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KeyBank Provides $17.4 Million in Total Financing for Construction of Affordable Senior Housing in Florida

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SOURCE:KeyBank

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CLEVELAND, June 4, 2018 /3BL Media/ — KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) has provided $17.4 million in total financing for the construction of Hammock Ridge II in Spring Hill, FL. Key provided a $13.7 million construction loan and a $3.7 million Freddie Mac Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Forward Commitment.

Upon completion of Phase II, there will be a total of 92 units set aside for seniors earning 40% area median income (AMI) and 60% AMI. The property will be serviced by two elevators. Phase I included the development of a clubhouse containing community space and amenities, such as a computer center and fitness center.

The project is being developed by Housing Trust Group (HTG), an award-winning full-service developer of multifamily residential communities, whose real estate transactions exceed $2 billion in commercial, land and residential developments across Florida, the Southeastern U.S. and Arizona. HTG develops, builds and manages a diverse portfolio of affordable housing, workforce housing, market-rate housing and mixed-use developments.

Kyle Kolesar of Key’s CDLI group and Jeff Rodman of Key’s Commercial Mortgage Group arranged the financing.

About Key Community Development Lending/Investment

KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) helps fulfill Key’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive by financing projects that stabilize and revitalize communities. Experts in complex tax credit lending and investing, Key is one of a handful of affordable housing lenders in the country with a platform that brings together balance sheet, equity, and permanent loan offerings. CDLI has a substantial investment and loan portfolio worth more than $2 billion, 90% of which is Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects. For its ability to lend to, invest in, and serve its communities –especially low-to-moderate income communities – KeyBank has earned eight consecutive “Outstanding” ratings on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

About KeyBank Real Estate Capital

KeyBank Real Estate Capital is a leading provider of commercial real estate finance. Its professionals, located across the country, provide a broad range of financing solutions on both a corporate and project basis. The group provides interim and construction finance, permanent mortgages, commercial real estate loan servicing, investment banking and cash management services for virtually all types of income producing commercial real estate. As a Fannie Mae Delegated Underwriter and Servicer, Freddie Mac Program Plus Seller/Servicer and FHA approved mortgagee, KeyBank Real Estate Capital offers a variety of agency financing solutions for multifamily properties, including affordable housing, seniors housing and student housing. KeyBank Real Estate Capital is also one of the nation’s largest and highest rated commercial mortgage servicers.

About KeyCorp

KeyCorp's roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $137.0 billion at March 31, 2018. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,200 branches and more than 1,500 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

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Tweet me:KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment is proud to finance Housing Trust Group's latest #affordablehousing construction for seniors in Florida @HTG_LLC @Key_B2B http://bit.ly/2LZK9yv

KEYWORDS: affordable housing, KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment, CDLI, NYSE:KEY, Housing Trust Group


Vodafone Group Plc Sustainable Business Report 2018

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SOURCE:ReportAlert

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Vodafone Group Plc has just published its Sustainable Business Report 2018.

Its strategy is founded on the organisation’s purpose - to connect everybody to live a better today and build a better tomorrow - and on its commitment to responsible behaviour in everything it does.

The Report, for the financial year ended 31 March 2018, contains an overview of Vodafone’s ambitions and what it aims to achieve, together  its progress to date. Also published are Vodafone’s Slavery  and Human Trafficking Statement 2017-18, which sets out how it addresses the risk of slavery across its businesses and supply chain, and its latest Conflict Minerals Report 2017.

At the heart of Vodafone’s strategy is its intention to deliver significant transformation in three distinct areas, each of which has the potential to deliver meaningful socio-economic benefits for its customers and for wider society:

  • Women’s empowerment;
  • Energy innovation; and
  • Youth skills and jobs.

Women’s empowerment highlights:

  • Vodafone’s goal is to connect an additional 50 million women living in emerging markets to mobile by 2025. Since 2016, Vodafone has added an additional 13.3 million female customers in these markets.
  • Vodafone has an ambition to become the world’s best employer for women by 2025. In 2018, women held 29% of Vodafone’s management and leadership roles.

Energy innovation highlights:

  • Last week, Vodafone announced new goals to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40% and to purchase 100% of electricity it uses from renewable sources by 2025.
  • This year, Vodafone reduced the amount of GHG emissions per petabyte of data carried on its network by 40%.
  • Vodafone’s IoT services helps its customers to operate more efficiently, save energy and reduce their GHG emissions. This year, Vodafone’s customers saved 2.1 tonnes of CO2e for every tonne it generated in its own operations.

Youth skills and jobs highlights:

  • In March 2018, Vodafone announced its commitment, by 2022, to support 10 million young people through its future digital jobs programme, What will you be?. The programme will help to address the dual challenges of youth unemployment and a growing digital skills gap.
  • Vodafone has also committed to provide up to 100,000 under 25s with a digital workplace experience within Vodafone– the largest commitment to training and development in its 33-year history.

Operating responsibly

Vodafone’s strategy is built on an unwavering commitment to operating responsibly in everything it does. The Report sets out Vodafone’s determination to act lawfully, responsibly and with integrity, and outlines its corporate transparency programme which addresses four specific areas that are often the focus of intense public debate:

  • tax and total economic contribution;
  • supply chain integrity and safety;
  • mobiles, masts and health; and
  • digital rights and freedoms

The Sustainable Business Report 2018 is available at 
Vodafone.com/sbreport2018

About Vodafone Group
Vodafone Group is one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies and provides a range of services including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications. Vodafone Group has mobile operations in 25 countries, partners with mobile networks in 46 more, and fixed broadband operations in 18 markets. As of 31 March 2018, Vodafone Group had 535.8 million mobile customers and 19.7 million fixed broadband customers (including India and all of the customers in Vodafone’s joint ventures and associates). For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com.

Contact:
Media Relations

Read the Report

Tweet me:.@VodafoneGroup publishes #Sustainable Business Report 2018, intends to deliver significant transformation in #womenempowerment, #energyinnovation & Youth skills and jobs http://bit.ly/2kP69jA

KEYWORDS: Vodafone, ReportAlert, Sustainable Business Report, GHG, supply chain, Innovation

 

Timberland Employees Celebrate Their 20th Annual Earth Day Service Event

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SOURCE:Timberland

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Over 300 employees from Timberland’s global headquarters in Stratham, NH recently pulled on their boots for a day of volunteer service to celebrate Timberlands’ 20th annual Earth Day service event. The outdoor lifestyle brand closed its corporate office on May 10 to encourage employees to serve at one of six local projects designed to meet community needs while helping to green and grow the community. The projects addressed food insecurity, homelessness, addiction/recovery, and veteran’s affairs -- the four issues employees indicated they most wanted to address through their service. Benefitting organizations included: Families in Transition; Girl Scouts-Camp Seawood; Habitat for Humanity-Southeast NH; New Franklin School; and New Generation.

