Keysight 2025 Corporate Social Responsibility Progress Report: Letter From Our CEO

Keysight Technologies — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:40:00 -0400

Keysight continues to drive innovation, uphold ethical and sustainable business practices, and contribute to societal prosperity through our corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts.

Keysight is a trusted partner to our customers in accelerating innovations that connect and secure the world. From clean tech, social impact and wellness, and safety and security perspectives, Keysight is a driving force in advancing a more sustainable future. In fiscal year 2025, we launched new solutions that accelerate time-to-market and enhance efficiencies while helping to ensure readiness for evolving industry standards across technologies that enable sustainable products and services.

Our CSR efforts touch on key societal support and developments. We surpassed our social impact goals by contributing more than $319 million in value to communities and engaging more than 3.5 million students, future engineers, and technology skill learners in STEM education programs. We also continued to foster a work environment of opportunity that enables employees to grow, collaborate effectively, and apply their skills to contribute meaningfully to customers, communities, and society in support of Keysight’s mission.

We continued to make progress towards our science-based targets around renewable electricity and energy conservation. In fiscal year 2025, Keysight’s energy efficiency projects resulted in an estimated 6,160 MWh of annual energy conservation.

Looking ahead, Keysight will continue to use its engineering expertise and operational excellence to support a sustainable future aligned with stakeholder expectations. We are preparing for regulatory disclosure requirements worldwide to maintain the transparency stakeholders expect. Acquisitions of Spirent, the Synopsys Optical Solutions Group, and Ansys PowerArtist enhance our capabilities and support our mission to accelerate innovation across the industries shaping our future. Through these developments, and continued progress on our CSR initiatives, Keysight will continue to support a better, more sustainable world.

Satish Dhanasekaran
President and Chief Executive Officer

Read the full 2025 Corporate Social Responsibility Progress Report

AEG Presents Expands Workforce Access Through College Connections Programs at Buckeye Country Superfest and Electric Forest

AEG — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0400

AEG Presents, a division of AEG, a leading sports and live entertainment company, recently launched inaugural College Connections programs at both Buckeye Country Superfest in Columbus, Ohio, and Electric Forest in Rothbury, Michigan, expanding opportunities for students to explore careers in live entertainment through immersive, behind-the-scenes learning experiences. Designed to increase access to the industry and foster meaningful connections with professionals, the programs provided participants with firsthand exposure to the planning, operations and collaboration required to deliver large-scale live events.

At Buckeye Country Superfest, students participated in an exclusive site tour and engaged directly with AEG Presents professionals representing finance, venue management, talent buying and event operations. Through career-focused discussions and mentorship opportunities, participants gained a deeper understanding of the diverse pathways available across the live entertainment industry and the expertise required to bring major events to life.

Meanwhile, at Electric Forest, students took part in the festival’s first College Connections All Access Day, an immersive experience that introduced participants to the scale and complexity of festival production. Students joined department leaders on a guided site tour, learned about career pathways across multiple business functions and connected with employees through networking opportunities designed to support professional growth and industry awareness. The day concluded with remarks from Chad Cheek, Vice President of Business Strategy at AEG Presents, who shared perspectives on leadership, industry growth and the importance of creating access points for emerging talent.

The impact of the program extended beyond career exploration. Following the Electric Forest experience, several participants were hired into the festival’s Student Staff Program, demonstrating how intentional workforce development initiatives can help create tangible pathways from education and exposure to employment opportunities.

Through these programs, AEG Presents continues to invest in the next generation of live entertainment professionals by providing students with mentorship, access and real-world learning experiences. By connecting emerging talent with industry leaders and expanding awareness of the many careers that support live events, College Connections helps strengthen a more inclusive and sustainable talent pipeline for the future of the industry

GoDaddy 2025 Global Stakeholder Impact Report: Customers & Communities | Community Engagement

GoDaddy — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Originally published in GoDaddy’s 2025 Global Stakeholder Impact Report

Community Engagement

Community is at the heart of our culture.

We take a human-centered approach to community engagement, empowering our employees and the entrepreneurs we serve, and supporting the communities where we operate. By fostering meaningful connections and thoughtfully investing our time and resources, we work to create a positive impact.

Employee Volunteerism & Giving

GoDaddy’s Corporate Sustainability and ESG Team supports employee volunteerism, corporate philanthropy, and our employee donation match program, helping employees make a difference in their communities and supporting causes they care about most.

