Tag: 3BL

In today’s business landscape, sustainability professionals face more pressure than ever to demonstrate their value—not just for environmental good, but for the bottom line. In this blog, Erik Foley, Sustainability Practice Lead at Antea Group USA, shares why the key to lasting impact isn’t leading with sustainability at all.

Drawing on decades of experience and real-world examples, Erik outlines four essential roles sustainability leaders must play to stay relevant and drive business value—from strategist and collaborator to risk analyst and bridge-builder. Most importantly, he explains why sustainability conversations need to start with business priorities and not ESG acronyms.

Read the beginning below and then head over to Erik’s blog for the full piece:

To save you and I both some writing and reading time, I could summarize my point this way: make it a business meeting, not a sustainability meeting. 

But you would wonder what I meant….fine. Here’s what I mean:

Several years ago, I was helping a large pharmaceutical distribution company establish a sustainability committee. I was working with the new–and first ever–sustainability officer, an excellent natural leader. She had done great work establishing a committee of well-respected leaders from across the company. This is not an easy thing to do. She had spent time studying the company, the competition, and understanding relevant sustainability frameworks and regulations. She was set for a great kick-off meeting. People were in their seats. Anticipation hung in the air. She cleared her throat and welcomed everyone to the meeting. Then she made a critical error: she opened the meeting talking about sustainability. I winced.

No one else noticed. It was a sustainability meeting after all, right? You are supposed to talk about sustainability…aren’t you? The fact that a sustainability meeting is expected to be about sustainability is exactly the problem she was feeding into. By meeting this expectation she was, ironically, making her work in the future to mainstream sustainability at the company that much harder. She was splitting sustainability away from core business, a dislocation that can take a long time to mend.

At the time, I had been in sustainability for over 25 years and knew the topic teetered on a razor’s edge between the ethical and the strategic, the nice-to-do and the must-do, between social responsibility and fiscal discipline. It easily becomes a sideshow while the main event plays on. A significant part of my life’s work has been to get sustainability in the big tent, but they talk differently in there and they don’t let just anyone in.

Click below to continue reading and learn how to make sustainability indispensable to your business.

Continue Reading Here

Published by Action Against Hunger.

April 15, 2025 /3BL/ – Today marks two years since the beginning of the armed conflict in Sudan, which has escalated into one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with 30.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. The Famine Review Committee of the IPC system evaluated in August 2024 that Zamzam camp in North Darfur reached the famine threshold, making it the first formal declaration of famine in more than seven years. Now, 26 million people are facing acute levels of food insecurity in Sudan.

An estimated 12.1 million women and girls in Sudan need support against gender-based and sexual violence, but access to medical and psychosocial care is limited due to the ongoing conflict. Women and girls are especially likely to be displaced from their homes to escape threats of such violence and, in 2024, they represented over 50% of Sudan’s refugees.

Conflict-related challenges have inhibited humanitarian organizations’ ability to reach populations in need. “It has become very difficult to work in Sudan. We are worse off than yesterday, but we will continue to work to make the situation better,” says Action Against Hunger’s regional head for Africa, Paloma Martin de Miguel. Action Against Hunger reminds all parties to the conflict that prevention of sufficient food aid delivery, including attacks on food production and distribution infrastructure, are in direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2417, which should be respected.

Action Against Hunger has been present in Sudan since 2018 and has scaled up efforts to address this unprecedented humanitarian crisis. From April 2023 to December 2024, Action Against Hunger’s teams supported 816,943 people with health and nutrition supplies in 15 locations across Blue Nile, Central Darfur, Red Sea, South Kordofan and White Nile. Interventions such as protection measures and medical and psychosocial support were provided to 11,953 people affected by gender-based violence.

Action Against Hunger urges the following actions to be taken immediately

• That all parties to the conflict take urgent action to stem the humanitarian crisis in Sudan by refraining from attacking, looting or damaging infrastructure essential to the safety of the population such as markets, agricultural or livestock lands, and hospitals.
• That there be accountability for human rights violations, particularly the reported incidents of gender and sexual based violence committed against women and girls, and that protection measures be strengthened to prevent further atrocities.
• That the international community and humanitarian actors mobilize urgent aid, as the situation is critical and requires an immediate response.

***

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 59 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.

