Tag: 3BL

November 15, 2024 /3BL/ – Ceres applauds the final passage of two important bills that will bolster Massachusetts’ role as a climate and clean energy leader while supporting the state economy. The Massachusetts omnibus climate bill includes essential reforms to state permitting and siting procedures to responsibly accelerate the buildout of clean energy infrastructure while boosting investment into clean power, transportation, and buildings. Separately, the Commonwealth’s new economic development bond bill includes a significant investment over the next decade to foster the emerging cleantech industry.

“Massachusetts boasts a powerful combination of private sector ingenuity, a highly capable workforce, and supportive public policy, laying the groundwork for the Commonwealth to become a national hub for clean energy,” said Rishi Reddi, senior advisor for Northeast state policy at Ceres. “Ceres and the businesses we work with are grateful that lawmakers were able to work together to pass the economic development and climate omnibus bills, which build on the Commonwealth’s strong foundation to lead the nation in clean energy and climate action. With the governor’s signature, these two pieces of legislation will position Massachusetts to build a new landmark industry and fully capitalize on the nationwide clean energy boom by building and deploying the crucial technologies that will support our economy and protect our climate.”

Ceres has helped organize business support for both bills throughout 2024. In July, Ceres joined an effort led by the Environmental League of Massachusetts to convene 28 leading businesses and institutions to call for passage of the climate omnibus bill in a letter to lawmakers. In the letter, companies including Akamai Technologies, Amalgamated Bank, Eastern Bank, Form Energy, Trillium Asset Management, and VHB joined institutions such as Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston Medical Center, the Museum of Science, and UMass Lowell to urge legislators to pass the law and “enable communities across the Commonwealth to take action to meet our statutory clean energy and emission-reduction goals for 2025 and 2030.”

Ceres joined another ELM-led effort in May to organize a letter in support of the cleantech investments in the economic development bill. More than 81 signatories — including Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Autodesk, Berkshire Bank, Clean Energy Ventures, DSM, Encore Boston Harbor, Lyft, REI Co-op, Schneder Electric, Siemens, and Uber — supported that investment to “signify to companies, venture capitalists, and innovators that Massachusetts is the place to be for climate tech.”

And in September, Ceres CEO Mindy Lubber published an op-ed on WBUR’s Cognoscenti website, calling on lawmakers to hold a special legislative session to pass both the climate bill and the economic development bill’s clean tech investment after both had stalled out at the end of the formal session in July. The two bills, she wrote, would allow Massachusetts to harness “strong economic tailwinds that the high-tech and life science sectors delivered the state in previous generations.”

About Ceres

Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and sustainable world. United under a shared vision, our powerful networks of investors and companies are proving sustainability is the bottom line—changing markets and sectors from the inside out. For more information, visit ceres.org.

Media Contact: Helen Booth-Tobin, booth-tobin@ceres.org

Originally published in Northern Trust 2023 Sustainability Report

Northern Trust is actively reducing our operational carbon footprint.

We have set a target to reduce GHG emissions across Scope 127, 228 and partial Scope 329 by 50 percent by 2030 (using a 2019 baseline), and to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions from operations by 205030.

This includes all Scope 1 emissions from sources controlled by Northern Trust and all Scope 2 emissions. For Scope 3 emissions, the reporting is currently limited to our business operations for purchased goods and services, fuel and energy, waste generated from operations, business travel and employee commuting. To reduce carbon emissions in line with our plan to commit to the Science Based Targets Initiative’s31 Sectoral Decarbonization Approach32, we complete a range of energy efficiency projects33 each year to reduce our energy consumption.

In 2023, we completed four LED lighting projects, of which three are in EMEA and one is in the U.S., which have saved approximately 60 tons of carbon. As a result, we have lowered energy consumption per full-time employee (FTE) by 27 percent and have estimated to have reduced our absolute emissions by 3.4 percent versus our 2019 baseline34.

In addition, we will continue to support the development of carbon removal technologies by partnering with organizations such as Climate Vault. These help leverage the value of the carbon allowances to fund an equivalent or greater amount of carbon removals from new carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies through a bi-annual grant process35.

We are in the process of implementing Environmental and Energy Management Systems36 (EMS) in key locations to help drive continual improvement in operational performance. Each property has set an annual energy reduction target to achieve through low- or no-cost operational initiatives.