Each project was led by a Timberland employee who volunteered to work with the non-profit partners in advance of Earth Day to plan and develop the project. At Camp Seawood, employees refurbished cabins, the archery range and picnic tables. The volunteers also built 20 Leopold benches and expanded nature trails around the 38-acre property. At the Habitat for Humanity build, employees had the opportunity to work alongside the future recipient of the home to construct three decks, insulate and drywall the house, and spread over 70 yards of loam for the future lawn. Volunteers constructed an outdoor teaching space, organic apple orchard, garden beds and play mounds at nearby New Franklin School, where teachers and students will be able to host lessons and be inspired by nature.

“I always enjoy Earth Day,” said Jason Blades, Timberland’s community service manager.  “After a long winter, employees embrace the opportunity to pull on their boots, step outside, and work together to support deserving organizations in our community. Earth Day essentially kicks off our service season each year and gets employees excited to use their service time in meaningful ways.”  

Since 1992, Timberland has offered employees up to 40 paid hours each year to serve in the community, through the brand’s Path of Service™ program.  While employees are encouraged to use their service hours in ways that speak to their own passions, the Stratham HQ closes its doors for the day twice each year to allow employees to the opportunity to serve as a team.

Tweet me:.@Timberland employees celebrate their 20th annual Earth Day service event http://bit.ly/2xMnNgY

KEYWORDS: NYSE:VFC, Timberland, earth day, Volunteering, Non-profits, community service

     

Highlights of BIER 2018 Spring Meeting

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Hosted by the Carlsberg Group in Copenhagen, Denmark

SOURCE:Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable

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June 5, 2018  /3BL Media/ - Global beverage industry leaders convened May 22-24, 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark for the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) semi-annual meeting. Hosted by the Carlsberg Group, this three-day meeting’s agenda tackled environmental sustainability challenges and successes through best practice sharing on carbon emissions, water reuse and technology, energy and climate change, and transparency and disclosure. Additionally, we learned about the Carlsberg Group’s manufacturing operations and their journey toward zero emissions.

Meeting attendees also received a tour of the old Carlsberg brewery where they learned about the established history of Carlsberg as well as how to brew their own beer. Eskild Andersen, Sustainability Manager at Carlsberg Group, was happy to have us, saying, “Sustainability is central to our purpose of brewing for a better today and tomorrow, and it was a pleasure hosting BIER in Copenhagen for discussions and best practice sharing.”

Nick Martin, Executive Director of BIER, was also pleased with the outcomes and progress towards our mission and vision, noting, “Through the power of collaboration, BIER has brought a diverse group of member companies together to promote environmental sustainability within the beverage industry and beyond. This meeting was a prime example of our collaborative nature at work.”

BIER has pursued and championed environmental sustainability practices since its inception in 2006 and views collaboration and open sourcing as primary success factors. Responding to increasing pressure to the industry from internal corporate decision-makers, investors, and external stakeholders, BIER offers a unique and allied voice for the beverage industry. Current BIER initiatives include achieving meaningful watershed context-based impacts at the local level, emerging technologies, establishing guiding principles for science-based targets, and continuing to build on our previous work in CO2 reduction, emerging emissions expectations, and transparency and disclosure. 

About BIER

The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. BIER aims to affect sector change through work focused on water stewardship, energy efficiency and climate change, beverage container recycling, sustainable agriculture, and eco-system services. BIER members include: American Beverage Association, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heineken, Jackson Family Wines, New Belgium Brewing, MillerCoors, Molson Coors, Pernod Ricard, Ocean Spray Cranberries, and PepsiCo. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

About the Carlsberg Group

The Carlsberg Group is one of the leading brewery groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. Our flagship brand – Carlsberg – is one of the best-known beer brands in the world, and the Baltika, Carlsberg and Tuborg brands are among the eight biggest brands in Europe. Around 41,000 people work for the Carlsberg Group and our products are sold in more than 150 markets.

Find out more at www.carlsberggroup.com, and follow them on Twitter.

About sustainability at the Carlsberg Group:

The Carlsberg Group’s sustainability program, Together Towards ZERO, is a response to global challenges such as climate change, water scarcity and public health issues. The program is an integral part of the Group’s SAIL’22 strategy and consists of four major ambitions and corresponding targets to be achieved by 2022 and 2030 respectively. The ambitions are: ZERO carbon footprint, ZERO water waste, ZERO irresponsible drinking and a ZERO accidents culture. The program encapsulates how the Group is pursuing its purpose of brewing for a better today and tomorrow. It is based on a scientific approach and aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Learn more about the Carlsberg Group’s work with sustainability, and its new ambitions and targets: www.carlsberggroup.com/sustainability

Tweet me:Semi-annual @BIERoundtable meeting agenda in Copenhagen tackled today’s pressing environmental sustainability challenges through best practice sharing and collaboration bit.ly/BIERSpring18

KEYWORDS: Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable, bier

'Mountain Futures 2018' Launches Major New Centre for Mountain Research

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SOURCE:World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

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KUNMING, CHINA, June 5, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Researchers and representatives from governments, mountain communities and private sector companies from across the globe met on June 4th to launch a major new centre for mountain research. The four-day Mountain Futures 2018 conference, organized by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB), Chinese Academy of Sciences includes a visit to the new 200-hectare site in China’s Yunnan Province dedicated to developing innovative farming systems that tackle poverty and environmental degradation in the world’s mountain areas.

Conference participants will first travel to the site of the Honghe Innovation Centre for Mountain Futures, where large-scale regional agroforestry parks are under construction, and research into improved mango varieties, medicinal mushroom cultivation and China-Africa cooperation on sustainable textile fibres is already underway.

The trip is followed by a two-day Open Science Conference in Kunming, where participants will exchange ideas, report results and discuss new partnerships focused on areas such as mountain agriculture, poverty eradication and smart ecosystem monitoring.