AI is making it easier than ever to generate code, but harder to maintain quality, well-engineered software. So, does AI-generated code actually reduce the need for testing, or does it demand more rigorous validation than ever before?

The explosion of AI tools that can generate code has opened the door to any Tom, Dick, and Harry who wants to develop software. Making coding more accessible and faster sounds like a great thing. ‘Expert’ coding buddies whipping up function, classes, or even whole app in the blink of an eye seems like a dream scenario.

If only that was true.

While AI-generated code speeds things up, it can also turn your codebase into a complete mess. Unfortunately, copy-pasting code and moving on without refactoring or reviewing is becoming more common. This trend has been observed in the analysis of 211 million lines of open-source code, including major projects like VSCode, where copy-pasting has surged while code refactoring has plummeted.

The AI Code Quality Crisis

More or faster code doesn’t mean better code. Far from it. The output often creates more technical debt and bugs, while making it increasingly harder to maintain. There is obvious appeal to be able to create applications in minutes, but there are still significant risks when relying on AI-assisted programming tools:

• Code redundancy increases – Developers can often use AI-generated code without understanding or optimizing it.
• Refactoring takes a back seat – Codebases become bloated as engineers add AI-generated code snippets without restructuring existing logic.
• Bugs are hard to spot – Bugs introduced by AI can be difficult to detect because developers trust the generated code to be correct.
• Vulnerabilities are introduced – AI may inadvertently generate insecure code, increasing security risk and exposing applications to cyber threats.

There’s no doubt that AI tools for coding will improve over time with larger context windows, tried and tested prompting, and better training data. But right now, they cannot and should not replace sound engineering principles.

The Case for More Testing, Not Less

Writing software isn’t just about producing code (and tons of it, quickly). It’s about maintaining it, optimizing it, and ensuring it functions as expected in real-world scenarios. Testing has always been a necessary evil, which when given the option to reduce or stop it, it must be appealing. However, there are reasons why testing needs to still happen. Acting as quality guardrails, software testing should not be overlooked. Yes, AI can produce code ridiculously quickly. Some of it more than adequate, but to soley rely on it, with blind faith, is where things can go awry:

AI doesn’t guarantee correctness

AI-generated code might be syntactically correct, but it can remain logically flawed. As a result, you would still need comprehensive testing to catch these subtle errors. This might be fine for a basic app with minimal lines of code, but when you consider multiple integrated systems, the job at hand has just got increasingly more difficult.

According to GitClear’s 2025 AI Code Quality Report, the trend of copy and pasting code doesn’t seem to be slowing down, quite the opposite. Serious concerns are raised about the structural integrity of modern applications if this persists. Adequate testing should always be implemented, regardless of who or what is writing the code, but as refactoring and code improvements decrease, organizations run the risk of deploying software riddled with errors.

Increasing complexity requires more validation

Yes, AI is helping devs produce code at a startling rate, but the influx of new code is making applications and systems more complex and harder to maintain. As reported by GitClear, code blocks are increasingly being duplicated, replicating errors and inconsistencies across integrations. Forgetting about poor code for a second; software is growing in complexity anyway, but now flawed code is exacerbating the situation. Testing is the only reliable way to ensure the new code doesn’t negatively impact regression testing (which can be hard enough) or create bottlenecks, delaying releases even more.

Compliance risks spike with AI code adoption

AI-generated code adds a layer of unpredictability for enterprise applications that must meet strict security and compliance standards. Backing this up are some interesting stats from Google’s 2024 DORA report­ – for every 25% increase in AI adoption, software delivery stability drops 7.2%. This poses severe risks for regulated industries like healthcare, finance, aerospace and defense. Ignoring rigorous testing is not just risky, it’s a regulatory nightmare waiting to happen.

So, has AI finally destroyed the need for software testing?

Nope. Not by a long shot.

Testing has become even more critical. The only effective way to counter the drop in code quality is through smarter, more intelligent AI-augmented testing.

AI-Augmented Software Testing: A Smarter Approach

Traditional testing already struggled to keep up with complex, fast-evolving apps—and then AI-generated code came along and raised the stakes even higher. It’s unpredictable, constantly changing, and often a black box. That’s why we need smarter testing strategies.