Despite an increased return to the office across the Corporation, business travel remains below pre-pandemic levels. We have also seen a reduction of emissions from working from home in 2023, compared to the pandemic years.37 Additionally, we are removing single-use plastics from our offices, completing audits across our global portfolio and systematically eliminating plastics. We are reducing waste from our operations and increasing recycling rates across the business.

Read the full report here

27 Scope 1 represents direct GHG emissions that occur from sources that are owned or controlled by the Corporation.

28 Scope 2 accounts for GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity consumed by the Corporation.

29 Scope 3 generally includes certain indirect GHG emissions (not included in Scope 2) that occur in the value chain of the Corporation, including both upstream and downstream emissions. Upstream emissions are indirect GHG emissions related to purchased or acquired goods and services while downstream emissions are indirect GHG emissions related to sold goods and services.

30 For more information please refer to our most recent GHG statement.

31 The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a corporate climate action organization that supports companies at an international level to actively contribute toward tackling the climate crisis.

32 The Sectoral Decarbonization Approach (SDA) used by the SBTi involves setting sector-specific emission reduction targets aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement, a legally binding international treaty on climate change.

33 Some examples of our energy efficiency projects include light-emitting diode (LED) lighting schemes, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control upgrades, electric vehicles (EV) charging stations, lighting monitor control and pipework insulation.

34 The estimated GHG absolute emissions reduction percentage presented in this report should be considered preliminary. Final data with respect to 2023 GHG absolute emissions can be found in Northern Trust’s 2023 GHG statement when such statement is published on Northern Trust’s corporate website.

35 Given the ambiguity related to the term, as well as to the risk of making carbon neutrality claims, we will no longer refer to these endeavors as “carbon neutrality.”

36 An energy management system can monitor and optimize energy usage, costs and environmental impact. It can provide valuable data and insights that can inform the decision-making process in particular when taking Net Zero targets into consideration.

37 For more information on our GHG emissions, please refer to our most recent GHG statement: https://cdn.northerntrust.com/pws/nt/documents/ about-us/ghg-statement.pdf

November 15, 2024 /3BL/ – Messina Touring Groups’ founder Louis Messina, partner of AEG Presents, received Billboard’s prestigious Touring Titan Award and was recognized as Executive of the Year at the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards in Los Angeles, CA on November 14, 2024. Messina was honored for his work producing Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour, as well as tours for Eric Church, George Strait, Kenny Chesney and many more top grossing artists.

As the founder and CEO of MTG, which operates as a leading promoter of live events, Messina has orchestrated some of the biggest and most successful tours in the modern era. Known for his ability to bring major artists to new heights, he has played a crucial role in the success of numerous high-profile tours.

Following the award presentation, Messina participated on stage in a Power Players Conversation with Melinda Newman, Billboard’s executive editor for the West Coast and Nashville. Together, they discussed Messina’s remarkable career, covering his time with Pace Concerts, his work with artists like Tim McGraw, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes, as well as his plans to build the next generation of touring superstars.

The Billboard Live Music Awards, which honors touring acts as well as some of the visionary executives behind them, are based on several criteria ranging from revenue to tour demand, production, technical ambition, fan engagement, momentum and cultural impact.

Warehouse Supervisor Adan Alencastro found the tools he needed to grow his career with CertainTeed in Palatka, Florida, all while finishing his education. Find your place At Saint-Gobain North America

Saint-Gobain is an industry leader with thousands of talented team members who are dedicated to one unified purpose: Making the World a Better Home. With more than 145 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada, there are so many robust and fulfilling career opportunities available. You’ll have the opportunity to work with colleagues from a wide range of businesses, cultures, and experiences.

Discover your career at Saint-Gobain North America here

Watch the Saint-Gobain video series Success in the Making 

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€47.9 billion in sales in 2023 
160,000 employees, locations in 76 countries 
Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

Originally published on Principal.com

Principal® employees tend to flex their skills and hop around the company. It isn’t unusual for someone to work in several different roles and parts of the business throughout their career.

It’s—in part—because leaders like Jackie know the value of development opportunities firsthand.

See how she’s paying it forward for her own team members.

