Tag: 3BL

Originally published in International Paper’s 2023 Sustainability Report

Our approach: Circularity at International Paper

Circularity is a key strategy for International Paper. It means that we prioritize the use of resources that are renewable, sustainably managed, recycled and reused through design, production and recovery across our value chain. For International Paper, circularity begins in the forest, where we encourage sustainable forest management and continual improvement in growing, harvesting and processing practices. This carries through to our mills where we use this renewable material and give used fiber products new life.

Circularity means recovering and reusing as much wood fiber, energy, water and other materials as possible in a continual cycle from natural resource to finished product and back again. Likewise, it means keeping as much material as possible from becoming waste destined for landfills.

Circularity also touches on product design, as engineers work to improve product quality and capability, while reducing waste and increasing the amount of recycled material that is used.

Embracing the circular economy means looking throughout our value chain for opportunities to optimize and improve our operations. In this regard, International Paper has a unique position in the market as one of the world’s largest stewards of wood and recovered fiber. As both a producer of fiber-based products and a consumer of recovered fiber, we have a marked impact on the overall circularity of our industry.

Partnering for IT circularity

IP is also committed to green computing. Our IT team has a zero-landfill policy for end-of-life electronics. We partner with Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations to remarket our old electronic equipment for reuse or, where that’s not possible, recycle defunct devices. This partnership includes computers, servers, hard drives, monitors and miscellaneous equipment. In 2023, we remarketed over 2,500 systems and recycled 183,389 pounds of assets. That’s the equivalent to taking 95 passenger vehicles off the road for a year.

The four key pillars of circularity at International Paper

To achieve our Renewable Solutions goal, we’ve implemented a circularity strategy made up of four pillars. These pillars help guide how we think about our impact across our value chain and identify implementation tactics within each of our businesses that advance circular solutions.

Using every part of the tree

One way that we integrate sustainability into our operations is by selling high-quality pine chemicals. These materials come from pine trees and are a byproduct of the kraft pulping process, which can be used to make a variety of everyday goods such as biofuels, fragrances, cleaners and ink. Their small carbon footprints make these pine chemicals an eco-friendly alternative to the petroleum-based materials used by the chemical industry. With demand for some pine chemicals exceeding supply and expected to grow, we plan to rapidly scale our capabilities so we can sell 100% of our pine chemicals by 2027.

Source sustainable raw materials

International Paper’s primary raw material is, of course, fiber. And this is where our sustainability strategy begins. We source both recycled and new, renewable fiber from trees grown in sustainably managed forests. Wherever possible, we use renewable, sustainable or recycled materials — fibers, chemicals, packaging, etc. — across our manufacturing process.

Our commitment to using sustainable raw materials aligns with a core principle of circularity: regenerating natural systems. In a nutshell, since our products are made from renewable resources, they replace less sustainable, carbon-intensive nonrenewable alternatives.

Every year, our operations use 5.2 million tons of recovered fiber to make new fiberbased products, making International Paper one of the world’s largest users of recovered fiber.

Use circular manufacturing processes

Circularity is at the heart of what we do at International Paper. Within our manufacturing process, this is done by designing for sustainability, minimizing waste and maximizing the recovery and reuse of materials.

By becoming more circular, designing in efficiency, and improving our environmental impact, we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a sustainable low-carbon future. In 2023, 48% of our manufacturing waste was diverted from disposal for beneficial uses.

Create innovative products

International Paper products make a significant contribution to a low-carbon circular economy. We think about the entire lifecycle of the product and how changes in product design impact decisions along its value chain. The result is products that are:

Made efficiently and sustainably, from sourcing to production to transportationDesigned with end of life in mindEasily recovered, recycled, reused or composted

Our product strategy is informed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the world’s leading circular economy network. Through our membership, we’re working with the Foundation and its partners to advance our contributions to circular lowcarbon solutions.

Learn more about our 2023 product innovations here.

Collaborate on solutions

Collaboration across our value chain is key to our success. That’s why we team up with our customers, supply chain partners and thought leaders to develop innovative ideas and gather diverse points of view. The teams at our research and development centers are at the forefront of these creative solutions.

The circular solutions we create together not only respond to changing market conditions and consumer demands, but also have multiple lives through repeated cycles of reuse, recovery and recycling. Learn more about some of our 2023 collaborations here.

The sustainability benefits of fiber-based packaging

Fiber-based packaging:

is made from a renewable resource 
so it is composed of both recycled and new fiber grown in sustainably managed forests. Using paper packaging reduces the reliance on non-renewable resources, like fossil fuels, and promotes sustainable practices.

is easy to recycle 
so it can be turned into new paper products. Recycling paper ensures a valuable renewable material is recovered and reused, reducing waste going into landfills

is lightweight 
so it can lower freight and handling costs with fewer trucks on the roads, less fuel used and lower emissions from transportation.

has a lower carbon footprint 
so it has a smaller impact on the climate. The production process of paper involves fewer chemicals and energy than other packaging, which means that it generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

keeps forests working 
so they can continue to conserve biodiversity and provide clean air and water for communities. Responsibly grown, managed and harvested forests provide a sustainable supply of fiber for products, while ensuring forestland remains forested.

