Tag: 3BL

Published by Action Against Hunger.

What Is the Lean Season? 

Stores from last year’s crops have nearly run out. The shelves on the market are nearly empty, and the few products left are expensive. Families are forced to make impossible choices—skip meals, sell off precious assets, or go into debt—just to survive. This is the reality of “lean season”, also known as “hunger season” or “pre-harvest season”.

Lean season is the period between planting and harvesting, when food availability is at its lowest. It is the furthest point from the previous year’s harvest, and the current crops need time to grow before the next harvest can arrive. Generally, it occurs between May and September and peaks around June but varies regionally. The length and severity of lean season can be impacted by weather, conflict, inflation, and other factors that influence farming cycles and food availability.

This agricultural gap is deadly and causes irreparable damage to the health of children every year. Climate change is making the situation worse. But there are practical, preventative measures we can take to ensure that every life is well nourished, no matter what the seasons bring.

The Human Toll: How Seasonal Hunger Impacts Families 

When food isn’t available, families have to take desperate measures to survive. Families resort to eating unsafe foods, for example food contaminated with fungi or pests, because that is all that is available to them. Sometimes parents give up food so their children can eat, compromising their own health. In 2024, about 4.3 million people were at risk of severe hunger during the lean season and faced dire circumstances like these.

Malnutrition in children rises during the lean season. According to OCHA, 2.6 million children are expected to become acutely malnutrition during the 2025 lean season in Nigeria alone. Malnutrition is gravely serious, especially for children in their first 1,000 days of life (from conception to the second birthday), when their physical and cognitive development is most malleable. Even if treated, children can suffer with complications from being malnourished for life.

To survive one hunger season, families often make sacrifices that undermine their ability to avoid the next one. Sometimes, they sell livestock or other income-generating assets just to have enough money to eat. Parents seek out additional jobs, and sometimes children drop out of school to work or help around the household. Without education, the children have less chances of rising out of poverty in the future, and a cycle of poverty, hunger, and lack of education is perpetuated.

Climate Change: Worsening the Lean Season 

Climate change is disrupting traditional farming cycles, making lean seasons longer and harsher. It has caused shifts in the timing of key events that guide planting and harvesting of crops such as flowering and insect emergence, both of which impact food quality and crop yields according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These changes can extend periods of food scarcity and create greater unpredictability for what was once a predictable seasonal gap. In Southern Africa, for example, OCHA warned that a changing El Niño pattern coupled with the worst dry spell in 100 years would cause the lean season to start as much as three months earlier than usual — time that some families cannot afford.

The World Bank warns that “About 80% of the global population most at risk from crop failures and hunger from climate change are in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, where farming families are disproportionally poor and vulnerable.” Despite contributing to climate change the least, vulnerable farming families are suffering the greatest consequences of prolonged agricultural gaps. To make matters worse, droughts, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and other extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change. An extreme weather event can wipe away assets and damage soil fertility for years to come. Impoverished families have limited access to financial resources that can help them rebuild from climate shocks, so when the lean season comes again, they are left exposed.

How Action Against Hunger Responds 

1. Emergency intervention

Action Against Hunger is there to provide lifesaving assistance when hunger is at its worst. Children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition receive essential therapeutic feeding treatment from our expert staff, and over 90% successfully recover to full nutritional health. Food is distributed to hungry families. Cash transfers are made, enabling parents to make the best financial choices for their households, whether that be to purchase food, water, medicine, or other essential items. Whatever a family’s most pressing needs are to get through lean season, Action Against Hunger is ready to do whatever it takes to support them.

2. Prevention

The IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report concluded that climate change will increasingly add pressure on food production systems and undermine food security. For families already stricken by months of seasonal hunger, the threat is unfathomable. To help at-risk communities adapt, Action Against Hunger promotes climate-smart agriculture to increase crop yields despite difficult growing conditions. Farmer training programs prioritize agroecological principles that promote sustainable, eco-friendly farming methods that improve soil health and build long-term resilience. Climate-smart agriculture strengthens food security and boosts incomes, so families have more resources to get through the agricultural gap.

As climate disasters become increasingly frequent, early warning systems are playing a vital role in the fight against seasonal hunger. The systems integrate climate predictions, food price tracking, nutrition data, population movements, and market trends to forecast where and when food insecurity may spike—often months in advance. Action Against Hunger develops early warning systems and works with partners to pinpoint when and where to focus our resources during the lean season for greatest impact, saving both lives and livelihoods.

3. A Gender Equitable Response

Women experience hunger at higher rates than men largely due to social and cultural barriers, and malnutrition is not the only threat. A 2022 study found that food insecurity is associated with more than double the odds of experiencing or perpetrating violence against women and girls. Action Against Hunger offers protection services and mental health support to victims of gender-based violence and builds a gender-equitable response to the challenges of lean season. Our livelihoods programs focus on women, uplifting them with skills like financial literacy and climate-smart farming which help them live a safe and dignified life.

While women are especially at risk during the lean season, they are also its most powerful changemakers. About 90% of the time, women are responsible for preparing and purchasing food for their families, and dietary choices are gravely important in times of food scarcity. Action Against Hunger equips women with knowledge on how to make the best nutritional choices in suboptimal conditions. In peer support groups, Action Against Hunger promotes good health, nutrition, hygiene, sanitation, and care practices for mothers, infants, and young children. Sanitation and hygiene practices are essential for fighting malnutrition during the lean season when hunger-causing illnesses like cholera and malaria spike.

Case study: Zambia 

In 2024, Zambia was facing the worst drought in forty years due to a changing El Nino pattern. Total crop failure and the death of livestock that damaged the livelihoods of over 6.5 million people. Water sources dried up, and women faced long, dangerous journeys to obtain it elsewhere. The lean season began early and with brutal force. With over 2 million people facing crisis levels of hunger (IPC phase 3 or above), a national emergency was declared.

