Tag: 3BL

In today’s competitive job market, where talent acquisition and retention have become paramount for organizations, effective communication of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives is key. While many companies rightfully focus on external stakeholders, such as investors and customers, it is equally important to engage and inspire employees and job seekers with your ESG story. By effectively communicating your organization’s ESG efforts, you can cultivate a sense of purpose, attract top talent, and motivate employees to contribute to a sustainable future.

Attracting Job Seekers:

In an increasingly conscious society, job seekers are looking for employers whose values align with their own. This is especially true for younger generations, who now make up the lion’s share of all job seekers. Communicating your organization’s ESG initiatives during the recruitment process is crucial for attracting top talent. By showcasing your commitment to sustainability, diversity and inclusion, ethical business practices, and community engagement, you differentiate your organization as a desirable employer.

ESG storytelling can be incorporated into job descriptions, career websites, and recruitment campaigns to highlight your organization’s positive impact and attract candidates who are passionate about making a difference.

3BL has revolutionized how ESG stories are shared with key stakeholders, like prospective employees. By placing our client’s content on LinkedIn, as well as sustainability focused resources like Acre, Net Impact, Climate Change Jobs, Social Good Jobs and others, 3BL allows you to share your ESG progress with prospective employees who are motivated to join organizations where they can contribute to both the success of the business and deliver societal benefits.

Engaging & Motivating Current Employees:

Who doesn’t want to feel as though their hard work is contributing to the success of their organization and the greater good? Engaging employees with your ESG storytelling fosters a sense of pride and belonging, leading to increased loyalty and productivity. This can also serve as a powerful motivator, inspiring employees to actively contribute to your organization’s sustainability goals.

Regularly sharing success stories and positive outcomes, publicly recognizing employee contributions, and providing opportunities for involvement in ESG initiatives promotes a sense of purpose, boosting employee engagement and satisfaction. As a result, employees who align with your organizational values and mission are more likely to remain committed to the organization, reducing turnover rates and associated costs.

3BL can connect your ESG content to your employees via internal channels, like a custom ESG news feed on your intranet, as well as external channels by publishing content through our distribution network which takes an outside-in approach to reaching this vital audience.

If you are interested in becoming a 3BL distribution partner, please contact Brian Letts, VP of ESG Programs, at BLetts@3BLMedia.com.

About 3BL:

3BL’s unrivaled distribution platform distributes sustainability and corporate responsibility content from hundreds of leading purpose-driven brands to a global audience of stakeholders including investors, media, policymakers, corporate leaders, consumers, employees, job seekers and ratings & rankings agencies. For more information, please visit www.3blmedia.com.

Deltares, a non-profit research organization based in the Netherlands, teamed up with IBM to enhance and expand the reach of its Aquality app: a tech solution that helps farmers monitor nitrate levels and give insights into nutrient losses and local water quality. This app, originally created by Deltares, is free for users and can help farmers improve water quality, protect biodiversity, save on fertilizer costs and make farming practices more sustainable.

Deltares joined the IBM Sustainability Accelerator to implement a new user interface designed to make the app more accessible for farmers, add more value to the user, and increase adoption. After completing the first phase with the IBM Garage, a new version of the app will become available in the next few months with enhanced user experience, measurement recording and information sharing capabilities.

This solution is being developed to support farmers with the intention of using IBM technology, such as artificial intelligence, to provide an easy and accessible platform to engage with other farmers and to share water quality knowledge with communities.

The global Aquality app user community currently consists of over 600 active users and thousands of direct beneficiaries, in particular in the Netherlands. For example, measurements from the App inform environmental monitoring and management efforts in the provinces of Limburg and Zeeland. Further, the App is now being piloted by users in Denmark, France, South Africa and the United States, which provides an opportunity to continue testing the app with more farmers to increase awareness and address a greater variety of needs.

To help protect our environment and aid farmers around the world, utilizing sustainable agriculture systems is critical. This project is a great example of how technology and partnerships can help solve some of the most urgent environmental challenges.

Learn more about the Aquality app

Apply to the 3rd Cohort by 5/31

Corporate volunteerism is the concept that businesses should dedicate time, resources, and skill sets to people and nonprofits in need. It’s a simple idea when stated as such, but it’s a part of a larger shift happening in the early 2020s where companies come to terms with their role in society.

One example is Google.org’s fellowship program, where Google employees are given the opportunity to work full time pro bono for up to six months to help a nonprofit like the Family Independence Initiative. Out of this fellowship program comes software and machine learning capabilities that these nonprofits would not otherwise have access to (listen to Jen Carter, global head of technology & volunteering at Google.org, speak about this program and more at the 2022 Impact Studio conference).