“Mountain regions can serve as pathways to a better future,” revealed Professor Xu Jianchu, ICRAF's Senior Scientist and Regional Coordinator for East and Central Asia. “The ingenuity and diversity of mountain landscapes and peoples can be harnessed to generate bold new solutions to global challenges such as climate change.”

The Deputy Director of the Kunming Institute of Botany, Professor Yang Yongping, added, “In Honghe, we are building a platform for collaboration among mountain areas in developing countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America. Mountains should not be viewed as boundaries, but as places for cooperation and innovation.”

During the event, a new publication, “Mountain Futures: Inspiration and Innovation from the World’s Highlands” will be launched. This book showcases inspiring stories of hope and resilience alongside stunning photography of mountainscapes and their people.

The conference will conclude with a Mountain Film Exhibition featuring films shot by mountain communities from the Tibetan Plateau.

The Mountain Futures Conference runs from 04 to 08 June 2018 in Honghe and Kunming, China. Further details are available at:

www.mountainfutures.org

Download conference programme in English and Chinese

Download Mountain Futures introductory booklet in English

About Mountain Futures

Mountain Futures (www.mountainfutures.org) is an international platform for collaboration on mountain issues. Mountain Futures develops and shares innovative solutions that secure a sustainable future for mountains and their people.

About the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)

The World Agroforestry Centre– ICRAF (www.worldagroforestry.org)  is a centre of scientific excellence that harnesses the benefits of trees for people and the environment. Leveraging the world’s largest repository of agroforestry science and information, we develop knowledge practices, from farmers’ fields to the global sphere, to ensure food security and environmental sustainability.

About Kunming Institute of Botany (KBI)

Kunming Institute of Botany (www.kib.cas.cn) – KBI is an institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences which is dedicated to exploring the world of plants for knowledge generation, sustainable use and the conservation of plant diversity.

Contact

Andrew Stevenson
Communications Officer
World Agroforestry Centre – East and Central Asia
a.w.stevenson@cgiar.org 
+86 151987 15415

Tweet me:#Researchers and representatives from governments, mountain communities and private sector companies from across the globe launch a major new centre for #mountainresearch in #China’s Yunnan Province http://bit.ly/2Jux1De @ICRAF #KunmingInstituteOfBotany #MountainFutures

KEYWORDS: World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany (KIB)

Arrow Electronics Engineer Highlighted in Minority Engineer Magazine

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SOURCE:Arrow Electronics

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Featuring several rising stars in the engineering and technology industry across the United States, Minority Engineer magazine has spotlighted Arrow Electronics’ Victoria Bohannon-Pea.

The magazine, which highlights career strategies for readers to assimilate into a diversified job marketplace, featured several up-and-coming engineers across the nation in its cover story, “Connecting Tech: Networking, Telecom and Fiber Optics Offer a Host of Opportunities for Engineers.” As a guide for those wanting to follow in their footsteps, the magazine asked each to provide the advice and wisdom they’ve received along the way.

For Arrow’s associate applications engineer Bohannon-Pea, her strongest piece of advice is, “There are no bad questions.”

As a child, Bohannon-Pea recalls simply wanting to learn how to fix things. She successfully parlayed that curiosity into a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the Walter Scott Jr. College of Engineering at Colorado State University, and subsequently a career at Arrow.

Arrow’s employees are a community of designers, engineers, builders and visionaries who navigate the path between possibility and practicality, across the lifecycle of electronics. Individuals like Bohannon-Pea embody this.

The full article, including Bohannon-Pea’s profile on page 20, is available here.

Tweet me:Minority Engineer Magazine has spotlighted Victoria Bohannon-Pea of @ArrowGlobal among several rising stars in the #engineering and #technology industry across the #UnitedStates http://bit.ly/2sI0fEs @EOPublications #FiveYearsOut

KEYWORDS: Arrow Electronics, Minority Engineer Magazine

Watch: Measuring Beyond Money in NYC's Forgotten Shore Community

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The truth about measuring local economic health is that money doesn’t tell the whole story. Follow this NYC community as it rediscovers the overlooked qualities required to build long-term economic and social vitality.

SOURCE:Capital Institute

DESCRIPTION:

Tottenville was once a vibrant farming, oystering, shipbuilding, and tourism community at New York City's southernmost tip. Today the local economy can't support living wage jobs, community ties have broken down, and Main Street has been replaced by strip malls. How can towns like Tottenville rediscover themselves and thrive in the 21st Century?

Regenerating Tottenville explores a path toward uncovering the often overlooked qualities that help build sustainably vibrant local economies. In doing so, a road map is created for communities suffering from decades of extractive development and neglect across America.

Regenerating Tottenville is an activating storytelling initiative of Capital Institute's Field Guide to a Regenerative Economy, which engages individuals, enterprises, and organizations in collaboartive storytelling projects that capture the emergence of a regenerative economy. Capital Institute, a non-partisan nonprofit founded in 2010 works to catalyze the transition from an extractive economy to a way of living on earth that is just, regenerative, and thus truly sustainable through the implementation of a regenerative economy.

Tweet me:The truth about measuring local economic health is that money doesn’t tell the whole story. Follow this NYC community as it rediscovers the overlooked qualities required to build long-term economic and social vitality. https://bit.ly/2kI6Riz @RegenFieldGuide #RegenerateNYC

Contact Info:

Julian McKinley
Field Guide to a Regenerative Economy
+1 (203) 832-3920
jmckinley@capitalinstitute.org

KEYWORDS: Capital institute, Field Guide to a Regenerative Economy, regenerative economy, Regenerative Economics, Regenerative Development, staten island, Extractive Capitalism, Economics, Regenerative Capitalism, impact investing, sustainability, New York City

Team Viacom Marches to Stomp Out AIDS

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by Michael Valentino

SOURCE:Viacom

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Here’s a shocking statistic: one in five new HIV infections is among people ages 13 to 24.

These are the same young people at the heart of so much of Viacom’s programming. On Sunday, May 20, Viacom showed that it is caring, giving, walking, and fighting to battle this epidemic by participating in AIDS Walk New York, the largest single-day AIDS fundraising event in the world.

The team, 50-strong and the driving force behind more than $10,000 in donations to AIDS Walk NY (proceeds will benefit GMHC and dozens of other local HIV/AIDS service organizations), rallied prior to the walk alongside other top corporate sponsors in the so-called “gold section,” a segment reserved for the top fundraising teams, which Viacom has been a part of for several years.

