Tag: 3BL

LINCOLN, Neb., September 5, 2024 /3BL/ – The Arbor Day Foundation subawards $4.7 million in urban forestry grants to 18 community-based nonprofits in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. The Foundation’s Community Roots Program, a grant opportunity established with Inflation Reduction Act funds, saw great demand in its first phase with more than 230 applicants.

The grants awarded will be used to plant trees, grow green spaces, and foster environmental justice in disadvantaged communities of greatest need, as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. Proposed projects range in focus from addressing the urban heat island effect, to natural disaster recovery, to establishing food forests. A full list of the community-based nonprofit subawardees is below.

“Trees are a critical part of building healthy and resilient cities. The overwhelming response to our Community Roots Program underscores the immense need for continued investment in urban and community forestry,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We’re confident these local organizations will leverage this funding to maximize the positive impact trees can have in the neighborhoods that need it most.”

The USDA Forest Service awarded the Arbor Day Foundation a $50 million Inflation Reduction Act grant in 2023. The nonprofit has already subawarded $27 million of the funding to municipalities in 14 states.

The same grant helped the Arbor Day Foundation create the Community Roots Program. The program’s first phase subawarded funding to community-based nonprofits. The second phase will subaward $8 million to Tribes and Tribal organizations across the country. The application portal for this second phase of funding will remain open through September 30 and can be accessed here.

 

COMMUNITY ROOTS PROGRAM FUNDING RECIPIENTS

 AwardeeProject NameArea of FocusAlief Super Neighborhood CouncilAlief Arbor InitiativeAlief, TXAlliance for Cape Fear TreesCapacity Building to Improve the Canopy Through Integrated Tree Care and Community OutreachWilmington, NCBeyond Housing24:1 Tree Canopy RestorationSt. Louis, MODenver Urban GardensDig Deeper Initiative: Food ForestsDenver, COForest ReLeaf of MissouriCommuniTree Program ExpansionKansas City & St. Louis, MO, and communities across MissouriFriends of Bellefontaine CemeteryEnhancing Community and Ecological Health through Tree ManagementSt. Louis, MOFriends of the RappahannockExpanding Urban and Community Forestry Opportunities in the Rappahannock and York River WatershedVarious communities in VirginiaFriends of the Urban ForestAdopt-A-Yard-TreeSan Francisco, CAMississippi Children’s Museum-MeridianDeep Roots Urban Pocket ParkMeridian, MSNewport Tree ConservancyIncreasing Tree Canopy and Environmental Stewardship in NewportNewport, RIOregon Urban Rural and Community ForestryRogue Valley’s Treesilience: Transforming Urban Canopies TogetherJackson County, ORRoytens Enrichment Academy Community Hope (REACH)TreeVitalize: Sowing Community Roots TogetherCalifornia City, CASacramento Tree FoundationCommunity Forests and EducationSacramento, CAServe Ethiopians WashingtonSouth King County Tree CaptainsSeattle, WASpeak for the TreesNeighborWoodsBoston, MASustaining Our Urban Landscape (SOUL)Reforesting New Orleans’ Lower 9th WardNew Orleans, LATree TrustCooling Northern Dakota CountyMinneapolis-Saint Paul, MNReTreeUsGrowing Roots of Environmental Justice through School and Community Orchard Capacity BuildingVarious communities across Maine and New Hampshire

About the Arbor Day Foundation

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. Together with our partners, we have helped plant more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival. Through our members, partners and programs, the Arbor Day Foundation inspires people across the globe to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.

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“As Dalit landless people, we used to survive primarily on rice, and some days we had nothing to eat. Our children’s stomachs were never full. We now have land to grow vegetables for our family,” says Rubi Sadhya, a member of the Dina Bhadri Women Farmers Group, in Siraha District, Nepal.

She is a part of a groundbreaking climate-resilient leasehold farming approach in Nepal that is not just about farming; it is a journey for the landless towards a more nourished and sustainable life. While there is still a long way ahead to enjoy a balanced diet every day, the strides families have made are unprecedented.