Keysight Eggplant Test brings AI into the testing process itself—with model-based testing, computer vision, and low-code scriptless design—so you can match the speed and complexity of the software you’re shipping.

Map every user path–without the manual effort

Tired of spending hours trying to predict every way a user might interact with your app? With AI-augmented model-driven testing, you don’t have to. This approach automatically explores your application and uncovers all possible user journeys—including ones you might not even think of. Eggplant Test learns how your software behaves, then dynamically generates the most relevant tests to maximize coverage. It’s like having an intelligent co-tester that never misses a beat—ideal for fast-moving projects and unpredictable AI-generated code.

Test like a real user, no matter the platform

Testing modern UIs—especially ones shaped by AI—can be a nightmare when you’re stuck with rigid, code-based tools. Eggplant Test flips that on its head. It uses computer vision to interact with your app the same way a user would: visually, through the screen. And because it connects through methods like RDP, VNC, and mobile gateways, it can test virtually anything—whether it’s on a locked-down device, legacy system, or remote desktop. So, you can finally get consistent, full-stack test coverage without battling tech limitations.

Let anyone in your team automate with confidence

Automation shouldn’t be limited to the folks who can write code. With scriptless automation, everyone on your team—from testers to product owners—can jump in. Eggplant Test makes it easy with a no-code interface and natural language scripting via SenseTalk. That means faster ramp-up, fewer bottlenecks, and better collaboration across departments. When your whole team can contribute to testing, quality doesn’t just improve—it scales.

AI Won’t Save Quality—But Smart Testing Will

AI isn’t here to fix your bugs or safeguard your release. In fact, with AI-generated code, the risks can multiply—bugs, security gaps, unpredictable behaviors. That’s why testing is more critical than ever.

Eggplant Test helps you stay ahead with intelligent automation that catches issues early, validates constantly evolving code, and keeps quality front and center.

Bottom line: don’t just trust the AI—test it.

To get you on your way, read our popular, The Ultimate AI Testing Playbook today.

April 15, 2025 /3BL/ – Drawdown Georgia, the state’s premier science-based climate initiative, has launched the new Drawdown Georgia Solutions Tracker, an interactive online platform designed to help community leaders, civic officials, policy makers, and businesses better understand where climate solutions are taking root in Georgia—and where infrastructure and equity considerations may call for additional investments.

Grounded in the work of researchers at the Climate and Energy Policy Lab at Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy, the Solutions Tracker is part of the broader Drawdown Georgia initiative, which is focused on identifying and scaling the most effective carbon-reducing solutions for the state. The tracker offers users data-driven insights into how 16 of the 20 Drawdown Georgia solutions, like rooftop solar, recycling, composting, and energy-efficient transportation, are being adopted across Georgia’s 159 counties.

“Georgia has the opportunity to lead the South in scaling climate solutions that not only reduce emissions, but also improve lives and livelihoods,” said Dr. Marilyn A. Brown, Regents’ Professor and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech and leader of the research team behind Drawdown Georgia. “The Solutions Tracker shows where climate progress is happening—and how it can be expanded to bring more benefits to more people.”

The Solutions Tracker includes side-by-side state maps. The first map allows users to explore the prevalence of the chosen solution by county, often with multiple variables to choose from. For example, in the “Retrofitting” solution, data is available on the percentage of homes that contain electric water heaters, heat pumps, LED lighting, and more. The second map offers data on a comparison variable chosen by the Drawdown Georgia research team for its relevance to the uptake of the selected solution, such as median household income or percentage of urban area.

The Solutions Tracker was designed by Dr. Brown to complement the Drawdown Georgia Emissions Tracker, designed by William Drummond, Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning at Georgia Tech. “Together the Trackers are a powerful combination with the capacity to identify locations where solutions are most needed, and where supporting infrastructure is available,” explained Dr. Brown. “Together, they allow anyone—citizens, city planners, business leaders—to see what’s working where and identify where investments can do the most good.”

Bright Spots and Scaling Success

The Tracker highlights several top-performing Drawdown Georgia climate solutions that are scaling quickly across Georgia, including:

• Energy-efficient vehicles and buildings, which are reducing emissions while saving Georgians money on fuel and electricity.
• Demand response programs, which help balance the power grid and lower peak energy costs.
• Recycling, with strong participation and industrial reuse infrastructure statewide.
• Large-scale solar, with deployments far exceeding projections, especially in rural counties.
• Composting, growing through partnerships with organizations like CompostNow, Goodr, and community schools.