Action Against Hunger made a swift intervention. We expanded operations to nine districts in the worst-affected regions, taking a multi-sectoral approach that included nutrition and health, food security, WASH, and climate resilience. We collaborated closely with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to mitigate the spread of cholera, which was breaking out due to limited access to clean water, through WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) initiatives. Lifesaving food assistance was given to families grappling with the dual burden of cholera and food insecurity, helping to aid in disease management and malnutrition prevention. For long term impact, a climate-resilient farming program was launched. The Seeds of Hope Cowpea Project trained 1,285 farmers on agroecological techniques for cultivating drought-resistant cowpeas. This generated ZMW 650,000 in income from crop sales and a reduction of post-harvest losses to nearly zero. Armed with tools and knowledge in climate-smart agriculture, these farmers are now equipped to build a stronger food system in Zambia for the next time lean season strikes.

We cannot break seasonal patterns, but we can break the cycle of hunger and build resilience to seasonal food insecurity. Hunger during the lean season is preventable. With a combination of emergency interventions and long-term resilience-building projects, we can build a future where every life stays well-nourished, even during an agricultural gap.

***

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across over 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.

Originally published on PR Newswire

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Aug. 13, 2025 /3BL/ – Children and families in several cities have new opportunities to learn and play together this summer thanks to PNC Grow Up Great^® and the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL). Through PNC Grow Up Great, the company’s signature philanthropic initiative focused on early childhood education, the PNC Foundation recently awarded NCFL a $765,000 grant to pilot an updated version of NCFL’s Let’s Learn Together Outside (LLTO) program in select PNC markets over the next three years.

Let’s Learn Together Outside is a four-week, research-based family engagement program designed to take place in natural environments. LLTO supports families with strategies and activities focused on the importance of nature-based play and early literacy skills for children ages 3 to 5. NCFL supports implementation by providing local organizations with the training, program curricula and coaching to facilitate the program.

Let’s Learn Together Outside programming launched this summer in three cities: Louisville, Ky., with local partner Play Cousins Collective; Birmingham, Ala., with Birmingham Public Libraries; and Huntsville, Ala., with Village of Promise. Programming in Austin, Texas, is expected to launch in 2026 with selected community partners.

Outdoor learning and play are shown to have a variety of positive outcomes for children, including improved problem-solving skills, enhanced memory retention and better social skills. In addition, children who spend regular time outdoors demonstrate lower rates of obesity, improved motor skills and better physical coordination. By combining outdoor learning with early literacy, LLTO harnesses these benefits while also providing parenting adults with the resources they need to ensure their children are kindergarten-ready. 

“Since the start of PNC Grow Up Great over 20 years ago, we’ve counted NCFL as one of our earliest collaborators in building brilliant futures for our youngest learners,” said Sally McCrady, chair and president, PNC Foundation. “We’re excited to see Let’s Learn Together Outside engage children and their families together in the wonder of outdoor learning, fostering deeper connections to nature and one another.”

“NCFL’s commitment to early learning extends beyond our work in collaboration with schools and early childcare settings,” said Felicia Cumings Smith, NCFL president and CEO. “We also believe that young children should have access to early literacy and learning opportunities that enable outdoor exploration.

“Through programs like Let’s Learn Together Outside, NCFL and PNC Grow Up Great are providing families with the tools to explore multigenerational learning at the park, in the backyard or on the playground. When parenting adults and children learn together, the whole family benefits.”

For more information about LLTO or any of NCFL’s family learning programming, visit familieslearning.org. For information on how to be part of LLTO programming in Kentucky or Alabama, contact the local partners listed above.

About the PNC Foundation

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The Foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through PNC Grow Up Great^®, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. For more information, visit http://www.pncgrowupgreat.com.

About the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL)

NCFL is a national nonprofit that has worked for more than 35 years to eradicate poverty through education solutions for families. We believe education is a shared, nonpartisan responsibility and that collaboration among families, schools, and community members can lead to powerful learning experiences. NCFL’s vision is to establish coordinated and aligned family learning systems in 60 communities, built with and for families, to increase education and economic outcomes and create thriving communities. For more information on NCFL, visit familieslearning.org. To learn more about our vision or become a Family Learning Community^™ partner, visit familieslearning.org/60×30.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Foster Parish
Director, Communications
Cell: 703-472-5997
aparish@familieslearning.org

SOURCE National Center for Families Learning

NEW YORK, August 13, 2025 /3BL/ – 3BL, a communications technology company helping organizations transform impact and sustainability programs into a business advantage, has partnered with Concordia to further extend the reach of stories that drive meaningful change. This collaboration brings Concordia into 3BL’s Publishing Partner Network, an exclusive group of websites and publications committed to amplifying purpose-driven content.

Concordia’s membership community spans public, private, and nonprofit sectors, with initiatives focused on disaster relief, equity, diplomacy, and more. Through this partnership, visitors to the Concordia website will now have access to 3BL’s real-time stream of digital content—including videos, articles, and reports—from a network of more than 1,500 companies and NGOs.

“Concordia is known for its convening power, bringing together heads of state, leaders of the private and NGO sectors and others with diverse perspectives to explore tangible solutions to global challenges,” said Dave Armon, 3BL executive vice chairman. “This is a natural audience for the impact news and stories distributed through the 3BL Focus platform each and every day.”

The addition of Concordia further strengthens the exclusive network 3BL launched in 2009 to help organizations deliver their impact communications to the right audiences. More than 2,500 stories have already been distributed across the network in 2025 alone. And while distribution remains central to this work, it’s only part of 3BL’s larger mission: transforming how businesses communicate their impact investments, turning responsible actions into tangible business outcomes.