Read more

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.

Originally published in International Paper’s 2023 Sustainability Report

Our approach: Circularity at International Paper

Circularity is a key strategy for International Paper. It means that we prioritize the use of resources that are renewable, sustainably managed, recycled and reused through design, production and recovery across our value chain. For International Paper, circularity begins in the forest, where we encourage sustainable forest management and continual improvement in growing, harvesting and processing practices. This carries through to our mills where we use this renewable material and give used fiber products new life.

Circularity means recovering and reusing as much wood fiber, energy, water and other materials as possible in a continual cycle from natural resource to finished product and back again. Likewise, it means keeping as much material as possible from becoming waste destined for landfills.

Circularity also touches on product design, as engineers work to improve product quality and capability, while reducing waste and increasing the amount of recycled material that is used.

Embracing the circular economy means looking throughout our value chain for opportunities to optimize and improve our operations. In this regard, International Paper has a unique position in the market as one of the world’s largest stewards of wood and recovered fiber. As both a producer of fiber-based products and a consumer of recovered fiber, we have a marked impact on the overall circularity of our industry.

Partnering for IT circularity

IP is also committed to green computing. Our IT team has a zero-landfill policy for end-of-life electronics. We partner with Dynamic Lifecycle Innovations to remarket our old electronic equipment for reuse or, where that’s not possible, recycle defunct devices. This partnership includes computers, servers, hard drives, monitors and miscellaneous equipment. In 2023, we remarketed over 2,500 systems and recycled 183,389 pounds of assets. That’s the equivalent to taking 95 passenger vehicles off the road for a year.

The four key pillars of circularity at International Paper

To achieve our Renewable Solutions goal, we’ve implemented a circularity strategy made up of four pillars. These pillars help guide how we think about our impact across our value chain and identify implementation tactics within each of our businesses that advance circular solutions.

Using every part of the tree

One way that we integrate sustainability into our operations is by selling high-quality pine chemicals. These materials come from pine trees and are a byproduct of the kraft pulping process, which can be used to make a variety of everyday goods such as biofuels, fragrances, cleaners and ink. Their small carbon footprints make these pine chemicals an eco-friendly alternative to the petroleum-based materials used by the chemical industry. With demand for some pine chemicals exceeding supply and expected to grow, we plan to rapidly scale our capabilities so we can sell 100% of our pine chemicals by 2027.

Source sustainable raw materials

International Paper’s primary raw material is, of course, fiber. And this is where our sustainability strategy begins. We source both recycled and new, renewable fiber from trees grown in sustainably managed forests. Wherever possible, we use renewable, sustainable or recycled materials — fibers, chemicals, packaging, etc. — across our manufacturing process.

Our commitment to using sustainable raw materials aligns with a core principle of circularity: regenerating natural systems. In a nutshell, since our products are made from renewable resources, they replace less sustainable, carbon-intensive nonrenewable alternatives.

Every year, our operations use 5.2 million tons of recovered fiber to make new fiberbased products, making International Paper one of the world’s largest users of recovered fiber.

Use circular manufacturing processes

Circularity is at the heart of what we do at International Paper. Within our manufacturing process, this is done by designing for sustainability, minimizing waste and maximizing the recovery and reuse of materials.

By becoming more circular, designing in efficiency, and improving our environmental impact, we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a sustainable low-carbon future. In 2023, 48% of our manufacturing waste was diverted from disposal for beneficial uses.

Create innovative products

International Paper products make a significant contribution to a low-carbon circular economy. We think about the entire lifecycle of the product and how changes in product design impact decisions along its value chain. The result is products that are:

Made efficiently and sustainably, from sourcing to production to transportationDesigned with end of life in mindEasily recovered, recycled, reused or composted

Our product strategy is informed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the world’s leading circular economy network. Through our membership, we’re working with the Foundation and its partners to advance our contributions to circular lowcarbon solutions.

Learn more about our 2023 product innovations here.

Collaborate on solutions

Collaboration across our value chain is key to our success. That’s why we team up with our customers, supply chain partners and thought leaders to develop innovative ideas and gather diverse points of view. The teams at our research and development centers are at the forefront of these creative solutions.

The circular solutions we create together not only respond to changing market conditions and consumer demands, but also have multiple lives through repeated cycles of reuse, recovery and recycling. Learn more about some of our 2023 collaborations here.

The sustainability benefits of fiber-based packaging

Fiber-based packaging:

is made from a renewable resource 
so it is composed of both recycled and new fiber grown in sustainably managed forests. Using paper packaging reduces the reliance on non-renewable resources, like fossil fuels, and promotes sustainable practices.

is easy to recycle 
so it can be turned into new paper products. Recycling paper ensures a valuable renewable material is recovered and reused, reducing waste going into landfills

is lightweight 
so it can lower freight and handling costs with fewer trucks on the roads, less fuel used and lower emissions from transportation.

has a lower carbon footprint 
so it has a smaller impact on the climate. The production process of paper involves fewer chemicals and energy than other packaging, which means that it generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

keeps forests working 
so they can continue to conserve biodiversity and provide clean air and water for communities. Responsibly grown, managed and harvested forests provide a sustainable supply of fiber for products, while ensuring forestland remains forested.