The contract farming model allows and supports landless farmers to lease cultivable land for five to ten years. That lets people create livelihoods even when land would normally be out of reach. The National Farmers’ Groups Federation (NFGF) initiated this climate-resilient leasehold farming practice in the fiscal year 2018/19 as a pilot in Bhagwanpur Municipality. Local governments paid the cash cost to pilot the model ($378 USD, or 50,000 NPR). CARE and NFGF provided technical support, production inputs, and technology are from CARE and NFGF. The cost is likely to go down once it is institutionalized and scaled out widely. 

This approach succeeds because it brings together several different stakeholders for the same goal. CARE and its partner NFGF play a crucial role in overseeing the entire process. They not only provide the initial production inputs and technical support but also offer incubation assistance. Meanwhile, the local government takes care of paying the lease amount. After farmers complete their production training, they begin independently leasing additional land.

It’s already scaling women and governments are already building on the model, reaching nearly 20 times the number of people the project started with. 10 more local governments are starting to roll out the approach.

What is changing? 
Fostering collective responsibility: Farmers in this model embrace a strong sense of collective responsibility, ensuring adherence to the obligations outlined in the land lease agreements signed by their group leader.

Women become bread winners: 40 women are now growing food on 2.6 hectares of lands that would otherwise lie fallow. The land lets them grow food even though their husbands have migrated to get jobs abroad.

Self-esteem goes up: Women increase their confidence to engage with local government to claim their rights. The model creates opportunities for individual households within the group to own a share of the land, encouraging them to increase production and enhance individual earnings.

Land gets used effectively: The model ensures that land that no one is using grows food, creates jobs, and improves the livelihoods of the most marginalized land-poor and landless communities.

Women are already scaling the approach: These women have not only provided nutrition, but they are also confident they can earn enough to expanding their leased lands. That will reduce how much they depend on external subsidies in the future, making them self-reliant.

Governments are scaling up nearly 20 times the reach: Laxmipur Patari Rural Municipality has already embraced this model as part of its policy and program, extending its reach from ward 1 to ward 3 and 5. In total 732 landless families from 31 communities of 10 local governments have developed sustained food security and livelihood source as of now. The local governments have included contract farming in their policy and program to reduce poverty among landless and climate-vulnerable communities.

How did we get here? 
Partnership with local stakeholders – CARE Nepal in partnership with National Farmers Group Federation (NFGF) and Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research and Development (LIBIRD) identified the food insecure, most marginalized, and landless Musahar community as the impact group and brought concept of leasehold farming targeting Musahar, the landless agricultural tenants. As contract farming was an ‘untrodden turf,’ CARE Nepal and its partners decided to pilot this practice in Siraha district.

Engagement of women farmers – NFGF supported formation of 40-members Dalit Women Farmers Group and engaged in the scheme enhancing their livelihoods significantly. The female farmers should specially be credited for bravely taking on the load of cultivating the land after receiving several demonstration trainings.

Effective Advocacy and Lobbying – CARE partners successfully advocated, more than a decade ago, for the introduction of the Land Lease Working Guideline (2014/2015). This guideline ensures that government and private lands are leased to farmers without land. This helped in initiating the pilot process for leasehold farming. Beyond just policy impact, this approach is seen as a model for making the best use of land, creating jobs, and fostering the country’s long-term socio-economic growth.

What next? 
The impact of this transformative farming model continues to ripple through communities, with Laxmipur Patari Rural Municipality leading the charge. Recognizing its success, the municipality has officially incorporated this model into its policy and program, expanding its coverage from Ward No. 1 to include Wards No. 3 and 5. This extension marks a significant milestone in the widespread adoption of a sustainable and empowering approach to agriculture.

Moreover, the positive momentum does not stop there –10 different local governments including Belaka Municipality in the Udayapur district have also eagerly endorsed it. The endorsement from multiple municipalities underscores the replicability and adaptability of the model in diverse contexts.

The strength of this model is that government policy and guidelines are in place on leasehold farming which explicitly provisions to utilize private and public land for leasing and farming. Additionally sufficient fallow land (both public and private is available at local level)

Written by Kim Allman | Head of Corporate Responsibility and Public Policy

Gen Blog | Community

If there’s one thing that parents, caregivers and teachers can likely agree on, it’s that students spend a lot of time online. Social media and gaming apps give young people new ways to connect, create and play, but they also come with their fair share of risks. And in a threat landscape that’s constantly evolving, it’s important for students to know what to look out for as they begin to navigate the digital world on their own.  