Founded in 2011 by Matthew A. Swift and Nicholas M. Logothetis, Concordia is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to building partnerships that drive lasting impact around the world.

“It’s our mission to elevate voices addressing the most urgent challenges of our time. Through our Annual Summit, Horizon Summits, membership network, and podcast series, we’re building a continuous global conversation,” said Swift. “3BL’s platform will help us expand that dialogue and deepen our reach.”

Get in touch to learn more about our Publishing Partner Network. 

About 3BL

3BL transforms impact and sustainability initiatives into business advantages. Since 2009, we’ve helped 1,500+ organizations—from Fortune 500s to NGOs—connect purpose with performance. Our proprietary platform delivers targeted distribution, strategic insights, and measurable analytics, while our media division TriplePundit provides solutions-focused journalism and brand storytelling support.

About Concordia

Concordia is the premier global convener of heads of state, government officials, C-suite executives, and leaders from nonprofits, think tanks, and foundations, dedicated to finding market-driven, cross-sector solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Our Annual Summit, the largest and most inclusive nonpartisan forum alongside the UN General Assembly, brings together diverse voices to drive action. Additionally, our Horizon Summits focus on key global areas, including the Americas, the United States, Europe and Africa. Learn more at https://www.concordia.net

By Elyse Hauser

Originally published on TriplePundit

More than half of Americans who don’t own homes think homeownership will never be possible for them, according to a 2025 Northwestern Mutual study. The financial services company and Milwaukee Community Land Trust are working to change that in Wisconsin’s largest city. In spite of rising costs of living, stagnant wages, and skyrocketing home prices, they are putting homes in reach for more people. 

Milwaukee Community Land Trust buys run-down houses and properties in the city, fixes the homes or builds new ones, and then sells them to residents with lower incomes at fair prices. Building affordable housing can change lives for individuals and families, but it also goes further, helping revitalize a city and turn vacant spaces into thriving neighborhoods. In 2023, Northwestern Mutual invested $2.5 million in the trust to support its affordable housing work. 

So far, the community land trust’s work with Northwestern Mutual and other Milwaukee organizations has created over 125 affordable houses. If the buyers ever decide to sell these homes, they’re required to sell them at fair, below-market prices, just as they bought them. This helps ensure the new affordable housing will stay affordable for generations to come. 

“We are on a mission to help people be on a better path towards financial stability,” said Grady Crosby, chief impact officer at Northwestern Mutual. Homeownership plays a role in that stability. Homes are financial assets, with values that tend to go up over time. They can be passed down to the next generation, building wealth for families across decades. Yet because of the high and rising costs of buying a home, many people end up renting instead. 

“People who are renting are subject to some fairly vicious swings in in rental rates,” Crosby said. This makes financial planning difficult. Owning a home means having a mortgage with stable monthly payments instead. 

When Northwestern Mutual made its investment in 2023, Milwaukee Community Land Trust quickly put those funds to use, hiring local experts to turn empty buildings and vacant lots into livable space.

“Northwestern Mutual’s impact investment was a game-changer. It allowed us to move quickly in a system that often slows down small developers and nonprofits,” said Lamont Davis, executive director of the trust. “Without it, accessing construction financing would’ve been nearly impossible, and small, local contractors would have been left waiting to be paid.”

The influx of funding also helped the trust prove to itself and others that this model would work. “It affirmed our faith that the community land trust model could work here in Milwaukee,” said Theresa Thomas-Boyd, chair of the Milwaukee Community Land Trust board. “By showing that affordable, dignified housing can be delivered with care and purpose, it opened hearts and doors to new partners who believe in this mission just as deeply as we do.” 

The community land trust’s approach includes support for buyers, especially those who have never owned a home. “A lot of times, it’s first-time homebuyers, those that have been kind of pressed out of the housing market,” Crosby said.

When buying through the trust, they attend home buying counseling sessions, where they learn about the responsibilities of homeownership up front, like taxes, maintenance costs and other expenses. They also learn about the stipulations for resale, part of a legal contract known as a land trust agreement. This agreement means buyers own the home and lease the land it is on, which helps ensure low mortgage payments, and places limits on the profits from resale. 

“They agree when they buy these properties that anytime they sell the property, according to the land trust, they will sell it also at a below-market price,” Crosby said. They can leave the house to an heir, if they choose. But if the heir decides to sell, the stipulations for resale are still in effect.  

Crosby said he believes firmly that this community land trust approach can work elsewhere. In fact, it already has, with hundreds of similar models across the country. He urged people and organizations interested in doing something similar to start a conversation: “Come and talk to us here at Northwestern Mutual, come and talk to the fine folks at Milwaukee Community Land Trust because this model definitely can be replicated, and it’s also scalable.”

Still, difficulties remain. Many Americans face barriers that put affordable housing out of reach, like a lack of job and educational opportunities. Other financial factors play a role, too. For example, this project doesn’t address high interest rates on mortgages, an obstacle Crosby said buyers are currently facing.

“There are a myriad of challenges and issues,” Crosby said. “Home ownership is just one that is manifested as a result of some of the other needs that our community is going through.”

The challenges are especially severe for people of color. “We’ve seen that, and statistics show that, Black and brown families are even more impacted with regard to affordable housing,” Crosby said. In Milwaukee, as in the U.S. overall, Black and Latino homeownership rates are far lower than white homeownership rates.

The challenge now is to make even more housing, and the opportunities it brings, available to more people, in more places. A fresh influx of affordable housing can have a ripple effect, resulting in a more beautiful and vibrant community. 

“We know that when people have more financial stability, they become more confident,” Crosby said. “They become more contributing in their communities. Communities get better. And when we allow folk to really reach their full potential, we believe it’s a benefit to all.” 

