Tag: 3BL

Purpose is becoming an essential part of job satisfaction today. Almost 90% of Gen Z and Millennials say this is the case. These generations are also likely to decline future career opportunities with employers that don’t align with their values.

As these cohorts collectively account for almost half of today’s workforce, it is imperative today that businesses integrate these insights into their retention strategies.

Powering equitable access to economic opportunity, education and employment, and the circular economy

Learn more about SAP CSR

In 2021, SAP launched the Pro Bono for Economic Equity program, a collaborative effort with Pyxera Global that supports historically under-resourced businesses and social enterprises across North America through employees participating as pro bono consultants, addressing systemic and critical strategic business challenges. Over these last three years, SAP employees have dedicated over 22,000 hours to providing pro bono consulting to more than 70 Black and Indigenous-owned businesses in Canada and the United States.

The Pro Bono for Economic Equity program is a testament to the value of integrating pro bono work into corporate development strategies. Ninety-five percent of participating business expressed confidence that the involvement in the program helped them feel more prepared to address future challenges for their organization. The exceptionally high Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 92 further underscores the program’s effectiveness and the participant satisfaction.

Anthony Wingham, co-founder of Nuez Acres, said that one of the most impressive aspects of the program was the openness and honesty from the beginning: “As an Indigenous person, I’m used to conversations about business that either come with a price tag or feel exploitative, where ideas might be taken without genuine support. However, from the start, the discussions were transparent and collaborative. We were able to share our unique strategies and delve into areas where we needed real support.” 

Marsha Guerrier, CEO and founder of HerSuiteSpot, shared about the impact of the participants and the work they did together on her business: “The people that are volunteering in these programs come with a level of expertise that when we’re so small we simply can’t afford. The team that SAP gave me to support my challenges and needs was dynamite. They really went all out for me. It felt good to meet with the team.”

The program doesn’t just benefit participant businesses, but also SAP employee participants.

Pro Bono as a Leadership Development Tool 

“Pro bono work provides a platform to upskill employees and grow the company’s leaders,” said Katie Booth, head of North America Corporate Social Responsibility for SAP. “Employees report significant gains in critical areas like teamwork, intercultural sensitivity, and strategic planning, which are core competencies that drive business success in a globalized economy.” 

While this initiative forms part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy, it also invests in employee development that pays dividends in human capital and business acumen. 

In fact, 98% of SAP employees involved in the Pro Bono for Economic Equity program have reported acquiring or refining essential skills.

Verena Lommatzsch, head of Technical Services for SAP Business Technology Platform at SAP, reflected that stepping out of her comfort zone and collaborating with people from diverse cultural backgrounds was incredibly enriching: “It sharpened my ability to navigate complex, multicultural business environments.” 

“On a personal level, the program prompted me to rethink my approach to new challenges, reminding me that success isn’t solely about maximizing profit,” she added. “Professionally, it was incredibly valuable as well. As a global leader, I am often distanced from day-to-day business activities. Being hands-on and working directly with two colleagues I hadn’t met before was a great opportunity to challenge myself and learn new skills. I also gained a new perspective on what it means to be an entrepreneur, including using software to establish an online store and managing wholesale connections.” 

This intersection of personal growth and professional development is where the Pro Bono for Economic Equity program truly shines. Participants are not only building their own capabilities but are also contributing to the resilience and adaptability of the businesses they support.

SAP employee Rahaf Assaleh shared that the program provided a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures and their unique business practices: “It taught me to think creatively and resourcefully with the limited resources that Indigenous business owners often have, helping me to explore innovative ways to achieve business goals and foster growth.” 

The program’s impact extends beyond individual development with 74% of participants reporting that their involvement has prompted them to engage more deeply with local, historically-marginalized communities. This increased engagement enriches employees’ lives and strengthens SAP’s commitment to breaking down unconscious bias and continuing support for the social justice movement, alongside its focus on social responsibility.

“At SAP, we believe in the power of shared growth,” Booth said. “The program exemplifies how pro bono initiatives can drive innovation, enhance employee satisfaction, and contribute to economic equity. It’s a win-win that benefits our employees, the businesses we support, and society at large.” 

Companies that prioritize aligning employee development with social impact initiatives are not only investing in the future of their workforce but are also positioning themselves, and the impact businesses they work with for long-term success.

