Tag: 3BL

September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – Annual analysis from World Wildlife Fund’s Plowprint report reveals 1.9 million acres of grasslands were converted for crops in 2022 alone across the Great Plains. While this figure’s significance cannot be downplayed, it marks an improvement from the previous 10-year average of 2.6 million acres annually. The report finds that just 55% of grassland in the US and Canadian Great Plains remains intact, putting pressure on wildlife and pollinator habitats and impacting an essential carbon sink.

“With just over half of the Great Plains grasslands remaining, every cut from the plow has significant consequences for wildlife, carbon storage and clean water,” said Martha Kauffman, vice president for WWF’s Northern Great Plains program. “The last 10 years have been a rollercoaster ride of improvements and setbacks. With appreciation for grasslands on the rise, now is the time for increased investment and policies to save what is left.”

Conversion across the Great Plains came from four main crops, including wheat (37%), corn (11%), canola (11%), and soy (9%). An additional 220,000 acres of cropland were lost for development in 2022, an increase from the 10-year average of 175,000 acres annually.

The report also found in the Northern Great Plains, which represents one of the world’s last remaining intact temperate grasslands, 70% of the grass in this region remains intact. Yet still, 480,000 acres, an area twice the size of New York City, was converted to cropland during 2022.

“Losing grasslands of course has vital climate and land use change implications, but some impacts may be less visible to the naked eye,” said Clay Bolt, manager of pollinator conservation for WWF. “Pollinators, including many native bees that once thrived in the US and Canada, play a vital role preserving natural ecosystems. But the effect of grasslands loss is compounded due to an increase in neonics – a type of insecticide that is commonly found in croplands. As a result, bees, birds, and many other species are vanishing at alarming rates.”

Balancing the protection of grasslands habitats and species that rely on them, while supporting the livelihoods of producers across the Great Plains, requires strong policies. Protecting and building upon the historic investments in Farm Bill conservation programs including, the expansion and strengthening of Sodsaver, and bolstering the Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program, will help keep grasslands standing while also supporting sustainable grazing practices. Additional investment is needed for policies and programs that improve the sustainable management of productive farmland and protect it from development. To ensure long-term success, these efforts must also increase equity and access to conservation programs and funding for Native nations.

World Wildlife Fund’s 2024 Plowprint Report is available at plowprint.org

Media Contact:

Susan.McCarthy@wwfus.org

About WWF

WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century to help people and nature thrive. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat the climate crisis. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest conservation news by following @WWFNews on Twitter and signing up for our newsletter and news alerts here.

September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – Annual analysis from World Wildlife Fund’s Plowprint report reveals 1.9 million acres of grasslands were converted for crops in 2022 alone across the Great Plains. While this figure’s significance cannot be downplayed, it marks an improvement from the previous 10-year average of 2.6 million acres annually. The report finds that just 55% of grassland in the US and Canadian Great Plains remains intact, putting pressure on wildlife and pollinator habitats and impacting an essential carbon sink.

“With just over half of the Great Plains grasslands remaining, every cut from the plow has significant consequences for wildlife, carbon storage and clean water,” said Martha Kauffman, vice president for WWF’s Northern Great Plains program. “The last 10 years have been a rollercoaster ride of improvements and setbacks. With appreciation for grasslands on the rise, now is the time for increased investment and policies to save what is left.”

Conversion across the Great Plains came from four main crops, including wheat (37%), corn (11%), canola (11%), and soy (9%). An additional 220,000 acres of cropland were lost for development in 2022, an increase from the 10-year average of 175,000 acres annually.

The report also found in the Northern Great Plains, which represents one of the world’s last remaining intact temperate grasslands, 70% of the grass in this region remains intact. Yet still, 480,000 acres, an area twice the size of New York City, was converted to cropland during 2022.

“Losing grasslands of course has vital climate and land use change implications, but some impacts may be less visible to the naked eye,” said Clay Bolt, manager of pollinator conservation for WWF. “Pollinators, including many native bees that once thrived in the US and Canada, play a vital role preserving natural ecosystems. But the effect of grasslands loss is compounded due to an increase in neonics – a type of insecticide that is commonly found in croplands. As a result, bees, birds, and many other species are vanishing at alarming rates.”

