Tag: 3BL

Highlights:

The University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RTPU) study shows high potential for technology to reduce emissions from road travel, driving progress towards EU Green Deal targetsIntroducing just 20% of connected vehicles on EU city roads can save up to 18% of CO2 emissionsConnected vehicles to improve traffic efficiency, allowing drivers to save up to 15 hours of travel time annually during peak hours

Germany, April 20, 2023 /3BL Media/ – New research from The University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RTPU), commissioned by Qualcomm Europe Inc., showcases the significant potential of connected vehicle applications to reduce CO2 emissions in the transportation sector. The considered applications in the study include city optimization applications such as dynamic traffic signals traffic junctions, and routing. These applications have the purpose to reduce start-stops as well as congestion, improving travel efficiency and travel time. The study demonstrates that introducing just 20% of connected vehicles on EU city roads can save up to 18% of CO2 emissions. Some EU27 countries, for example Germany, may even show emissions savings of up to 24%. The potential of connected vehicles to reduce transport related emissions represents significant progress towards the EU Green Deal targets by which the EU Commission aims to achieve a 90% reduction in transport-related emissions by 2050.

The study uses a new simulation approach, extrapolating results from detailed map-based traffic simulations in selected cities to all cities across the EU27 Member States. The study predicts that EU cities, with populations ranging from fewer than 100,000 to greater than 500,000, could reap the benefits of connected vehicles and from this mix of cities draws EU-wide conclusions. Benefits include reduced emissions and increased traffic efficiency.

In addition, it is estimated that drivers can save up to 15 hours of travel time[1] annually during peak hours, leading to higher levels of productivity and comfort.

“The results of this study show how technology can help reduce emissions, making road transport more efficient and sustainable without compromising the safety of road users,” said Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and President, Qualcomm Europe/MEA, Qualcomm Europe Inc. “Utilizing our highly advanced Snapdragon® Digital Chassis™ automotive solutions spanning telematics and connectivity, the digital cockpit and driver assistance and vehicle automation, we are supporting automakers to design and deliver next-generation connected and autonomous vehicles. The RTPU study marks an important milestone towards the widespread adoption of connected mobility and greener, more efficient road transport for all.”

Professor Dr. Hans D. Schotten, RTPU, said: “This study impressively demonstrates the potential of connected mobility applications to reduce emissions in the transport sector. We have learned that already simple combinations of connected mobility applications and realistic penetration rates of connected vehicles allow significant reductions in emissions to be achieved, without having to compromise on driver comfort.”

Read the research paper in full, including a detailed methodology and results, here.

[1] 15 hours in Bremen, 5 hours in Cologne, 3 hours in Frankfurt and 2 hours in Munich

About Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau 
The RPTU is the technical university of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate with over 20,000 students, more than 300 professorships and around 160-degree programs.

The RPTU emerged on January 1, 2023, from the merger of the University of Kaiserslautern and the University in Landau. It combines expertise in engineering and natural science with emphases in social sciences and has many years of expertise in teacher education for all types of schools. The RPTU sees itself as responsible for making scientific contributions to the transformation processes of society and the economy, especially on topics of sustainability, digitalization and education. It is also characterized by a high level of third-party funding and a variety of coordinated research projects.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is enabling a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected. Our one technology roadmap allows us to efficiently scale the technologies that launched the mobile revolution – including advanced connectivity, high-performance, low-power compute, on-device intelligence and more – to the next generation of connected smart devices across industries. Innovations from Qualcomm and our family of Snapdragon platforms will help enable cloud-edge convergence, transform industries, accelerate the digital economy, and revolutionize how we experience the world, for the greater good.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patented technologies are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.

Snapdragon and Digital Chassis are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

Originally published on DICK’S Sideline Report

Figure Skating in Harlem is much more than skating; it’s a safe space in an under-resourced community for young girls to achieve academic excellence and physical well-being. Founded in 1997, Figure Skating in Harlem helps its students build life skills like leadership, self-confidence and teamwork. The program also focuses on academics, spoken word and tutoring. Each day before lacing up their skates and hitting the ice, students have homework time and at least one academic session. They must maintain a B average or above in school to participate. “We really try to encourage academic excellence or at least academic proficiency so that we’re cultivating really holistic children who will go off into the world and hopefully be leaders in their own capacity,” said Ila Epperson, Assistant Director of Skating.