Volunteerism of this kind is a part of a shift towards stakeholder capitalism, where companies shift their focus from providing returns to shareholders (which is called shareholder capitalism) towards considering how they impact their communities and society. In shifting their focus, companies are increasingly realizing they have significant resources that can make a world of difference for nonprofits.

And you don’t have to be the size of Google to make such a difference. Corporate volunteerism is easier to get started than you might think.

What is corporate volunteerism?

Corporate volunteerism initiatives provide employees with resources to volunteer their time and even their expertise to nonprofits and charities. These initiatives can take many forms, from one-time projects to ongoing company programs.

Corporate volunteer programs, often called employee volunteer programs, are usually a core pillar of a company’s broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. A company’s CSR program can include grantmaking, scholarship, and giving and matching programs alongside volunteering.

In today’s business climate, a CSR strategy isn’t just an option — it’s a necessity. PWC’s 2022 report reveals that 65% of people want to work for a company with a powerful social conscience. Further, 73% of customers want companies to help society and the environment.

Both employees and customers expect companies to have CSR programs, like corporate volunteerism, in place. Without them, it’s more difficult to attract and retain employees. And consumers turn to competitors who make CSR programs a core part of their brand and purpose.

What are the benefits of an employee volunteer program?

Research shows that employee volunteerism is a worthwhile investment for most businesses. The benefits of employee volunteer programs include improved employee satisfaction, increased brand reputation, more effective talent recruitment, and much more.

All of which are great benefits, but it’s important to note that they’re all a result of the end goal of corporate volunteerism: helping people in need. A corporate volunteer program is not a box to check. It’s a commitment to a deeper purpose. Out of that purpose comes the following benefits.

Improved employee health and well-being. 

According to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volunteering improves self-reported employee health and “higher levels of engagement and satisfaction” in their jobs.

Increased employee engagement. 

Studies show employees feel pride when their employers offer volunteer opportunities, regardless of whether they participate. A 2021 study revealed that 96% of companies say employees who volunteer are more engaged.

Improved morale and perception of the working environment. 

According to a Deloitte survey, more than 70% of surveyed employees say volunteering boosts enthusiasm more than happy hours. And 89% think organizations that sponsor volunteer activities offer a better working environment.

Enriched professional development opportunities.

HR professionals agree that volunteering improves employees’ skills, and 80% say active volunteers get promoted faster.

Improved brand reputation and trust.

According to research on community engagement, building long-term community relationships is vital in developing trust. Likewise, 94% of consumers say it’s essential that the companies they engage with have a strong purpose.

Increased sustainable revenue. 

According to a Gallup poll, companies with high employee engagement are 18% more productive and 23% more profitable.

Higher employee retention. 

A survey found that 83% of respondents (up from the 70% U.S. average) would be more loyal to an organization that supports social and environmental causes. Gallup’s survey also found that companies with engaged employees have up to a 43% lower turnover rate.

How much does it cost to run an employee volunteer program?

According to Realized Worth, employee volunteer programs cost an average of $179 per employee, regardless of participation rates. If you count only employees who participate in the program, the average cost is $416 per employee participant.

While this is a significant jump, the many benefits often outweigh the cost of a corporate volunteer program. One example we explored above employee retention. Let’s do some math.

The average cost of an employee’s departure is 30% of their salary. This equates to approximately $15,000 per employee based on an average salary. (source)A positive brand perception, which a volunteer program contributes to, reduces employee turnover by 28%. (source)In 2021, the national average turnover rate is 57.3%. (source)This means a 1,000-person company with a positive brand perception due to their employee volunteer program could potentially expect a 16% reduction in turnover rate (assuming average turnover rate), or 160 employees.

This all equates to about $240,000 saved in employee retention alone.

This math is all hypothetical, so you are unlikely to see numbers this concrete on the other end. Much of the results you see will likely be a more anecdotal “rising tide lifts all boats” situation, where valuable employees stick around, and when you need to replace them, highly qualified candidates apply.

How are corporate volunteer programs structured?

Corporations can structure corporate volunteerism in several ways. A few of the most common types include:

Direct service. Volunteers work with beneficiaries they’re helping, such as serving meals or building homes.Indirect service. Employees volunteer without interacting with beneficiaries, such as preparing care packages.Team volunteering. Volunteers work together to benefit a cause, boosting participation and morale.Skills-based volunteering. Employees use their skills and experience to support nonprofits by providing pro bono work or services.

Skills-based volunteering increasingly attracts large numbers of volunteers. In 2021, PwC launched a skills-based volunteering program, offering employees 40 hours of paid vacation time. Pro bono services increased by 20%, while services to social justice grew by 30%. Moreover, 95% of employees felt they made a positive impact, and nearly two-thirds felt fulfilled.