In partnership with Georgetown University’s Global Cities Initiative, IWBI and over a dozen supporting organizations—including AAFA, AIHA, ASHRAE, BOMA, Global Green, Green Building Initiative, Green Seal, ICC, IFMA, NEMA, NIBS and USGBC—spotlight policy as a catalyst for scaling healthy buildings and creating healthier communities

Event features nearly 30 confirmed speakers—from a former U.S. Surgeon General, a distinguished member of Congress, an award-winning journalist, to top leaders from ASHRAE, GRESB, USGBC, JLL, UL Solutions, Brown University, Corvias, Aeroseal, Johns Hopkins University, Savills 
and Trane Technologies

NEW YORKA, August 13, 2025 /3BL/ – The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), in partnership with Georgetown University’s Global Cities Initiative, is proud to host its second annual Healthy Building Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., on September 29. This landmark, full-day event is dedicated to exploring the critical role of policy at all levels of government in transforming workplaces, buildings and cities to improve health, build resilience and foster thriving communities.

“Building on our momentum from last year’s inaugural event, this year’s Healthy Building Policy Summit dives deeper into critical areas — from indoor air quality to innovation and private sector leadership — showing how we are doubling down on the policies and partnerships that can turn every building into a force for well-being for everyone, everywhere,” said IWBI President and CEO Rachel Hodgdon.

By convening a dynamic cross-section of policymakers, public health experts, private sector innovators, and government leaders, the Summit aims to accelerate bold ideas and actionable policies that advance health through the built environment. “We’re excited to host this policy summit at a moment when decisions on human health are being treated as a core performance metric for public and private places across the built environment,” said Uwe S. Brandes, Professor and Director of the Georgetown Global Cities Initiative, which is hosting the event at the McCourt School of Public Policy on its Capitol Campus. “We’ll be exploring how policy, planning, and investment decisions at all jurisdictional levels enhance and protect human health in our buildings and cities.”

The Summit will focus on critical topics and timely issues impacting the built environment including indoor air quality, the evidence-based return on investment (ROI) of healthy buildings, as well as the influence of legislation on market transformation. Other key topics include access to healthy environments, the leadership role of cities and states, and the contribution of professional organizations and technical standards in advancing healthy building initiatives.

An impressive lineup of nearly 30 speakers are confirmed, including:

• Dr. Richard Carmona, M.D., MPH, FACS. 17th Surgeon General of the United States
• Rachel Hodgdon, President and CEO, IWBI
• Congressman Paul D. Tonko. D-NY 20th District, U.S. House of Representatives
• Christopher King, Dean, School of Health, Georgetown University
• Holly Paeper, President of Commercial HVAC Americas, Trane Technologies
• William McQuade, President, ASHRAE
• Erin Billups, National Health Reporter, Spectrum News
• Chris Pyke, Chief Innovation Officer, GRESB
• Tanya Eagle, Director of Sustainable Buildings, JLL
• Georgia Lagoudas, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, Brown University School of Public Health
• Kazukiyo (Kazu) Kumagai, Chief of the Air Quality Section, California Department of Public Health
• Erika Heet, Editor-In-Chief, BuildingGreen
• Elizabeth Beardsley, Senior Policy Counsel, U.S. Green Building Council
• Uwe Brandes, Professor, Director of the Urban & Regional Planning Program and Director of the Georgetown Global Cities Initiative, Georgetown University
• Seydina Fall, Senior Lecturer, Institute for Planetary Health, Johns Hopkins University
• Wendy Feldman Block, Executive Managing Director, Savills, Inc.
• Denise Hauck, President, Department of Defense (DOD) Division, Corvias
• Sean McCrady, Vice President, Software and Advisory, UL Solutions
• Dr. Serene Almomen, CEO, Co-Founder, Attune
• Rachel Kohli, Director of Campus Planning, Georgetown University
• Trisha Miller, Vice President, Policy and Market Development, Aeroseal
• Whitney Austin Gray, SVP, Research, IWBI
• Susan Chung, Associate Director, Enterprise Research, Vice President, HKS
• Jonathan Gritz, SVP, Energy Solutions, WellStat
• Jason Hartke, EVP, External Affairs and Global Advocacy, IWBI

This year’s Summit is supported by leading companies committed to advancing health in buildings. Principal sponsors include Trane Technologies, Aeroseal, UL Solutions and Attune, whose leadership and commitment help make the event possible. The event is also supported by Associate sponsors SafeTraces and Vogel Group, with Daikin serving as host for the Summit’s evening reception. Lutron and WellStat are joining as WELL Summit Series Gold sponsors.

“We now know unequivocally that our buildings are foundational to our health, shaping how we live, work and connect. By positioning them to actively promote well-being, we can unlock a healthier future for everyone,” said Dr. Richard Carmona, 17th Surgeon General of the United States. “The Healthy Building Policy Summit is a signature gathering where we can come together to explore the accelerants that will take these strategies to scale in communities across the country.”

“We have a chance to get ahead — to shape the future of our workplaces, buildings and communities through smart policy, effective programs and more strategic use of the vast public funds being directed into our buildings over the next decade,” said Jason Hartke, Executive Vice President, External Affairs and Global Advocacy, IWBI. “The Healthy Building Policy Summit is the only national gathering dedicated to charting that future and shaping policies and priorities that will deliver on our ambitious healthy building agenda. I’m honored to be partnering with Georgetown and an extraordinary coalition of supporting organizations, industry leaders and media partners, showing that the strongest leadership comes through partnership.”