Ila knows the profound impact the organization can have on young girls firsthand. She started with Figure Skating in Harlem back in 2008 when she was just five years old. She stayed in the program through 2020, when she graduated high school. She returned as a coach for the 2021-2022 season and was promoted to the program’s Assistant Director of Skating last July. “The biggest things I was able to take away from Figure Skating in Harlem were my voice and my ability to operate throughout this world and feel grounded in myself,” Ila said. “So, when I teach the kids, my number one thing is for them to feel grounded within themselves and feel like a leader.”

Becky Petro, Manager of Charitable Giving at The DICK’S Foundation, first learned about Figure Skating in Harlem at a Beyond Sport conference last November. She met Alex Wasch, the organization’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. The team sent a proposal for a $25,000 grant, but as Becky and local Community Marketing Managers Brian Hagerman and Matt Catacchio learned more about the program and the different resources and opportunities it was providing for students, they knew The DICK’S Foundation could do even more. “We knew that they’d be a great candidate for 75for75,” Becky said.

The 75for75 Sports Matter Grant Program was launched in March in support of DICK’S Sports Change Lives campaign and in honor of the company’s 75th anniversary. The program was developed to provide 75 grants worth $75,000 each to under-resourced youth sports programs across the country.

Becky and others from The DICK’S Foundation traveled to Harlem to deliver the Sports Matter Grant in March. It was a practice night. The girls had just put on their skates and went into the locker room. One of the girls had the grant letter in her coat pocket and asked their coach to read it aloud. “She read the letter in front of the girls, and they all screamed and chanted ‘75!’” Becky said.

“This funding will be tangible for both the students and staff,” said Ila. “It will help open so many doors and give the kids so many opportunities.”

To learn more and support the 75for75 Sports Matter Grant Program and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation, visit www.sportsmatter.org.

Today, Coach launches Coachtopia, a new sub-brand focused on circular craft and collaborative creativity, catalyzing the brand’s progress towards a fully circular business model. Launching in the United States, Canada and the UK, Coachtopia will expand to Asia later this year. With a mission to help advance a circular fashion system, Coachtopia is built from the outset for circularity, grounded in its Made Circular™ design philosophy—a set of three principles that inform how the sub-brand designs, crafts, and reuses products. Harnessing more than 80 years of Coach leather expertise, Coachtopia reimagines the product lifecycle from end to beginning— reducing the creation of new materials by crafting with waste and designing products that can be reimagined, remade and recycled to live multiple lives. In so doing, it is working to create beautiful things that have a significantly reduced impact on the planet compared to conventional luxury products.

“Circularity is about reimagining not just the product lifecycle, but the relationship between brand, planet and consumer. That’s why we’ve created Coachtopia as both a discovery lab to pioneer circularity in fashion and a collaborative platform for change,” says Joon Silverstein, SVP, Global Marketing, Creative and Sustainability at Coach and Head of Coachtopia. “We know that to transform our impacts, we need to fundamentally shift mindsets—from seeing opportunity in waste to designing backwards to taking a more open-source approach to creativity. We’ve built Coachtopia as an entirely new world within Coach—an agile start-up with a mission to reimagine the end-to-end system. We’re building it not just for our consumers, but with them, inviting a growing community of hundreds of Gen Z individuals to join us on our Slack channel, collaborate with us on products, take center stage in our content and campaigns—and reimagine our future together.”

Designed for and with a new generation of consumers who are increasingly passionate about addressing the climate crisis and determined to drive change, Coachtopia is resetting the paradigm between brand and consumer, co-creating a new brand in collaboration with a growing community of Gen Z individuals—from climate activists, designers and upcyclers to journalists, film makers, entrepreneurs and fashion enthusiasts. The Coachtopian community has been actively involved in Coachtopia since its earliest founding days, with members continually sharing their perspectives on circular fashion, shaping concepts, and setting expectations of the change they want to see. As part of its mission, Coachtopia is investing in this next generation of talent through collaborative programs, harnessing and showcasing new talent to find solutions to the problems facing fashion.

