to target,” she says. “Sometimes we have two mutations or amplification, and then we have the BRCA mutation. We have to figure out which one we should target first.” In two-hour molecular tumor board meetings, Pfarr and her colleagues will discuss anywhere from 10 to 30 cases.

In Germany, she adds, physicians perform many tests up front. Labs that are part of the German Network for Personalized Medicine are about to begin implementing exome and whole-genome sequencing as part of their routine diagnostic, and Pfarr is looking forward to taking on the challenge of finding and interpreting variants. At ECP, she hopes to learn how other health care systems are handling and analyzing a similar volume and type of data.

The task is both immense and critical, but Pfarr always keeps the success stories in mind. She remembers a patient with a polymerase epsilon mutation who had initially been given only a few weeks to live. The patient’s team of specialists found that he had a very high tumor mutational burden and they were able to prescribe a checkpoint inhibitor. “And now, a couple of years later, he’s still alive—and he has small children,” she says. “When the patient is treated with a targeted therapy and he responds very well, and his life is improved, this is what keeps me going. I believe that we can do a lot more for patients to improve their lives.”

Insights from ECP in Dublin will offer a glimpse into the promising future of oncology, where genetic information takes center stage in personalized treatment decisions, and health care professionals are driven by the relentless pursuit of positive patient outcomes.

Originally published on Illumina News Center

The 35th European Congress of Pathology (ECP), taking place September 9–13 in Dublin, Ireland, is a focal point for pathologists from over 100 countries and serves as a platform for the latest advancements in the field.

Illumina is hosting a symposium focusing on the significance of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) and the incorporation of rare biomarkers into routine clinical practice. The symposium will delve into the cancer journey, emphasizing the value of CGP in everyday clinical practice and the importance of early testing and treatment for optimal patient care. CGP represents a next-generation sequencing method that employs a single test to evaluate numerous genes, including important cancer biomarkers, which can have implications for patient care. It provides insights into various genetic alterations, including gene fusions, which are a central focus of this year’s symposium.

Dr. Nicole Pfarr, head of the Molecular Pathology Diagnostic Unit at the Technical University of Munich’s Institute of Pathology, is speaking about cancer biomarker identification within a patient’s genomic profile during the seminar Evaluation and Reporting of Complex Biomarkers with Extensive Panels. Pfarr and her team are involved in establishing a national database for genetic information sourced from various molecular tumor boards. She says they have already amassed data from approximately 1500 patients within her university’s database, and they could include 10,000 to 20,000 more records from other molecular tumor boards. This ambitious endeavor is set to make a significant impact on the field of oncology by serving as a substantial dataset to guide treatment decisions.

One crucial aspect of Pfarr’s research is homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) testing, particularly in entities like pancreatic cancer and sarcomas, where her team has discovered high HRD scores. Identifying HRD can be vital in tailoring treatment strategies for patients. Sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy drugs plays a pivotal role in deciding whether a patient should undergo HRD testing.

Ahead of ECP, we spoke with Pfarr about the challenge of evaluating complex biomarkers. “It’s always very difficult to find out which is the right one to target,” she says. “Sometimes we have two mutations or amplification, and then we have the BRCA mutation. We have to figure out which one we should target first.” In two-hour molecular tumor board meetings, Pfarr and her colleagues will discuss anywhere from 10 to 30 cases.

In Germany, she adds, physicians perform many tests up front. Labs that are part of the German Network for Personalized Medicine are about to begin implementing exome and whole-genome sequencing as part of their routine diagnostic, and Pfarr is looking forward to taking on the challenge of finding and interpreting variants. At ECP, she hopes to learn how other health care systems are handling and analyzing a similar volume and type of data.

The task is both immense and critical, but Pfarr always keeps the success stories in mind. She remembers a patient with a polymerase epsilon mutation who had initially been given only a few weeks to live. The patient’s team of specialists found that he had a very high tumor mutational burden and they were able to prescribe a checkpoint inhibitor. “And now, a couple of years later, he’s still alive—and he has small children,” she says. “When the patient is treated with a targeted therapy and he responds very well, and his life is improved, this is what keeps me going. I believe that we can do a lot more for patients to improve their lives.”

