As I look back on this past year, I am struck by the energy and power generated by the concern for trees. Our members, corporate partners, and planting partners are joining together with the Arbor Day Foundation every day and making great positive changes through our stewardship programs. Our vision of being a worldwide leader in the recognition and use of trees as a solution to global issues is being realized through these united efforts.

KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) has provided a $4.4 million Fannie Mae loan to Mt. Vernon Associates, LP, to renovate Greencourt Apartments, a 76-unit, multifamily affordable apartment complex in Mount Vernon, NY, with 59 units reserved for tenants earning no more than 60% AMI.

While the 2015 Paris Agreement was the theoretical call for action to limit worldwide temperature to well below 2 degrees, there is a need for implementing this call with concrete action.

Now that millennial-aged employees represent the majority of the workforce, it’s increasingly important that corporate management teams finds ways to engage these employees in the company. Creating defined contribution plans which connect to millennial core values – like solving human, social and environmental problems through their work and investments – can spur employee engagement, spark innovation and provide companies with a competitive edge in their pursuit of the “best and brightest” employees.

Less than a year since its launch, the Novartis Foundation urban initiative, Better Hearts Better Cities, has made significant progress in mobilizing a broad network of partners and developing a framework for action to improve cardiovascular health across the selected cities.

In its latest analysis of US companies’ action on climate change, the nonprofit CDP recognized 21st Century Fox as a national leader in environmental sustainability. The annual report evaluates the strength and effectiveness of corporate sustainability efforts, and this year, it awarded 21CF an overall performance score of A-, a higher score than any of its media peers. The honor arrives as 21CF celebrates the 10-year anniversary of launching its corporate sustainability program, committing to addressing its environmental impacts and inspiring its global audience to take action.

Focusing on voluntary renewable energy in the Northeast United States, this brief explains the current and potential value of voluntary renewable energy to meet state goals in the region, and identifies key barriers to renewable energy development to meet voluntary and corporate demand and potential opportunities and solutions for overcoming them.

On November 24th, Avery Dennison celebrated another milestone in our sustainability program with the official inauguration and start of the wind turbine recently installed at our Turnhout, Belgium site. The launch comes after nearly nine years of planning, passion, perseverance and persistence that involved Avery Dennison management, employees and contractors. I

KeyBank Community Development Lending & Investment (CDLI) has provided an $8.2 million credit enhancement for the construction of Roosevelt Residences, located in Utica, NY. The project is being developed by Norstar Development USA, L.P., and the Municipal Housing Authority of the City of Utica, NY.

In the final episode of a three-part series, Peter Harris and Thomas Madrecki of UPS discuss a surprising avenue to pursue in addressing urban logistics: the balance between efficiency and self-disruption. Listen to the podcast, then subscribe to Longitudes Radio so you’ll be among the first to know about new episodes.