Balancing the protection of grasslands habitats and species that rely on them, while supporting the livelihoods of producers across the Great Plains, requires strong policies. Protecting and building upon the historic investments in Farm Bill conservation programs including, the expansion and strengthening of Sodsaver, and bolstering the Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program, will help keep grasslands standing while also supporting sustainable grazing practices. Additional investment is needed for policies and programs that improve the sustainable management of productive farmland and protect it from development. To ensure long-term success, these efforts must also increase equity and access to conservation programs and funding for Native nations.

World Wildlife Fund’s 2024 Plowprint Report is available at plowprint.org

Media Contact:

Susan.McCarthy@wwfus.org

About WWF

WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century to help people and nature thrive. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat the climate crisis. Visit http://www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest conservation news by following @WWFNews on Twitter and signing up for our newsletter and news alerts here.

Starting in 2024, SAP is doubling down on its net-zero strategy by expanding its commitment to nature conservation and making financial contributions to climate projects.

The financial contribution will support carbon removal and carbon reduction projects:

Carbon removal projects: These projects remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere and store them for decades – in an ideal scenario, the storage is permanent. Examples include nature-based and technical solutions such as reforestation, where trees store carbon emissions in their biomass as well as direct air capture and storage technologies.Carbon reduction projects: Also known as carbon avoidance projects, these projects prevent additional carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere, reducing the overall amount of carbon emitted. Examples include avoided deforestation or energy efficiency projects.

This doubling down on its net-zero strategy follows SAP’s successful delivery on its pledge to become carbon neutral in its own operations in 2023 by balancing out unavoidable emissions with carefully selected carbon credits. While the company’s use of the statement “carbon-neutrality” will be discontinued, the dedication to reduce its carbon footprint and finance climate action beyond its own value chain remains strong.

Net zero is a state where the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere. There are a number of definitions of net zero and how companies can achieve it. SAP follows the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) Net-Zero Standard. Achieving net-zero emissions across our entire value chain means that all our emissions across all emission sources need to be either eliminated or, up to certain limits, compensated for. These emission areas, known as scopes, include those from our own operations, those generated by the energy we purchase to run operations, and finally, the largest area, external emissions such as those incurred by employee travel, items procured, and customer data center use.

SAP Is On Track to Plant 21 Million Trees and Plans More

SAP is on track to meet its 2025 goal of planting 21 million trees and has now raised its reforestation commitment.

By 2030, SAP will support trusted partners and communities to plant and protect a total of 25 million trees helping to conserve diverse forests. Furthermore, SAP will fund the conservation and rewetting of coastal and inland wetlands such as bogs and mangrove swamps. With these conservation initiatives and the increased reforestation pledge, SAP’s goal is to conserve more land than its offices and owned data centers occupy worldwide.

To ensure that selected projects deliver a positive outcome, SAP will continue to apply the rigorous and robust due diligence that has previously informed the selection of successful climate investments such as SAP’s long partnership with Livelihood Carbon Funds (LCF), where SAP has funded the planting of trees in Senegal, Rwanda, India, Indonesia, Guatemala, and Mexico.

Bridging the Gap

SAP firmly believes that financing climate projects beyond a company’s value chain should be an item on every corporate sustainability agenda. As long as it does not undermine current corporate decarbonization programs, the financial muscle of corporations can bridge the gap in parts of the world where fiscal finances are not robust enough to restore ecosystems and build resilient low carbon economies and livelihoods.

This financial contribution will provide quantifiable benefits to mitigate the effects of climate change beyond SAP’s own value chain with investments in projects that deliver a positive impact for the climate, for local and global populations, and for biodiversity.

The level of the financial contribution is determined by SAP’s own emissions in a given year and is disclosed in terms of carbon emissions, since costs for carbon projects can be subject to change.

With this financial contribution and increased commitment to land conservation and reforestation, SAP continues its journey to introduce meaningful measures to achieve net-zero in 2030, 20 years earlier than originally planned.

Financing climate projects at the same time as pursuing its corporate net-zero agenda allows SAP to take responsibility for emissions that cannot be avoided and actively mitigate climate change on a global level. Furthermore, the financial contribution will enable positive climate action on a far greater scale than SAP could achieve alone.

Shifting Perceptions

In the last 15 years, corporate sustainability at SAP has shifted perceptions on how corporations manage their own carbon emissions and how corporate sustainability agendas must be as actionable as they are accountable.