Virtual volunteering is providing new possibilities for corporate volunteerism programs as well. The Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose (CECP) 2022 Giving in Numbers report shows that 83% of companies now offer virtual volunteering as hybrid and remote work policies increase.

Volunteering can take many forms and rely on many different types of giving. A good volunteer management software makes it simple for employees to find programs, sign up, and track their participation.

Make corporate volunteerism a part of your company’s future

In the future, more companies will develop corporate volunteering programs to engage their employees in CSR. The best programs will involve employees and adopt new technologies to facilitate corporate volunteerism opportunities.

If you’re looking to get started with corporate volunteerism, book a call with us to learn how Submittable can help you launch and manage the right volunteer program for your company.

The Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) is a collaborative network that promotes energy efficiency in the Midwest. MEEA annually recognizes energy efficiency leaders through its “Inspiring Efficiency Awards.” Leidos and customer Ameren Illinois were recognized with a record four awards at MEEA’s 19th annual event, which was held in early 2023. This outstanding achievement underscores Ameren Illinois’ commitment to delivering innovative and engaging energy efficiency solutions.

2023 MARKETING AWARD – AMEREN ILLINOIS & PEORIA GUILD OF BLACK ARTISTS

The Inspiring Efficiency through Education Award is presented to an organization that has engaged in or supported a successful marketing campaign to increase participation in energy efficiency.

A partnership between Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program and the Peoria Guild of Black Artists (PGOBA) provides energy efficiency education and resources to Black communities in the Ameren Illinois service territory. This collaboration is designed to reach customers in an accessible and relatable manner to show that energy efficiency is possible for everyone. The organizations launched a marketing and outreach approach to Ameren Illinois customers. PGOBA and Ameren Illinois are executing artwork, dynamic visuals, and relevant messaging to communicate to a diverse customer base. As an example, in 2021 PGOBA created murals in Peoria, IL, as a creative spark to encourage people to think about energy efficiency in new ways.

2023 LEADERSHIP AWARD – AMEREN ILLINOIS & SENIOR SERVICES PLUS

The Inspiring Efficiency Leadership Award is presented to the organization that has served as a strong leader in support of energy efficiency in their community.

Senior Services Plus, Inc. (SSP) in Alton, IL, is a nonprofit agency established to help enrich the lives of older adults through programs and services that encourage independent living and wellness. In collaboration with the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program and Leidos, SSP offers no-cost energy efficiency installations to at-risk senior citizens in southern Illinois. After the installation of energy-saving products, SSP staff take the time to educate seniors on how to best utilize their new equipment, so they get the best energy savings possible. In addition to at-home education for the residents, SSP opened an energy efficiency room in their facility dedicated to teaching seniors the benefits of energy efficiency products.

2023 RISING STAR AWARD – ANGIE OSTASZEWSKI

The Inspiring Efficiency Rising Star Award is presented to an individual who has served as a strong leader in support of energy efficiency in their community.

As an Energy Efficiency Consultant at Ameren Illinois, Angie Ostaszewski is always looking for ways to improve. She has a passion for challenging the status quo and empowering people – especially regarding diversity and inclusion in the workspace and the community. From Ameren Illinois’ one-of-a-kind Market Development Initiative to an accessibility pilot project, Angie plays a key role in taking Ameren Illinois’ Energy Efficiency Program into innovative new directions.

2023 CHAMPION AWARD – KRISTOL SIMMS

The Inspiring Efficiency Champion Award is presented to an individual who successfully took actions to ensure all communities are able to take advantage of the benefits of energy efficiency.

Kristol Simms is leading the charge to make energy efficiency more equitable. As Vice President, Clean Energy Transition, Economic, Community, and Business Development at Ameren Illinois, she designs and implements the company’s Market Development Initiative (MDI) to serve low- and moderate-income customers in a meaningful way. The efforts put forth by Kristol and her team are helping improve quality of life by empowering residents and businesses in underserved communities to save energy and money. She also brings passion and valuable insight to industry organizations that promote energy efficiency.

Through these award-winning initiatives and inspiring individuals, Ameren Illinois and Leidos have successfully engaged customers and communities across Central and Southern Illinois with energy efficiency offerings. In 2022, Ameren Illinois supported projects that will save customers over $39 million in energy costs annually. Learn more about Leidos and our tailored energy efficiency solutions and services.

SINGAPORE, May 22, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Following an earlier announcement by the EU Parliament in April, the European Union Council announced yesterday it had adopted the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that aims to minimise the risk of deforestation and forest degradation associated with products placed on or exported from the EU market.

The European Union’s ambition behind the regulation, part of the more ambitious and visionary European Green Deal, is commendable.