The time is now to rethink corporate strategies and ensure that they reflect the values of today’s purpose-driven workforce.

Megan Smith is head of Human Resources for SAP North America.

Originally published on HanesBrands Newsroom

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., December 5, 2024 /3BL/- HanesBrands Inc., a global leader in iconic apparel brands and sustainability, is proud to celebrate the 15 th anniversary of its Hanes for Good program. Since 2009, Hanes for Good has donated more than 6 million items, including 4 million pairs of socks, to hundreds of partner organizations across all 50 states, Washington D.C. Puerto Rico and Guam.

What began as a response to a critical need for socks, one of the most requested items in homeless shelters, grew into a national initiative to provide comfort and dignity to those experiencing homelessness, including Hanes product donations of many essential items like t-shirts, underwear and sweats, and as of 2024, period underwear. The program is a cornerstone of HanesBrands’ broader sustainability commitment to positively impact 10 million people by 2030.

“As we mark 15 years of Hanes for Good , we are reminded that small gestures—like a new pair of socks or a fresh t-shirt—can have a big impact,” said Kelsey Leetzow, Brand Marketing Manager, Hanes. “Our mission remains the same: to bring a little comfort to those who need it most. Thanks to our partners and the community, we’re able to support thousands across the U.S. every year, making a meaningful difference in their lives.”

Most recently, Hanes for Good delivered more than 20,000 pieces of apparel to areas impacted by the 2024 Hurricanes, Helene and Milton, and donated 9,000 pairs of women’s period underwear shipped to 24 partner locations in support of Period Action Day. In 2021, Hanes had a hand (or foot!) in the world’s longest sock line, a Guinness Book World Record with their donation of 21,500 socks to a charitable organization in Fresno, CA.

The full list of partner organizations has grown significantly over the last 15 years to include 485 groups, all dedicated to supporting those in need.

“Roof Above is incredibly grateful for its partnership with the Hanes for Good program, which has been a meaningful collaboration for eight years,” said Randall Hitt, Vice President of Unsheltered Services, Roof Above. “For some people experiencing homelessness, their feet are their only reliable source of transportation. The comfort of a new pair of socks can have such a positive impact as they navigate their journey forward.”

As the Hanes for Good program enters its next chapter, HanesBrands remains committed to its founding values of compassion, dignity, and community.

For more information on Hanes for Good , visit https://hanesforgood.com/.

About HanesBrands

HanesBrands (NYSE: HBI) is a global leader in manufacturing basics and Innerwear brands that are synonymous with comfort, quality, and value, and have been trusted by consumers around the world for generations. Among the company’s iconic brands are Hanes , the leading basic apparel brand in the U.S.; Bonds , an Australian staple since 1915 that is setting new standards for design and innovation; Maidenform , America’s number one shapewear brand; and Bali , Americas number one national bra brand in the U.S. HanesBrands owns the majority of its worldwide manufacturing facilities and has built a strong reputation for workplace quality and ethical business practices.

News Media, Contact: Kelsey Leetzow, 407-312-9648

Source: HanesBrands

Do you feel a bit lost when people refer to certain environmental sustainability topics and aren’t sure where to start when it comes to learning more? Sustainability 101 is a blog series that you can turn to for information about different environmental terms that may come up at work, during discussions with friends, and even at your annual holiday gathering.

We’ve all been there: you have an electronic product that is no longer working, like your favorite headphones. Instead of helping you listen to music, they have now become what is sometimes referred to as “e-waste.”

What is e-waste and why it matters

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), e-waste is a term “often used to describe used electronics that are nearing the end of their useful life, and are discarded, donated or given to a recycler. Though e-waste is the commonly used term, EPA considers e-waste to be a subset of used electronics and recognizes the inherent value of these materials that can be reused, refurbished or recycled to minimize the actual waste that might end up in a landfill or improperly disposed in an unprotected dump site either in the US or abroad.”

The European Commission explains that “E-waste contains a complex mixture of materials, some of which are hazardous. These can cause major environmental and health problems if the discarded devices are not managed properly.”