Since 2012, the SAP Integrated Report has shared information on SAP’s annual environmental performance and progress on corporate sustainability targets. SAP has led the way in showing that corporate sustainability is an integral part of business – not just an add-on to strategy or operations.

SAP’s carbon impact is one of the sustainability KPIs that are indicators of future performance and form the basis of compensation elements for members of the Executive Board of SAP SE. Today, sustainability is deeply embedded in SAP’s vision to bring out the best in every business. With its extensive portfolio of sustainability solutions, sustainability is anchored in SAP’s purpose to make the world run better and improve people’s lives.

Connect with SAP News on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date

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To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, Saint-Gobain North America must reach key milestones by 2030. In our latest episode of Journey to 2030, we discuss how net-zero carbon is achievable. Having the first zero-carbon gypsum plant in North America is just the beginning. By reducing our CO2 emissions in our plants, we are supporting our customers to create more sustainable buildings for the future.

Watch the Saint-Gobain video series Journey to 2030 here

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

September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – Hurricane Helene has officially strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane ahead of making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida tomorrow night. T-Mobile has activated its emergency teams in anticipation of the severe winds up to 125 mph, 8-12 inches of rain and potentially fatal storm surge Hurricane Helene may bring across Florida, Alabama and Georgia. Here’s how T-Mobile and its emergency response teams are working to ensure customers, communities, first responders and others remain connected:

Network Preparation 
Our network emergency management team, local market teams and National Operations Centers are vigilantly monitoring our network’s performance. T-Mobile’s teams are also pre-staging a large fleet of equipment at critical and strategic locations in Florida, Alabama and Georgia for rapid deployment after Hurricane Helene passes and conditions safely allow, and have taken steps to ensure that permanent backup power resources are ready, including:

T-Mobile’s Mobile Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs): Large RVs with network management and monitoring equipmentSatCOLTs and SatCOWs: Satellite cell-on-light-trucks and satellite cell-on-wheels that teams can drive to impacted areas to temporarily restore or boost serviceQuick-deploy and portable VSATs: Satellite dishes called “Very Small Aperture Terminals” that can provide a layer of coverage across broad areas and quickly provide temporary wireless service to send and receive data from T-Mobile’s networkMicrowave solutions: Network technology that offers high throughput and low latency for better data usagePortable Generators: Portable power solutions that can be quickly set up to power sites and help customersPermanent Batteries and Generators: Generators and batteries permanently installed on key sites — such as cell sites, data centers and switching centers — along Hurricane Helene’s path and surrounding areas have been topped up

Moreover, T-Mobile’s network modernization allows local teams to swiftly and digitally fine-tune network coverage, focusing on critical areas to boost signal concentration as needed. By adjusting antennas and towers, T-Mobile can bolster connectivity for rescue operations, Incident Command Centers, shelters, reunification centers, hospitals or other essential locations.

Public Safety and First Responders 
T-Mobile for Government is actively engaged with numerous federal, state and local officials and emergency management agencies across Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia including: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and each state’s Emergency Operations Center.

Our team is already preparing to deploy to support requests from first responders for additional network coverage and capacity once conditions safely allow.

Agencies needing communications assistance can reach out to our 24-hour emergency hotline at 888-639-0020 or email at ERTRequests@T-Mobile.com.

Community Support 
Our teams will be staged in Mississippi and Georgia with a second large fleet of equipment and assets for deployment once conditions are safe. This includes a Community Support Command Center to serve as a central hub for T-Mobile’s community operations, as well as numerous heavy-duty trucks and trailers that provide Wi-Fi and device charging and are stocked with charging supplies for anyone who needs them.

Customer Concessions 
While the majority of our customers are on plans with unlimited talk, text and data, for those who aren’t we are offering unlimited talk, text and data for T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile and Assurance Wireless customers from tomorrow, September 26, through Wednesday, October 2, in the following counties:

Alabama: Barbour, Chambers, Henry, Houston, Lee, Randolph and RussellFlorida: Alachua, Baker, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Union and WakullaGeorgia: Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Berrien, Bibb, Bleckley, Brantley, Brooks, Burke, Butts, Calhoun, Candler, Charlton, Chattahoochee, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crawford, Crisp, Decatur, Dodge, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Emanuel, Glascock, Grady, Hancock, Harris, Heard, Houston, Irwin, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Jones, Lamar, Lanier, Laurens, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marion, Meriwether, Miller, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, Muscogee, Peach, Pierce, Pike, Pulaski, Putnam, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Seminole, Spalding, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Tattnall, Taylor, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Troup, Turner, Twiggs, Upson, Ware, Washington, Wayne, Webster, Wheeler, Wilcox, Wilkinson and Worth

Employees and Retail Stores 
We are monitoring potential impacts on our employees, retail stores and other locations. For updates on local store operations, please use our store locator to check your nearest store, as some locations may be temporarily closed or operating under modified hours in the coming days.