After a team photo, we joined thousands of other walkers in the 10-kilometer march through Manhattan’s Central Park. It was nothing short of spectacular. Sporting this year’s red T-shirt, Team Viacom marched, jumped, and cheered together, standing out in a sea of 20,000 other passionate walkers beneath 80-degree sunshine and clear skies. We waved two large Viacom flags as cheerleaders clutching megaphones called out the company name. Volunteers handed out water, granola bars and chips at stations along the route, which was a giant loop through the hills of green and blooming Central Park. With music booming from the sidelines, Team Viacom moved and grooved all the way to the red-and-white-balloon-laden finish line.

The efforts were well worth it. Despite groundbreaking new treatments and developments, HIV/AIDS is not a thing of the past. In fact, New York leads the nation in the number of new HIV cases. More than 100,000 New Yorkers have died from AIDS-related causes, while another 108,000 are living with HIV/AIDS – 20 percent of them do not know they are infected.

While HIV/AIDS affects people of every background and demographic, it disproportionally strikes certain groups: black females live with an HIV diagnosis at a rate 13.8 times higher than that of white females, while 77 percent of new HIV diagnoses and AIDS-related deaths in New York City were among African-Americans and Hispanics in 2016.

This breadth of this impact inspired Team Viacom to rally across brands, employee resource groups, and network talent to gather support for AIDS awareness and prevention. Employees across all New York offices and their families, friends, current and former colleagues were welcome to sign up, donate and walk with the team.

To gather the largest group possible, Viacommunity kicked off registration with a city-wide email, took over lobby screens with calls to action, cued up a walking-themed soundtrack to play in the bathrooms of Viacom’s Times Square headquarters, invited AIDS Walk NY representatives in to speak with employees, and filled the lobby-level Refresh Café’s Happy Hour on the Thursday leading up to the walk (complete with a guest appearance from Love & Hip Hop: New York’s Jonathan Fernandez, who walked with the employees on Sunday). The team also placed donation boxes at the Lodge employee cafeteria and Refresh cafe cash registers for employees who wanted to donate spare change.

The walk’s success would not have been possible without the dedication of our employees, who take part in Viacommunity events throughout the year. AIDS Walk New York is part of Viacommunity’s “All Good, All Year” initiative, which engages employees each month through meaningful events and ways to give back. The company’s support of the cause and many others goes far beyond fundraising and walking – it is in Viacom’s DNA.

Tweet me:.@Viacom employees raise more than $10,000 for @aidswalkny http://bit.ly/2kRgwDq #AIDSWalkNY

KEYWORDS: NASDAQ:VIA, Viacom, AIDS Walk New York, GMHC, HIV/AIDS, All Good All Year


Monsanto and Iowa State Partner to Improve Water Quality

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SOURCE:Monsanto

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ST. LOUISJune 5, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Monsanto Company, along with its subsidiary, The Climate Corporation, today announced a partnership with the Iowa State University (ISU) Department of Agronomy to create an infrastructure project designed to monitor water quality and downstream nitrate loss. The project will provide researchers with valuable information on management practices that help keep nitrogen fertilizer from entering surrounding waterways.

Monsanto and The Climate Corporation invested more than $300,000 to fund the initial installation of the infrastructure, which features a system of drainage tiles and water monitoring equipment on 30 acres of ISU research plots. The installation will be owned and operated by the University.

“We are fortunate to partner with Iowa State University on agricultural research that advances innovation to solve challenges like water quality,” said Sam Eathington, chief science officer of Monsanto and The Climate Corporation. “Insights from this research will help stakeholders across the industry better understand how modern agriculture practices and technologies drive productivity, optimize the use of key inputs and deliver sustainability benefits on the farm.”

Nitrogen is a nutrient critical for plant growth and development, and the addition of nitrogen fertilizer is a common practice in crop management. Climactic conditions such as heavy rainfall and temperature changes, combined with the natural soil processes can lead to situations where nitrogen is susceptible to loss to nearby waterways. The research conducted within this new infrastructure will produce water samples, flow information and weather data against a backdrop of different farming application practices and nitrogen use in order to better understand which practices can reduce nitrate runoff.

“Farmers are the primary benefactors of this partnership with Monsanto and The Climate Corporation,” said Dr. Kendall Lamkey, department chair of the Iowa State University Department of Agronomy. “Our goal is always to conduct research that makes their lives easier, more productive and more profitable while minimizing the impact to our natural resources.”

The ISU Department of Agronomy is currently in the process of identifying the best site for this project. Under consideration are three ISU-owned farms located between Ames and Huxley, Iowa.

Tweet me:Water Quality is Important to @MonsantoCo, that's why they have partnered with Iowa State to make improvements. Learn more: https://monsanto.com/news-releases/monsanto-isu-research-partnership/

KEYWORDS: sustiainability, agriculture, water quality, NYSE:MON, Monsanto

Barilla 2018 Sustainability Report "Good For You, Good For The Planet"

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A commitment from field to fork

SOURCE:ReportAlert

DESCRIPTION:

The Barilla Group has released its new Sustainability Report.

Highlights include Barilla’s answer to the complex scenario set by the international community and challenges related to the sustainability of the food and agricultural industry.

The report provides a representation of the strategies, projects and outcomes achieved by Barilla Group, with a view to creating long-term value for the Company and looking after the expectations of its stakeholders.

It represents a broad picture of the path defined for the years to come, with a clear Mission: Barilla’s products and brands must bring to the world food that is good, healthy and sourced from responsible supply chains, inspired by the Italian lifestyle and the Mediterranean Diet.

This Report is written in accordance with the standards for sustainability reporting issued by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), at Core Option level and includes Barilla’s United Nations Global Compact Communication on Progress.