Communities like Atlanta, Fulton County, Fort Benning, Avondale Estates, and Floyd County are featured as local leaders demonstrating the positive impact of these solutions—from improved air quality and healthier food systems to job creation and cleaner energy.

To learn where your county stands, use the Drawdown Georgia Solutions Tracker.

About Drawdown Georgia

Drawdown Georgia is a statewide research-based initiative launched in 2020 that was born from a multi-university collaboration, funded by the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. Taking inspiration from Project Drawdown®, the world’s leading resource for taking action on climate change, Drawdown Georgia localized that work by identifying the 20 highest-impact solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our state over the next decade.

This framework focuses on climate solutions in five sectors: transportation, buildings & materials, food & agriculture, electricity, and land sinks. It considers how these solutions can reduce emissions and advance “beyond carbon” priorities, including equity, economic development, public health, and nurturing the larger environment.

Drawdown Georgia has grown into a “leader-full” movement, bringing together many organizations, universities, companies, leaders, and funders who are working to advance climate solutions in Georgia, including Drawdown Georgia Research, the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact, Drawdown Georgia Congregations, and Drawdown Georgia Higher Education. Learn more at drawdownga.org.

GEORGIA CLIMATE SOLUTIONS REPORT

See this report that offers a snapshot of Georgia’s best-performing climate solutions and the communities where they are scaling.

In this latest blog, we go behind the scenes with Cascale’s Senior Director of Manufacturer Membership, Alexandra Rieger, following her recent visit to Artistic Milliners and Diamond Fabrics – two manufacturers leading the way in sustainability and circularity – alongside Jeremy Lardeau, SVP of the Higg Index. Rieger shares insights on challenges facing manufacturers such as audit duplication to rising demands of environmental reporting but also highlights the opportunity and importance of engaging in constructive dialogue to tackle these challenges.

Read the full blog, titled: Travelogue: Listening and Learning in Pakistan with Artistic Milliners and Diamond Fabrics

It’s one of the biggest purchases that many will ever make and it’s not a stretch to say that these days, buying a home is tough. In fact, KeyBank’s 2025 Financial Mobility Survey found that many believe owning a home is not an attainable goal for themselves nor the average American. But survey respondents also said financial education can help them be more confident.

Meeting with a mortgage loan officer is something buyers can do to make the dream of homeownership more attainable. Among survey respondents who purchased a home in the past 12 months, 30% say that meeting with a mortgage loan officer to learn about programs that make buying more affordable influenced their decision, up from 19% last year.

KeyBank Mortgage Loan Officers are great resources and can help you navigate the homebuying process. They have information on home lending opportunities and programs to help you get started on the journey to homeownership. In addition, KeyBank’s Financial Wellness Center can help you understand your current financial standing and the next step of your financial and homebuying journey.

Also, KeyBank’s Mortgage Affordability Calculator can help you figure out a comfortable loan and payment amount. Don’t forget to consider all the parts of a mortgage loan – down payment, principal, interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance and possible PMI.

Check out this video for more on findings from KeyBank’s 2025 Financial Mobility Survey:

• Would you rather have your mortgage paid for a year OR have no utility costs (electricity, water, etc.) for two years?

About the KeyBank 2025 Financial Mobility Survey: This survey was conducted online by Schmidt Market Research in September 2024, polling 1,000 Americans, ages 18 – 70, with sole or shared responsibility for household financial decisions, who own a checking or savings account. The survey sought to gain insight into financial resiliency and explored respondents’ spending and savings habits, levels of financial confidence and financial resiliency, economic sentiment, and impacts of societal trends and pressures over the prior year.

This is designed to provide general information only. All credit products are subject to collateral and/or credit approval, terms, conditions, availability and subject to change. ©2025 KeyCorp. All rights reserved. CFMA #250404-3134828

NOTICE: This is not a commitment to lend or extend credit. Conditions and restrictions may apply. All home lending products, including mortgage, home equity loans and home equity lines of credit, are subject to credit and collateral approval. Not all home lending products are available in all states. Hazard insurance and, if applicable, flood insurance are required on collateral property. Actual rates, fees, and terms are based on those offered as of the date of application and are subject to change without notice.