Read more

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.

This article is co-authored by Paul Camuti, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer, Trane Technologies and Kinnar Ghiya, Vice President, Procurement, Trane Technologies.

According to the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD), in order to limit global warming to 1.5C or less in line with the Paris Agreement, it is essential to decarbonize our economy by 2050. And there is no decarbonizing our economy without decarbonizing buildings.

Embodied carbon in the built environment

Buildings are responsible for almost 40% of global energy and related carbon emissions: 28% from operational emissions—the energy needed to heat, cool and power them—and 11% from materials and construction. We are proud to be leading the reduction of operational emissions by achieving our 2030 Sustainability Commitments, but in order to achieve global climate goals, we also need to reduce the embodied carbon in building materials and equipment.

Embodied carbon refers to the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with a product material’s lifecycle, including the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing, transportation and recycling. According to the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), embodied carbon in building materials and equipment needs to be reduced by at least 40% from today’s levels by 2030 and to net-zero by 2050.

The embodied carbon footprint of buildings is made up of major building components like steel, concrete and aluminum, along with equipment like HVAC chillers and heat pumps and thermal storage systems, as well as electrical and plumping equipment. This is where Trane Technologies has a major opportunity to contribute.

Trane Technologies moves to reduce embodied carbon

Trane Technologies has announced a commitment to reduce embodied carbon by 40% by 2030. This is an industry-first, first-of-its-scale, precedent-setting commitment. It’s an expansion of our 2030 Sustainability Commitments, and it builds on our momentum for sourcing more sustainable solutions like low-carbon steel.

Industry-first and NGO aligned

WBCSD and WorldGBC have called for the building sector to reduce embodied carbon. And we are proud to be the first HVAC company to make the commitment. As a growth company, we don’t follow norms. We set them.

An expansion of our commitments

We have bold ambitions, set against aggressive baselines. We are constantly scanning the environment for opportunities to move faster and go farther. This new embodied carbon commitment is an expansion of our Leading by Example commitment to reduce the environmental impact of our own operations. As such, it is also set against a 2019 baseline.

Building on our momentum

In November 2022 we made a commitment to source low-carbon steel, and by November 2023, we had shipped more than one million HVAC units made with that low-carbon steel to homes, schools and data centers across the United States.

Our growth mindset and commitment to operational excellence serve as a system of checks and balances. With our deep experience, we know we need to test a bold commitment like this to ensure we can deliver. We have. And we will.

Collaborating with our suppliers

The building sector is incredibly interconnected. Our technology solutions are a component of buildings. And materials like steel, copper and aluminum are components of our solutions. Our suppliers have suppliers, and so on. We are transforming our economy. No one can do this alone.

And so we are collaborating with our suppliers to reduce carbon intensity across the value chain. This is a work in progress, and we are working together to bring transparency, standard approaches and efficient ways to measure and manage embodied carbon.

Building materials: We will focus our efforts on partnering with suppliers of materials used in buildings and building equipment, including steel, aluminum, copper and refrigerants, while continuing to incorporate circular design criteria into our product development projects.All top-emitting categories can contribute, but a priority approach will be leveraged for those with the highest impact and scale.

One company can change an industry

From our customers to our own operations to our suppliers, we are looking for ways to reduce emissions every step of the way. With this new commitment, we are addressing both sides of the challenge to reduce our own and our customers’ carbon footprints: by reducing operational carbon through the Gigaton Challenge and embodied carbon through this expansion of our Leading by Example commitment.

Our strong sustainability performance is the direct result of our culture and the actions our people take every day to deliver on our commitments. Our procurement teams are excited by the challenge to reduce embodied carbon. It aligns with our constant focus on productivity, growth, resiliency and sustainability.

The products we manufacture have a significant lifetime, often upwards of 15-20 years or more. The actions we take today to reduce the embodied carbon of those products have far-reaching implications for achieving tomorrow’s goals. And beyond our products, the way we lead matters.

With this move to reduce embodied carbon, we are elevating the important research of our NGO partners, we are celebrating the good work of our suppliers, and we are leading our industry forward to a more sustainable future. 
 

This article includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of securities laws, which are statements that are not historical facts, including statements that relate to our decarbonization efforts, our sustainability commitments and the impact of these commitments. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results to differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause such differences can be found in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as our subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and other SEC filings. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect the Company. We assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Originally published on NRG Insights

By Gin Kinney

With the conclusion of our 17th annual week of volunteerism, positiveNRG Impact Week, I’ve been reflecting on the importance of giving back and community. Both can profoundly shape our lives and leave a lasting impact. Giving back, at its core, is about dedicating time, resources, skills, or financial support to help others. Being part of a community requires more than just belonging – it requires action.

I continue to be inspired by the generosity, passion, and unwavering commitment of NRG employees for the communities where we live and work. Their readiness to give their time, effort, and care to enrich the lives of others, demonstrates the heart of what it means to truly be part of something greater than ourselves.

Making a difference

PositiveNRG, the philanthropic arm of NRG, has always been key in defining who we are as a company. It enables us to put our values into action by promoting healthy choices, enabling community resilience, and supporting environmental health. I am proud to work for a company that is dedicated to making a real difference.