2017 key results:

GOOD FOR YOU – Tasty, safe, quality and nutritionally balanced products

  • 387 products reformulated for people’s wellbeing to reduce the content of salt, fats, saturated fats and sugar (since 2010)
  • 99.4% of product volumes aligned with the most advanced quality and food safety standards
  • Palm oil-free company
  • More than 3 millions tests on products, along the supply chain

GOOD FOR THE PLANET – Sustainable supply chains from field to fork

  • Sustainability projects defined for 100% of the strategic supply chains
  • 40% of strategic raw materials come from responsibly managed supply chains
  • -29% of CO2 emissions and -23% of water consumption per tonne of product, (compared to 2010)
  • A Guideline on Animal Welfare, which covers 100% of meat and 94% of eggs purchases
  • 99% of packaging of our products is recyclable

Discover the digital report on the Group Website: 
http://www.barillagroup.com/ or download the App «Sustainability 2018»

CHIEF COMMUNICATION AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICER
Luca Virginio

SUSTAINABILITY UNIT
Valentina Perissinotto

Read the Report

Tweet me:.@barillagroup's 2018 Sustainability Report highlights answers to challenges related to the #sustainability of the food & agricultural industry http://bit.ly/2JhvGMW #supplychain

KEYWORDS: Barilla, ReportAlert, sustainability, animal welfare, Water Consumption

 

We Are All ‘Still In’ This Together

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SOURCE:Ceres

DESCRIPTION:

One year ago, leaders from all over the U.S. — representing businesses, investors, colleges, universities, towns, cities, and states throughout America — joined together to declare “We Are Still In” the global Paris Agreement, promising to world leaders that America will fulfill its global commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb the damaging effects of climate change.

Now, with nearly 2,800 signatories and growing, representing 160 million Americans and more than $6.2 trillion of the U.S. economy, this diverse cross section of the economy is helping to ensure the U.S. remains a global leader in climate change.

One year later, it’s safe to say that ‘We Are Still In.’  

As one of the co-founders of We Are Still In, Ceres is thrilled by the uptake of the unprecedented support from these leaders from all 50 states to work together on the greatest challenge of our time. In line with that, as a sustainability nonprofit organization, Ceres  works with companies across all sectors to embolden commitments to renewable energy and energy efficiency and strengthen goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — making the case that these actions make economic and financial sense.

In March, McDonald’s became the first restaurant company in the world to address global climate change by setting a Science Based Target, committing to partner with franchisees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from offices and restaurants by 36 percent by 2030 from a 2015 base year. Additionally, through collaboration and partnership with suppliers and producers, the company is committed to a 31 percent reduction in emissions intensity (per metric ton of food and packaging) in its supply chain by 2030 from 2015 levels. This target will enable McDonald’s to grow as a business without growing emissions. McDonald’s recognizes that achieving this target presents a shared challenge for the industry and others, and is excited about the potential for new technologies and coalitions to drive progress forward.

That’s why McDonald’s joined more than a dozen others on the We Are Still In Leaders Circle. McDonald’s is committed to doing its part to drive a new wave of ambitious climate action and clean energy policies. To be more effective, McDonald’s will work with other signatories across the economy to inspire even more action.

In the coming week, Ceres and McDonald’s will both participate in the Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s Climate Summit, which will bring together thought leaders and problem solvers to dig into how cities and states and national and international governments can work together to address climate change. Additionally, Ceres and McDonald’s are co-hosting a Climate Roundtable to bring a similar group to talk more deeply about how we can all help achieve our climate goals in the US and beyond.

These conversations and others McDonald’s is convening across the country from San Francisco to Chicago to Washington, D.C., will highlight the important role businesses must play in tackling climate challenges, and the importance of working across sectors to meet these ambitious commitments and deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement.

It’s not just about talk for us, it’s about inspiring new commitments and collaborations to drive greater impact. One year later, we are still in - this together. 

Read the blog on www.ceres.org

Read the blog on Mcdonalds

Tweet me:To commemorate the 1 year anniversary of #WeAreStillIn, Ceres CEO and President @MindyLubber and @McDonaldsCorp Chief Supply Chain and Sustainability Officer @FrancescaDBiase co-authored an op-ed on their shared commitment to the #ParisAgreement. https://bit.ly/2xKyyAv

Contact Info:

Sara Sciammacco
Ceres
+1 (617) 247-0700ext. 172
sciammacco@ceres.org

KEYWORDS: McDonalds, CERES, Paris Agreement

Duke Energy Connects Students and Educators with STEM, Literacy and Workforce Development Opportunities in North Carolina

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SOURCE:Duke Energy

SUMMARY:

  • Sixty-seven organizations receive support for innovative programs
  • Funding includes support from Piedmont Natural Gas

DESCRIPTION:

CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 5, 2018 /3BL Media/ -- Duke Energy is empowering students, educators and the workforce of the future by investing $2.5 million in 67 education and training initiatives across North Carolina.

The 2018 grants, from the Duke Energy Foundation, will enhance educational programs focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), K-3 early childhood literacy and workforce development.

"Building a brighter future begins with providing students with the best education and opportunities for success," said David Fountain, Duke Energy's North Carolinapresident. "Our investments will strengthen and expand access to high-impact programs that help develop a more diverse, highly skilled workforce."

Examples of this year's grant recipients include:

  • Classroom Central – $18,000 to create a dedicated STEM section in the organization's Free Store that enables teachers to bring learning experiences directly to students.

    "Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas has been one of Classroom Central's most committed corporate partners since we opened in 2002. In addition to donating truckloads of school supplies each year for the students and teachers we serve, they funded the launch of a new STEM section in our Free Store to provide curriculum and materials for 21st-century learning," said Karen Calder, executive director of Classroom Central. "We are grateful to the employees of Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas who generously contribute hundreds of volunteer hours each year, allowing us to offer supplies to 127,000 students across six school districts in North Carolina and South Carolina."

  • East Durham Children's Initiative – $20,000 to provide a five-week, intensive summer learning program for 60 East Durham students in grades K-2 who are performing in the lowest quartile in reading and math.

    "Duke Energy continues to be an important partner in EDCI's work to reduce summer learning loss among children. Kids attending EDCI BELL Summer Camp this year will receive high-quality instruction in reading and math and learn about careers in different STEM fields," said David Reese, CEO of EDCI. "In fact, Duke Energy's support has inspired us to host an Energy Week at camp this year, where students will learn about different energy concepts from Duke Energy employees."

  • FIRST North Carolina – $90,000 to provide STEM opportunities for students in rural and low-income communities through its Power Up STEM program.

    "Duke Energy is truly a leader in ensuring that the next generation of engineers, computer scientists and STEM leaders has access to learning opportunities that provide relevance, experience and fun, all at the same time," said Marie Hopper, president of FIRST North Carolina. "By providing the seed money to start high school robotics teams in communities that have been traditionally on the sidelines, Duke Energy helps engage students in hands-on, mentor-based robotics programs that are so much more than just about robots. Students are learning teamwork, collaboration and communication skills that will help Duke Energy and other companies fill their pipeline of future employees."