How did you get into IT at Principal, and what’s your role today?

I actually didn’t start out in IT.

I’d been working in a business role in our former health division for a few years. At the time, I was getting my MBA and was looking to apply more of my business knowledge and get deeper into problem solving and solution creation.

I moved into a variety of different leadership roles—taking on more responsibilities and bigger teams. And I’ve been in my current role, director of engineering, for about five years. I lead technology teams who support functions like worksite safety and security, global risk, law, and government relations. When an employee scans their badge to enter a building, that’s safety and security technology, for example.

What excites you about the work?

The power of technology in problem solving: How do we make things better? Sometimes it’s offering a new system; sometimes it’s making improvements to a manual process.

The better we can serve our employees and the easier it is for them to find what they need, the better their experience is and the more time they have to support our customers.

How else have you gotten involved at Principal?

I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of job opportunities, but I’ve also experienced great networking and growth through Principal groups and forums. I’m involved in several employee resource groups (ERGs), and I’m currently the co-chair for our LGBTQ ERG. I also support our Global Giving Campaign, which drives positive change in the communities where we live and work.

How have you helped support other women in tech at Principal?

I’m very focused on leadership. I spend a lot of time thinking about development opportunities, inclusion, and how everyone’s being supported.

I think it’s part of my responsibility as a woman in leadership to help bring others along. So, I mentor formally and informally on leadership skills, work-life balance, career development, and daily challenges.

Being a working woman and a mother, I feel like I can mentor and coach with empathy. Sometimes it’s just taking time to ask, Why do you think you’re stuck on that? How do you think you can work through it?

Other times, the best thing I can do for someone is help connect them with an ERG, a different mentoring relationship, or someone who can tell them about a particular area of the business.

And how have you been supported?

I’ve never felt like because I’m a woman, my voice wasn’t heard or I couldn’t speak up. I’ve never felt less than. I think it comes down to the culture at Principal.

We’re focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion through and through. I see it in my leadership chain and know the executive management group champions it, too. Everyone has a voice.

Also—on a more pragmatic level—we invest a lot in development opportunities. Not only for technical skills, but also competencies like influence, approach, and leadership.

What’s your advice for someone looking to break into tech?

Being curious in technology is critical. Find something you care about and invest in yourself through continuous learning. I’m so impressed by how much our interns and young professionals have read and the questions they’re thinking about.

I also think developing competencies is important: understanding how you work through conflict, how you speak up if you’re unsure about something, how you communicate effectively, all those things.

Make sure you’re honing both of those important skillsets.

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Principal® is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and an E-Verify participant. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion or religious creed, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics, sexual orientation, marital status, domestic partner status, military status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also prohibit harassment on these bases.

Know your rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal (dol.gov)

If at any stage of the employment application process you need a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, contact Human Resources at MyHR@principal.com or 1-866-524-6947. Read our employment policies for more information.

Recruitment fraud is a scheme that offers fictitious job opportunities to people. This type of fraud is normally done through online services such as bogus websites, social media, or through unsolicited emails/SMS texts claiming to be from Principal or Principal employees. Only applicants who have filled out an official application on our career site (careers.principal.com) will be considered for employment opportunities. Principal will never ask for money during any stage of the employment application process. If you receive a communication (e.g., LinkedIn message, Facebook Messenger, SMS text, personal email, etc.) asking for money or personal financial information, don’t engage or respond. Please contact our Human Resources team at MyHR@principal.com or 1-866-524-6947, and your local law enforcement. For more information, review our recruitment fraud information.

You can find our U.S. workforce privacy notice here.

Insurance products and plan administrative services provided through Principal Life Insurance Company®, a member of the Principal Financial Group®, Des Moines, IA 50392.

3984296-112024

In this latest blog Cascale’s Editorial Director, Kaley Roshitsh provides insight how Cascale and the Social & Labor Convergence Program’s (SLCP) collaboration is advancing decent work. Roshitsh shares how SLCP and Cascale are taking action with tools like the Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM) and the Convergence Assessment Framework (CAF), helping global supply chain actors prioritize social compliance and labor standards so that they are continuously adapting to new frameworks and legal requirements.

Read the full blog here.