Our corporate social responsibility initiatives including positiveNRG, have created a culture of caring and responsibility at NRG, one that has fostered strong ties across our employee base and instilled a shared sense of purpose that continues to drive connection among each other and within our communities.

It was amazing to connect and build lasting bonds while giving back. This year’s focus for positiveNRG Impact Week was food insecurity. Our colleagues united across 43 cities in the U.S. and Canada to provide one million meals to local nonprofits. I hope you will tune in to NRG’s social media channels to learn more and be encouraged by what the NRG team was able to achieve together this week and beyond.

Yum! Brands

Kudos to Jardine Restaurant Group of Vietnam (JRGVN) for launching their eco-friendly hexagonal pizza box design, using sustainably sourced packaging made from FSC-certified paper. One pizza box at a time, they’re helping to protect the forests.

Read their post below:

Each of our pizza boxes also carries out the mission of sustainable forest development.

Besides the new hexagonal pizza box design, which reduced plastic waste by over 6,000 kg annually, other Pizza Hut packaging, such as takeaway cups and salad boxes, also contributes to forest conservation through FSC-certified paper.

FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification, a voluntary standard for forest management organizations and wood product manufacturers, upholds stringent criteria for sustainable development. It balances environmental protection, social benefits for stakeholders (including manufacturers, businesses, communities, and residents), and economic viability.

Complying with FSC certification means that Pizza Hut uses natural resources effectively, reduces over-exploitation of forests, and ensures the balance of the forest ecosystem in the process of exploiting raw materials to produce paper boxes. Regarding society, this practice indirectly provides a planned livelihood for forest workers and prevents illegal logging. Therefore, while holding a pizza box in your hand, you are joining us in protecting the forests.

Small actions can have a significant impact. Jardine Restaurant Group Vietnam is committed to transparency and sustainable practices across all business operations, demonstrating our dedication to customers and environment.

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

V3 Sports in North Minneapolis opened a community-inspired health and wellness facility in June and the nonprofit already has more than 900 members.

“Our goal for the year was 600,” said executive director Malik Rucker. “This speaks to the community’s desire and demand for quality facilities in North Minneapolis. There is a need here. We are 92 percent North Siders as far as membership; we are hitting our target audience.”

V3 started in 2007 as a triathlon team that competed locally and at the national level. Through working with students and their families, founding director Erika Binger realized there was a lack of infrastructure for water safety in North Minneapolis.

She and other leaders began to explore how they could create a space for the team to operate in year-round and provide other needed resources to the area. (For more, see the video above.)

North Minneapolis, close to the U.S. Bank headquarters, is a geographic area where the bank is focused on place-based investing, a concentrated, long-term effort that involves community co-design with strategic partners to help build wealth in low-to-moderate income communities and communities of color.

The U.S. Bank Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to V3 because of its mission to elevate the North Minneapolis community through fitness, wellness and education.

The organization is living out its mission through its 40,000-square-foot, multi-phased, mixed-use facility that includes a 25-yard instructional swimming pool for children and adults, a hydrotherapy pool, a Boys & Girls Club, a fitness center with drop-in childcare, a workforce development center featuring a job training facility, and an entrepreneurial incubator space.

“V3 is a one-of-a-kind facility that creates space for the community to come together, for individuals to grow personally, and to attract business and economic development opportunities to the region,” said U.S. Bank community affairs manager Sofia Terzic.

“The leadership at V3, led by Malik and Erika, has built the vision of V3 by listening to community, which is something we highly value at U.S. Bank,” Terzic said. “They use the facility to elevate community and individuals. We are excited to support V3 as it supports the growth and prosperity of North Minneapolis and its residents.”

In addition, U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance made an investment of $1.8 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) equity to help finance the first phase of V3’s growth plans and provided a $35,000 grant.

“Our investment provides equitable access to health and wellness resources for North Minneapolis residents and helps to close the opportunity gaps of investment and infrastructure between downtown and North Minneapolis,” said Dan Blocher, Impact Finance senior vice president and business development officer.

Rucker said that NMTCs can be a difficult form of financing but, “we made it work and now look at what’s happening at V3. We are very thankful.”

In addition to U.S. Bank Foundation support for V3, funds have supported other nonprofits doing work in North Minneapolis, including Playworks and Minneapolis Parks Foundation.

The investments made in all three organizations are part of U.S. Bank’s concentrated, long-term focus in North Minneapolis to leverage the bank’s array of products and services to drive lasting impact, help create safe recreation opportunities, and build thriving communities.”

“We are focused on powering potential, and that guides our strategy for community relationships,” Terzic said. “As a crucial neighborhood in our headquarters market, we are committed to supporting North Minneapolis so the community and its residents can thrive.”

According to Rucker, V3 now employs nearly 70 people and as phase two is completed, approximately 100 jobs will have been created.

“The jobs being created and the geographic location are intended to have a spillover effect in bringing economic activity to the Plymouth Avenue corridor – where our facility sits – in North Minneapolis,” he said.