To achieve the goals of the European Green Deal, implementing the regulation will require genuine engagement with producing countries, in particular, to leave “no one and no place behind”. Smallholder farmers are not a “deforestation risk” for the EU, yet they may not have the means to demonstrate their compliance. They may have land rights but no land titles and no farm maps to prove compliance. They are now at risk of being left behind.

As one of its many stakeholders, Musim Mas accepts the EUDR and sees it as an opportunity for Indonesia and the European Union to develop mutually beneficial implementation measures. The ambition behind the European Green Deal, Indonesia’s vision of sustainable growth and our commitments are based on the same principles.

Involved in every step of the supply chain, from independent smallholders to the consumer products on supermarket shelves, Musim Mas hopes that all parties can find common ground where objectives overlap or goals are aligned.

As a palm oil company deeply vested in the success of Indonesia’s independent smallholders and the concerns of consumers worldwide, we hope that parties at all levels will consider the needs and potential of Indonesia’s independent smallholders and that allocating the right resources can make EUDR a shared success.

Musim Mas Contact Details
Email: communications@musimmas.com

As we look at the world today, it is clear that the pace of change has increased. Gone are the days when we could experience periods of stability between disruptions. Now, change is perpetual, pervasive, and exponential. This has led to a pressing need to build systems, organizations, and a society that can meet the changing needs of our ecosystem and stakeholders today and into the future.

However, despite the exponential change we are experiencing, our institutions continue to evolve linearly. Even the most forward-thinking organizations tend to evolve incrementally, which has resulted in the creation of what Azheem Azhar coined the “exponential gap,” which is the increasingly widening gap between incremental improvements and the exponential change the world is experiencing. This gap is a multifaceted problem because it’s not just digital technology that’s changing exponentially; it’s bio-science, manufacturing, material science, artificial intelligence, our political landscape, climate change adaptation strategies, and our environment. Any one of these fields would be challenging to adapt to, but addressing them together feels near impossible. As a result, it requires diverse, divergent, and collaborative approaches to create adaptive environments which promote agility when addressing organizational change.

Traditional Change Management

Traditional change management practices are centrally controlled and rely heavily on time-consuming and rigid planning, which worked fine before the year 2000 when the rate of change was still somewhat manageable. But with each passing year, planning-heavy centrally controlled change management practices produce results that are often less than relevant by the time they are half instituted.

When we rely solely on traditional change management practices, we run the risk of falling behind. To stay ahead of the curve, we need to explore new solutions focusing less on planning and more on just-in-time proactivity. In addition, we need solutions to be more distributive yet accountable.

Coordinated Autonomy Model

A possible solution is to move away from a centrally controlled hierarchy where time-sensitive decisions get bogged down through multiple levels of corporate bureaucracy. Instead, we could explore a variety of models that emphasize coordinated autonomy which allows teams and departments the nimbleness needed to be proactive while still ensuring coordination with others and compliance with requirements. This would enable us to navigate changes more efficiently while promoting accountability and compliance.

At the heart of this solution is coordinated autonomy, which involves empowering teams and departments to take ownership of the change management process at a granular level. By doing so, they can become more proactive in addressing issues as they arise rather than waiting for directives from above. This would help eliminate the lag time between identifying and addressing a problem, which is essential in a world facing the exponential gap.

Of course, this idea has its challenges. Coordinated autonomy requires trust, collaboration, and practice, often needing improvement in hierarchical organizations. Additionally, there is a risk that teams may become too siloed or even rogue leading to a lack of coordination and accountability. And as we look at multinational organizations globally, there will be a significant variance in how hierarchy and change management is addressed with cultural nuances and differing authority styles.

However, if we can find a way to overcome these challenges, coordinated autonomy can transform how we manage change within our organizations. By giving teams and departments the autonomy to address issues proactively, we can ensure that our organizations remain agile and adaptable to pervasive, exponential change.

The Starfish and the Spider by Ori Braufman illustrates the distinction between a traditional hierarchical organization model and a coordinated autonomy model. At a distance, a starfish and a spider appear to have a similar structure, with multiple appendages extending outwards from a central body. However, a spider has a central nervous system, while a starfish is a collection of individual autonomous cells working together for a common goal. The rise of the internet demonstrated the power of a networked model versus a centrally controlled model, but how can we apply this to our organizations?

Policy Governance Model

Policy Governance, a governance model created and managed by the Caver Institute, is a relatively obscure approach designed for the Board of Directors – CEO relationship and may provide insights into how we can encourage creativity, proactivity, and autonomy while maintaining accountability throughout an organization. The Policy Governance model comprises three main components: Goals, Limitations, and Processes.