In addition, according to the European Commission, “Modern electronics also contain rare and expensive resources, including critical raw materials. These can be recycled and re-used if the waste is effectively managed. Improving the collection, treatment and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment at the end of their life can increase resource efficiency and support the shift to a circular economy. It can also contribute to the security of supply for critical raw materials.”

How much e-waste is there?

The United Nations (UN) Global E-waste Monitor 2024 reports that “a record 62 million tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2022 — Up 82% from 2010; on track to raise another 32%, to 82 million tonnes, in 2030.”

Further, according to the UN Global E-waste Monitor 2024, “less than one quarter (22.3%) of the year’s e-waste mass was documented as being properly collected and recycled in 2022, leaving US$ 62 billion worth of recoverable natural resources unaccounted for and increasing pollution risks to communities worldwide.”

To evolve to a circular economy, there is a need to be much more efficient with our resources, and an important aspect of that is collectively working on reclaiming the valuable raw materials in e-waste.

How can e-waste be reduced?

To reduce e-waste, we need to increase the number of products that are returned to companies that can reuse, remanufacture, resell, or properly recycle them. This concept is often known as “product takeback” when products are returned to the manufacturer for responsible reuse or recycling.

Environmentally-sound management (ESM) of e-waste can help advance environmental sustainability in the tech sector and minimize environmental impacts. Industry – working with multiple stakeholder groups, including recyclers – has done a lot to improve the ESM of e-waste.

What is Cisco doing?

One of the key priorities of our next generation environmental sustainability strategy, The Plan for Possible, is evolving to a regenerative, circular model.

Cisco aims to transform our business to extend the useful life of our products and provide ongoing services.

We are embedding circularity into how we design our products and packaging. This means designing to enable reuse, minimize environmental impacts, drive innovation, and realize value for our stakeholders. We are deploying new offerings that help Cisco, and our customers, capture more value throughout a product’s life, such as payment solutions and as-a-service models designed with circularity in mind.

Cisco created Circular Design Principles, which are considered throughout the company’s new product development process so our product and packaging designs can adopt a more circular approach. We have a goal to incorporate Circular Design Principles into 100% of new Cisco products and packaging by our fiscal year 2025 and we are working with our internal engineering and supply chain teams, and our suppliers, to execute on them.

And we are striving to minimize waste and extend the lifecycle of our products by recapturing hardware and redeploying those assets through remanufacture, reuse, and recycling. Cisco’s Takeback and Reuse Program is a service that we offer free of charge to our customers and partners and we reuse or recycle nearly 100% of the products that are returned to us. The service helps customers support circular economy efforts.

We also realize how important it is to involve our employees in the circular economy. Cisco’s annual Recycle IT Day takes place at multiple Cisco campus locations, usually around Earth Day. Since Cisco started holding these events in 1995 through our fiscal year 2023, our employees and contractors have helped recycle 3283 metric tonnes of used electronics.

In order to evolve toward a circular economy, there is a need for value chains to collaborate in the process – including customers returning their used products, partners leading conversations about circularity in business models, and suppliers advancing sustainability in materials used in products.

Learn more about Cisco’s initiatives, goals and/or commitments, and our latest impact, on our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) Reporting Hub and on Cisco’s Product Takeback and Reuse website.

View original content here.

On this episode of BuzzHouse, hosts Donald Bernards and Garrick Gibson sit down with Erica Mackie, CEO and co-founder of GRID Alternatives, the nation’s largest not-for-profit solar installer. Over the course of the episode, Don and Garrick talk with Erica about the $7 billion Solar for All program, launched as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The conversation delves into challenges in reaching underserved communities, including policy and regulatory obstacles, solar readiness, utility partnerships and more. Press play and discover this informative and enlightening episode!

Multifamily housing resources

For articles, webinars and additional resources for developers, housing authorities, property managers, state housing credit agencies and lenders, visit Baker Tilly’s multifamily housing page.

BOISE, Idaho, December 6, 2024 /3BL/ — KeyBank has awarded a $300,000 grant to Children’s Home Society of Idaho (the Children’s Home) to support expansion of the nonprofit’s Care Farm Therapy Program for Treasure Valley children and adolescents experiencing mental health challenges.

The Children’s Home provides comprehensive mental health support to children and families through nature-based and animal-assisted therapies, medication management and school-based counselling services that are not readily available for disadvantaged families throughout the Treasure Valley.