Phase two will add 200,000 square feet and is expected to break ground in approximately one year. Plans include the installation of a 50-meter competition pool used in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, with the intent to create a regional swimming hub in North Minneapolis.

“U.S. Bank is really the only company so far that has walked alongside us – a testament to how the organization listens to the community and invests in businesses,” Rucker said. “Place-based investing is building out a community with community, in community.”

*U.S. Bank Foundation is a tax-exempt private foundation described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is funded primarily through contributions from U.S. Bank National Association and its affiliates and subsidiaries. The Foundation’s mission is to close the gaps between people and possibility in the areas of work, home and play.

Originally published on Illumina News Center

As you read this, a white box the size of a refrigerator is hurtling through space at 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kph), shooting four lasers at the Earth 242 times a second. It’s called the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation sensor, or GEDI.

GEDI laser beams travel 250 miles (400 km) down to a forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and strike a precisely targeted square of trees just 98 feet (30 m) across. Some wavelengths reflect off the canopy; some penetrate to the branches below; others reach all the way to the ground before bouncing back into space.

This technology is “lidar”—like sonar but using light waves instead of sound waves. In a thousandth of a second, the beams return to GEDI, which compares how much each wavelength was absorbed to build a three-dimensional map of that square, including ground topography, foliage density, and canopy height.

GEDI is one of several instruments mounted on the International Space Station that are taking constant measurements of the world’s forests. Another, ECOSTRESS, uses infrared light to read leaf temperature. A third, DESIS, separates visible light into thousands of specific wavelengths to see exactly what color pattern the leaves are reflecting—from which you can infer details about the tree’s internal structure.

And at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center in Indiana, Professor Nathan Swenson and his students are cross-referencing all this information with genetic sequencing data from trees. By correlating extremely high-resolution images taken from space with the microscopic gene expression patterns of individual leaves, they are creating a map of the forest’s health to a degree never before attempted.

Don’t miss the forest for the trees

How did tree ecologists and genetic researchers come to use data from space? Their partnership is quite novel, and to find out how they got there, it helps to consider how their work used to be done.

Traditionally, ecologists have assessed forest health by going into the field and measuring a few key traits in sample trees, like wood density and leaf mass per area. Doing this can tell you a bit about how the tree responds to environmental changes, but it’s time consuming and not very scalable to the forest at large. So, over the past decade, Swenson has been looking into a new method: sequencing tree transcriptomes.

While genomics chiefly studies DNA, transcriptomics studies messenger RNA molecules, which convey instructions from the DNA to other parts of the cell. An organism’s genome typically doesn’t change throughout its life—but its transcriptome represents a dynamic snapshot of all the cellular processes that are active at a particular moment, and this varies depending on the organism’s current environment.

Swenson ran an experiment: He subjected seedlings in a greenhouse to different drought conditions, and then performed RNA sequencing to see how their genes were responding. The results, he says, ended up more accurately predicting tree health in the wild “than anything else we typically measure in ecology. It’s kind of a quantum leap.” Later studies confirmed a pattern: The ways that trees expressed certain genes under drought accurately predicted that species’ distribution in the wild under the same conditions. “You can’t get this information by measuring something as simple as leaf thickness.”

Not too long ago, this approach wasn’t feasible. Conventional wisdom held that gene expression in the wild is too variable and sequencing it too expensive. “Through time we’ve learned that it’s totally possible,” Swenson says. “We’re now at about a third of the cost that I used to pay per sample. These things are now within reach, and scalable for the types of samples that ecologists need.”

He was onto something. By going from the bottom up—using sample transcriptomes to predict plant response in the wild—he could, as the saying goes, see the trees. But to see the whole forest, and turn those patterns into actionable data, he’d have to go from the top down…the very top.

How inner space met outer space

In 2019, Everett Hinkley, National Remote Sensing Program manager for the U.S. Forest Service, met with Lawrence Friedl, then-director of the Applied Sciences program at NASA. The two of them saw a need for more open conversation between NASA and the government’s land management agencies. How could their organizations work together to address each other’s research needs, share data, and promote the integration of Earth observational data products into operational land management decision support?

The answer was the Applied Earth Observations Innovation Partnership (AEOIP), which now comprises representatives from NASA, the Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Land Management.

In parallel with this collaboration, NASA’s Biological Diversity and Ecological Conservation (BDEC) program began looking for opportunities to work with Illumina, since they believe that any aspect of plant health—susceptibility to disease, tolerance to climatic variation, and so on—comes down to genetic variation.

In 2023 they came upon a perfect fit for a BDEC program grant: a proposal from Nathan Swenson to monitor biodiversity by combining space station sensor readings with transcriptome sequences. AEOIP representative Sabrina Delgado Arias, an employee of Science Systems and Applications Inc. at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, agreed that it could complement work being done by the U.S. Forest Service to map not just drought stress and wildfire risk, but the spread of invasive pests as well.

The key to linking inner space with outer space, it turns out, is leaf reflectance. The way leaves reflect light is strongly correlated with their chemical structure. So from a high enough vantage point, at a fine enough resolution, you could literally map how genetic expression for an entire forest changes over time. Swenson says, “It’s a cool science trick…if you can do it.”