“We were inspired by our shared desire to do better for the planet by inventing new circular ways of dreaming, designing and creating,” said Coach Creative Director Stuart Vevers. “It’s a bigger, bolder step forward in realizing our vision for sustainability at Coach, where we prioritize experimenting and learning, and ethical design intentions over cookie cutter perfection. Coachtopia takes this to a new level by challenging us to ‘design in reverse,’ with the end goal of circularity top of mind, in collaboration with the next generation and their optimistic vision for tomorrow.” 

Coachtopia is a world in progress—advancing iteratively towards a continually evolving vision of circularity. It builds upon the investments that Coach is making to improve the end-to-end sustainability of its business, as well as the learnings and capabilities developed through the brand’s Coach (Re)Loved program. By giving a second life to more than 20,000 Coach products since its April 2021 launch, Coach (Re)Loved has provided critical insights into the aspects of traditional luxury craftsmanship that make circularity challenging, and thus the need to design for circularity from the start in order to achieve it at scale. Coachtopia takes up this challenge, innovating through rapid prototyping and forming a continuous feedback loop with Coach to drive mutual progress.

Coachtopia launches today with an all-gender collection of bags, accessories, ready-to-wear and footwear made with recycled, repurposed and renewable materials and designed with our Made Circular™ principles in mind. As Coachtopia grows, it will continue to innovate through limited drops of experimental products that push circular craft ever further—with a commitment to take back every product at end-of-life for reuse, remaking or recycling. Each bag, wallet, footwear and ready-to-wear product also comes with a unique digital passport—accessed via an embedded NFC chip —that gives customers transparency into its materials, Made Circular™ design and impacts. This digital passport also provides the means to follow the product’s journey as it is repaired, restored, reused and reimagined over multiple lives. 

Coachtopia is available today on Coach.com in the US, Canada and UK and in Selfridges, London. Coachtopia will then launch in Spitalfields, London on April 28; Coach stores across the US including Coach House Fifth Avenue, New York; N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago; The Grove, Los Angeles; and Dadeland, Miami; and additional Selfridges stores across the UK in May; Coach House Regent Street, London in early June; and Coach Soho, New York in July. Coachtopia will also expand to Asia later this year.

That’s just the short version. Take a full tour of Coachtopia, including details on its Made Circular™ principles, material innovations, strategic partnerships and launch campaign below. Learn more about Coachtopia at coachtopia.com. Connect on social @coachtopia.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 20, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Discovery Education and USC Shoah Foundation today announced a new virtual experience – The Courage to Act Virtual Field Trip – showing students in grades 6-12 the power of student voice and leadership to effect change. This virtual field trip is part of Teaching with Testimony, a program that connects students to the power of testimony from the survivors and witnesses of genocide, inspiring students to find their voices and act for a better future.

Premiering April 27 at 1 PM ET and available on-demand, The Courage to Act Virtual Field Trip shares the stories of young people standing up as individuals, groups or through community action to enact change locally and globally. Students meet a peer who has created a project that stands up against injustice, hear about survivors of the Holocaust, and learn from community activists.

“Every day, young people are out there changing the world for the better, raising their voice and being true to their beliefs,” said Lesly Culp, Interim Director of Education & Outreach at USC Shoah Foundation. “This new virtual field trip created with Discovery Education underscores the power of testimony to connect students to ordinary people that have changed their communities in order to develop understanding and respect.”

An accompanying educator guide provides teachers with materials and activities for before, during, and after the virtual field trip. Learn more and register here.

“Students are already out there making the world a better place. In partnership with USC Shoah Foundation, we are showcasing the ways that actions, big and small, can transform communities. Students can now learn from peers and be inspired to pursue their passions,” said Amy Nakamoto, General Manager of Social Impact at Discovery Education.