Goals establish a long-term perspective and embody the vision and reason for the organization’s existence. They define what needs to be accomplished, for whom, and at what cost.Limitations are policies that cannot be broken to achieve the identified goals. They provide boundaries of acceptability within which staff methods and activities can responsibly be left to staff. These policies limit how goals get achieved.Process policies determine how authority is delegated, how performance is evaluated relative to goals and limitations, and how decisions are made.

While there is more to the Policy Governance model, the core principles create an environment where staff is given direction, limitations on achieving it, and a process for evaluation. The key feature of this model is the freedom offered to staff in that any action they choose to achieve the desired goals that do not violate a Limitation is permitted by default. When done well, it cuts through most bureaucratic review and approval processes. This creates a permissive environment that nurtures the creativity of individuals and teams to move fast and try new things.

For a practical example, Jocko Willink, a Navy SEAL and executive consultant, discusses a similar approach using different terms in his book Extreme Ownership. In his model, the higher-ups set the mission goal and delegate authority to a seal team leader. Still, the leader and their team members have the authority to make all necessary tactical decisions. He argues that this makes for a stronger team and a chance of success because of a coordinated autonomy approach.

This model has been on my mind since I helped our local food cooperative transition to it 20 years ago and saw the transformation it brought to a small organization. Since then, I have worked in state and local government, witnessing opportunities missed and employees becoming disenfranchised from the organization’s mission because of bureaucratic processes. Adapting this model outside of Carver’s intent and throughout our organizations could be a solution to addressing the exponential gap.

The Policy Governance model and the ideas presented here could offer potential solutions. For example, organizations can move away from hierarchical structures and create truly adaptive environments by setting clear goals, establishing limitations on achieving them, and empowering staff with the authority to make tactical decisions. The result is a permissive, creative culture that fosters experimentation, innovation, and calculated risk-taking. While it is not a guaranteed solution, it is an idea worth considering as we strive to build organizations that can meet the accelerating demands of our world.

Creating Agile, Innovative Workplaces

Enabling an innovative work environment that allows for risk-taking to reach ambitious global goals set for a sustainable, equitable future is crucial. As we think about the many global topics multinational clients face around biodiversity, energy transition, carbon neutrality, human rights, and more, outdated, slow models of change should not hold us back. Instead, allowing creativity in how individuals and teams steer change through real agility from within organizations will get us much farther, much quicker.

While the exponential gap continues to widen, there is hope for organizations willing to explore new solutions to the challenges they face. By moving away from traditional change management practices and embracing coordinated autonomy through adjacent models like policy governance, we can create more agile, adaptable organizations that are better equipped to meet the changing needs of our stakeholders. This is a challenging path, but it is also an exciting one that could reward those willing to walk it.

Inogen Alliance is a global network made up of dozens of independent local businesses and over 5,000 consultants around the world who can help make your project a success. Our Associates collaborate closely to serve multinational corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, and we share knowledge and industry experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients. If you want to learn more about how you can work with Inogen Alliance, you can explore our Associates or Contact Us. Watch for more News & Blog updates here and follow us on LinkedIn

Guest Author:

Jason Schneider, Altruistic Mischief Maker with Civic* Possible

Jason works with local governments, nonprofits, and public-private partnerships to innovate and do impactful work for their communities. His strength is working across disciplines, silos, and ideologies to identify opportunities and then facilitate, plan, and build collective solutions. Real change starts from the ground up and is created by those directly involved. Jason has created meaningful change in a broad range of roles over two decades, including Marquette City Councilor, Alaska’s Innovation Officer, Marion County’s Economic Development Manager, Executive Director of the Marquette Chamber of Commerce, and business/organizational coach in Michigan, Tonga, Vietnam, and Australia. Through these experiences, he developed a deep curiosity and skill set around civic ecosystems and a passion not only for sharing these lessons but also for helping others create meaningful change.

Originally published by TriplePundit

When you think about vehicle innovations that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the internal combustion engine is likely the last thing on your mind. But New Holland Agriculture recently launched a new tractor onto the market that utilizes just such a powertrain. And though counterintuitive, the tractor offers the possibility to tap into an enormous opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and power carbon-neutral farming.

That’s because the company’s new tractor, the T6.180 Methane Power, does not run on diesel, but instead, as its name implies, is powered by methane. More importantly, the opportunity to power the tractor with bio-methane — which can be sourced from organic waste produced on the farm in a closed-loop system — provides a compelling opportunity for energy self-sufficiency.

It’s an important development in emissions reduction, which for New Holland has been close to two decades in the making. The company first looked toward carbon savings back in 2006 under its Clean Energy Leader initiative. Initially, this focused on efforts to make New Holland tractors capable of running on biodiesel, which the company achieved in 2007.

Though a good first pass, Mark Howell, New Holland’s global product manager of alternative fuels, and his team wanted to take things further and asked themselves: What about a product that creates no emissions at all?