At Gen, we’re doing our part to empower young people with the Cyber Safety skills they need to conduct their digital lives securely and confidently. One of the ways we do this is through My Digital Life, which provides educators with lesson plans, videos and interactive tools aligned to learning standards and meant to address common issues young people face online, from cyberbullying and privacy risks to misinformation and scams.  

The program is the result of a partnership between Norton, one of Gen’s trusted Cyber Safety brands, and Discovery Education, a worldwide leader in education technology. Together with the National Afterschool Foundation, we launched My Digital Life in September 2023. As the program celebrates its first anniversary, we’re thrilled to share some of the highlights from its inaugural year. 

Building Students’ Cyber Safety Skills 

Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, My Digital Life reached more than 214,000 students in 1,100 school districts across 49 states, far surpassing the program’s initial goal to reach 100,000. 63% of these students were from Title I schools, which are districts allocated federal funds for educational programs and services that close achievement gaps. 70% were from underrepresented ethnic/racial backgrounds.  

“Knowing that so many of my students interact online even at the elementary level, these resources offer great ways for us to have discussions about how to stay safe and friendly when conversing and playing games online,” one teacher said.  

Equipping Educators with Cutting-Edge Tools 

Getting these resources into educators’ hands remains one of the program’s top priorities. Through the combination of its dedicated website, placement on Discovery Education Experience, the company’s award-winning K-12 learning platform, and outreach campaigns to educators on social media, we make sure teachers are aware of the numerous free, ready-to-use tools that are at their fingertips.  

“We don’t have a dedicated technology class anymore, so digital citizenship largely falls on the subject teachers,” said one school administrator. “The Educator resources lay everything out for them, so they don’t have to do a lot of legwork to give great lessons!” 

Forecasting the Program’s Future 

In its second year, My Digital Life plans to launch in multiple new languages, greatly expanding the program’s reach both within the United States and internationally. In addition, Gen employees will volunteer as part of Discovery Education’s Career Connect, through which they’ll speak directly with the classrooms where My Digital Life is used and discuss the wider technology industry.  

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

Complimentary Webinar

EUDR Compliance and the Uber Evolution of Traceability Platforms

September 19, 2024 | 11:00 AM ET/8:00 AM PT

REGISTER HERE

Compliance with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) begins in earnest on December 30, 2024 (June 30, 2025, for small businesses) and companies that fall within the affected industries—particularly those dealing in soy, beef, oil palm, rubber, wood, cocoa, coffee, and many derived products—are finding the path to compliance exceptionally challenging.

Besides ensuring that commodities are deforestation-free and legally produced, the regulation also demands robust traceability throughout the supply chain. Traceability is seen as a central tool in the search for sustainability and ethical sourcing seeking to connect the producer with the consumer. In this transformative era, a new commercial opportunity has emerged through traceability platforms, offering not only location tracking but a broad spectrum of data analytics, including land ownership, production yields, quality assessments, fertilization practices, and much more. These platforms, some of which are free, are redefining the landscape, but at what cost?

Join SCS Consulting Services’ Jan Pierre Jarrin, Managing Director, Europe and Mohammad Abdel-Razek, Technical Director, on Thursday, September 19th at 5:00 p.m. CET (11:00 a.m. ET, 8:00 a.m. PT) for a 45-minute discussion on EUDR compliance focusing on:

The levels of traceability required for EUDR ComplianceWhat should companies look for in a traceability platformThe significant data risks of using “Free” traceability platformsThe value of doing an EUDR compliance gap analysis to help set a corporate strategy for compliance achievement by the December 30th deadlineHow to navigate the EUDR due diligence reporting requirements

Register today to secure your spot!

By registering, you will get access to the webinar recording.

For inquiries, contact:

Madhumita Mohan 
Marketing Manager, SCS Global Services 
mmohan@scsglobalservices.com

CINCINNATI, September 4, 2024 /3BL/ – In 2017, Fifth Third set an ambitious goal to power the Bank’s operations across its national footprint – including more than 1,000 retail locations and operational facilities across 11 states – with 100% renewable power.

In late August 2019, Fifth Third achieved this goal with the opening of the Aulander Holloman solar facility in North Carolina. The project was made possible through a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA), which guaranteed that Fifth Third would purchase all the electricity generated, thereby enabling the developer of the solar project to secure funding and build the project.