More Information 
For more information on how T-Mobile prepares for emergencies and disasters along with steps that customers can take to prepare, please go T-Mobile’s Emergency Response Resource site at: https://www.t-mobile.com/news/emergency-response.

Media Relations Contact 
T-Mobile US, Inc. 
MediaRelations@t-mobile.com

Investor Relations Contact 
T-Mobile US, Inc. 
Investor.Relations@t-mobile.com 
https://investor.t-mobile.com

CINCINNATI, September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – The Fifth Third New Markets Development Company has received a $50 million allocation in New Markets Tax Credits from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

An affiliate of the Fifth Third Community Development Company, LLC (CDC), the Fifth Third New Markets Development Company is one of 104 community development entities across the U.S. to receive an award in the $5 billion Treasury fund allocation announced on Sept. 19.

“One of the primary missions of the Fifth Third CDC is to support low-income communities across our footprint that have experienced a legacy of disinvestment, wealth extraction and income disparities,” said Kala Gibson, chief corporate responsibility officer for Fifth Third. “Through initiatives like our place-based neighborhood investment program, we have delivered capital to low-income communities to help build existing community assets and address barriers to economic mobility. This allocation will enable our Community Development Banking team and the Fifth Third CDC to bring exponentially more impact to the communities we serve.”

The New Markets Tax Credit Program helps economically distressed communities attract private investment capital. The federal tax credit helps to fill project financing gaps by enabling investors to make larger investments than would otherwise be possible. Communities benefit from the jobs associated with investments in manufacturing, retail and technology, as well as from greater access to housing and public facilities such as health, education and childcare.

The Fifth Third CDC invests in real estate developments across the Bank’s 11-state footprint to help communities thrive. These investments can include affordable housing, small business spaces or community facilities. Often, the projects enable access to essential services for residents, including financial education, social programming and greenspaces for recreation.

“This allocation demonstrates that Fifth Third’s innovative, place-based approach to working in neighborhoods and working at a neighborhood scale is being recognized nationally. And for neighborhoods across our footprint in which we are engaged, Fifth Third now has yet another tool we can use to drive capital into communities in partnership with them,” said Susan E. Thomas, president of the Fifth Third CDC.

“Of the various federal tax credits, New Markets Tax Credits are the most impactful for driving neighborhood transformation,” Thomas said. “As we have become increasingly active in place-based development and lending, we realized that not having these tax credits as part of our toolkit was hampering our ability to show up for our communities with all of the tools at our disposal.”

The Fifth Third CDC is an experienced NMTC participant as an equity investor and leverage lender in this locally managed federal program. Fifth Third works with a network of Community Development Entities – intermediaries serving low-income communities – to provide funding for qualified projects. Recent Fifth Third CDC investments include CityLink Center in Cincinnati, mHUB in Chicago, and AVW Equipment in Maywood, Illinois.

Community economic development is a cornerstone of Fifth Third’s Neighborhood Program, which creates and implements innovative place-based strategies to effect positive change in nine historically disinvested neighborhoods across the Bank’s footprint.

Launched in 2021, Fifth Third’s Neighborhood Program is pioneering a new way to do community development by partnering with local organizations to build ecosystems that drive real change through both financial and social investments. This collective ecosystem approach is focused on identifying solutions to key challenges in partnership with the community, with the goal of creating lasting, transformative change.

In December 2023, Fifth Third announced that its $180 million, three-year commitment to the Neighborhood Program had been met and exceeded early, reaching $187 million in just two years. Fifth Third has extended technical assistance for the program through 2025 to ensure continued, sustained impact and progress.

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About Fifth Third

Fifth Third is a bank that’s as long on innovation as it is on history. Since 1858, we’ve been helping individuals, families, businesses and communities grow through smart financial services that improve lives. Our list of firsts is extensive, and it’s one that continues to expand as we explore the intersection of tech-driven innovation, dedicated people and focused community impact. Fifth Third is one of the few U.S.-based banks to have been named among Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies® for several years. With a commitment to taking care of our customers, employees, communities and shareholders, our goal is not only to be the nation’s highest performing regional bank, but to be the bank people most value and trust.