Discover more about the power of testimony through Teaching with Testimony at TeachingwithTestimony.com or within Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform. Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education provides educators with an enhanced learning platform that facilitates engaging, daily instruction.

For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources—which can be purchased with federal stimulus funds—and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.

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About USC Shoah Foundation
USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education develops empathy, understanding and respect through testimony, using its Visual History Archive of more than 55,000 video testimonies and its award-winning IWitness education program. USC Shoah Foundation’s interactive programming, research and materials are accessed in museums and universities, cited by government leaders and NGOs, and taught in classrooms around the world. Now in its third decade, USC Shoah Foundation reaches millions of people on six continents from its home at the University of Southern California.

About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.

Contacts 
Ron Demeter | USC Shoah Foundation | uscsfpress@usc.edu 
Grace Maliska | Discovery Education | gmaliska@discoveryed.com

Data centers enable everything we do online, from powering the internet to making digital communication and connection possible. Not surprisingly, they also account for the highest percentage of Meta’s energy use, water use and greenhouse gas emissions — as well as where we can have the largest impact on reducing all three.

But what does it really mean for a data center to be sustainable?

Simply put, a sustainable data center is one that minimizes its environmental impact while still providing reliable and secure data processing and storage services. It involves prioritizing energy efficiency, utilizing renewable energy, conserving water and reducing waste.

Here, we share Meta’s approach to data center sustainability.

Energy Efficiency

The world’s data centers already represent 1 percent of the world’s electricity use. That’s why prioritizing energy efficiency is at the forefront of Meta’s approach to designing and operating the most sustainable data centers in the world. Our data centers incorporate energy-efficient hardware designs as well as cooling systems that use outdoor air and direct evaporative cooling to save both energy and water.

Helpful too are building sites uniquely designed to promote their location’s biodiversity, incorporating native plants and adaptive landscapes that mimic the natural hydrology and help reduce urban heat island effect. (Heat islands occur when structures such as buildings, roads, and other infrastructure absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes do.)

Renewable Energy

The use of renewable energy, such as solar or wind, also plays an important role in reducing the carbon footprint of a data center.

Our data center fleet is supported by 100 percent renewable energy spanning six countries and more than 20 U.S. states — and we’re on track to maintain this commitment as our operations grow. Our ability to achieve this commitment is due in large part due to our ambitious approach to renewable energy procurement, which has resulted in more than 70 new solar and wind projects adding more than 9,000 megawatts of clean electricity to the U.S. grid.

“Our renewable energy projects are diverse and driven by where we have an operational footprint,” Amanda Yang, Meta’s head of renewable energy for Americas West and the Asia-Pacific, recently shared with Triple Pundit. “One of our primary values is ensuring that we are adding new renewable capacity in the areas in which we operate.”

While 100 percent of our global operations are supported by renewable energy, “ultimately we are focused on continuing to evolve our approach to how we can help accelerate grid decarbonization [reducing emissions per unit of electricity generated],” Yang added. “Where we can, we are partnering with our utilities, developers, and regulators to make this happen.”

Conserving Water

Becoming water positive by 2030 is one of Meta’s largest and ambitious sustainability goals and it starts with working to reduce our water use.

We take measures such as using recycled water for construction purposes where possible, implementing best management practices to reduce construction water needs, and recycling water within our facility many times to reduce our water usage. Meanwhile, outside of our buildings, we use a combination of native plant species, efficient irrigation and alternative water sources, along with smart scheduling technologies. All told, we save nearly 130 million gallons of water per year.

Reducing Waste, Recycling Materials

Net zero and waste reduction go hand-in-hand. For a data center to be truly sustainable, a circular approach must be implemented, viewing waste as a valuable resource that can be reused, repurposed or recycled.

We are actively working to keep data center construction and demolition waste out of landfills and incineration facilities by recovering, reusing and recycling materials and continuing to pilot new approaches to reduce our waste even farther. In 2022, Meta recycled, reused or donated 158 thousand tons, diverting 91 percent of potential waste from local landfills.