Insights from ECP in Dublin will offer a glimpse into the promising future of oncology, where genetic information takes center stage in personalized treatment decisions, and health care professionals are driven by the relentless pursuit of positive patient outcomes.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

From landscaping and renovating dorms to repaving athletic courts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) around the country are using Retool Your School grant money to improve student life.  

This year, The Home Depot’s Retool Your School (RYS) program granted 36 HBCUs with more than $2 million to enhance their campuses. Camille Tucker shares how they’re making Howard University more sustainable, and Braylin Laster discusses the substantial impact the RYS grants are having at Lane College. 

The Home Depot is committed to strengthening communities and supporting HBCUs. Since 2009, the Retool Your School program has invested millions of dollars and helped fund more than 180 projects benefiting 70% of HBCUs. To learn more and get involved, visit Retool Your School. 

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

Originally published on Built From Scratch

From landscaping and renovating dorms to repaving athletic courts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) around the country are using Retool Your School grant money to improve student life.  

This year, The Home Depot’s Retool Your School (RYS) program granted 36 HBCUs with more than $2 million to enhance their campuses. Camille Tucker shares how they’re making Howard University more sustainable, and Braylin Laster discusses the substantial impact the RYS grants are having at Lane College. 

The Home Depot is committed to strengthening communities and supporting HBCUs. Since 2009, the Retool Your School program has invested millions of dollars and helped fund more than 180 projects benefiting 70% of HBCUs. To learn more and get involved, visit Retool Your School. 

Keep up with all the latest Home Depot news! Subscribe to our bi-weekly news update and get the top Built from Scratch stories delivered straight to your inbox.

September 13, 2023 /3BL/ – Catastrophic flooding caused by Storm Daniel has severely affected eastern Libya. The coastal city of Derna is the hardest hit area after two dams upstream from the town burst under pressure from the floods, causing a trail of devastation, leaving thousands dead and many trapped in their homes.

“Our teams in Libya are ready to support the local Libyan Red Crescent in the distribution of food packages, hygiene kits, and other essential items for 1,000 affected people,” said Dr. Charles E. Owubah, CEO of Action Against Hunger.

Action Against Hunger is partnering with the Libyan Red Crescent to respond to the devastating flooding in the northeast of the country.

According to a spokesperson for the government in eastern Libya, there are 5,300 people dead in Derna, with a further 7,000 injured, 10,000 missing, and 40,000 displaced. Local organizations report an urgent need for food, water, hygiene, sanitation, and basic necessities.

Before the floods, more than 1.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance. For more than a decade, Libya has been experiencing a complex political crisis, resulting in a fractured government. The recent catastrophe will further increase Libya’s humanitarian needs.

Action Against Hunger has launched an emergency appeal to support people affected by the disaster in Libya.

Action Against Hunger in Libya

Action Against Hunger has been working in Libya since 2019 with projects to strengthen the resilience of people affected by the conflict and improve livelihoods for the most vulnerable communities.

The organization is working in rural areas of Tripoli and Sabha, rehabilitating primary health care centers to improve access to primary health care for all. Action Against Hunger is also implementing food security and livelihood projects in Sabha and Ubari. We support vulnerable farmers, especially women, to improve their living conditions through climate-smart farming methods.

September 13, 2023 /3BL/ – Catastrophic flooding caused by Storm Daniel has severely affected eastern Libya. The coastal city of Derna is the hardest hit area after two dams upstream from the town burst under pressure from the floods, causing a trail of devastation, leaving thousands dead and many trapped in their homes.

“Our teams in Libya are ready to support the local Libyan Red Crescent in the distribution of food packages, hygiene kits, and other essential items for 1,000 affected people,” said Dr. Charles E. Owubah, CEO of Action Against Hunger.

Action Against Hunger is partnering with the Libyan Red Crescent to respond to the devastating flooding in the northeast of the country.

According to a spokesperson for the government in eastern Libya, there are 5,300 people dead in Derna, with a further 7,000 injured, 10,000 missing, and 40,000 displaced. Local organizations report an urgent need for food, water, hygiene, sanitation, and basic necessities.

Before the floods, more than 1.5 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance. For more than a decade, Libya has been experiencing a complex political crisis, resulting in a fractured government. The recent catastrophe will further increase Libya’s humanitarian needs.