The journey toward a zero-emissions tractor begins

This refocused efforts on hydrogen fuel cell technology initially, but in the process, limitations came to light on the availability of hydrogen and associated vehicle costs.

Instead, farmers were looking for something more near-term as a workable solution — which pivoted New Holland to develop a tractor that could run on methane. After several iterations over the past decade, the company developed the T6.180 Methane Power concept tractor, which won the sustainable tractor of the year award in 2019.

Methane is the key component of natural gas, a fossil fuel. And while the T6.180 can run on compressed natural gas (CNG) that, of course, is not what unlocks the tractor’s environmental opportunity.

“Turning waste into a commodity,” as Howell describes it, is where greenhouse gas reduction comes into play. And farms generate a lot of organic waste that has to be dealt with one way or another. If animal manure and other organic waste generated on the farm is left to decompose open to the elements, it results in the release of methane which vents directly into the atmosphere.

Turning waste into resource on the farm

The waste-to-commodity value chain begins when farmers instead collect and processes this waste through an anaerobic digester (AD). Containing the waste within a digester and allowing it to decompose without oxygen (that is, anaerobically) results in the production of methane, which can be captured, refined, compressed and used to power the T6.180 tractor.

Of course, there is some specialized capital equipment that farmers would need to harness this energy. AD technology is not new, and many large industrial farms in the United States already use large-scale digesters. The good news is that AD technology is always improving such that the necessary scale of operation is constantly being reduced. This means much smaller and cheaper AD projects are becoming viable, unlocking the potential for smaller family-owned farms to operate a closed-loop system for methane production.

To put that in context, any farm with 100 to 900 cows can utilize the technology and capture their own gas from the waste they generate, Howell explained. Alternatively, a number of smaller farms can form co-ops to capture enough waste collectively to generate their own methane. “Farmers can share the gas cleanup equipment because it’s mobile,” Howell told us. “It’s not much bigger than a grain trailer.”

Scaling the journey to carbon-neutral farming

New Holland recognizes the opportunity for unlocking this potential. In early 2023, its parent company CNH Industrial took a majority stake in Bennamann, a U.K.-based company that specializes in small-scale AD projects. In partnership, New Holland and Bennamann are able to provide a turnkey operation for a carbon-neutral, or even carbon-negative, solution for farmers to operate the T6.180 Methane Power tractor.

In light of rising diesel and natural gas prices, setting up a digester project can instead lock in predictable fuel pricing over time, and any investments the farmer has to make will pay back within 8 years, Howell said.

It’s a systems thinking approach. As well as running carbon-neutral tractors, farmers might also produce enough methane to run their own power generators on the farm. Alternatively, excess refined methane can be injected into the local power grid.

Further, the solids that are periodically removed from the ADs after organic matter has decomposed — called digestate — constitute a high-quality organic fertilizer which can be used on the land. “The fertilizer is as good a fertilizer as the manure that went into the digester,” Howell told us. “It hasn’t degraded in nitrogen, phosphate or potash.” The digestate is also much easier to spread on the land than raw manure, while bio-CO2, an increasingly valuable output, is also produced by on-farm AD systems.

When bio-methane is used for fuel, the T6.180 methane-powered tractor can seamlessly replace the existing duty of a conventional diesel-powered one.

New Holland mapped the power and torque of the T6.180 to replicate exactly the same performance characteristics as its existing diesel engine. Also, since it takes just seven minutes to fully replenish the methane fuel tanks, downtime during the work day isn’t significantly different from a diesel tractor, either. “From a driver’s point of view, you can jump from a diesel to the gas tractor, and just drive and get on with your job,” Howell said.

Beyond the farm

The tractor has multiple applications beyond farming too, such as hedge cutting, lawn mowing and even snow clearing — all of which can be fueled by bio-methane.

New Holland’s T6.180 Methane Power tractor also has the seal of approval from Charlotte Morton, CEO of the World Biogas Association. “I love the circularity around the fuel being generated from organic waste on the farm,” she told us. “It’s such a wonderful story.”

Morton also stressed that harnessing bio-methane is a massive opportunity, explaining that if we were to capture this gas from all available organic wastes globally, “the potential that’s there is roughly equivalent to one-third of today’s natural gas demand.” At today’s prices, that equates to roughly $104 billion.

The solution comes to market at an apt time: Under the Global Methane Pledge, signed by over 100 countries, the aim to reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels is just seven years away. Consequently, the waste-to-value opportunity in upgrading farm waste to fuel, coupled with the New Holland T6.180 Methane Power tractor, meshes perfectly with this urgent goal.