The grant funds will help to expand the overall program, hire additional clinicians, provide training and certification for 15-20 nature-based and animal-assisted therapists, and also employ a psychiatrist to provide medication management. As part of the program expansion, the Children’s Home plans to form partnerships with additional Treasure Valley schools and add school-based clinicians and counselling services.

“The Care Farm Therapy Program is supporting vulnerable Treasure Valley children and their families with the mental health resources needed today to help them flourish as adults,” said Scott Schlange, KeyBank Idaho market president. “KeyBank is proud to support The Children’s Home in their admirable mission to support our youth and make our community stronger in the process.”

The Children’s Home provides a broad range of mental health support throughout the Treasure Valley. In addition to helping children and families cope with trauma, abuse, anxiety, and depression, they also provide peer support groups, community events, and outreach initiatives—ensuring that help is available regardless of financial circumstances.

“Accessibility is at the heart of our mission at the Children’s Home, and this partnership will allow us to expand our reach, making a lasting impact on the lives of even more children and families throughout our community,” said Grace Shimatsu, Children’s Home Society of Idaho Development and Fundraising Manager.

About Children’s Home Society of Idaho 
Founded in 1908, The Children’s Home Society of Idaho has been a beacon of hope for children and families across the state. Originally established to provide refuge for children in crisis, the organization has evolved to offer comprehensive mental health care and support services through its counselling centers and beyond. For more information, visit childrenshomeidaho.org.

About KeyCorp 
KeyBank’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, KeyCorp is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $190 billion at September 30, 2024. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications, and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is a Member FDIC.

Eastman

KINGSPORT, Tenn., December 6, 2024 /3BL/ – Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) hosted investors and analysts at its headquarters in Kingsport for its 2024 Circular Economy Deep Dive. During the event, attendees toured Eastman’s methanolysis operations and learned more about the company’s innovative and sustainable materials. Following the tour, executives provided an update on Eastman’s innovation-driven growth strategy, including financial projections for its circular economy initiatives.

Eastman’s Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer Mark Costa kicked off the event by reiterating the company’s unwavering commitment to its innovation-driven growth model. “Our key strategic themes remain unchanged since 2021,” said Costa. “We have remained committed to investing in our innovation-driven growth strategy, including our circular economy platforms, despite prolonged economic weakness. Our investments have resulted in strong financial performance relative to our peers. We continue to make great progress on our circular initiatives and have confidence that this new vector of growth will create value for years to come.”

Eastman is leveraged to a macroeconomic recovery and expects to generate significant EBITDA growth through its circular economy initiatives. The company projects that it will generate:

greater than $2.1 billion of EBITDA and approximately $1.6 billion of cash from operations in a normalized macroeconomic environment before the benefit of circular investments, andadditional EBITDA of >$500 million by 2029 through its circular initiatives:>$350 million of EBITDA from Kingsport, Tenn., and Longview, Texas, methanolysis projects, and$150 million–$200 million of EBITDA from its cellulosic biopolymer platform

The company also said it expects to generate an incremental $75 million–$100 million of EBITDA contribution in 2025 compared to 2024 from the Kingsport methanolysis facility.

To achieve these circular platform EBITDA targets, the company expects to continue to invest in organic growth for the next several years. Capital expenditures in 2025 are expected to be approximately $800 million. In 2026 and 2027, capital expenditures are expected to range between $800 million and $1 billion.

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Willie McLain stated, “The company is in a solid financial position. Our base businesses are strong and leveraged to an economic recovery. Our circular economy initiatives add to that strength, making Eastman an attractive growth opportunity not just for today, but for the foreseeable future.”

The projected Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (“EBITDA”) exclude any non-core, unusual, or nonrecurring items. Our financial results forecasts do not include non-core items (such as mark-to-market pension and other postretirement benefit gain or loss, and asset impairments and restructuring charges) or any unusual or non-recurring items because we are unable to predict with reasonable certainty the financial impact of such items. These items are uncertain and depend on various factors, and we are unable to reconcile projected EBITDA excluding non-core and any unusual or non-recurring items to reported GAAP net earnings without unreasonable efforts.