  • Forsyth Technical Community College Foundation – $95,844 to support the Electrical Lineman Training Institute by replacing worn equipment and connecting graduates with potential employers across the region and beyond.

    "The strategic partnership between Duke Energy and Forsyth Tech for the education of the next generation of electrical lineworkers is an excellent example of business-college collaboration for workforce development," said Dr. Gary Green, president of Forsyth Technical Community College. "Because of Duke Energy's generous support, we are providing career opportunities for young people to earn excellent wages and benefits."

Here is a complete list of the 67 grant recipients and summaries.  

Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to address the needs of communities where its customers live and work. The foundation contributes more than $33 million annually in charitable gifts.

The foundation's education focus spans kindergarten to career – particularly science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) – as well as early childhood literacy and workforce development. The foundation also supports environmental projects and community impact initiatives, including arts and culture.

Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their communities as volunteers and leaders with a wide variety of nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is committed to building on its legacy of community service. For more information, visit duke-energy.com/foundation.

Contact
Grace Rountree
Office: 919.546.2557 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Tweet me:.@DukeEnergy is empowering students, educators and the workforce of the future by investing $2.5 million in 67 education and #jobtraining initiatives across North Carolina http://bit.ly/2M08Zyv #STEM #literacy

KEYWORDS: Duke Energy, North Carolina, job training, workforce development, literacy

Dispatches from the Sustainable Brands Conference – Vancouver 2018

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by Allison Burtka for the Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability

SOURCE:University of Michigan: Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability

SUMMARY:

Not able to make the Sustainable Brands conference in Vancouver this year? The Erb Institute is on the ground and sharing some of the highlights. Here is a dispatch from day one. Enjoy!

DESCRIPTION:

What’s at the heart of a city?
June 4, 2018

A variety of social enterprises
At Sustainable Brands 2018 in Vancouver, Buy Social Canada led attendees on a social enterprise walking tour across the city, highlighting a long list of social enterprises and the innovative work they’re doing to better their community. Buy Social Canada brings together socially driven purchasers and social enterprise suppliers, working with community organizations, the private sector and government.

One example: The B corporation Save On Meats is a diner, butcher and community commissary kitchen that also started its own radio show, broadcasting from its storefront. Save On Meats sells tokens for food that can be given out to people in need. Since 2012, the token program has provided 88,000 meals to local residents.

The Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association links business, government, grassroots and nonprofit partners to shape a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable local economy in one area of Vancouver. The association works to “bridge the needs of local businesses with the capacity of community-focused organizations to foster a vibrant, healthy and diverse area for all.”

The Skwachays Lodge is a hotel, but it is also an aboriginal fair trade gallery and a social enterprise that houses indigenous artists in residence. Profits from the hotel and gallery fund a rental subsidy for the artists in residence, which allows the artists to develop personally and professionally. The hotel is adorned with indigenous art and has an authentic sweat lodge and smudge room for spiritual cleansing ceremonies.

Collaboration between cities and brands 
At the session The Rise of City-Brand Collaboration, Local Marketing and Local Positive Hubs, Elisabeth Laville, founder and chief entrepreneur at Utopies, delved into the concept of “local first.”

Many companies are focusing on place-making—through which retail stores become community hubs, and public spaces become reimagined as the heart of a community. Examples include West Elm’s Local Experiences, where people can learn from local artisans, and Lululemon’s “Local” concept, which invites people to gather to practice yoga and for other events. Laville also highlighted companies that are “growing local” rather than growing into other locations. Examples include:

  • Detroit’s Shinola watchmaker expanded its product offerings beyond watches, even opening a hotel.
  • Opendesk sells plans for office furniture, rather than the furniture itself—and directs consumers to local craftspeople to have the furniture built.
  • Nike’s Equality Signs campaign got women in Bogota, Colombia, engaged to change street and sport signs around the city—which depict only male figures—into female ones by adding ponytail magnets.
  • In Paris, the Adidas Boost Battle Run organized teams in different neighborhoods that squared off against each other in a running competition.

Cities, in all their variations around the world, present unique challenges, but also vast opportunities for companies working to advance sustainability.

Tweet me:READ: @erbinstitute Daily Dispatch at #SB18Vancouver - How can #social #enterprise and #innovations can benefit your business! @atburtka #sustainability https://t.co/boWNjttBXu

KEYWORDS: sustainable brands, Erb Institute, university of michigan, Communities, Sustainable Business, Buy Social Canada, sustainability, B Corps, vancouver

Updated Report: Automakers Reduce Risk, Enhance Competitiveness With Strong MPG/Emission Standards

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SOURCE:Ceres

DESCRIPTION:

June 6, 2018 /3BL Media/ - In the wake of reports that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may propose rollbacks to vehicle efficiency and emission standards, Ceres has released an updated analysis and fact sheetpointing to the economic benefits of strong national standards.

Major investors and companies are voicing concerns that the administration’s potential move could blunt a key driver of the U.S. economy, hurt the global competitiveness of the U.S. auto industry, and create significant regulatory uncertainty for the auto industry.

Carol Lee Rawn, director of transportation at Ceres, recently testified before the EPA Science Advisory Board about the risk that weakened standards would pose to U.S. automakers’ global competitiveness, also telling the Board that auto suppliers, which represent the largest sector of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. and which employ over two and a half times more Americans than automakers, would be hit particularly hard.

“Our analysis found that, if the standards are frozen at 2020 levels, suppliers would lose $20 billion between 2021-2025 in sales of fuel efficiency technologies, even under low fuel prices,” Rawn said.

Companies with combined annual revenues topping $400 billion sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on the matter in March via Ceres’ BICEP Network. The letter concludes by pointing out that the rollback would potentially splinter the U.S. auto market, as 13 states and the District of Columbia—comprising approximately one-third of the market— already have stringent emissions standards in place, and have indicated that they would fight any effort to weaken the standards, leading to regulatory uncertainty, litigation and delay.

“Weakening the standards will harm state economies across the nation, increasing fuel costs and preventing employers and consumers from fully realizing the economic and environmental benefits of cleaner, more efficient transportation,” said Anne Kelly, senior director of policy and the BICEP Network at Ceres. 

In her testimony, Rawn concluded that as the rest of the world moves to more stringent regulation, “the United States should position itself to compete in this new world by retaining or strengthening the current standards, not weakening them.”