Fifth Third Bank, National Association is a federally chartered institution. Fifth Third Bancorp is the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank and its common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Deposit and credit products provided by Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.

About the New Markets Tax Credit Program

The New Markets Tax Credit Program, established by Congress in December 2000, permits individual and corporate taxpayers to receive a non-refundable tax credit against federal income taxes for making equity investments in financial intermediaries known as Community Development Entities (CDEs). CDEs that receive the tax credit allocation authority under the program are domestic corporations or partnerships that provide loans, investments, or financial counseling in low-income urban and rural communities. The tax credit provided to the investor totals 39% of the cost of the investment and is claimed over a seven-year period. The CDEs in turn use the capital raised to make investments in low-income communities. CDEs must apply annually to the CDFI Fund to compete for New Markets Tax Credit Program allocation authority. Since the inception of the NMTC Program, the CDFI Fund has completed 20 allocation rounds and has made 1,667 awards totaling $81 billion in tax allocation authority. This includes $3 billion in Recovery Act Awards and $1 billion of special allocation authority used for the recovery and redevelopment of the Gulf Opportunity Zone.

To learn more about the New Markets Tax Credit Program, please visit www.cdfifund.gov/nmtc

Watch video: Don’t Feed the Landfills – Subaru x NPCA

It takes all of us to make a difference – ‪@Subaru‬ the National Parks Conservation Association (‪@NpcaOrg‬ ) and our partners have been doing our part! Over nearly 10 years, we’ve kept more than 22 MILLION pounds of trash out of national parks like Denali, Grand Teton and Yosemite in coordination with the National Park Service, National Park Foundation, and community partners. Together, we achieved this through waste reduction, recycling, composting, and educational initiatives to engage park visitors on ways to lessen their environmental footprint. That’s a real commitment to clean, green sustainability for America’s most iconic places. Subscribe to learn how you can keep making a difference for our national parks.

To learn more about Subaru Loves the Earth®, visit: www.subaru.com/earth.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of about 640 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants, including Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $320 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged over 100,000 volunteer hours. Subaru is dedicated to being More Than a Car Company® and to making the world a better place. For additional information, visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.

The energy transition stands as the defining challenge of our era. Every sector faces mounting pressure to power human progress in a way that is reliable and affordable but also, critically, more sustainable and equitable. In this episode, join Pravin Chandran, Managing Director in the KPMG US Data and Technology practice who will be facilitating a Q&A discussion with Dan Harple, Founder & CEO of Context Labs, on the energy transition, and how Context Labs is helping their customers navigate the increasingly complex landscape and deliver on their goals.

Click here to listen to Episode 27 of ESG voices

18 Florida-based organizations receive significant investments to support new programming, sustainability and resiliency initiatives, direct scholarships for students at all educational levels to support Florida’s growing workforce

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., September 26, 2024 /3BL/ – The Duke Energy Foundation has announced $740,000 in grants to support 18 education-based organizations to continue Duke Energy Florida’s investment in education and future workforce needs statewide.

The resources will fund a variety of energy and engineering initiatives to benefit a diverse population of students. Grantees will be hosting career exploration field trips and summer camps for K-12 students, providing resources for teachers to expand educational programming and encouraging energy and resiliency research opportunities among Florida universities.

“Education can spark a lifelong interest in a given field,” said Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president. “It’s a privilege to support so many unique initiatives this year aimed at reaching individual students with new opportunities that can drive a career and love for energy, engineering and climate resiliency.”

University of Florida (UF) received a $75,000 grant to support three energy-focused, education initiatives that will directly impact students in these fields. One of which, the “Energy Education, Mentoring and Scholarship Program,” will enable participation in scholarship, educational and research opportunities for a diverse group of energy-focused students. Through this program, eight engineering students interested in the energy sector will receive $2,000 Duke Energy Scholar awards.

Additionally, the University will be creating a Sustainable and Resilient Energy Engineering Certificate (SREEC) to encourage student-led research using solar measurement and conversion infrastructure installed at the UF Energy Research Park.