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2023 revenue of approximately $9.2 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This information and other statements by the company may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act with respect to, among other items: projections and estimates of earnings, revenues, volumes, pricing, margins, cost reductions, expenses, taxes, liquidity, capital expenditures, cash flow, dividends, share repurchases or other financial items, statements of management’s plans, strategies and objectives for future operations, and statements regarding future economic, industry or market conditions or performance. Such projections and estimates are based upon certain preliminary information, internal estimates, and management assumptions, expectations, and plans. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual performance or results could differ materially from that anticipated by any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement. Other important assumptions and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are detailed in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the company’s website at www.eastman.com.

Media contact

Tracy Kilgore Addington 
1-423-224-0498 
tracy@eastman.com

Investors contact

Greg Riddle 
1-212-835-1620 
griddle@eastman.com

In this episode of ESG Talk, Mandi McReynolds is onsite in Baku at COP29 with Linda-Eling Lee, head of the Sustainability Institute at MSCI, to explore the evolving role of businesses in tackling global climate challenges. Listen in as they discuss key themes from COP29, including the rise of transition finance, the complexities of operating in a global economy, and the integration of AI into sustainability strategies.

Read more about the Sustainability Institute’s research here: https://www.msci-institute.com/.

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Looking for more? Subscribe to the ESG Talk podcast on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. 

ESG Talk is brought to you by Workiva, the world’s only unified platform for financial reporting, ESG, audit, and risk. Learn more at workiva.com.

As the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) opens in Baku, Azerbaijan, the global community continues to face an urgent call to action on climate change. Coordinated, innovative solutions are paramount to addressing this complex crisis, and advanced technology – especially AI – stands as a powerful enabler for transitioning to a net-zero economy. Recognizing AI’s potential to drive climate action, SAP has delivered two use cases that highlight how AI-driven sustainability software can streamline processes, eliminate manual work, and enhance precision.

With automated Emission Factor Mapping in SAP Sustainability Footprint Management and AI-assisted ESG Report Generation in SAP Sustainability Control Tower, SAP can support companies in setting meaningful environmental targets, ensuring compliance, and managing carbon footprints with heightened efficiency and accountability.

“Sustainability executives are on board with artificial intelligence. More than half say improving data analysis and consolidation using AI are top actions they will be taking over the next three years to enhance ESG capabilities.”

-Addressing the Strategy Execution Gap in Sustainability Reporting, KPMG, February 2024

Emission Factor Mapping in SAP Sustainability Footprint Management

To calculate product carbon footprints accurately, companies must assign emission factors to thousands of purchased products. Ideally, emission factors are provided directly by suppliers, but often companies need to use industry averages based on product attributes like name, category, or location. Up until now, this mapping process has been a manual, time-consuming, and error-prone task that required expertise in lifecycle assessment (LCA), determining the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the lifecycle of a product, process, or service.

Drive scalability, standardization, and trust in carbon data exchange across your supply chain

Learn more

To help make this process easier and more efficient, SAP has introduced an AI-based capability within the SAP Sustainability Footprint Management solution. SAP’s AI engine can automatically suggest emission factor mappings for purchased products and services and can assign a similarity score to each recommendation.

For the mapping, SAP generates embeddings for both, emission factors from LCA databases and product data from the ERP system. Embeddings are vector representations – numerical representations of textual information to provide context and meaning of a text. Both sets of embeddings are saved in SAP HANA Cloud vector engine.

The system compares these embeddings to help identify the quality of the mapping and provide suggested results. This helps businesses reduce manual effort by up to 80% and calculate product and corporate carbon footprints quicker and with greater precision, even without LCA experts. It can also accelerate their sustainability reporting timelines and help them respond faster to regulatory demands.

AI-Assisted ESG Report Generation in SAP Sustainability Control Tower

In addition, SAP embedded a generative AI-powered reporting capability within SAP Sustainability Control Tower. Creating sustainability reports that align with internal strategies and meet external standards, such as the CSRD, is essential for staying compliant and transparent. However, gathering relevant environmental, social, and governance data and drafting these reports can be highly resource-intensive, involving multiple teams and complex data sources.

That’s why SAP’s AI capability helps generate comprehensive ESG report drafts based on best-practice templates and the company’s available ESG metrics. Once users select a template, AI can automatically collect the most relevant metrics from SAP Sustainability Control Tower, create graphs to visualize the data, and generate a polished report draft. That helps companies spend up to 98% less time collecting ESG metrics and up to 80% less time in creating a report.