Through the Baker Tilly wishes program, the Baker Tilly Foundation empowers team members to make a tangible impact on their communities. Two such individuals, Kimberlie Calderone and Cathleen Kennedy, are dedicated to supporting veterans.

A beacon for the community

ARC Supervisor Kimberlie Calderone comes from a military family: her uncles, grandfather and father-in-law all served in the armed forces. She is a long-time supporter of her local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post.

“As a VFW auxiliary member, I’ve witnessed the lack of support and care that is so desperately needed by our veterans,” said Kimberlie. “I believe people who put their lives on the line to protect our basic freedoms as Americans deserve our support when they come home.”

Over the past 10 years, Kimberlie and her husband have dedicated countless hours as volunteers, coordinating events, providing meals and raising funds. Her favorite experience is the Memorial Day ceremony, due to her family connections to the military.

“It’s special to me because I can dedicate a wreath to my grandfather — it reminds me of the sacrifice he made,” Kimberlie said. “Our attendance seems to grow every year. It’s really powerful to see our small town come together to appreciate our veterans’ sacrifices.”

With her son now joining the Army, Kimberlie’s commitment to supporting veterans has only strengthened.

“I’m extremely proud of him. He made the decision on his own, and I think he understands the respect and support we have for military members,” she said.

Kimberlie encourages others to get involved with their local VFW.

“If you’re looking for camaraderie, I can’t think of a better way to make some lifelong friends,” Kimberlie said. “It feels good to support an organization where you can meet the members you are actively helping.”

Donating with dignity

Tax Director Cathleen Kennedy often meets with veterans who feel overlooked, and she’s trying to change that.

“I volunteer with General Needs because they support veterans by providing hope through basic necessities like boots, winter coats, clothing and food,” Cathleen said. “We offer these resources along with an opportunity to get to know these veterans, visit with them, and connect them with counseling services.”

Through her volunteer work, Cathleen has met hundreds of veterans and learned of their sacrifices. While each veteran has a unique story, Cathleen noted they all have one thing in common: none of them would change their decision to serve their country.

“These service members sacrificed so much for us, and they deserve our love and support to get them back on their feet,” she said.

General Needs was founded by Cathleen and Greg’s friend, Lonnie Sherman. The organization was born out of Lonnie’s experience serving hot meals at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He realized veterans’ needs extended beyond food, so he began collecting basic necessities like clothing and toiletries.

Lonnie asked Cathleen how she’d like the $10,000 grant from the Baker Tilly Foundation to be utilized. She chose to support the 2024 in 2024 Project, a General Needs initiative that aims to donate 2,024 new boots to veterans in need throughout the months of October, November and December.

“Every donation, no matter how small, can make a significant impact on a veteran’s life,” Cathleen emphasized. “These brave men and women have lost friends and family in the wars they fought in, and it is our duty to offer the recognition and support they earned.”

Learn more about Baker Tilly

Ann Tracy, chief sustainability officer, and Lauren Richardson, chief procurement officer, of Colgate-Palmolive, join ESG Talk with Alyssa Zucker to discuss how collaboration and innovation drive sustainability in the CPG industry. They share insights on Colgate-Palmolive’s journey as the first multinational consumer company to have net-zero goals approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and how teamwork and creativity help reach sustainability goals.

Listen Now

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.

Gen Blog | Community

Written by Amanda Davis | Sr. Manager, CR and Environment

Young people all over the world are vulnerable to cybercrime. A recent study from the DQ Institute found that an estimated 70% of children and adolescents globally were exposed to cyber risk at some point during 2023, and the overall rate of cybercrime is expected to rise in the coming years.

India is no exception. The National Crime Records Bureau found that child cybercrime in the country has risen 32% in just one year, and young people often demonstrate low awareness of the importance of data privacy and internet safety.

We know this is an area where Gen can help. Through Norton, one of our trusted Cyber Safety brands, and its partnership with Bal Raksha Bharat (BRB), also known as Save the Children – India, we were able to reach more than 10,000 young people, parents, family members and educators with Cyber Safety skills training between March 2023 and April 2024. These skills will not only help children stay safe online but also build lasting, healthy digital habits.