As part of the agreement, and in return for Fifth Third’s financial guarantee, the Bank receives claims for adding net-new renewable capacity to the regional grid in the form of renewable energy certificates (RECs). RECs are issued when one megawatt hour of electricity is generated and delivered to the electricity grid from a renewable energy resource. Appropriately verified and retired RECs act as a proof of generating and using renewable energy. As an industry best practice, Fifth Third uses a combination of RECs, onsite renewable energy, and ongoing energy-efficiency measures across the enterprise to power its operations with 100% renewable power.

“Ultimately, the power purchase agreement has meant that we put more power into the nation’s electricity grid than we use with all our facilities combined,” said Pratik Raval, chief sustainability officer for Fifth Third. “Additionally, and equally importantly, this has proven to be a smart financial decision, particularly as an energy price hedging mechanism for the Bank. In that regard, this is a great example of sustainability as a driver for direct business value creation while mitigating our climate impact.”

In 2023, the solar power generation from the Aulander Holloman solar 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 continued to build upon its commitment to renewable energy by installing solar panels at 20 new financial centers at the end of 2023 and into 2024. These projects took place in communities across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida. In all, Fifth Third now has 24 retail locations generating up to 80% of annual electric needs at some locations.

Fifth Third’s use of solar power, combined with internal efforts to reduce energy use, have helped the Bank reduce enterprise-wide grid-based energy use by more than 40% – one of Fifth Third’s six operational sustainability targets adopted in 2022. To-date, the Bank has achieved two of the six goals, and is making significant progress toward the rest.

“These goals are the most aggressive operations sustainability goals we’ve had to date,” Raval said. “They maintain our focus on critical areas of operational sustainability while demonstrating our continued leadership in the financial services industry.”

More information about Fifth Third’s sustainability strategy is available in the Bank’s 2023 Sustainability Report.

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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.

Napaporn Slattery is using DEI practices to advance innovation for Henkel brands through kindness, authentic leadership, and diversity of thought. She advocates for others, whether it be through leading the development of new products and solutions for the benefit of consumers, her work on Henkel’s DEI Council, or her volunteerism with the Alzheimer’s Association.

Our purpose is what unites us at Henkel North America: Pioneers at heart for the good of generations. Our pioneering spirit is reflective of the diverse backgrounds, experiences and talents of our employees and partners. They dare to make an impact on the world by collaborating to tackle challenges, find solutions and open new perspectives.

Their contributions allow us to deliver products, services and innovations that enrich and improve everyday life. We invite you to “meet” our pioneers in our series, “Pioneers for Good.”

Introducing Napaporn

As Director Research & Development, Henkel Consumer Brands, Napaporn Slattery works with her team to find new ways to elevate and advance Henkel brands and their products. She leads a team based in Trumbull, CT where they work on the front lines of new science and technology to deliver innovative breakthroughs and insights for consumer products.

Napaporn has been a dedicated employee for the past fifteen years and remains excited about the power of innovation and the vast opportunities at Henkel.

Powering Innovation through Diversity

Finding solutions that benefit the consumer is what drives innovation and Napaporn believes leveraging the power of diversity to bring new ideas to the table creates better ones. “It’s about including every idea or perspective that we have and combining innovative problem solving to achieve ‘diversity of thought.’” Fostering synergy between the different ideas, thoughts and perspectives has proven to be successful in R&D’s process while giving each team member the opportunity to be heard.

My leadership is anchored in kindness and authenticity. To me, this is so vital to create a culture of trust and open communication, the foundation for a high-performing team. Trust also promotes courage to take risks and challenge the status quo. Taking risks naturally comes with many failures; Thomas Edison once said, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’

Napaporn Slattery, Director Research & Development, Henkel Consumer Brands

Napaporn also serves on the North America DEI Council as the Consumer Brands Representative, where she is responsible to collaborate and develop DEI initiatives with business unit colleagues to strengthen inclusion in the workplace, in the community and in all we do. For example, she worked with Henkel’s DEI team to conduct focus groups encouraging a safe space for dialogue and collaborate with council members colleagues to develop a road map for embedding diversity of thought throughout the product development process.