Action Against Hunger has launched an emergency appeal to support people affected by the disaster in Libya.

Action Against Hunger in Libya

Action Against Hunger has been working in Libya since 2019 with projects to strengthen the resilience of people affected by the conflict and improve livelihoods for the most vulnerable communities.

The organization is working in rural areas of Tripoli and Sabha, rehabilitating primary health care centers to improve access to primary health care for all. Action Against Hunger is also implementing food security and livelihood projects in Sabha and Ubari. We support vulnerable farmers, especially women, to improve their living conditions through climate-smart farming methods.

From coast to coast, teachers and families are preparing for their students to head back to school, and the most important school supply they need is a home Internet connection. Students today rely on the Internet to complete much of their homework – from researching and submitting papers, to completing worksheets, to interacting virtually with their teachers. Yet millions of students and families still lack a home Internet connection.

To help address this, I recently traveled to four cities across the U.S. to meet with local partners and government officials, to advocate for, and support connectivity, initiatives, and to raise awareness for the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides families with a $30/month benefit ($75/month on Tribal lands) toward their Internet bill. Across Portland, Tacoma, Fort Wayne, and Houston, Comcast announced nearly $700,000 in investments, we gave away more than 500 laptops, and we opened two Lift Zones to increase community connectivity. Many of these resources will directly support students as they begin the 2023-2024 school year.

$700K Investments in local organizations in Portland, Tacoma, Fort Wayne, and Houston

Since the ACP ’s launch nearly two years ago, Comcast has been committed to raising awareness about this ambitious funding program, which, when applied to Comcast’s Internet Essentials or Internet Essentials Plus tiers, makes home Internet effectively free. Recently, the ACP passed the tremendous milestone of 20 million households enrolled, a remarkable achievement that we were excited to celebrate. But that leaves nearly 30 million qualified households who are not yet taking advantage of this important benefit.

With millions of college students also headed back to school and moving into dorm rooms and apartments with their roommates, Comcast is offering exclusive deals and spreading the word about ACP eligibility – which includes Pell Grant recipients. The benefit could save students up to $360 a year, making it easier to pay for other necessities like text books and meal plans. We’re also taking this effort on the road with our 2023 Xfinity HBCU Tour, including stops at colleges like Delaware State University and Howard University.

Through Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion commitment to reach tens of millions of people to advance digital equity and economic mobility, my colleagues and I are working all across the country with community partners and local officials to continue to raise awareness about the ACP and empower individuals with the digital skills they need to succeed and thrive.

$1B Commitment to reach tens of millions of people to advance digital equity and economic mobility

By partnering with nonprofit organizations and government at every level, we can support the next generation of students, entrepreneurs, and storytellers, and thereby help pave the way for them to achieve their highest potential and reach unlimited possibilities.

The start of a new school year can be both an exhilarating and stressful time. And, as was made so abundantly clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, unless we help ensure all students are equipped with a home Internet connection, along with devices and digital literacy skills, the digital divide will remain a formidable barrier to achieving educational equity.

Broderick D. Johnson is Executive Vice President, Public Policy and Executive Vice President, Digital Equity for Comcast Corporation.

Originally published in Enbridge’s 2022 Sustainability Report

Enbridge’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program is animated by one fundamental belief: We are better together. We believe having a workforce that closely reflects the communities where we live and work strengthens relationships and helps build trust.

In 2021, we launched our new diversity, equity and accessibility strategy (IDEAS), an enterprise-wide strategy addressing several dimensions of diversity, including ethnicity and race, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation and veteran status.

Our work in 2022 has focused on advancing against the three main goals of IDEAS:

Goals 
Engage and Empower Employees 
Educate and equip people to connect on a personal level, to amplify others, and consciously include.

Embed Equity 
Embed policies, programs and practices that are fair for all and reinforce respect.

Elevate Diverse Talent 
Seek, develop and retain people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives at all levels.