Taking vital signs from orbit

The three space station instruments used by the project each fill in one part of the picture. GEDI’s lidar, which reveals the forest’s structure, can show where trees might be losing branches due to sickness. ECOSTRESS’s infrared sensors take the trees’ temperature, which correlates with how much water they’re retaining and their degree of drought stress. And the color patterns detected by DESIS directly reflect the trees’ chemical structure due to transcriptomic variation.

For example: The emerald ash borer beetle lays its eggs beneath tree bark, and when they hatch, the larvae feed on the tree’s interior. It’s especially harmful in North America and Europe, where ash trees haven’t evolved natural defenses against it. The external signs of an infestation are often too subtle for the human eye—but they are revealed in leaf color pattern.

The same principle holds for oak wilt disease, a fungal infection. By the time an oak shows obvious effects, it’s too late to save it. But the shortwave infrared spectrum reflected by its leaves can show early warning signs.

This work is among the first ever taken of its kind. NASA is currently building a library of spectral characteristics for every plant species in the world, which can ultimately be compared with the recorded genomic variation of that species for even richer insights.

Jeff “Frenchy” Morisette, manager of the Human Dimensions Program at the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station and a NASA alum himself, is optimistic about the potential applications his agency could put into practice based on this research. “Genetics is as fine a tool as we have to understand why things are happening at the structural level,” he says.

Bringing together the best technology and expertise across the sciences

The information-gathering phase of Swenson’s project is well underway. With the help of custom tools, expertise, and materials from Illumina, his team at the University of Notre Dame has transcriptomic data from leaf samples collected on site in Wisconsin and Michigan. They’re waiting their turn to download orbital imagery taken from the space station this summer, and they plan to begin building statistical models based on the data this fall.

Linking biological variables to remote sensing information massively expands the scope of their research, and everyone involved through AEOIP is buoyed by the promise it holds for changing the way ecologists work. When it comes to applying these extremely cutting-edge technologies for the sake of improving lives and livelihoods across the world, the possibilities seem endless.

“The problems of today are large scale,” Swenson says. “There are very few people working on this type of problem, and it really excited me to not stay within our silo to answer these fundamental questions, but to bring in the best technology available from multiple disciplines.”

Originally published on U.S. Bank company blog

V3 Sports in North Minneapolis opened a community-inspired health and wellness facility in June and the nonprofit already has more than 900 members.

“Our goal for the year was 600,” said executive director Malik Rucker. “This speaks to the community’s desire and demand for quality facilities in North Minneapolis. There is a need here. We are 92 percent North Siders as far as membership; we are hitting our target audience.”

V3 started in 2007 as a triathlon team that competed locally and at the national level. Through working with students and their families, founding director Erika Binger realized there was a lack of infrastructure for water safety in North Minneapolis.

She and other leaders began to explore how they could create a space for the team to operate in year-round and provide other needed resources to the area. (For more, see the video above.)

North Minneapolis, close to the U.S. Bank headquarters, is a geographic area where the bank is focused on place-based investing, a concentrated, long-term effort that involves community co-design with strategic partners to help build wealth in low-to-moderate income communities and communities of color.

The U.S. Bank Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to V3 because of its mission to elevate the North Minneapolis community through fitness, wellness and education.

The organization is living out its mission through its 40,000-square-foot, multi-phased, mixed-use facility that includes a 25-yard instructional swimming pool for children and adults, a hydrotherapy pool, a Boys & Girls Club, a fitness center with drop-in childcare, a workforce development center featuring a job training facility, and an entrepreneurial incubator space.

“V3 is a one-of-a-kind facility that creates space for the community to come together, for individuals to grow personally, and to attract business and economic development opportunities to the region,” said U.S. Bank community affairs manager Sofia Terzic.

“The leadership at V3, led by Malik and Erika, has built the vision of V3 by listening to community, which is something we highly value at U.S. Bank,” Terzic said. “They use the facility to elevate community and individuals. We are excited to support V3 as it supports the growth and prosperity of North Minneapolis and its residents.”

In addition, U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance made an investment of $1.8 million in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) equity to help finance the first phase of V3’s growth plans and provided a $35,000 grant.

“Our investment provides equitable access to health and wellness resources for North Minneapolis residents and helps to close the opportunity gaps of investment and infrastructure between downtown and North Minneapolis,” said Dan Blocher, Impact Finance senior vice president and business development officer.

Rucker said that NMTCs can be a difficult form of financing but, “we made it work and now look at what’s happening at V3. We are very thankful.”

In addition to U.S. Bank Foundation support for V3, funds have supported other nonprofits doing work in North Minneapolis, including Playworks and Minneapolis Parks Foundation.

The investments made in all three organizations are part of U.S. Bank’s concentrated, long-term focus in North Minneapolis to leverage the bank’s array of products and services to drive lasting impact, help create safe recreation opportunities, and build thriving communities.”

“We are focused on powering potential, and that guides our strategy for community relationships,” Terzic said. “As a crucial neighborhood in our headquarters market, we are committed to supporting North Minneapolis so the community and its residents can thrive.”

According to Rucker, V3 now employs nearly 70 people and as phase two is completed, approximately 100 jobs will have been created.