For permanently installed wood in both our offices and data centers, we source products certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), which confirms environmental protections for responsible forest management, protects customary rights of indigenous people and prohibits the use of highly hazardous chemicals.

We also prioritize the use of recycled materials in new data center hardware system designs, in addition to our continued focus on ensuring hardware is easy to disassemble and reuse. To continue to improve resource efficiency, we are also exploring ways to extend the life of racks and components used in our data centers and work closely with our downstream partners to find a second life for parts outside of our data centers through secondary markets. Our goal is to ensure all residual materials are responsibly managed.

Green Certifications

When it all comes together and a data center building is certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council, we know we’re following best practices for environmental and sustainability criteria related to design and construction.

Today, 33 Meta data center buildings are now certified LEED Gold — as well as LEED Platinum in Luleå, Sweden — representing more than 19 million square feet in all.

BOSTON, April 20, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and pulp, today announced the call for entries for its 2023 Ideas that Matter grant program, welcoming projects from designers and creatives that positively impact people, communities and the planet. For more than two decades, the grant program has celebrated the power of print design by supporting projects created to address social issues.

Grant applications should focus on addressing social justice, environmental, healthcare and community issues, among other critical and timely societal concerns. Entrants are asked to align submissions with at least one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are required to submit projects that incorporate wood-fiber solutions, such as paperboard packaging or graphic papers.

“Sappi’s mission is to harness the power of trees to help build a thriving world, and we believe it’s equally important to work with people and organizations who share our values to drive positive social impact,” said Patti Groh, Director of Communications, Sappi North America. “For over 20 years, our grantees have incorporated sustainable paper-based solutions to support the work of nonprofits around the globe. All projects help advance local communities while aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which are also key pillars to Sappi’s business and sustainable practices.”

Ideas that Matter is the only grant program of its kind in the paper and packaging industry and is a key part of Sappi’s corporate social responsibility efforts. Since 1999, the program has provided over $14 million to support over 500 projects that change lives, communities and, ultimately, the planet.

Selection Criteria and How to Enter

Ideas that Matter proposals are evaluated on creativity, potential effectiveness and ability for distribution and implementation by an annually selected, independent panel of judges who are influential in the design and design for social impact industries.

The Ideas that Matter call for entries is open to individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate design departments, design instructors, individual design students and design student groups. Grant awards range from $5,000 to $50,000 USD per project. Each application must include an IRS 501 (c) 3 letter or Canadian equivalent of the applicant’s nonprofit organization.

Entrants have until July 11, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. PST to submit their application via the online portal.

To learn more about Ideas that Matter and view previous winners, visit: https://www.sappi.com/sappi-ideas-that-matter.

About Sappi North America, Inc.

Sappi North America, Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. Our four diversified businesses – high-quality Graphic Papers, Dissolving Pulp, Packaging, and Specialty Papers deliver premium products and services with consistent quality and reliability. Our high-quality Coated Printing Papers are used for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Dissolving Pulp, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable Packaging and Specialty Papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers. We are one of the world’s leading suppliers of Casting and Release Papers with lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries.

Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 150 countries. www.sappi.com

By Candace Higginbotham

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 20, 2023 /3BL Media/ – For the 14th year in a row, Regions Bank is launching Share the Good, an annual outreach program that complements the bank’s year-round community engagement initiatives. This year, teams of Regions volunteers are getting outside and giving back with impactful activities planned throughout April.

“Every year, we look for different ways to make a difference through Share the Good,” explained Wendi Boyen, community advocacy and financial wellness manager for Regions. “Right now, the weather is getting warmer, flowers and trees are blooming, and it’s the perfect time to get our teams together and get out into our neighborhoods, parks, and rivers and join community partners in sprucing things up for the season. It’s a great way of making a visible impact, and it deepens our relationships with organizations that support the quality of life in the communities we serve.”

Share the Good directly complements Regions’ ongoing focus on volunteer service. In 2022, Regions associates provided 74,000 hours of volunteerism through a variety of programs, including Share the Good.

Share the Good initiatives will continue through April 30.