2022 highlights 
Tailored equity strategies. We continue to develop targeted equity action plans focused on specific underrepresented groups. Plans focused on equity for Black and Indigenous team members were already in place before this year; in 2022, we added equity commitments for Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, Middle Eastern/North African/West Asian and multicultural identities, people with disabilities, veterans and 2SLGBTQ+ communities. We sought insight on which groups to emphasize next through a focus group program that engaged more than 1,000 Enbridge employees. Our Employee Resource Groups, composed of members of specific equitydeserving groups and allies, also play an important role in shaping our policies and practices.

Shared commitments, shared responsibility. Accountability for our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program is not limited to our Talent and Inclusion team. Leaders across Enbridge are embracing responsibility for aligning policies and practices in their business units and operational areas with our DEI strategy; some have created dedicated roles to support success specifically in their areas. Our Diversity Dashboard supports transparency and accountability when it comes to representation within teams and at different levels of leadership and responsibility.

Partnership and exchange. We build DEI-focused partnerships designed to share insights and fuel progress within and beyond our organization. Two especially active partnerships in 2022 were our MARC (Men Advocating Real Change) Initiative with Catalyst and WinSETT (Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology). Also this year, our Women at Enbridge Employee Resource Group hosted its first conference, which featured insights from within and beyond Enbridge.

Real conversations. As an informal element of a broader training and development program, we’ve introduced a “Values Moment” (similar to the more common “Safety Moment”) during which participants share perspectives and experiences on DEI-related topics—from personal pronouns and gender identity to the challenges veterans can face transitioning into civilian careers.

Our first inclusion survey: engaging for continued progress 
The work of building a more equitable organization is never finished. As society changes and conversations about identity and inclusion evolve, there’s always more to learn and more to do to create connections across differences and foster a culture where people of many backgrounds and experiences can thrive and contribute.

In 2022, we carried out our first inclusion survey to gain insight into employees’ sense of being included and valued at Enbridge for who they are. This inaugural inclusion survey, distinct from our longerstanding program of employee engagement surveys, establishes a baseline against which we will gauge the efficacy of our efforts to build an inclusive culture.

The inclusion survey asked team members about a range of impressions and experiences related to their workplace, such as whether they feel a sense of belonging, whether they feel treated fairly, and whether they feel able to express their authentic selves at work.

We distilled the results on multiple specific measures, such as those described above, into a single summary score—an Inclusion Index— that will help us gauge our progress as we continue to execute our DEI strategy through 2025 and beyond.

We also conducted data analysis to capture key insights and priorities from specific employee groups—both according to demographic and identity dimensions (i.e. age, gender, ability) and according to workplace roles, such as team members with officebased roles versus those who work in the field.

Awards and recognition

Glassdoor Employees ‘Choice Award

Canada’s Top 100 Employers

Top Employers for Canadians Over 40

In addition to a Catalyst Award (see sidebar), Enbridge was proud to be recognized with several other distinctions connected to our DEI efforts this year. We welcome these acknowledgements of our teams’ successes even as we strive for more progress.

Women Lead Here – Our first appearance on The Globe and Mail’s list of 72 organizations in corporate Canada with best-in-class executive gender diversity.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation Corporate Equality Index – For the third year in a row, Enbridge was named as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.

Bloomberg Gender Equality Index – Our fourth year of recognition for our commitment to equality and advancing women in the workplace. Canada’s Best

Diversity Employers 2022 – Our eighth year of recognition.

A “groundbreaking” commitment to transparency 
Enbridge was honored to have our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts—particularly those focused on gender equity—recognized with a 2022 Catalyst Award. A global nonprofit focused on gender equity, Catalyst summarized the practices that led it to choose Enbridge as one of three winners of this prestigious award in 2022:

“Enbridge’s initiative can be summed up in one word: transparency. … Enbridge shares its Diversity Dashboard with all employees. It gives users the ability to segment the data by job level, functional area, and geography, including trending information on hiring, promotion, and turnover rates. Enbridge further shares its representation goals publicly and reports on progress against them. Within the energy industry, this level of transparency is groundbreaking.”

Our ESG goals 

6% people with disabilities included in our workforce by 2025

Workforce comprised of 40% women by 2025

28% underrepresented ethnic and racial groups in our workforce by 2025

7% workplace representation of U.S. protected veterans by 2025

Read more

A straightforward way for companies to start an emission reduction pathway is to reduce their scope 2 emissions – these are the indirect emissions from the electricity purchased and used by the organisation.