NMLS #399797. Equal Housing Lender. Mortgage and Home Equity Lending products offered by KeyBank are not FDIC insured or guaranteed. KeyBank extends credit secured by residential real estate without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, handicap, or familial status.

Ancestry, the global leader in family history, today published its 2024 Impact Report. The report demonstrates how Ancestry is focused on enhancing its products and leveraging its resources to create a positive impact on people, communities and our planet.

“From reducing our carbon emissions to expanding our global reach through innovation and meaningful community partnerships, our 2024 Impact Report highlights Ancestry’s continued commitment to preserving the past and shaping a brighter future,” said Howard Hochhauser, President & CEO at Ancestry. “We are proud of the progress we’ve made and we remain focused on the work ahead to create more connected, resilient communities that will thrive for generations to come.”

The 2024 Impact Report highlights Ancestry’s progress toward preserving the past and helping build a better future. In 2024, Ancestry:

• Reduced carbon emissions by 8% across its scope 1, 2, and largest scope 3 contributors.
• Added 24 new DNA ancestral regions and 63 ethnic groups to AncestryDNA to serve more customers globally.
• Made available for free 1.1M culturally significant records at risk of being forgotten as part of the company’s $3M pledge through 2025, including new Japanese Incarceration records and the Articles of Enslavement collection.
• Provided 13M+ students access to historical records through AncestryClassroom at no cost, surpassing the 2025 target.

To read the full report, view Ancestry’s SASB metrics and UN Sustainable Development Goals, and learn more about the key initiatives within each impact area, visit https://www.ancestry.com/corporate/annual-impact-report.

About Ancestry
Ancestry, the global leader in family history, empowers journeys of personal discovery to enrich lives. With our unparalleled collection of more than 65 billion records, over 3 million subscribers and over 27 million people in our growing DNA network, customers can discover their family story and gain a new level of understanding about their lives. Over the past 40 years, we’ve built trusted relationships with millions of people who have chosen us as the platform for discovering, preserving and sharing the most important information about themselves and their families. 

Media Contact:
mediarelations@ancestry.com

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• Expansion project will increase regional water capacity by 12.5 million gallons a day to support regional growth and sustainable economic expansion
• Additional water supply builds on Veolia’s 25-year relationship with Tampa Bay Water

TAMPA, Fla., April 15, 2025 /3BL/ – Veolia North America, the leading environmental services company in the United States, has finalized an agreement with Tampa Bay Water (TBW) to lead the design, construction and operation of a major expansion of TBW’s capacity to deliver high-quality drinking water to more than 2.5 million customers along the Gulf Coast of Florida. The project marks a new chapter in Veolia’s nearly three-decade partnership with TBW, which has protected the region’s environment and provided superior quality water for the region’s booming population and thriving economy.

The $181 million expansion at TBW’s Regional Surface Water Treatment Plant in Tampa will increase its daily production of drinking water by as much as 12.5 million gallons, and has been identified as a priority project for the group to meet the demands of future regional growth. Tampa Bay Water approved Veolia’s proposal under a progressive design-build model, with both parties collaborating throughout the design process to ensure the final proposal meets the utility’s financial, technical and environmental expectations.

“Veolia is proud of its long-standing role supporting Tampa Bay Water’s transformative work to provide robust and reliable water supplies for a region that once was plagued by declining water tables and environmental risks,” said Karine Rougé, CEO of Municipal Water at Veolia North America. “Veolia’s unique combination of technology, expertise and experience helps communities develop long-term water solutions, and our work with Tampa Bay Water shows how we build true partnerships with communities to help them, their residents and their environment.”

New construction continues productive partnership 

Veolia North America, through a predecessor company, built the utility’s existing infrastructure and has been providing drinking water services to the region since Tampa Bay Water was founded in 2000. Tampa Bay Water approved a five-year extension to its operating contract with Veolia in 2023, and both parties finalized their agreement to move forward on the expansion project in March.

The additional infrastructure planned for Tampa Bay Water’s plant includes a fifth system of Veolia’s ACTIFLO and ozone treatment processes, supplementing the four already in operation; additional filtration; enhancements to the treated water disinfection, storage and transmissions systems; and improvements to the filter backwash and solids handling systems.