“The jobs being created and the geographic location are intended to have a spillover effect in bringing economic activity to the Plymouth Avenue corridor – where our facility sits – in North Minneapolis,” he said.

Phase two will add 200,000 square feet and is expected to break ground in approximately one year. Plans include the installation of a 50-meter competition pool used in the 2020 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, with the intent to create a regional swimming hub in North Minneapolis.

“U.S. Bank is really the only company so far that has walked alongside us – a testament to how the organization listens to the community and invests in businesses,” Rucker said. “Place-based investing is building out a community with community, in community.”

*U.S. Bank Foundation is a tax-exempt private foundation described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is funded primarily through contributions from U.S. Bank National Association and its affiliates and subsidiaries. The Foundation’s mission is to close the gaps between people and possibility in the areas of work, home and play.

Originally published on Illumina News Center

As you read this, a white box the size of a refrigerator is hurtling through space at 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kph), shooting four lasers at the Earth 242 times a second. It’s called the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation sensor, or GEDI.

GEDI laser beams travel 250 miles (400 km) down to a forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and strike a precisely targeted square of trees just 98 feet (30 m) across. Some wavelengths reflect off the canopy; some penetrate to the branches below; others reach all the way to the ground before bouncing back into space.

This technology is “lidar”—like sonar but using light waves instead of sound waves. In a thousandth of a second, the beams return to GEDI, which compares how much each wavelength was absorbed to build a three-dimensional map of that square, including ground topography, foliage density, and canopy height.

GEDI is one of several instruments mounted on the International Space Station that are taking constant measurements of the world’s forests. Another, ECOSTRESS, uses infrared light to read leaf temperature. A third, DESIS, separates visible light into thousands of specific wavelengths to see exactly what color pattern the leaves are reflecting—from which you can infer details about the tree’s internal structure.

And at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center in Indiana, Professor Nathan Swenson and his students are cross-referencing all this information with genetic sequencing data from trees. By correlating extremely high-resolution images taken from space with the microscopic gene expression patterns of individual leaves, they are creating a map of the forest’s health to a degree never before attempted.

Don’t miss the forest for the trees

How did tree ecologists and genetic researchers come to use data from space? Their partnership is quite novel, and to find out how they got there, it helps to consider how their work used to be done.

Traditionally, ecologists have assessed forest health by going into the field and measuring a few key traits in sample trees, like wood density and leaf mass per area. Doing this can tell you a bit about how the tree responds to environmental changes, but it’s time consuming and not very scalable to the forest at large. So, over the past decade, Swenson has been looking into a new method: sequencing tree transcriptomes.

While genomics chiefly studies DNA, transcriptomics studies messenger RNA molecules, which convey instructions from the DNA to other parts of the cell. An organism’s genome typically doesn’t change throughout its life—but its transcriptome represents a dynamic snapshot of all the cellular processes that are active at a particular moment, and this varies depending on the organism’s current environment.

Swenson ran an experiment: He subjected seedlings in a greenhouse to different drought conditions, and then performed RNA sequencing to see how their genes were responding. The results, he says, ended up more accurately predicting tree health in the wild “than anything else we typically measure in ecology. It’s kind of a quantum leap.” Later studies confirmed a pattern: The ways that trees expressed certain genes under drought accurately predicted that species’ distribution in the wild under the same conditions. “You can’t get this information by measuring something as simple as leaf thickness.”

Not too long ago, this approach wasn’t feasible. Conventional wisdom held that gene expression in the wild is too variable and sequencing it too expensive. “Through time we’ve learned that it’s totally possible,” Swenson says. “We’re now at about a third of the cost that I used to pay per sample. These things are now within reach, and scalable for the types of samples that ecologists need.”

He was onto something. By going from the bottom up—using sample transcriptomes to predict plant response in the wild—he could, as the saying goes, see the trees. But to see the whole forest, and turn those patterns into actionable data, he’d have to go from the top down…the very top.

How inner space met outer space

In 2019, Everett Hinkley, National Remote Sensing Program manager for the U.S. Forest Service, met with Lawrence Friedl, then-director of the Applied Sciences program at NASA. The two of them saw a need for more open conversation between NASA and the government’s land management agencies. How could their organizations work together to address each other’s research needs, share data, and promote the integration of Earth observational data products into operational land management decision support?

The answer was the Applied Earth Observations Innovation Partnership (AEOIP), which now comprises representatives from NASA, the Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Land Management.

In parallel with this collaboration, NASA’s Biological Diversity and Ecological Conservation (BDEC) program began looking for opportunities to work with Illumina, since they believe that any aspect of plant health—susceptibility to disease, tolerance to climatic variation, and so on—comes down to genetic variation.

In 2023 they came upon a perfect fit for a BDEC program grant: a proposal from Nathan Swenson to monitor biodiversity by combining space station sensor readings with transcriptome sequences. AEOIP representative Sabrina Delgado Arias, an employee of Science Systems and Applications Inc. at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, agreed that it could complement work being done by the U.S. Forest Service to map not just drought stress and wildfire risk, but the spread of invasive pests as well.