###

Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. For more information, visit www.ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.

Tweet me:New @CeresNews analysis finds that if vehicle efficiency and emission standards are frozen at 2020 levels, suppliers would lose $20 billion between 2021-2025 in sales of fuel efficiency technologies, even under low fuel prices. #cleanvehicles #CAFEstandards https://bit.ly/2sBeco9

Contact Info:

Helen Booth-Tobin
Ceres
+1 (617) 247-0700ext. 214
booth-tobin@ceres.org

Mike Keefe-Feldman
Ceres
+1 (617) 247-0700ext. 126
keefe-feldman@ceres.org

KEYWORDS: transportation, cafe, Fuel Efficiency, regulation, manufacturing, Automakers, EPA, MPG/Emission Standards, CERES

Partnering to Build up Pollinator Populations

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SOURCE:FCA US LLC

DESCRIPTION:

When rival automakers come together it’s usually to brag about their latest engineering accomplishment or to re-imagine the future of mobility, but sometimes they garden. Yes, garden.

As part of the Suppliers Partnership for the Environment quarterly meeting, environmental reps from Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota and various auto suppliers got their hands dirty to help FCA US replenish a pollinator garden on our North American headquarters campus in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Pollinators, such as bees, birds, and butterflies, play an important role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem and supporting agriculture by planting pollen grains, which in turn result in fruit and seed, but are declining in stark numbers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that pollinators are responsible for assisting over 80 percent of the world’s flowering plants.

“Our ‘Wildlife at Work’ team has taken note and is taking action,” said Mark Werthman, Environmental, Health and Safety Lead at FCA US. “From bat and bee houses to butterfly waystations, we know these simple projects play a vital role in biodiversity conservation.”

On June 2, we planted our fourth pollinator garden with the help of Avondale High School students from Auburn Hills, Mich. Together with FCA employees, and family members, the students planted 80 native species to Michigan, including the showy goldenrod, purple coneflower, and gray-headed coneflower, in hopes of attracting bees and butterflies. Forty Dogwood Trees will be planted in July.

Our commitment goes beyond our headquarters.

Through our membership with the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), we are now tracking and promoting healthy biodiversity at 12 facilities across North America. The following locations currently have pollinator projects in motion:

The FCA US headquarters received a WHC Conservation CertificationSM in April 2015.

“We thank our partners, our competitors, and our community for their support and engagement as we build pollinator populations,” continued Werthman.  

You can learn more about the Company’s ‘Wildlife at Work’ efforts on our Earth Day blog post here.

Tweet me:Bats, bees and butterflies and a healthier ecosystem. Read about how @FiatChrysler_NA facilities are working with @WildlifeHC, @SP4Environment and @BeesInTheD to protect local pollinators: http://bit.ly/2JydxOk

KEYWORDS: pollinator, community gardening, NYSE:FCAU, FCA

  


Sands ECO360 Launches 2017 Environmental Progress Report with Focus on Sustainable Dining

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SOURCE:Las Vegas Sands

DESCRIPTION:

Las Vegas Sands is the leader in sustainability within the hospitality industry. Through Sands ECO360, its global sustainability program, the company implements strategic initiatives that minimize its environmental footprint on the planet. Since setting the five-year goals in 2015, the program has made outstanding progress detailed in its 2017 Environmental Progress Report.

“As a growth oriented company, we set 2020 targets that will challenge us to not only reduce the environmental footprint of existing properties, but also completely offset the impact of newly opened resorts,” Norbert Riezler, Senior Vice President, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer of Las Vegas Sands, said.

This year’s Progress Report applies the Sands ECO360 strategy to emerging material issues important to the company and its stakeholders. With a focus on sustainable dining initiatives and achievements, the report outlines how the company is comprehensively addressing the environmental footprint of Food and Beverage operations across each of the program’s four pillars: Green Buildings, Environmentally Responsible Operations, Green Meetings and Events, and Stakeholder Engagement. The report features examples of global sustainability initiatives ranging from intelligent restaurant design, kitchen efficiency, food procurement, creative menu, diet education, and more.  

Marina Bay Sands has made sustainable seafood a priority. The Integrated Resort has partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), one of the world’s leading environmental nonprofits, to raise Asia’s fish farming sustainability standards and improve practices that benefit marine ecosystems and local communities. The property has committed to procuring 50% of its annual seafood spend from responsible sources by 2020 and is supporting local fish farms through the Aquaculture Improvement Project as they incorporate sustainable practices into their culinary operations. In parallel, the property has stopped serving sensitive species including bluefin tuna and red grouper, both of which WWF considers to be over-exploited or from poorly managed fisheries. 

Sands ECO360 continues to make progress on science-based targets and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on clean energy, water, and responsible consumption and production. For the fourth year, Sands ECO360 again led Las Vegas Sands to CDP’s 2017 A List in Climate Change. The program also implemented 65 energy efficiency projects resulting in more than 30 million kWh of electricity savings. Las Vegas Sands is on track to meet its goal of completely offsetting the impact of two newly developed resorts and reducing greenhouse emissions even further by 2020.

Check out Las Vegas Sands ECO360 2017 Video and Environmental Progress Report for detailed information on sustainability initiatives and performance!

Tweet me:The #SandsECO360 2017 Environmental Progress Report focuses on #SustainableDining and details how @LasVegasSands addresses the environmental footprint of #FoodAndBeverage operations http://bit.ly/2JxOhaC

KEYWORDS: Las Vegas Sands, Sands ECO360

What’s in a Name?

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Changing your name can affect your life, but for some, something so simple can prove to be so difficult.

SOURCE:PNC Financial Services Group

DESCRIPTION:

As a child on the playground, did you ever experience a bully relentlessly calling you a “tomboy” (if you are a female) or a “sissy” (if you are a male)? That’s how many transgender people feel, even as adults, every time they have to present their identification with their birth name and assigned gender – that information does not represent who they are, and the exercise is dehumanizing and demoralizing. 

“Many transgender people suffer indignities, embarrassment and discrimination or worse, every time they have to present identification,” says AC Dumlao, Name Change Project Coordinator at the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF). The Name Change Project, according to Dumlao, empowers transgender individuals to live a healthier and safer life by helping them through the process of changing their name to affirm their identity. 