“Research is the bridge between what we know works for health and how we put it into practice,” said Whitney Austin Gray, Senior Vice President, Research, IWBI. “We know that investing in health in the built environment delivers returns far beyond well-being, from stronger business performance to greater community resilience. The Policy Summit is a unique opportunity to showcase the evidence that makes the business case, equipping policymakers to shape the future of healthy building policy.”

The event also includes several Supporting Organizations, including American Industrial Hygiene Association, ASHRAE, Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, BOMA International, Global Green, Green Seal, International Codes Council, International Facilities Management Association, ISSA – Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, National Institute of Building Sciences, and U.S. Green Building Council. In addition, the Summit’s Media Partners include BuildingGreen, FacilitiesNet and Buildings Magazine.

What Our Supporters are Saying

“Advancing health in buildings is becoming a clear priority for organizations around the world,” said Scott Tew, Vice President, Sustainability and Managing Director, Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, Trane Technologies. “We’re proud to support the Healthy Building Policy Summit because it is moving this critical conversation forward and reshaping how we coalesce around policy solutions to ramp up building-scale interventions that improve health and well-being, boost productivity and strengthen our businesses.”

“Collectively, we have the technologies and scientific knowledge—many of them readily available and capable of transforming workplaces and organizations so they can better invest in their people,” said Sean McCrady, Vice President, Software and Advisory, UL Solutions. “The Healthy Building Policy Summit provides an opportunity to break down barriers and build a future where healthy indoor spaces are the norm.”

“The Healthy Building Policy Summit gives us the opportunity to deliver high-performance building solutions in collaboration with stakeholders across the country,” said Trisha Miller, Vice President, Policy and Market Development, Aeroseal. “Fortunately, we’re seeing an important convergence where health, energy efficiency and building resilience are coming together, so we can support these shared priorities at once.”

For more information and to register for the event, visit IWBI’s Summit registration page.

WELL’s accelerating global reach reflects the growing momentum for policies that prioritize healthier spaces worldwide. Last month, global growth and adoption of the WELL Building Standard (WELL) surged to more than 6 billion square feet (557.4 million square meters) of real estate, demonstrating incredible market adoption spanning nearly 100,000 locations across 138 countries that are realizing the positive impacts of people-first places.

 

About the International WELL Building Institute

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is a public benefit corporation and the global authority for transforming health and well-being in buildings, organizations and communities. In pursuit of its public-health mission, IWBI mobilizes its community through the development and administration of the WELL Building Standard (WELL), WELL for residential, WELL Community Standard, its WELL ratings and management of the WELL AP credential. IWBI also translates research into practice, develops educational resources and advocates for policies that promote people-first places for everyone, everywhere. More information on WELL can be found here.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL EP, WELL Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Performance Rated, WELL Equity Rated, WELL Equity, WELL Coworking Rated, WELL Residence, Works with WELL, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

About Georgetown University’s Global Cities Initiative

The Georgetown Global Cities Initiative reaches across the entire University community to

explore cross-cutting themes related to urbanization. Through this dialogue, Georgetown aims to align more than 60 faculty scholars and practitioners engaged in urban research who are not otherwise linked through their traditional academic disciplines. The Initiative matches Georgetown’s international research networks with our civic role as a leading local anchor institution in Washington, DC. Research themes include social equity, rapid urbanization, city diplomacy; urban governance frameworks; social entrepreneurship; public health; technology, data and ethics; and changing environmental resources. We invite you to join us in dialogue as we engage one of the most important global trends in the 21st Century.

Media Contacts:
media@wellcertified.com
globalcities@georgetown.edu

View original content here.

The initiative equips universities in developing nations with scientific instruments, directly addressing infrastructure gaps in STEM education and research. Since its inception, the initiative has facilitated the donation of over 2,500 pieces of equipment to 11 universities in Africa, impacting more than 30,000 students. The 10-year partnership aligns with the Schlumberger Foundation’s mission of powering STEM education as a key enabler of sustainable development.

The Schlumberger Foundation, in partnership with Seeding Labs, successfully implemented a significant donation of scientific instruments to the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti in Nigeria. This contribution, formalized at a handover ceremony, not only equips another institution with research and educational tools, but also officially marks ten years of a powerful collaboration between both parties dedicated to strengthening STEM education and research infrastructure in developing countries.

For a decade, this partnership has strengthened STEM education and research infrastructure across Africa—facilitating the donation of over 2,500 pieces of equipment to 11 universities and positively impacting more than 30,000 students. Each of these institutions has also benefited from the return of Faculty for the Future Fellows—women from developing and emerging economies who, after earning advanced STEM degrees overseas, come back to teach and lead research. However, a major barrier remains: the lack of core scientific equipment. Without it, students miss out on hands-on learning, and lecturers are limited in their ability to conduct research, publish findings, and secure future grant opportunities.

“Without access to working labs, students are observers rather than participants in their own education,” said Capella Festa, President of the Schlumberger Foundation. “Through our partnership with Seeding Labs, we’re helping to create environments where education is active, research is possible, and opportunities can grow. This latest donation in Ondo State, following a decade of shared commitment, underscores the enduring success and continued expansion of this vital initiative.”

Seeding Labs is a nonprofit organization supporting locally led development through science. Working collaboratively with select institutions in developing countries, Seeding Labs provides an often overlooked but critical element to these labs: infrastructure. In collaboration with partners, including the Schlumberger Foundation, Seeding Labs has shipped essential equipment to 42 developing countries since 2008. This equipment enables students to gain hands-on training previously limited to theory and empowers researchers with the tools needed to publish and secure international grants with improved lab capacity, fostering new collaborations with regional and global institutions.