The expanded system is expected to provide a sustainable capacity of 110 million gallons per day, and a maximum rated capacity of between 140 million and 150 million gallons a day. The expansion project exemplifies the goals of Veolia’s global GreenUp strategy, which strives to lead the ecological transformation of the planet by accelerating water quality improvement, hazardous waste treatment and disposal, decarbonization and technological innovation.

ABOUT VEOLIA GROUP

Veolia Group aims to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents with 215,000 employees, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for the management of water, waste and energy that are contributing to a radical turnaround of the current situation. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, to preserve available resources and to renew them. In 2024, the Veolia group provided 111 million inhabitants with drinking water and 98 million with sanitation, produced 42 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 65 million tons of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 44.7 billion euros in 2024.
www.veolia.com 

ABOUT VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA

A subsidiary of Veolia Group, Veolia North America (VNA) offers a full spectrum of water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across the continent.
www.veolianorthamerica.com 

CONTACT
VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA
David Heinzmann
Communications Manager
+1 708-209-8784
david.heinzmann@veolia.com

With the second edition of Imagine, Boehringer Ingelheim highlights its commitment and progress in enhancing health for people, animals, communities, and the planet through its ‘Sustainable Development for Generations’ strategy, driving sustainability initiatives worldwide.

• Leadership perspective: Maria Tereno, Chief Sustainability & Culture Officer and Felix Gutsche, Head of Corporate Strategy & Consulting, discuss advancing sustainability in healthcare through collaboration and innovative solutions.
• Story selection: Beyond improving millions of lives through its Angels Initiative and Stop Rabies program, Imagine features stories on how the company is advancing healthcare by delivering medical services via sailboat to remote Greek islands, digitizing patient records in rural Argentina, and reducing air freight emissions by investing in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for global Human Pharma logistics.
• Impact and recognition: An interactive world map invites users to explore global achievements, showcasing Boehringer’s ongoing commitment to driving sustainability forward.

Imagine a world, where innovation meets sustainability, and explore our sustainability story hub, here.

Why it matters

Boehringer’s sustainability strategy, ‘Sustainable Development for Generations’, takes an integrated holistic approach that is based on the three pillars MORE HEALTH, MORE POTENTIAL and MORE GREEN. It incorporates initiatives that the company has been implementing for many years, continuously evolving them in consideration of shifting sustainability challenges, and in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement.

By 2030, Boehringer strives to expand access to healthcare for 50 million people and improving the lives of another 50 million by engaging employees, partners, and social entrepreneurs. Additionally, the aim is to be carbon neutral in operations (Scope 1 and 2), cut the resource footprint by half across the value chain and continue to create best practices in environmental stewardship.

“Sustainable Development for Generations is about how we can use our strengths as a healthcare company to create solutions which enable more health for humans and animals, for our people and communities and the planet. Innovation and collaboration are key to making a difference,” states Maria Tereno, Chief Sustainability & Culture Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are learning as we go, we believe that we can always do better. With these stories we want to share with you our commitment and how we are helping people and animals to live better lives, while doing our part to protect the environment. “

Mastercard

As Peruvian biologist Constantino Aucca Chutas sat chewing coca leaves with a local elder high in the Andes, his companion pointed to a peak known as Demon Mountain and shared how its rocky slopes were once snow-covered.

The elder explained how Pachamama, or Mother Earth, grew so annoyed with humans that she stopped sending snow. Planting trees was the only way to harness much-needed water for the farmers in the valleys below.

Looking across the pass to the bare mountain, Aucca began thinking of how he could combine his understanding of biodiversity with the knowledge of Indigenous communities to help reforest the mountains and repair vulnerable ecosystems.

“A thousand years ago we were once part of the magnificent Inca Empire, which also suffered climate change. They planted millions of trees to manage the weather,” says Cusco-based Aucca. “We did it then by working together for a common goal.”

Following their lead, Aucca vowed to unite his community together once more to plant millions of trees that would generate water for all. He and three colleagues founded the Peru-based Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN) in 2000 and began reviving the High Andean ecosystems of his homeland.