Local highlights include:

Birmingham, Ala.: The Regions Navy is banding together once again to help clean up the Cahaba River, located just outside Regions’ headquarters city. The group of volunteers will hop aboard canoes and walk the riverbanks to pick up debris along this favorite waterway in support of the Cahaba River Society. The river is an important watershed with rich biodiversity, including a unique native water lily – appropriately named the Cahaba Lily.Austin, Texas: Regions associates in Austin are going back to school for Share the Good. A group of volunteers will be helping students learn the benefits of conservation while encouraging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. These young scientists will be learning to use water purification kits provided by Elequa, a Regions community partner and winner in last year’s Philanthropitch, a “fast-pitch” competition that provides training, capital and exposure for local nonprofits.Cleveland, Tenn.: Regions associates are spending some quality time at City Fields, where they’ll help plant community gardens and spruce up flower beds. The Alabama-based Regions Foundation, a nonprofit initiative that is funded primarily by Regions Bank, recently presented a grant to City Fields to support access to housing and economic mobility for people who live in the East Cleveland community.Pensacola, Fla.: Regions associates in Pensacola love their beaches (who doesn’t?), and during Share the Good, volunteers will be putting their sunscreen to work in a different way by picking up litter and making sure this coastline, well known for white, sugary sand and clear, blue-green water, keeps its Emerald Coast moniker.Louis, Mo.: Regions Bank Market Executive Scott Hartwig knows how to motivate people! He generously offered to treat a group of Regions volunteers to a tailgate lunch from his RV to show apprecation for their hard work ‘sharing the good.’ The team is all in – and looking forward to a productive morning of removing trash and debris along the Mississippi Greenway at North Riverfront Park.Jonesboro, Ark.: Regions teams are volunteering at Arkansas State University’s Earth Day celebration. The event hosts large crowds, including more than 1,000 elementary school students, and offers programs around recycling, conservation and earth-friendly practices. Regions is also supporting Jonesboro’s Great Outdoors Business Expo.

To encourage participation and provide inspiration, Regions will host a photo contest for associates. Submissions will be featured on the internal RegionsTV each week in April, and winners will be announced at the end of the month. Winning entries will receive a donation to the community partner they collaborated with for their event.

Community engagement is a significant part of the culture at Regions and is fostered through a variety of ongoing programs. For example, every year, Regions offers associates a paid day off to volunteer in their community. Further, as part of its Making Life Better Institute, the bank connects associates with a wide range of ongoing volunteerism opportunities that align with their skills and experience. Examples of the bank’s involvement are available in the annual Community Engagement Report and the Community Engagement section of Regions’ news website, Doing More Today.

About Regions Financial Corporation 
Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $155 billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates more than 1,250 banking offices and more than 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

About Regions Foundation 
The Alabama-based Regions Foundation supports community investments that positively impact communities served by Regions Bank. The Foundation engages in a grantmaking program focused on priorities including economic and community development; education and workforce readiness; and financial wellness. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation funded primarily through contributions from Regions Bank.

We’re helping solve our customers’ big challenges by innovating and delivering solutions that are better for their business—and for the environment.

Project At-a-Glance:

The opportunity: Don wanted to maximize efficiency and future energy savings when replacing his outdated HVAC units.

The solution: A top-of-the-line efficient HVAC system from a local Trane Residential dealer, including XV20i TruComfort™ variable speed heat pumps paired with the Trane ComfortLink® II XL1050 Thermostat.

Sustainability outcomes:

Reduced energy costs by approximately $200/monthReduced energy demandEliminated noise pollution

When Don’s aging HVAC units became so noisy they were waking him up at night, he knew it was time for an upgrade. A U.S. Air Force veteran and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) retiree, Don owns a beautiful three-story home nestled in a peaceful wooded area in Memphis, Tennessee. The outdated units were struggling to keep up with hot and humid Memphis summers, and his monthly electric bill was steadily increasing. Don recognized that by investing in quieter, more sustainable units, he could use advanced heating and cooling technologies to maximize energy efficiency—and save money in the long run.