Progressing Innovation in Alzheimer’s Research

Napaporn is an advocate for others around the clock. Since 2009, she and her family have been working with the Alzheimer’s Association to bring awareness to the community in honor of a family member who struggled with the disease. Her passion drove her to raise $15,000 within the past two years for the Association through Henkel’s Make An Impact on Tomorrow (MIT) program. She also volunteers her time to support the cause.

Innovation is at the heart of this work as well. “Fundraising efforts work towards attaining resources that drive innovation to identify and treat the disease early, put research into new drugs that can prolong the life of patients, prevent the disease, and find a solution to Alzheimer’s.”

Pioneering through Kindness

Reflecting on DEI, innovation, and advocacy, the thought of being a pioneer for the good of generations brings her back to the fundamental principle of kindness. Napaporn leads with empathy and humility, creating confidence with her team to be their true selves and do their best to drive success at Henkel. Trust is the foundation of everything we do, and without it, you’re not going to be sustainable, and to me, that stems from kindness and authentic leadership.”

Originally published in Quest Diagnostics’ 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report

Inclusion and diversity

The communities we serve at Quest are diverse in background, abilities, experiences, and cultures. We strive to build a workforce that reflects that diversity and supports all employees in achieving their goals and growing at Quest. In 2023, we continued to embed Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) into our organizational culture, processes, and leadership and development opportunities.

EMPLOYEE BUSINESS NETWORKS 
Our EBNs are a key part of our I&D strategy and help cultivate a culture of belonging. In 2023, membership in our EBNs grew by ~30%, with 2,000 new members and the launch of 4 new chapters, 3 in Mexico and 1 in Puerto Rico. By the end of the year, our 11 EBNs had ~8,000 active members comprising ~16% of our workforce. To provide additional structure and support for our EBNs, we also invested in leadership development, streamlined membership processes, and revamped programming to better align with employee interests.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS 
In 2023, Quest enacted several process improvements to better reflect our company values and further integrate I&D across our operations and consumer services.

We launched our Everyday Equity Council, which is comprised of EBN leaders and exists as a standing focus group for Quest employees to raise equity-related ideas, concerns, and questions. Whether they’re developing a process or preparing to release a product or service, employees can use the Council as a sounding board to determine whether their effort is inclusive and accessible. The Council can advise on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, for example, or review training or development materials for culturally sensitive language.

In 2023, we worked to create a common understanding of gender identity and sexual orientation across our workforce. As employees voluntarily self-identify at Quest, we’ve expanded how we define gender and sexual orientation to better reflect our workforce composition. We introduced training to provide every Quest employee with the same baseline knowledge of what gender identity means—with 93% of employees completing the training. Additionally, we added an option for chosen names to be added to several internal platforms. We remain committed to creating a workplace where all employees feel supported to show up as their authentic selves.

Quest also spearheaded a working group to evolve our search, selection, and hiring practices. The group will leverage metrics and insights to inform process enhancements, assess strategies to attract diverse talent, and implement practices with the goal of increasing the diversity of candidate slates and interview panels. To further support this initiative, training programs for recruiters and hiring managers are being developed to advance skills in competency-based search and selection best practices.

PROGRAMMING 
We continued to incorporate I&D into our leadership and talent development efforts throughout 2023. In collaboration with McKinsey’s Connected Leader Academy, employees have an opportunity to participate in various programs based on leadership level. In addition to enhancing core business understanding and leadership strategies, participants are provided with a robust network of peers and experts with whom they may share cultural backgrounds and experiences. Over 350 employees participated in 2023, an increase from 58 employees in 2022.

We also launched our Inclusion Mentor Circles program, where leaders connect with frontline supervisors to share their expertise and hone the inclusive leadership skills needed to ascend at Quest. This new initiative is in addition to MentorQuest, a learning and development program designed to strengthen diversity in the leadership pipeline.

Aligning a diverse Board with a diverse workforce

We commemorated heritage months throughout the year with our EBNs and took the opportunity to hear directly from our Board of Directors. In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, Board Director Tracey Doi spoke at an event hosted by our Pan-Asian Leaders EBN. Ms Doi served as CFO of Toyota North America for 20 years and has deep expertise in finance, strategic planning, and enterprise risk.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, our Hispanic/Latino EBN hosted an engaging talk with Dr Luis Diaz. Dr Diaz, a leader in advanced oncology research, joined the Quest Board in May 2023, and is head of the division of Solid Tumor Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Read more from Quest’s 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report, or click here to access the Inclusion and Diversity landing page on Quest’s website.