Some key benefits of the feature include:

Efficient data utilization: The AI-powered solution leverages large language models and SQL grounding techniques, which help transform natural language inquiries into precise database queries that access real-time data from structured databases. That’s how it transforms raw data from customers’ systems into accurate, comprehensive reports tailored to specific timeframes.Visualization: The AI generates insightful textual content through SQL-based data retrieval, helping to ensure data integrity and compliance. Additionally, it creates visually appealing charts and tables to help enhance report clarity and understanding.Automated verification: Our robust system prioritizes data security by avoiding direct SQL query execution and employing a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) process to help safeguard against informational discrepancies.

Watch a demo to learn more.

The Future of AI in Sustainability

The use cases above are just the beginning. AI’s potential to transform sustainability management is enormous, and at SAP we are accelerating the creation of use cases to be at the forefront of our customers’ sustainable transformation journeys. For example, users will be able to interact through natural language with SAP’s AI copilot Joule that can offer actionable recommendations and simulations to help improve environmental and social performance. And we will continue to apply AI to make the acquisition of sustainability data easier.

Using SAP’s ERP-centric, cloud-based, AI-enabled approach, we’re working to ensure AI’s massive potential turns into both real business transformation and sustainability outcomes. AI and technology can help us better understand and monitor the environment, improve energy efficiency, optimize resource management, and develop innovative solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As COP29 convenes in Baku, it is essential for global leaders and decision-makers to fully explore AI’s transformative role in addressing climate change. The urgent demands of this crisis call for the kind of innovative, AI-driven solutions that can unlock greater precision, efficiency, and impact. By leveraging AI not only to streamline business operations but also to set and meet ambitious environmental goals, we are shaping a future where technology empowers businesses to thrive responsibly, contributing actively to a sustainable and resilient planet.

Gunther Rothermel is chief product officer and co-GM for SAP Sustainability.

ASHEVILLE, N. C., December 5, 2024 /3BL/ – This month, the first of 10 million trees pledged by the Arbor Day Foundation to accelerate tree recovery efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton will be handed out in Asheville. The Arbor Day Foundation will work in collaboration with local planting partner, Asheville Greenworks and funding partners, Bank of America and MathWorks.

“Asheville was undoubtedly among the most impacted by the back-to-back hurricanes this fall. Yet, in the wake of such immense disaster, hope still stands,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Our team has been awed by the resilience of Asheville Greenworks and their eagerness to replant trees following Helene and Milton. We’re grateful to be in a position to empower these tree champions and lead on tree recovery efforts in Asheville and the many other communities and forestlands hit by these hurricanes. We know the road to full recovery is long, but we’re going to be there every step of the way, ready with millions of trees.”

By the end of December, 1,200 free trees will have been made available for reservation online at ashevillegreenworks.org/shop.

The Arbor Day Foundation’s pledge to help restore tree canopy in the six states affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton will bring 10 million trees to the region over the next four years. The Foundation has been heavily invested in assisting disaster-affected communities and forestlands since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005 and has planted and distributed millions of trees as a result. The work has aided recovery efforts following hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and floods.

About the Arbor Day Foundation 

The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they’ve answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning.  

The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org.

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With harvest having just wrapped in some regions, and being full-steam ahead in others, CNH brand, Case IH, is already looking to 2025 with its combine ordering period for next year now open.

The Axial-Flow 260 Series includes dual Pro 1200 displays, providing a comprehensive view of every aspect of the 260 Series’ operation. The large displays feature an anti-glare screen for optimum visibility and allow for instant grain quality imaging for a real-time, high-definition look at harvested grain.

Case IH’s Harvest CommandTM combine automation technology really comes to the fore in the Axial-Flow 260 Series, and AF9 and 10 Series, designed to help refine the harvesting process by reducing the number of functions operators need to monitor in the cab.

The AF9 and AF10 Series have been designed with enhanced power, efficiency, sustainability and throughput in mind. The AF9’s 634 horsepower and the AF10’s 775 horsepower provide the power to maximise crop flow while increasing speeds, but without putting any additional pressure on the machine.

Read the full story here.