With minor exceptions, energy attribute certificates or EACs should be the go-to instrument by which businesses claim the use of renewable electricity based on clear evidence. Whether you procure your EACs through a power purchase agreement (PPA), a green tariff, or unbundled from the underlying electricity generation, your organisation will need EACs to make a credible claim.

But it’s not as simple as just buying EACs. There are international standards, usage criteria, and other nuances to take into account. This post will help you make sense of these different elements and set you up to buy EACs credibly and effectively.

EACs are the worldwide instrument for reducing electricity-related scope 2 emissions

A single EAC represents the environmental attribute of one MWh (megawatt-hour) of electricity. An EAC can be sold together with the electricity (“bundled”), or separate from the underlying electricity (“unbundled”). As a globally engaged climate solutions company, South Pole can provide you with unbundled EACs.

EACs transfer a green power claim to the owner of the EAC; upon retirement of the EAC, the owner reduces its scope 2 electricity-related emissions. Scope 2 emissions are, in a nutshell, the indirect greenhouse gas emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling.

There are different EAC types (eg. GOs, RECs, I-RECs, TIGRs), depending on the governing standard, but they function similarly. They all have their own tracking systems to eliminate double counting through strict vetting of the flow of electrons and the associated attributes.

EACs are not the same as carbon credits

Unlike with carbon credits, the legitimacy of EACs does not depend on their additionality. An EAC is a claim to have used renewable electricity, not to have created it. Further, while carbon credits help fund global climate action and emission reductions beyond a company’s value chain, EACs translate into a credible emission reduction within a company’s value chain – specifically when it comes to tackling an organisation’s scope 21 electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions. This is enabled by the retirement of EACs combined with the application of an appropriate grid emissions factor (expressed as ‘tonnes of CO2equivalent / MWh’).

Some approaches to buying EACs are better than others

Prospective buyers usually come to South Pole with a host of different questions: Which EACs should I buy? Do geography and period of generation need to be considered? What about technology? Are some EACs better than others? Are EACs impactful?

The answers to these questions play an important role in suggesting the procurement strategy appropriate to each organisation.

To help you navigate the EAC purchase process, we’ve listed some of our top observations on different procurement approaches.

No EACs means no reduction of scope 2 emissions

Unless you’re implementing a major energy efficiency programme (e.g. actually reducing your energy consumption), you’ll need EACs to reduce your scope 2 emissions. Some RE100 members may, however, be able to claim default renewable electricity consumption in markets with highly renewable grids where no market-based instruments exist. To date, this is only possible in Paraguay, Uruguay, and Ethiopia, as defined in RE100s’ Technical Criteria.

Buying EACs with internationally recognised compliance is strongly advised

The purpose of EACs is to enable a legitimate claim to be made about the use of renewable electricity. That legitimacy is derived from international sustainability reporting frameworks and initiatives (further referred as “standards”) such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Disclosure Insight Action (CDP), and RE100. According to their respective objectives, these standards stipulate different criteria for the appropriate use of EACs.

While companies may exercise some discretion in the purchase of EACs, depending on their target ambitions and budget availability, choosing to ignore these recognised criteria may result in claims that are not viewed as fully legitimate by key stakeholders.

In cases where companies have exhaustively tried to apply relevant guidance but external factors are an impediment (e.g. the supply of EACs is limited), they are encouraged to disclose any challenges they have faced transparently and, where possible, advocate for the transition to renewable electricity.

For best practice, stick closely to the the guidance from international standards on market boundary, vintage, and technology type

International standards, like the GHG Protocol, CDP, and RE100, provide clear guidance on the appropriate use of EACs. The three key criteria to understand are (1) market boundary (relating to geography), (2) vintage (relating to time), and (3) technology (solar, wind, hydro, etc.) Depending on the international standard that organisations are following, there might be other EAC criteria that could be relevant, such as the age of the device.