“We are excited to celebrate a decade of impact in partnership with the Schlumberger Foundation,” said Melissa P. Wu, PhD., CEO, Seeding Labs. “When Faculty for the Future Fellows return home, one of the major barriers they find is a lack of infrastructure to use their skills and knowledge. By supporting their universities with equipment, we make it easier for women to return and stay in science. It has been inspiring to see so many women taking our partnership as a launching point for shaping the future of the communities they call home.”

“The arrival of this state-of-the-art equipment will significantly enhance our research capabilities, foster innovation, and provide our students with hands-on learning experiences that will prepare them for the challenges of the future.” added Dr. Olalekan Faboya, Head of Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Oye-Ekiti.

This collaborative effort directly supports the Schlumberger Foundation’s mission of powering education, innovation, and thought leadership through strategic investments in people and infrastructure. As the partnership with Seeding Labs enters its second decade, this latest milestone reflects steady progress and a shared commitment to broadening access to STEM opportunities where they are needed most.

About the Schlumberger Foundation

The Schlumberger Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports science and technology education. Recognizing the link between science, technology, and socio-economic development, as well as the key role of education in realizing individual potential, the Schlumberger Foundation flagship program is Faculty for the Future. Learn more about Faculty for the Future and the call for fellowship applications here.

About Seeding Labs

Seeding Labs is an award-winning nonprofit that has spent the last 15 years working to overcome a major barrier to global development: the extreme concentration of scientific capacity in just a handful of countries. Seeding Labs’ signature program, Instrumental Access, focuses on meeting the critical need for scientific equipment. They work with equipment manufacturers and end users to put their excess equipment to use at institutions in developing countries, where these resources are scarce and the need for them is greatest.

Media Contact

Tunde Aboaba – Communications Manager, West Africa, SLB
Email: taboaba@slb.com

This year marks a milestone at AMD as we celebrate 30 years of corporate responsibility reporting. While much has changed over the last three decades, our culture of purpose-driven innovation remains core to AMD.

Today, semiconductors are increasingly at the center of our modern infrastructure – from the cloud services underpinning our work and entertainment, to supercomputers accelerating critical research, to the devices we use every day to communicate, learn and contribute. In parallel, corporate responsibility is integral to how we operate as an employer, customer, supplier and partner.

I am pleased to share our latest progress update across our strategic focus areas in our 2024-25 Corporate Responsibility Report. With thanks to countless AMDers and partners, I invite you to read the highlights below and explore the full report here.

Advancing research and STEM education 

We believe high-performance and adaptive computing can help solve the world’s toughest challenges. We are passionate about equipping the brilliant researchers, ambitious students and youngest minds with compute resources, support and education.

• Through the AMD University Program and STEM initiatives, we have benefited approximately 84.1 million people since 2020 toward our goal of 100 million people^[i].
• AMD donated technology to 800+ universities, research institutions and nonprofits in 2024 through the AMD University Program and initiatives like Heterogeneous Accelerated Compute Clusters (HACC) and the AI and HPC Fund.
• We support the expansion of STEM curricula and opportunities for under-resourced educational programs through AMD Learning Labs installed in Austin, Dublin, Fort Collins, Longmont, Markham, Penang, San Jose, Shanghai and Singapore.

Advancing our people

We encourage and support creative minds from all backgrounds to work together in an engaging and open environment. By fostering a culture where every employee feels valued and has a true sense of belonging, we can fuel innovation, deliver strong performance and lead with impact.

• We launched five new employee mentoring programs in 2024 spanning a broader range of career development topics for technical and non-engineering employees.
• We expanded our early career pipeline through strategic university engagement, bringing new perspectives and strengthening our innovative culture.
• More than 8,100 AMD employees volunteered in 2024, a 43% increase compared to 2023.

Advancing environmental sustainability

Our environmental sustainability initiatives span our global operations and value chain, with clear goals and transparent annual reporting. Today we also published our Climate Transition Plan (CTP) with governance, strategies and action plans to support decarbonization efforts across our products, operations and supply chain.

• We beat^[ii] our 30×25 goal, with AMD Instinct™ MI350 Series GPUs and 5^th Gen AMD EPYC™ CPUs delivering a 38.5x improvement in node-level energy efficiency for AI training and high-performance computing from 2020 to 2025 – cutting energy use by 97% for the same performance.
• Our new 2030 goal is to deliver a 20x rack-level energy efficiency gain that equates to reducing the number of racks to train a typical AI model today from 275 to less than one fully utilized rack in 2030 – using 95% less power^[iii].
• AMD technology powers 60% of the top 20 most energy efficient supercomputers on the Green500 list – advancing AI innovation, research, national security and other critical initiatives.
• Our operational emissions have declined 28% from 2020-2024 as we more than doubled the sourcing of renewable electricity to 50% of our global electricity use in 2024.

Advancing supply chain responsibility

Our comprehensive approach to supply chain responsibility includes setting expectations, aligning with industry standards, fostering collaboration through industry groups, and analyzing risks while monitoring effectiveness.

• 90% of our manufacturing suppliers’^[iv] factories have been audited since 2020, with 87% of these suppliers having public GHG goals and 74% sourcing renewable energy in 2024^[v].
• As a founding member of the SEMI Climate Consortium and sponsor of its Energy Collaborative, AMD and industry peers are helping reduce the barriers to renewable energy adoption in key regions where we have a significant supply chain footprint.
• We expanded due diligence efforts and investments on traceability of key materials and critical minerals used in AMD products, promoting supply chain resilience, human rights and circular economy.
• The 2024 KnowTheChain benchmark ranked AMD in the top 15% of information and communications technology (ICT) companies in evaluated on forced labor and human trafficking risks.

As we celebrate this milestone year of corporate responsibility at AMD and the progress of integrating our values, strategy and actions, we also look ahead with ambition and focus. Our objectives remain clear: deliver impact where it matters most – through energy-efficient innovation, responsible business practices and progress that empowers our people, partners and communities.