This article series is sponsored by CNH Industrial and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

Image courtesy of New Holland Agriculture

Originally published in GoDaddy’s 2022 Diversity and Pay Parity Annual Report

Representation

Teams comprised of people with different identities, backgrounds and experiences attract and retain more diverse talent, build better products and services, help inspire customer loyalty, and enable collaboration and innovation. Beyond that, valuing diversity is good for everyone.

We’re committed to continually increasing representation of those who have been historically underrepresented in the workplace.

We’ve made progress over the years, and we’ll keep pushing to make GoDaddy representative of all our customers and communities.

2022 Global Gender Diversity

In 2022, women represent 30% of GoDaddy’s global workforce. When these positions are placed into categories — leadership, tech and non-tech — the numbers stay flat apart from the leadership group, which decreases by 1%. Recruiting and retaining female leadership remains a key goal and priority. This is also our first year of being able to report on employees who identify as non-binary. Non-binary employees currently represent 0.3% of our workforce population.

Representation Data — Gender

All Company:

Women 2022: 30%Women 2021: 31%

Leaders (Directors +):

Women 2022: 32%Women 2021: 33%

Technical Roles:

Women 2022: 21%Women 2021: 21%

Non-Tech Roles

Women 2022: 38%Women 2021: 38%

Non-Binary

Women 2022: .3%Women 2021: N/A

2022 U.S. Ethnic Diversity

Across GoDaddy’s U.S. team, 37% of employees are people of color. That’s up 1% from 2021 and 5% since we began reporting this data in 2017. When looking at leadership roles, 31% of GoDaddy’s U.S. workforce are people of color, which is up 4% from 2021 and up 7% in leadership of color representation overall over the past two years. The percentage of people of color in technical vs. non-technical roles remains flat since last year.

Representation Data — U.S. Race/ Ethnicity

All Company:

People of color 2022: 37%People of color 2021: 36%

Leaders (Directors +):

People of color 2022: 31%People of color 2021: 27%

Technical Roles:

People of color 2022: 40%People of color 2021: 40%

Non-Tech Roles

People of color 2022: 34%People of color 2021: 34%

2022 U.S. Race/Ethnicity

The graph above breaks down our 37% employees of color by ethnicity in the U.S. There is a 0.8% increase of Black employees and 1.5% increase of Asian American employees. Hispanic or Latino/a/x employees decrease by 1% and multiracial employees fall by 0.8%. All other groups remain flat.

We recognize that ethnicity and race are not one and the same, and we are working to improve our data collection to better understand and report our representation more comprehensively.

A Closer Look at Representation Data — U.S. Race/Ethnicity

4.6% Undeclared 4.5% Multiracial 0.4% Pacific Islander 10.8% Hispanic or Latino/a/x5.2% Black15.3% Asian 0.7% American Indian58.5% White

Promotion Parity

When we shared our first pay parity analysis in 2015, it showed that while women and men were paid at parity for similar roles, women weren’t advancing in all positions at the same rate as their male counterparts. This finding led us to create a process to proactively identify qualified employees who should be considered for promotion. The initiative immediately impacted and continues to enable our ability to support the career advancement of all employees, while mitigating the potential effects of bias through the process.

We also partnered with Stanford’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab to create company-wide processes that reduce variance in performance assessments between demographic groups. In addition, our total rewards programs tightly align with performance assessments; the net impact is that our best performers achieve peak evaluations and rewards no matter how they self-identify.

Visit GoDaddy’s 2022 Sustainability Report for more information on related efforts to mitigate unconscious bias and enable equity across all phases of our talent management processes.

The journey continues.

It’s been eight years since we started studying diversity and inclusion data at GoDaddy. We’ve come a long way in that time, and we are incredibly proud of our achievements. We know, however, there isn’t an endpoint. We’ll keep setting aggressive goals and holding ourselves accountable to meeting them.

Our customers – entrepreneurs from all walks of life – should be reflected in the diversity of our workforce, demonstrating our dedication to creating a culture of equal opportunity and supporting customers who help our communities thrive. The more voices and representation we have at GoDaddy, the more we can reach and empower entrepreneurs around the world to pursue and achieve their dreams.

Please read our 2022 Diversity and Pay Parity Annual Report for more information.

Originally Published in Bloomberg’s 2022 Impact Report

Bloomberg strives to decouple company growth from environmental impact while increasing the efficiency and resiliency of our operations. Our environmental performance targets are aligned with multinational efforts to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and avoid catastrophic climate change.

Carbon emissions reductions and targets. 

We’re pursuing aggressive emissions reductions in line with best practices. Bloomberg is committed to reducing the company’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with a 1.5°C future. Our near-term science-based targets aim for an 80 percent reduction in our absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 30 percent reduction in our absolute Scope 3 emissions by 2030 from a 2018 baseline. These targets have been validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), confirming that they are in line with the global emissions reductions necessary to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

Our targets build on previous commitments we’ve made, including our RE100 pledge to obtain 100 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Achieving our RE100 objective will satisfy the 80 percent reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions we are pursuing.