Market Boundry. Companies should buy EACs that were produced in the country or countries where they consume electricity. For example, a company consuming electricity in Colombia should use EACs that were generated in Colombia to claim the use of renewable electricity in Colombia. EACs from a neighbouring country may be cheaper, but Peruvian or Brazilian EACs cannot generally be used to make claims in Colombia. Market boundaries typically match country borders, with a couple of important exceptions. The United States and Canada together form the North American market; most continental European countries form the European market. In other words, an EAC generated in Texas can be used to claim the use of renewable electricity in Alberta; similarly, one generated in Finland can be used in Italy.Vintage. Vintage is defined as the period of energy generation during which the EAC was produced. Organisations are encouraged to follow the vintage criteria that are specific to the EAC scheme from which they’re buying. For example, Green-e® Energy requires that sales which are made in a given calendar year must be generated within the 12 months of that calendar year, the six months before the calendar year began, or the three months after the calendar year ended. Recognising that the regulations of all markets and EAC types are different, organisations are encouraged to match their consumption period to the EAC vintage and consider Green-e guidelines as best practice. For example, a company that consumed electricity in 2023 should use EACs that were generated during 2023 (or as close as possible to that year, i.e. in the second half of 2022 or the first quarter of 2024). When requesting an EAC quote, companies should bear in mind that older vintages (e.g. from the second half of the previous year) represent a more cost-effective option which still complies with the vintage criteria.Technology selection. Common technologies include solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. The selection of the technology has an important effect on cost: currently, solar and wind EACs tend to be the most expensive. Companies may consider this when budgeting for EAC procurement. It is also important to note that some standards only recognise certain technologies to make renewable claims or may only accept them if their sustainability is certified. For example, RE100 does not recognise nuclear energy as an energy resource that can be used to meet an RE100 target. Similarly, RE100 only recognises renewable electricity generated from biomass and hydropower that is also sustainable.

High-quality EACs can drive more impact

Some EAC consumers may prefer to distinguish themselves by going above and beyond the minimum international guidelines. Typically, this means driving substantial impact with their EAC purchases.

One way to do this is to source EACs with sustainability labels, e.g. the EKOEnergy label. This label allocates a portion of revenue to funding new renewable energy projects in developing countries. South Pole won the EKOenergy’s Oak Award in 2021 and 2022 for selling the largest volumes of EKOenergy in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

D-RECs are another high-impact EAC type that certifies the generation of small-scale distributed renewable energy in developing regions. The D-REC Initiative, which stands behind the standard, is a not-for-profit, multi-stakeholder, industry-led organisation. South Pole is part of the D-REC secretariat that developed the EAC type. Issued via the I-REC Standard, who have supported the development of the product, D-RECs help to increase the number of projects available from which to purchase EACs in developing countries and emerging markets by connecting small-scale projects to environmental markets, often for the first time.

D-REC EACs are available in markets across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Some examples of D-REC programmes to date include the certification of renewable energy generated by solar irrigation pumps on rural smallholder farms in India, replacing the use of polluting diesel-powered pumps, and a rural electrification programme powering more than 1,000 previously powerless households in Haiti via solar mesh-grid technology.

How can you go further? Matching EACs on an hourly (rather than annual) basis

The use of EACs is evolving. Increasingly, some organisations prefer to match EACs to their consumption on an hourly, rather than annual, basis. This accounts for the fact that energy generation at certain hours of the day (for example, the so-called “shoulder hours” when the sun has gone down but the wind hasn’t started blowing yet) are more valuable.

Hourly matching (sometimes also referred to as “24/7”) requires more granular tracking at the time of generation and consumption. Specifically, it requires that EACs be time-stamped specific to their hour of generation and that this is used to match the hours of consumption.

While 24/7 matching is certainly the next step for enhancing current practices in electricity procurement, it should be highlighted that it may not be a feasible option for all industries and markets.

South Pole has an impact-driven mission to make hourly matching possible and has recently invested in Renewabl, a platform specialising in the procurement of hourly-matched EACs.

Market changes

South Pole strongly recommends that corporations keep abreast of changing guidelines and regulations around the use of EACs.

Our dedicated Renewable Energy Solutions team can help you navigate EAC market complexity. We’re here to support you with your renewable electricity roadmap development and implementation.

Here are a few additional sources you may consider to keep up to date:

RE100 criteriaThe GHG Protocol is in a consultation process to assess the need for GHG Protocol Corporate Standards and Guidance Updates. This includes the scope 2 guidance. Findings from the scope 2 survey can be found here.