Learn more at www.amd.com/corporateresponsibility
 

^{[i] The time period for the Digital Impact goal includes donations made after January 1, 2020 and initiated by December 31, 2025. “Initiated” is defined as AMD and the recipient organization reaching an agreement on an AMD donation, which must be delivered by July 30, 2026. Reported data includes: direct beneficiaries defined as students, faculty or researchers with direct access to AMD-donated technology, funding or volunteers; and indirect beneficiaries defined as individuals with a reasonable likelihood of receiving research data formulated through AMD-donated technology and potentially gaining useful insights or knowledge. AMD conducts annual surveys with recipient organizations to estimate direct beneficiaries, and in the case of the AI & HPC Fund, indirect beneficiaries as well. Based on 3 years of responses (2021-2023), AMD created an economic-based impact assumption to estimate the total number of indirect beneficiaries (not applied to direct beneficiaries) by dividing the total market-value of donations in a given year by the total reported indirect beneficiary values from recipients’ surveys for the same year. The data shows the ratio is 1.08 on average for the 3 years of data used in the model. Therefore, AMD assumes for every US$1m of market-value donated, approximately 1.08 million people will indirectly benefit. AMD also assumes that the annual estimated indirect beneficiaries in year 1 continues to reach additional individuals in year 2 and year 3, but at a reduced rate. The impact depreciation rate assumes year 2 beneficiaries amount to 50% of year 1 estimates, and year 3 beneficiaries amount to 25% of year 1 estimates. AMD goal calculations are third-party verified (limited level assurance) based on data supplied by recipient organizations, which is not independently verified by AMD, and AMD economic-based impact models based on data supplied by recipient organizations. The model mentioned above was extended to data from the AMD University Program (which now includes AI & HPC Fund) for 2023-2024.}

^{[ii] EPYC-030a: Calculation includes 1) base case kWhr use projections in 2025 conducted with Koomey Analytics based on available research and data that includes segment specific projected 2025 deployment volumes and data center power utilization effectiveness (PUE) including GPU HPC and machine learning (ML) installations and 2) AMD CPU and GPU node power consumptions incorporating segment-specific utilization (active vs. idle) percentages and multiplied by PUE to determine actual total energy use for calculation of the performance per Watt. 38x is calculated using the following formula: (base case HPC node kWhr use projection in 2025 * AMD 2025 perf/Watt improvement using DGEMM and TEC +Base case ML node kWhr use projection in 2025 *AMD 2025 perf/Watt improvement using ML math and TEC) /(Base case projected kWhr usage in 2025). For more information, https://www.amd.com/en/corporate/corporate-responsibility/data-center-sustainability.html.}

^{[iii] AMD based advanced racks for AI training/inference in each year (2024 to 2030) based on AMD roadmaps, also examining historical trends to inform rack design choices and technology improvements to align projected goals and historical trends. The 2024 rack is based on the MI300X node, which is comparable to the Nvidia H100 and reflects current common practice in AI deployments in 2024/2025 timeframe. The 2030 rack is based on an AMD system and silicon design expectations for that time frame. In each case, AMD specified components like GPUs, CPUs, DRAM, storage, cooling, and communications, tracking component and defined rack characteristics for power and performance. Calculations do not include power used for cooling air or water supply outside the racks but do include power for fans and pumps internal to the racks. Performance improvements are estimated based on progress in compute output (delivered, sustained, not peak FLOPS), memory (HBM) bandwidth, and network (scale-up) bandwidth, expressed as indices and weighted by the following factors for training and inference.}

	FLOPS	HBM BW	Scale-up BW
Training	70.0%	10.0%	20.0%
Inference	45.0%	32.5%	22.5%

^{Performance and power use per rack together imply trends in performance per watt over time for training and inference, then indices for progress in training and inference are weighted 50:50 to get the final estimate of AMD projected progress by 2030 (20x). The performance number assumes continued AI model progress in exploiting lower precision math formats for both training and inference which results in both an increase in effective FLOPS and a reduction in required bandwidth per FLOP.}

^{[iv] “Manufacturing Suppliers” are defined as suppliers that AMD buys from directly and that provide direct materials and/or manufacturing services to AMD.}

^{[v] AMD calculations are third-party verified (limited level assurance) based on data supplied by our Manufacturing Suppliers, which is not independently verified by AMD.}

When disasters strike, timing is everything. The faster Heart to Heart International (HHI) can respond, the more lives we can touch. But speed and impact don’t happen without training and preparation. 

Thanks to the generous support of FedEx, 2024–2025 has transformed HHI’s training and readiness programs. With expanded virtual courses, hands-on simulations, and role-specific learning, our staff and volunteers are more prepared than ever to meet the demands of real-world disaster response. That readiness means we’re able to reach more people, faster, and with better care.

The value of this investment was clearly seen during hurricanes Helene and Milton, which devastated communities across seven states in the fall of 2024. These dual disasters tested our team and systems, but thanks to focused training, our team rose to the challenge. Volunteers who had completed advanced courses stepped into key leadership roles. One volunteer, trained in our new Power and Communications module, managed all field technology for a 15-person team. This allowed staff to focus on delivering $2.2 million in medical aid and reaching more than 400 patients with care, including administering 239 lifesaving vaccines.

This kind of capability is the new standard thanks to our evolving training strategy. In April 2025, HHI hosted its most comprehensive Emergency Medical Team (EMT) simulation yet. Volunteers and staff worked side-by-side to set up mobile clinics, coordinate logistics, and triage patients in a controlled but realistic environment. The goal? Ensure that when a disaster hits, no one is figuring things out for the first time.