“UF is committed to employing community-focused strategies to spur economic and workforce development across Florida,” said Maria Gutierrez Martin, UF Foundation associate vice president. “Our shared work is helping high school and middle school students increase their understanding of the energy grid, prepping college students for careers in solar energy and supporting five Florida communities as they plan for an environmentally resilient future.”

In Volusia County, FUTURES Foundation will use a $30,000 grant to increase student engagement in three different initiatives within Volusia County Schools. These programs are focused on energy design studies: solar/alternative, electrical and plant.

“FUTURES is grateful for the consistent support provided by Duke Energy. This grant will allow students to participate in STEM programs at Rose Bay,” said Shimene Shepard, FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools executive director. “Although we are a coastal community, this is often the first opportunity these students have to be on the water.”

A complete list of grant recipients can be found below, with additional details available here.

K-12 Education

Citrus County Education Foundation 
 Consortium of Florida Education Foundation 
 Education Foundation of Lake County 
 Foundation for Orange County Public Schools 
 Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools 
 FUTURES Foundation for Volusia County Schools 
 Highlands County Education Foundation 
 Jefferson County Education Foundation 
 Madison County Education Foundation 
 Orlando Science Center 
 Pinellas County Education Foundation 
 Polk County Education Foundation

Higher Education

Seminole State College of Florida 
 Florida Agriculture & Mechanical University 
 Florida Polytechnic University 
 University of Central Florida 
 University of Florida 
 University of South Florida

For more information about the Duke Energy Foundation, please visit duke-energy.com/community/duke-energy-foundation/Florida.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $30 million annually in philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation is funded by Duke Energy shareholders.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.

Media contact: Audrey Stasko 
Media line: 800.559.3853

View original content here.

International Paper’s Chief Sustainability Officer Sophie Beckham was recognized this week at Futur/io’s 2024 CSO Awards North America.

The CSO Awards honor North American Chief Sustainability Officers who are driving corporate sustainability for major companies in USA and Canada, with high, scalable impact. Beckham received the Bronze Award, alongside the CSOs of Starbucks (Gold) and Salesforce (Silver). 

The CSO Awards North America is an initiative of the Futur/io Institute, a pioneering organization dedicated to nurturing and inspiring leadership in sustainable innovation and building the most impactful network of Chief Sustainability Officers globally.

“Our mission for the CSO Awards North America goes beyond rewarding the companies,” said Harald Neidhardt CEO & Curator, Futur/io Institute. “We shine a light on the role of the Chief Sustainability Officers that are active change-makers fostering action and ambition across their organisations.”

Beckham was chosen after a rigorous selection process developed by Futur/io and scientific partner Leonardo Centre on Business for Society at Imperial College Business School, and supported by knowledge partners Denominator, specialized in human-centric data, and Rainforest Partnership, focused on biodiversity.

According to Futur/io, recipients were selected using a four-quadrant model criteria, taking into consideration the maturity of corporate behaviors, regulatory performance on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) criteria, environmental and human impact and also a self-assessment survey. The Top 20 ranking CSOs were then assessed by a Grand Jury, who selected the final winners.

“I am so honored to have been selected from among so many talented and dedicated leaders in sustainability,” Beckham said. “This award is for all of us at IP and for all the work that our teams around the world do to advance our Vision 2030 goals.” 

Sophie Beckham is VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at International Paper, where she works across the enterprise to develop sustainability strategies that achieve the company’s Vision 2030 goals. She also serves as the company’s primary external spokesperson and thought leader on issues related to sustainability and stewardship.

Her career has been dedicated to driving sustainable business outcomes through purposeful leadership in consumer goods and forest product manufacturing sectors. Sophie has been advancing IP’s planet stewardship initiatives since 2013, serving in various roles throughout her time with the company. She holds a Master of Forestry degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, now known as the Yale School of the Environment.

Learn more about Futur/io’s 2024 CSO Awards North America at https://www.csoawards.org.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of sustainable packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of the world’s largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what’s next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2023 were $18.9 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting internationalpaper.com/.

About International Paper – EMEA

In Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), International Paper focuses on the production and marketing of fiber-based packaging and specialty pulp, employing approximately 4,400 people. As a leading supplier of high-quality corrugated containers for a multitude of applications, we serve customers throughout the region from our network of two recycled containerboard mills and 23 box plants in France, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Specialty pulp is made in Gdansk, Poland. Other products available from International Paper in the region include a variety of Kraft linerboard and other pulp products.