Determined to expand his work across the Andes, Aucca joined forces with three other conservation leaders to co-found Global Forest Generation (GFG) in 2018 and launch Acción Andina, an ambitious initiative to restore forests and secure water resources throughout the region. Shortly after, Florent Kaiser became the leader of GFG, helping to solidify Aucca’s vision.

Under this model, ECOAN would contribute its deep expertise in ecosystem restoration and unite grassroots conservation leaders already working to protect fragile High Andean landscapes. Global Forest Generation would provide the global partnerships, funding and technical support needed to scale these efforts, empowering local organizations to achieve more than they could alone.

Fast-forward to 2025 and Acción Andina has planted 12 million native Polylepis trees and wants to protect and restore a million hectares along the mountainous spine of South America, which extends from northern Venezuela, on the Caribbean Sea, to ice-glazed Patagonia in the south.

Last year, the Mastercard-led Priceless Planet Coalition, which aims to restore 100 million trees worldwide, expanded its planting sites to include nearly 1,000 acres in Peru and Ecuador, with a target of 1.1 million trees. By the end of 2024, 579,306 trees had been planted by five local partners representing 11 Acción Andina projects.

With the Andes having lost some 95% of its native forests and up to 50% of its glaciers, the project aims to build climate resilience using a community-based model that honors local knowledge. The broader goal is to adapt this model to other ecosystems around the world while respecting each geography’s unique local culture and developing conservation tools that meet community needs.

Through its work, involving 26 projects, some 40,000 people are now directly involved in Acción Andina’s efforts to plant native trees that absorb rain and glacial meltwater, helping to reduce the damaging cycle of floods and droughts.

“It’s not a conservation or a tree-planting project,” Kaiser says. “It is a massive, century-long effort to increase water security across the Andes by reviving these ecosystems.”

But initially, convincing local communities to get on board was challenging. It was a tough ask of farmers, who were already struggling to survive climate-induced droughts and wildfires, to throw their energy into conservation.

Tapping into the ancestral concepts of ayni and minka, which together mean “today for me, tomorrow for you,” Aucca reminded communities of their Inca heritage and how they fought for independence from the Spanish. Protecting the environment was their next battle, and they would fight by planting trees. Aucca organized the first of many tree-planting events. Heralded by musicians blasting trumpets and giant shells, hundreds of people trek up the mountains to plant tens of thousands of trees in a single day, interspersing the backbreaking work with music and dancing.

While native Polylepis trees are slow-growing, each hole people dig to plant them helps funnel water into the mountainside. At less than two feet tall, the saplings start to create mini ecosystems as their moss-covered branches absorb humidity and attract bugs and birds.

Engaging with local communities and supporting livelihoods remains a focus and priority of the project. The production of the seedlings, which cost about $1.50 each, are bought from local nurseries that use the income for community projects, such as repairing village schools or installing solar panels. With funding from the Coalition, Acción Andina has also held educational workshops to teach communities how to improve water catchment systems and built a drip irrigation system that will help hundreds of families in a village in Peru with more sustainable infrastructure.

Now recognized with the prestigious 2023 Earthshot Prize and as a U.N. World Restoration Flagship in 2024, Acción Andina is exploring how to combine traditional knowledge with artificial intelligence and high-tech imaging to identify the best locations for tree planting to protect vital watersheds, including those that sustain Lima and Quito.

The Priceless Planet Coalition’s work, in partnership with Conservation International and the World Resources Institute, is targeting these regions, with the aim of securing the future of these vital water sources and carbon sinks, creating jobs, building leadership capacity, preventing forest fires and protecting biodiversity. The High Andean forests provide key habitat for more than 40 species of conservation concern, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The coalition, whose partners contribute resources and run awareness campaigns that educate consumers on the importance of locally led tree restoration projects, is proving that the private sector has an essential role in supporting local communities as they take on ambitious cross-border projects.

Kaiser echoes this emphasis on collaboration, highlighting that partnerships across generations, nations and sectors have been key to Acción Andina’s success. “What makes Acción Andina so powerful is the deep sense of community that drives it,” he says. “The friendships and partnerships we have built over the years, including with the PPC, have allowed us to grow in ways we never imagined. Acción Andina is an inspiring symbol of what can happen when people come together under a shared purpose.”

Originally published by Mastercard

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