Because of his previous experience with their products, Don looked to Trane® for a comprehensive solution.

Heat Pumps for Sustainable Comfort

Don worked with a local Trane Residential dealer to find the right solution. Considering the size of Don’s home, as well as the goal of increased energy efficiency and savings, the team at Infinity Heating and Air Conditioning proposed a top-of-the-line efficient HVAC system that included two XV20i TruComfort variable speed heat pumps paired with two Trane ComfortLink® II XL1050 thermostats.

After exploring all the options, Don chose the heat pump with the variable compressor because it was the most efficient. He knew this was his lifelong home, so he was ready to make an initial investment to get more cost savings in the long term.

Instead of generating heat by combusting fossil fuels, heat pumps are an efficient, electric alternative for heating and cooling. Using about half the energy of a traditional system, they move heat from one place to another, transferring heat from the outdoors to warm a house, or removing heat from the indoors to cool it.

Trane’s XV20i TruComfort heat pumps have the added advantage of variable speed technology, allowing the system to adjust its speed to match the home’s current heating and cooling needs. Each unit works only as hard as it needs to and often at lower, more efficient and quieter speeds.

With a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER) of 20, well above the state requirement of 14, Don’s new units are even more energy-efficient, requiring less total energy to operate.

The Value of Efficiency

After the units were installed, Don couldn’t believe the difference in noise levels. “I do not even hear them at all,” he says. “I have to put my ear down on it to hear if it is running.”

Upgrading to Trane’s Trane ComfortLink® II XL1050 thermostats also allows Don to optimize energy efficiency and comfort controls, and easily adjust his home’s temperature from miles away. While out of state, he noticed snow was in the forecast in Memphis. Simply by adjusting the controls on his smartphone, he could change the temperature in his home, keeping his family warm and cozy from miles away.

For Don, the upfront investment in his new system was well worth it. Not only is he sleeping better, but he also reports an average energy savings of $200 per month. The impact was so significant, he was inspired to install LED lighting and make energy-efficient upgrades to his hot water heater, as well.

“The older I get, the more I look back and think I should have spent a little extra money to get the more efficient equipment sooner,” reflects Don. “You can save so much more money in the long run—it really is worth it.”

Originally published on HARMAN News Center

LAS VEGAS, April 20, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Recently at QlikWorld 2023, Qlik® and HARMAN®, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies and solutions for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, announced an expanded strategic relationship to deliver joint solutions for HARMAN’s Digital Transformation Solutions (DTS) customers. Extending the proven Qlik-based solutions HARMAN has developed for its own use, these integrated Data and Analytics Solutions using Qlik and HARMAN capabilities will help customers streamline, simplify and modernize enterprise operations.

HARMAN Digital Transformation Solutions Chief Product Officer, Dr. Jai Ganesh and Senior Director Digital, Analytics, Annette Jonker will join Qlik CEO Mike Capone during his mainstage keynote address to share how the companies are expanding their trusted partnership to bring the power of data insights to the HARMAN ecosystem of customers and partners.

HARMAN sells nearly 5,000 finished goods, produced among 10+ manufacturing plants, created from over 12,000 components that are sourced from over 2,000 suppliers. Like many other companies with extensive supply chains and internal operations, HARMAN needs access to accurate near real-time data to manage fluctuating demand and ensure effective data-informed decisions across the organization. With data integration and analytics through Qlik, HARMAN’s teams can confidently develop a single source of data truth to quickly align priorities, connect cross-functional teams and deploy agile development to manage the changing nature of market conditions.

“We’ve been on a significant digital transformation journey the past few years, and effectively deployed Qlik to drive our internal data-driven decisioning. With Qlik, we have the data we need to get answers in minutes, allowing us to quickly pivot while still effectively managing different aspects of our business,” said Nick Parrotta, President – Digital Transformation Solutions & Chief Digital and Information officer (CDIO) at HARMAN. “We are excited to strengthen our partnership with Qlik to provide an enhanced experience backed by data and analytics to our enterprise customers, that can potentially improve their performance and drive business results.”