The clock is ticking for building owners in Cambridge and Boston, where if you haven’t already begun the process of obtaining a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) it may already be too late to avoid the impending 2025 penalties associated with BUEDO and BERDO regulations.

While avoiding any fees may not be possible, the sooner you set up your PPA the sooner you can move forward with compliance for these Massachusetts city ordinances. This will help alleviate accumulating too many fines, which over time can add up to millions of dollars.

What are BEUDO and BERDO?

Cambridge’s Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) and Boston’s Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure (BERDO) are two city ordinances that require large city buildings to reach net zero emissions by 2050, with strict benchmarks set to cut emissions every few years. The ultimate goal of both these ordinances is to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from large buildings, helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

While timelines vary for each ordinance, here’s a breakdown of what building owners need to prepare for.

BEUDO (Cambridge)

Emissions requirements are set based on the size of your building, with larger buildings (over 100,000 sq. ft.) reporting their first reductions in 2026. These buildings must reduce their emissions 20% by 2026, and reduce an additional 40% every five years until they reach net zero by 2035.

For buildings under 100,000 sq. ft., there is no immediate emissions requirement, but starting in 2030 they are required to reduce emissions by 40% and an additional 20% every five years until they reach net zero by 2050. The baseline for the program is the average of usage in 2018 to 2019. For buildings built after 2019, the baseline is the average of the first two full years of usage following construction completion.

Reporting on building usage and renewable purchases have already kicked in, with each report due on May 1 for the prior year.

BERDO (Boston)

Boston’s ordinance sets a schedule of maximum allowable emissions for buildings over 20,000 sq. ft., which will gradually decline to net zero carbon intensity by 2050. Enforcement of this schedule begins in 2025.

Annual compliance filings as well as 3rd party verification of building consumption and filing accuracy are required annually, with the first report due in 2022. Emissions can be offset by MA Class I RECs or renewable Power Purchase Agreements.

How steep are the fines?

In both Cambridge and Boston, customers that exceed the city’s emissions targets are subject to penalties of $234 per metric ton of CO₂, which can add millions of dollars annually to operating costs for some of the city’s largest consumers, beginning in 2026.

In addition to this, BEUDO sets a fine of $300 per day per building if it doesn’t meet any reporting, verification or emissions requirements while BERDO sets fines from $300 per day for failure to submit timely and accurate filings to $1,000 per day for failure to comply with the emissions targets.

While these may not sound like steep penalties, they add up quickly. For a representative 350,000 sq. ft. building in Cambridge, this would amount to approximately $200,000 in fines annually for 2026-2029, which increases to approximately $350,000 in fines annually for 2030-2034. For a representative 1,000,000 sq. ft. building in Boston, these fines would amount to approximately $1.5 million annually from 2025-2030, which would increase to approximately $3.5 million from 2030-2034.

How do Renewable Energy Certificates, Power Purchase Agreements and Carbon Offsets Factor into Compliance?

The ultimate goal of both these city ordinances is to achieve net zero. The most effective way to do that in the long term is to start with efficiency, waste reduction and reduced energy use across all aspects of your operations. This may not be feasible or cost effective in many buildings, particularly over the next decade, so Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) and PPAs can be used to offset your remaining emissions during the program compliance period.

Both BUEDO and BERDO have specific guidelines on what offsets and certificates are accepted. PPAs are likely the least costly mechanism for building owners to comply with these ordinances, especially in Cambridge where stand-alone RECs are not eligible for compliance.

Cambridge’s ordinance only allows RECs to be used if it comes from a project with additionality through a PPA, and a building cannot offset emissions using RECs purchased from the open marketplace. In addition, Cambridge allows carbon offsets to be used for buildings more than 100,000 sq. ft., but those buildings cannot report the offsets as part of their compliance until after 2030.

In Boston, your options are:

Purchasing MA Class I RECs from the open marketplace; Current market price is ~$40 per RECEntering into a PPA for MA Class I RECS; Price is ~$8 to $20 per RECPaying the $234 per metric ton penalty, thus doing nothing and spending more in the long runCarbon offsets are not allowed through BERDO

What should I do if I haven’t started preparing for BEUDO/BERDO?