Empowering Educators to Teach Cyber Safety 

At 40 schools in Pune, Maharashtra, and Thiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, BBR staffers trained schoolteachers on bespoke Cyber Safety learning modules that Norton helped develop. The two modules—one for students between the ages of 10 and 12, another for ages 13 to 16—covered the basics of threats that young people are likely to face online, from phishing attacks to identity theft to scams. Teachers then delivered these lessons to students and community members.

In total, the effort reached more than 10,000 people across these school communities, including:

8,300 children (surpassing an initial target of 6,060),1,210 parents,635 SMC members (a parent and teacher organization), and275 teachers (surpassing the target of 220).

BRB also conducted a post-training assessment, which demonstrated an 81% increase in participants’ overall Cyber Safety knowledge.

Driving Community Awareness 

Cybercrime can affect anyone at any age. The lessons shared in these modules are relevant not only to people across these school communities but also to India at large.

To spread the word, BRB led several digital and on-the-ground activations that raised awareness of the dangers of cybercrime and how to stay Cyber Safe. These included small group meetings, voice calls and SMS messaging throughout the villages in Pune and Thiruvallur where the trainings took place. BRB also hosted workshops on cybercrime for law enforcement officials in these communities, with more planned in 2024. These efforts reached nearly 207,000 people indirectly.

The organization also promoted a cybercrime reporting helpline, as well as information about various online risks, on social media. Building on BRB’s existing partnership with Yuvaa and their #BeDigiSmart campaign, the campaign’s content saw engagement from nearly 263,000 people.

For more information on how we provide Cyber Safety education and training, check out our 2024 Social Impact Report. This grant was awarded from the Gen Foundation, a corporate advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Chemours China recently concluded the 8th annual Chemours Magical Science Camp (MSC) which ignited renewed enthusiasm for science and exploration among all participating. This year, a live-stream format connected four interactive scientific challenges, offering young participants a dynamic and engaging experience. Engagement reached new record highs as nearly 3,000 viewers tuned into the live stream, and approximately 1,200 youth from 26 provinces and cities across China participated.

The 2024 Chemours Magical Science Camp introduced an exciting new storyline mode—an immersive adventure through challenges and puzzles that guided young participants on a journey of scientific discovery. Through real-time thinking, hands-on experimentation, and close interaction with instructors, students experienced the full spectrum of scientific exploration.

The event started with the “Vanishing Footprints” experiment, where students used a pH indicator to reveal vibrant magenta footprints, leading them on a treasure hunt. The second challenge, “Liquid Movers,” appeared simple but was rich with scientific principles, including Bernoulli’s principle, siphoning, paper fiber absorption, and transparency of crystalline materials. Students transformed into “movers,” making water flow uphill, as paper flowers, nourished by the water, blossomed to reveal hidden numbers. The third challenge, “Magic Magnifier,” combined physics and chemistry principles. Participants decoded the secret equations hidden within colorful statements using pH indicators and optical filtering. The final challenge, “Mini Hot Air Balloon,” utilized the reaction of citric acid with sodium carbonate to produce a burst of carbon dioxide, allowing students to witness the remarkable phenomenon of a balloon inflating without any breath. Following each challenge, a brief classroom session deepened the understanding of the scientific principles at play, enriching the students’ grasp of the concepts in a fun and engaging way.

Victor Mao, General Manager of Chemours China, said, “The Chemours Magical Science Camp is a model for how we deliver against Chemours’ 2030 Corporate Responsibility Commitment, which includes investing in our communities to create a better future. Expanding STEM education is a big focus for us, and we want to create a novel platform for young people to connect with science by learning and applying its fundamentals through well-designed, interesting experiments and lively professional explanations. In addition to the Magical Science Camp, we expanded our outreach this year, working with nearly ten rural elementary schools, helping bring STEM education to students in remote areas. We look forward to advancing our work and helping to create more vibrant communities.”

As part of its Corporate Responsibility Commitment, Chemours is enhancing the vibrancy of the communities where it operates through positive impacts that increase access to STEM skills, safety initiatives, and sustainable environment programs. Chemours aims to empower and energize the next generation of STEM leaders by expanding access to STEM education. Since 2017, the Chemours Magical Science Camp, designed specifically for students aged 9 to 13, has attracted thousands of enthusiastic young participants eager to explore their creativity.