HARMAN has utilized Qlik as a central element in building a strong data and analytics foundation across the business. One key example is the Qlik-powered Helix Analytics Experience Platform. A self-serve analytics enablement platform, Helix helps HARMAN’s cross-functional teams quickly and effectively collaborate, allowing for rapid response to changing conditions while limiting manufacturing disruption. HARMAN also effectively activates key enterprise data from sources like SAP for stronger decisioning with Qlik Data Integration. With Qlik Data Integration, HARMAN seamlessly feeds data from any source into its Snowflake data cloud to blend internal and external data more easily for deeper insights. This provides a clear and accurate picture of capacity and resources to efficiently forecast and meet fluctuating customer demand. It’s these learnings and successes that HARMAN plans to deploy with Qlik to its Digital Transformation Solutions customers.

HARMAN’s Digital Transformation Solutions is a strategic business unit with over 7,000 professionals that bring deep expertise in AI/ML, cloud computing and advanced analytics to hundreds of clients through solutions that make everyday lives richer, easier and more efficient. In partnering with Qlik, HARMAN Digital Transformation Solutions will modernize its platform by integrating AI-powered recommendations, big data scalability, embedded visualizations, analytics and governed self-service for a broader range of enterprise customers.

“HARMAN is an amazing example of the type of relationship we’re building with more and more customers, working together to bring the power of data and analytics to a larger ecosystem of their partners and customers,” said Mike Capone, Qlik CEO. “We’re excited about our journey with HARMAN in helping them activate their data across their teams as well as in their solutions to drive performance and revenue.”

About Qlik

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

ABOUT HARMAN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SOLUTIONS

HARMAN’s Digital Transformation Solutions (DTS) is a strategic business unit dedicated in blending the physical and digital to make technology more dynamic in order to serve the ever-changing human needs. Leveraging our unique Life-ware approach, our team of over 7,000 employees, spread across 12 countries in 45+ locations, with their expertise across hardware, software, and industry domains are transforming everyday experiences for our 200 clients globally. Compliant and certified with international standard/ management system EN 9100:2018 / AS9100D, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001:2013, ISO 13485:2016 and appraised at CMMI-DEV 2.0 ML5, HARMAN DTS aims towards helping customers deliver a holistic experience to their customers – through the convergence of digital, cross channel user experience, cloud, mobility, insightful data, and internet-of-things backed by scalable underlying IT platforms. Healthcare, Communications, Industrial, Retail, Software, and Hospitality being our key focus areas, we have made significant investments into this space. Leveraging our global delivery approach, IPs, platforms and people, we deploy next generation technology platforms across industries, offer cost savings and deliver innovative solutions to help our clients on their digital journey.​​ To know more, please visit https://services.harman.com/

ABOUT HARMAN

HARMAN (harman.com) designs and engineers connected products and solutions for automakers, consumers, and enterprises worldwide, including connected car systems, audio and visual products, enterprise automation solutions; and services supporting the Internet of Things. With leading brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, Mark Levinson® and Revel®, HARMAN is admired by audiophiles, musicians and the entertainment venues where they perform around the world. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and connected car systems. Our software services power billions of mobile devices and systems that are connected, integrated and secure across all platforms, from work and home to car and mobile. HARMAN has a workforce of approximately 30,000 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. In 2017, HARMAN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

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Originally published by National Parks Foundation

The National Park Foundation (NPF) is proud to recognize Subaru as our largest corporate partner, providing nearly $55 million in support since 2013. Subaru made the National Park Foundation an early partner of the Subaru Share the Love Event, became the sole automotive partner of the Find Your Park / Encuentra tu Parque campaign, and shared zero-landfill expertise through the Don’t Feed the Landfills initiative. The automaker’s combined efforts have helped increase public awareness and engagement across the National Park System and provided funding to programs and projects such as recycling, composting, and waste reduction operations to help protect over 85 million acres in more than 400 national parks. In addition to being the largest corporate partner of the National Park Foundation, Subaru of America has provided over $68 million to organizations working to conserve national parks.

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