If your building is in Boston or Cambridge and qualifies under the cities’ ordinances, you should already be submitting annual emissions reports. Now, with the first required reductions set for 2025 in Boston and 2026 for Cambridge, you should start tapping PPAs, RECs or carbon offsets to hit your target.

It is important to keep in mind that approximately two years of runway is needed for a PPA to successfully start. A PPA requires offtakers to be established before the project is built, so there will be approximately six months of contract negotiations needed to work out all the details. After negotiations, contracts need to be executed in tandem with other offtakers. Once contracts are executed, there will be approximately one and a half years of time needed for the project to be built, interconnected with the grid and fully certified before power will start flowing for it.

Because of these time constraints and the pending requirements from the ordinances, it is pertinent to start investigating options as soon as you can if you haven’t started. First, you’ll want to educate yourself on what specifics are required for your building, and working with a knowledgeable partner that understands the details of each ordinance will help you save time and money.

What happens if we stick with business as usual? We fail by default.

C.D. Glin, President, PepsiCo Foundation and Global Head of Social Impact, PepsiCo, Inc talks about food systems are failing women, and what companies can do to correct for that. Thinking with a whole of company approach, beyond just philanthropy, is critical. Companies have to use their profits, their products, their procurement, their people, and their markets if we’re going to achieve #zerohunger. He talks about how COVID-19 was a wake up call to the visceral challenges in the global food system—like climate change and inequality—and how to turn a moment into momentum. He also talks about how projects like She Feeds the World can help address these challenges.

Listen to or download the conversation here.

To listen in on more conversations with CARE staff around the world discussing experiences learned from failure, and how we use that to get better at our work, check out other episodes of the CARE Failing Forward podcast.

SEATTLE, September 4, 2024 /3BL/ – Expedia Group released Journeys for All: An Expedia Group Study on Inclusion in Travel — a first of its kind study that equips the travel industry with key insights and evidence-based recommendations to improve the travel experience for underserved groups, including Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+ and travelers with disabilities.

Underserved travelers are a large part of the global market, but their needs are often overlooked. Underserved groups in the U.S. are projected to grow significantly, increasing their impact on the travel market. As such, the travel industry has an obligation to meet the needs of underserved travelers and develop efforts that discourage barriers such as bias, discrimination and lack of personal safety. Expedia Group’s new report highlights urgent industry challenges and key insights to drive progress:

Forty-two percent of underserved travelers feel limited by their identities when planning travel.5+ hours is the extra time underserved travelers spend researching to plan trips, including to ensure services and destinations are safe, welcoming and accessible.Only 16% of travelers feel that travel advertising and promotions represent them authentically.Seventy-one percent of underserved travelers say it is important that travel company staff be well-trained on diversity and inclusion issues and topics.Nearly 3 out of 4 underserved travelers are more likely to book with companies demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

This study assesses the needs of underserved groups across all three stages of the travel journey — planning, in-transit and at destination. According to the report, 20% of LGBTQIA+ travelers with disabilities say travel advertisements do not represent them at all. More than a quarter (26%) of Latino travelers with disabilities say they feel a need to hide their identities when traveling to and from their destination, compared to just seven percent of the general population. This data reinforces that most travelers identify with more than one underrepresented group and thus, have multiple reasons for concerns when traveling — from safety to accessibility to feeling welcomed.

“Evolving business strategies to create more welcoming and inclusive travel experiences should be an industry imperative,” says Greg Schulze, chief commercial officer and president, Travel Partnerships and Media, Expedia Group. “It not only improves the traveler experience, but it’s also good for business. This study invites the industry to come together and take action because everyone should be able to experience the joy of travel and its ability to strengthen connections and broaden horizons.”

In 2022, Expedia Group launched its Open World™ strategy to begin addressing inequities across the travel industry, as part of the company’s larger commitment to remove barriers and open access to travel to all. Since then, the company has launched two signature programs — its Open World Accelerator and Made to Travel Fund to realize this commitment.

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Research Sources:

1All demographic data presented here refers to the United States population and is based on projections and characteristics sourced from the U.S. Census and the Human Rights Campaign.

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