The key to linking inner space with outer space, it turns out, is leaf reflectance. The way leaves reflect light is strongly correlated with their chemical structure. So from a high enough vantage point, at a fine enough resolution, you could literally map how genetic expression for an entire forest changes over time. Swenson says, “It’s a cool science trick…if you can do it.”

Taking vital signs from orbit

The three space station instruments used by the project each fill in one part of the picture. GEDI’s lidar, which reveals the forest’s structure, can show where trees might be losing branches due to sickness. ECOSTRESS’s infrared sensors take the trees’ temperature, which correlates with how much water they’re retaining and their degree of drought stress. And the color patterns detected by DESIS directly reflect the trees’ chemical structure due to transcriptomic variation.

For example: The emerald ash borer beetle lays its eggs beneath tree bark, and when they hatch, the larvae feed on the tree’s interior. It’s especially harmful in North America and Europe, where ash trees haven’t evolved natural defenses against it. The external signs of an infestation are often too subtle for the human eye—but they are revealed in leaf color pattern.

The same principle holds for oak wilt disease, a fungal infection. By the time an oak shows obvious effects, it’s too late to save it. But the shortwave infrared spectrum reflected by its leaves can show early warning signs.

This work is among the first ever taken of its kind. NASA is currently building a library of spectral characteristics for every plant species in the world, which can ultimately be compared with the recorded genomic variation of that species for even richer insights.

Jeff “Frenchy” Morisette, manager of the Human Dimensions Program at the Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station and a NASA alum himself, is optimistic about the potential applications his agency could put into practice based on this research. “Genetics is as fine a tool as we have to understand why things are happening at the structural level,” he says.

Bringing together the best technology and expertise across the sciences

The information-gathering phase of Swenson’s project is well underway. With the help of custom tools, expertise, and materials from Illumina, his team at the University of Notre Dame has transcriptomic data from leaf samples collected on site in Wisconsin and Michigan. They’re waiting their turn to download orbital imagery taken from the space station this summer, and they plan to begin building statistical models based on the data this fall.

Linking biological variables to remote sensing information massively expands the scope of their research, and everyone involved through AEOIP is buoyed by the promise it holds for changing the way ecologists work. When it comes to applying these extremely cutting-edge technologies for the sake of improving lives and livelihoods across the world, the possibilities seem endless.

“The problems of today are large scale,” Swenson says. “There are very few people working on this type of problem, and it really excited me to not stay within our silo to answer these fundamental questions, but to bring in the best technology available from multiple disciplines.”

CINCINNATI, September 25, 2024 /3BL/ — Fifth Third’s longstanding leadership in sustainability in the financial services sector has earned the bank recognition by USA Today as among America’s Climate Leaders 2024.

The publication’s second annual rankings, published in partnership with Statista, Inc., provide a data-driven metric of companies that have significantly decreased their GHG emissions between 2020 and 2024. The list includes U.S. based companies with more than $50 million in revenue that reported their GHG emissions independently. To make the list, those companies must have reduced their emissions intensity (GHG emissions divided by revenue) by 3% year-to-year.

“Fifth Third has been focused on driving sustainability for more than a decade,” said Pratik Raval, chief sustainability officer for Fifth Third. “We take a three-pronged strategic approach to addressing climate change through leading the transition to a sustainable future, managing climate-related risks, and reducing our environmental footprint. We are proud to be an industry leader in each of these areas.”

Fifth Third has reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the areas of building operations, corporate transport and business travel by 48% since 2014. Fifth Third measures and reports on its corporate greenhouse gas emissions using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol methodology with third-party verification of its calculations. 

In late August, Fifth Third also celebrated five years of 100% renewable power. This effort began with a virtual power purchase agreement with the Aulander Holloman solar facility in North Carolina. In 2023, the solar power generation from the facility was more than 190,000 megawatt hours – enough to power over 25,000 homes, or the equivalent of emissions from over 29,000 passenger vehicles.

Fifth Third has committed to reducing energy usage across its 11-state footprint by 40% by 2030. The bank exceeded that goal last year, achieving a 45% reduction in energy usage through improved use of space and the sustainability of new construction, renovation and facility-related operations and maintenance practices, including adding advanced building control technology to more than 600 locations.

“We are proud to have reduced our portfolio-wide energy usage by 45% over the past decade, and we continue to deploy new technologies and processes to help operate all of our facilities more efficiently,” said Thomas Neltner, director of enterprise workplace services and chief security officer for Fifth Third.

As part of its sustainability commitment, Fifth Third has also set a target of providing $100 billion in environmental and social finance (sustainable finance) by 2030. The bank has provided $37.6 billion in sustainable finance to-date, including $1.3 billion in lending and capital-raising for renewable energy products in 2023, and continues to make progress towards the goal. 

As part of the bank’s commitment to provide transparency and data aligned to industry standards for all its stakeholders, Fifth Third has published its sustainability data in its 2023 Sustainability Report, which aligns with the GRI Index, the SASB standards, and the Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics index. The data is publicly available on Fifth Third’s Investor Relations website.

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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.

CONTACT
Amanda Nageleisen (Media Relations)
amanda.nageleisen@53.com

Matt Curoe (Investor Relations) 
matthew.curoe@53.com | 513-534-2345