Before the training, only a few volunteers rated themselves as “very prepared” to deploy. Afterward, that number more than doubled, with 100% of participants saying they felt more confident and equipped to respond. The training didn’t just build skills, it built trust, strengthened relationships, and empowered people to lead.

One volunteer shared, “Acting out a deployment, from communications to patient care, really demonstrated what it’s like. The amount of preparation that goes into this shows how much HHI cares. That’s why I choose to be a part of it.”

Through the LearnUpon Learning Management System, HHI has scaled training access even further. Now, staff and volunteers can learn anytime, anywhere, with courses in disaster medicine, logistics, cultural sensitivity, and more. Already, 91 users have completed 20 courses, with many more in development. These tools are preparing responders before they ever set foot in the field. So when the time comes, responders are ready to serve.

Every hour of training is an investment in someone else’s survival. Thanks to FedEx’s support, HHI is prepared to reach more people, provide better care, and show up stronger in every emergency.

Thank you, FedEx, for making this possible. Together, we’re proving that with the right training, we can respond wherever we’re needed most.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.

As a global climate innovator, Trane Technologies defines circularity as finding new ways to use products, materials and resources. Our goal is to keep them in use for as long as possible and reduce waste. By integrating these practices into our portfolio, we help customers cut greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen their own sustainable business strategies — demonstrating that decarbonization pays off.

By maintaining equipment, prolonging its useful life and sharing resources to minimize upgrades and unnecessary replacements, we deliver measurable carbon reduction results and tackle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across our value chain.

Extending equipment lifecycles while reducing our carbon footprint 

Trane’s life-extension programs renew commercial HVAC equipment, extending both life and performance. Technicians change seals, gaskets and controls. They run tests, keep units updated and replace worn parts or rebuild motors as needed. The comprehensive renewal process ensures that equipment operates at like-new performance levels.

The global programs, encompassing approximately 1,000 restoration projects each year, keep critical machinery in use longer and out of the waste stream.

Field data shows the impact. Regular service can add up to ten years of useful life, delaying new equipment investments and avoiding the embodied carbon of building new units. And beyond the benefits of increased energy efficiency and extended lifespan, these programs also tackle environmental risks at the source, taking a proactive approach to preventing refrigerant leaks and other issues.

Digital connectivity also increases sustainability benefits. A successful artificial intelligence (AI) analytics pilot currently monitors over 2,000 connected units. By 2026, every new unit will include the option to integrate remote diagnostics, unlocking AI-enabled energy efficiency and extending the useful life of our products. By adopting predictive maintenance technology, our service teams can mitigate issues before they arise, eliminating the need for transportation to the site and optimizing productivity.

Core business offerings that are inherently circular

Another circular business offering comes from our Trane rental services, who leverage resource sharing to decrease both carbon footprint and costs for our customers. They buy back existing customer equipment to refurbish and repurpose into their rental fleet, eliminating the embedded carbon emissions required to build a new piece of equipment. Our global fleet of thousands of cold storage and HVAC equipment rentals gives customers temporary capacity without significant capital investments in permanent assets, turning each system into a shared circular resource.

The growing integration of battery-powered cold chain solutions deepens our investment in renewable energy solutions. Buy backs and refurbishment programs also extend the useful life of equipment—while targeted upgrades, like switching heat pumps for gas-powered units, accelerate the impact.

Accelerating the pace of decarbonization through circularity

Together, these circular service offerings illustrate why building a circular economy is an advantage for our business. Initiatives like these generate value for our company, decrease operating costs for our customers and create concrete progress toward industrial decarbonization.

Our efforts to maintain, prolong and share vital equipment and resources are also critical drivers for our 2030 Sustainability Commitments, including our work to reduce embodied carbon by 40% and deliver a gigaton of GHG emission reduction for our customers. By prioritizing energy efficiency and maintenance, Trane Technologies is accelerating the pace of decarbonization. 

Learn more about how embracing circularity advances both sustainability goals and business growth.

Explore careers that make an impact at Trane Technologies.

Florida KidCare, a state-sponsored healthcare program, provides low-cost, high-quality health insurance to children from birth through age 18. It includes several income-based CHIP programs, including Florida Healthy Kids, MediKids, and Children’s Medical Services Health Plans. To enhance families’ customer experience, Florida Healthy Kids Corporation (FHKC) partnered with Maximus to launch a self-service digital portal for CHIP participants, where parents can apply for coverage, view eligibility, upload documents, pay premiums, and manage their accounts — all from their preferred digital device.

With over 265,000 users, more than 2 million page views, and a 95% user satisfaction rating, the new Florida KidCare Parent Portal delivers an improved experience for families seeking reliable, anytime access to their accounts. It features:

• Secure login and document upload
• Easy-to-navigate, mobile-responsive design
• Easy-to-understand, multilingual content
• Integration with FHKC’s eligibility and enrollment system
• Compliance with state and federal digital accessibility standards 

Award-winning digital innovation serves over 200,000 children

The Florida KidCare Parent Portal — a secure, mobile-friendly digital solution that streamlines enrollment, renewal, and account management for over 200,000 children enrolled in the program — was recognized with multiple innovation awards:

• Platinum Hermes Creative Award for mobile websites
• Gold AVA Digital Award for consumer websites
• Merit Award from the Digital Health Awards for web-based digital health portals and education

These recognitions highlight how the Florida KidCare Parent Portal improves customer experience by offering fast, convenient, and secure access to essential health coverage information, allowing families to manage their accounts when and how they prefer.

A seamless digital experience for Florida families 

At Maximus, we harness the power of digital solutions to help government programs run more efficiently and effectively. By prioritizing a person-centered design, the Florida KidCare Parent Portal offers an intuitive layout, plain-language content, and a seamless user journey — whether users are applying for the first time or renewing existing coverage.