In early 2023, SBTi also validated Bloomberg’s overall science-based net-zero target to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across our value chain by 2040 from a 2018 base year, which includes long-term absolute emissions reduction targets of 90 percent across our global Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

The road to net zero 

We are committed to achieving our near-term and long-term science-based targets in accordance with a less-than 1.5°C future-warming scenario. We plan to achieve this through ongoing asset optimizations to reduce energy consumption and associated carbon emissions, continued investment in renewable energy projects and increased rigor in our procurement and travel activities.

Currently, Bloomberg is purchasing and retiring carbon credits from three climate change projects to offset our ongoing business travel emissions. Starting in 2025, we will expand this effort to cover all residual operational CO2 e emissions.

Once we meet our long-term science-based target reductions, these emissions offsetting efforts will result in Bloomberg receiving SBTi’s official net-zero designation.

Reducing our energy use is a top priority. 

As a company with approximately 22,000 employees based in 166 locations globally, addressing our global energy consumption is critical to reducing our environmental impact. Bloomberg’s energy strategy is comprehensive, focusing on reducing absolute energy consumption, implementing energy efficiency projects at our facilities, occupying environmentally certified new facilities and investing in developing both on- and off-site renewable energy projects.

Bloomberg’s energy profile is dominated by electricity, comprising 90.2 percent of our total energy consumption. Fuel usage, cooling and hot water account for the remaining 9.8 percent of energy use. In 2022, we consumed 352,686 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity across our global operations, an increase of 2.9 percent from 2021. Electricity consumption across our data centers rose by 5.6 percent as a result of increased capacity. Despite more employees and visitors using our buildings in 2022, electricity consumption at our offices fell by 1 percent, reflecting the effectiveness of ongoing optimizations.

Renewable energy 

In 2022, we secured 192,533 MWh of renewable energy, an increase of 9.7 percent from 2021, from 10 on- and off-site solar and wind sites and a hydropower allocation from a local utility. Sourced renewable energy from these projects represents 54.6 percent of our global purchased electricity, up from 51.2 percent in 2021.

We began investigating renewable energy projects in 2008; our first project, a 1.8MW solar installation at our campus in Princeton, New Jersey, began providing us with energy in 2012. In 2021, we expanded our solar energy capacity in Princeton, developing an additional 2.55 MW solar project at our offices there. In March 2022, the project went live, with solar energy now providing 100 percent of the electricity needed for the two buildings on site.

Currently, our biggest challenge is procuring renewable energy outside the U.S. Countries have different markets, incentives and availability, and Bloomberg has lower energy needs in these locations. In these regions, efforts during 2022 were focused on securing Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates and EU Guarantee of Origin (GO) certificates — certificates that guarantee that our suppliers obtain energy from renewable sources — bundled with our energy purchases. This approach helped us source an additional 46,782 MWh of renewable energy, equal to 13.3 percent of our global electricity consumption.

Read the full 2022 Bloomberg Impact Report.

by Selene Orellana, Planeterra

Tourism can be more than just traveling for entertainment and Bruce Poon Tip had a clear vision from the very beginning. He envisioned using tourism to do good things around the world and that is how the Planeterra Foundation came into being. Today, two decades later, his vision has become a reality and it is transforming the way the tourism industry traditionally works, embracing local communities rather than excluding them from tourism and making travel experiences more meaningful and impactful in the process.

Planeterra is the world’s leading nonprofit using tourism to uplift communities around the world. Born in Toronto, Canada, but rooted everywhere, Planeterra works with community tourism enterprises that are led by women, youth, Indigenous peoples, and rural communities, to break down the barriers that prevent them from leveraging the ripple effects of tourism.

Tourism is an estimated US$8 trillion industry, but the truth is that only a small fraction, if any, of that money reaches small businesses and local communities. This is one of tourism’s main problems, as it leads to a lack of opportunities for communities to be successful and have control over their own growth, development, and futures. Community tourism proposes a responsible tourism model that can break that cycle.

Planeterra defines community tourism as travel experiences owned, led, and run by communities – non-profits, cooperatives, community organizations, and social enterprises. At its very best, it bridges the gap to engage underserved communities in meaningful, life-changing ways. Years in the field have shown the team at Planeterra that community tourism is an opportunity to embrace a more responsible way to travel by encouraging genuine encounters between local communities and travelers while ensuring that local people are benefiting from tourism.

Read Selene’s insightful article with great photos too – https://greenmoney.com/the-power-of-community-tourism-planeterras-mission-to-turn-travel-into-impact

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