For many transgender people, the simple act of producing identification that often doesn’t look like them, doesn’t identify them as the gender they identify with, and uses a birth name that feels foreign to them, can bring shame or even evoke bigotry, discrimination or violence by the inquisitor. 

Just having a legal name and identification that matches their gender identity can help humanize a transgender person’s experience, and keep them safe from discrimination and harm. They can confidently present ID rather than “coming out” all over again each time, and fearing, each time, what the reaction will be. 

Changing your Name – Harder than you Think

One transgender woman, “Jane,” had suffered such indignities and hopelessness. Jane was dejected, disillusioned and overwhelmed with the legal name change process. 

The main document you need to initiate a name change is a birth certificate and for many reasons, one may not have access to their birth certificate. In this instance, Jane only had a birth certificate photocopy and an EBT benefits card. That is not enough to take to court. Dumlao paired Jane with volunteer attorneys, who dug in and compiled the correct documentation for Jane. 

With reassurance, encouragement and understanding, and much hard work from the volunteer attorneys, Jane’s name change petition was accepted and Jane was able to get through the process successfully.

The TLDEF Name Change Project

If you don’t know your way around the legal system, it can be intimidating to go before a judge to change your name. Trying to go through it alone, without an advocate, can be overwhelming.  Transgender people often quit from frustration when they are faced with doing it on their own. 

With the help of an attorney, the court process becomes friendlier and more accessible. The transgender person has an advocate, calling them by their chosen name, using the pronouns they identify with and showing them respect. “It is often the first time that the transgender individual experiences someone of authority treating them kindly,” says Dumlao.

Lawyers Volunteering their Time

The Name Change Project is dependent on volunteer attorneys to donate their time and energy, through a pro bono system, to help individuals successfully obtain a legal name change. The lawyers of PNC’s Legal Department, teaming up with Pittsburgh-based law firm, Reed Smith, have donated many hours to help more than a dozen transgender people in Alleghany County, PA work through the name change process. 

While the Name Change Project is one important endeavor, PNC attorneys have donated time to many charitable causes for people in need. So much so, that the Pro Bono Institute recently named PNC as the recipient of its annual Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award, given to an individual or organization for exemplary pro bono service to the poor, disadvantaged and other groups who cannot afford to pay for  legal assistance to address critical problems. 

“The PNC Legal Department’s Pro Bono Initiative provides PNC attorneys with the opportunity to advance the public good and provides much needed legal support to diverse groups that often do not have the financial resources to access legal services,” says Francis Pudner, PNC attorney, Name Change Project Chair and Pittsburgh Pro Bono Co-chair. “The Name Change Project is a great example of how PNC enriches our communities and the lives of our neighbors.”

Learn more about how PNC employees serve their communities »

Tweet me:Through The Name Change Project, @PNCBank employees donate their time and energy to help transgender individuals successfully obtain a legal name change. #PrideMonth http://bit.ly/2kSQ3W9

KEYWORDS: PNC, changing your name, transgender people, Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, the name change change project

How China’s Ban on ‘Foreign Trash’ Will Impact U.S. Recycling

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SOURCE:Republic Services

DESCRIPTION:

Are you a conscientious recycler, someone who scrubs their aluminum cans and glass containers before tossing them in the bin? Do you know the plastic recycling number codes by heart? Well, now a new rule by China might make some of these efforts moot.

Listen to the interview with Livia Albeck-Ripka, freelance climate and environment reporter, and Frank Chimera, senior manager of municipal sales for Republic Services.

Tweet me:Are conscientious #recycling practices, such as cleaning containers, needless? New regulations in China might make some of these efforts moot https://bit.ly/2Jc9jMG @whyy @livia_ar @republicservice #sustainability

KEYWORDS: Republic Services, Livia Albeck-Ripka, whyy, Radio Times, Recycling, China, Foreign Trash, sustainability, waste management

Northern Trust Celebrates Pride Month this Month and Every Month

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SOURCE:Northern Trust

DESCRIPTION:

This Pride Month, and every month, we're proud to recognize the diversity of our partners! We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Learn more about our inclusion initiatives here: https://ntw.lt/2LS70vR

Tweet me:Celebrating Pride Month this month and every month http://bit.ly/2LnB816 @NTCSR is committed to fostering #diversity and inclusion in the workplace

KEYWORDS: Pride Month, fostering diversity and inclusion, Northern Trust, Employee Engagement, collaborative work environment

Washington, D.C., students learn in a floating classroom

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Students from The School Without Walls High School and other schools in the Washington, D.C., area are learning about their local waterways, thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Wells Fargo

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

It’s not often that teenagers are able to spend a school day on a boat instead of in a classroom, but students from The School Without Walls High School in Washington, D.C., had that opportunity recently. As the high school students traveled along the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, they tested water quality, identified fish, examined maps, and surveyed bird diversity.

The field trip was through the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s environmental education program, which is designed to educate, engage, and empower students to make a difference by giving them opportunities to experience and enjoy local waterways in the mid-Atlantic region.

Video: Students from The School Without Walls High School in Washington, D.C., learn the importance of saving the Chesapeake Bay. (2:24)

“They can see what’s damaging the waterways, what they can do, and it gives them the opportunity to make positive change, to ensure the water is healthier for all of us,” said David Tucker, director of major giving for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Washington, D.C. “We also ensure that socioeconomic status doesn’t affect a school’s decision to come out, thanks to donors like Wells Fargo. We want to reach as many schools as possible.”

Since 2008, Wells Fargo has provided $163,500 for the foundation’s various education programs across the mid-Atlantic region — including $27,500 to the education program in D.C. since 2015.

“It is such a unique opportunity for inner-city kids to learn about the natural environment that surrounds us,” said Anna Bard, community relations manager for Wells Fargo. “A lot of these kids have never been on a boat before. One thing they’ll gain is a personal responsibility for taking care of our Chesapeake Bay watershed. Just because you don’t see it, things like littering in a storm drain affect the watershed.

“What we do really matters,” she said. “That’s important for our kids to learn, and it provides hands-on experience they would not usually come into contact with. Education and environmental stewardship are two of Wells Fargo’s primary focus areas in the greater Washington, D.C., area, so this is a win-win.”

Tweet me:Washington, D.C., students learn in a floating classroom thanks to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and @WellsFargo http://bit.ly/2LoK2f1

KEYWORDS: Washington D.C., Wells Fargo, NYSE:WFC, Chesapeake Bay Foundation

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