All GoDaddy employees are eligible for 20 hours of paid time off each year to volunteer. We also offer up to an aggregate of $1,500 annually per employee for matching donations to eligible nonprofit organizations, and/ or hourly based donations of $35 for every hour an employee volunteers with a nonprofit. These programs reflect our belief that community engagement starts with empowering our people to give back in ways that matter to them.

$800,000: Approximately $800,000 donated through employees, volunteer rewards, corporate funds, and matching donations.
725: Donated to more than 725 nonprofits.
4,400: Nearly 4,400 hours volunteered.

Learn more about GoDaddy’s 2025 Global Stakeholder Impact Report.

About this Report

The GoDaddy 2025 Global Stakeholder Impact Report details our progress toward our corporate sustainability goals, strategies, and initiatives in support of our overarching purpose and values. Unless otherwise noted, this report reflects our corporate sustainability performance across our global operations covering the fiscal year period from January 1 to December 31, 2025. To demonstrate our commitment to transparent communication regarding our sustainability progress, we routinely share updates through our website and our annual reporting. We welcome your questions, comments, and feedback on this report by contacting ESG@GoDaddy.com.

This report references the Global Reporting Initiative Standards, includes select Sustainability Accounting Standards Board metrics for the Internet Media and Services sector, and the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures. We also disclose our contributions and progress toward priority UN SDGs. For additional information on how we align with these frameworks and key indicators demonstrating our sustainability performance, please refer to the Frameworks & Metrics section.

About GoDaddy

GoDaddy, the world's largest domain name registrar, helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company's AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy's expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

How to Make a Business Case for EHS

Antea Group — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:50:00 -0400

Key Takeaways:

EHS programs are sometimes seen as a cost center, but the financial case for them is stronger than some leadership teams might realize.
EHS programs build in risk preparation, such as hazard response plans, emergency protocols, and crisis communication, that keep operations running when things go wrong. The Department of Energy estimates $4-$10 saved for every $1 spent on risk management.
Workplace safety has become a baseline expectation for a lot of job seekers, which means EHS investment has a direct connection to recruiting and retention costs.
Regulatory requirements are growing in scope and consequence, and staying ahead of them is increasingly a business advantage rather than just a legal obligation.
Taking a practical, step-by-step approach to crafting a proposal—with business outcomes and risks demonstrated through data and financials—can help you make a more compelling case for EHS initiatives.

Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) programs touch every part of how a company runs, from the office to the warehouse or the production floor. These programs help keep people safe, minimize risk, and help operations run smoothly and consistently across a company’s portfolio of facilities. A strong EHS approach also supports financial health by avoiding disruptions and building efficiency into daily work.

However, EHS programs may be viewed by leadership as a "necessary evil" or a "cost collection center" designed to keep regulators at bay and fines at zero. This misperception is the challenge EHS Leaders often face when approaching the C-suite for support and buy-in.

But in fact, these practices help companies save thousands of dollars each year. In 2023 alone, workplace injuries in the U.S. cost businesses over $175 billion. A single injury can cost a company around $43,000 in workers' compensation. Statistics showcase why it’s important for the C-suite to understand the risks of underinvesting in EHS.

Advocating for your EHS program with the C-suite is complicated further by the presence of other very pressing issues on their minds: economic uncertainty, climate change impacts, greater supply chain transparency demands, and regulatory changes. Those combined factors have led to C-suite stress levels increasing by 60%.

If you are an EHS program leader and your C-suite is hesitant or is stressed, making a compelling business case for EHS should include talking points on how:

EHS programs create business resilience
EHS programs improve brand reputation and value proposition
EHS programs attract and retain talent
EHS programs manage the complexity of regulatory requirements

Use these points as a guide for providing your leadership with a succinct but full-scope assessment of how EHS affects business in real, bottom-line ways.

EHS Creates Business Resilience

The C-suite is focused on managing the unknown: supply chain shocks, perpetual client surveys, extreme weather impacts, and global regulatory shifts that vary across the globe.

Strong EHS programs are a critical enabler of business resilience in the face of those often-unpredictable challenges because they embed risk awareness, preparedness, and accountability into daily operations. They help organizations anticipate and manage risk, reduce operational disruptions, protect people and assets, and maintain continuity during periods of change, growth, or crisis.

Show the C-suite how the outcomes and benefits of EHS directly support strategic priorities, such as controlling costs from incidents and downtime, protecting brand reputation, and enabling workforce productivity. That kind of documentation can also be used to demonstrate to investors, clients, and regulators that the organization is well-governed and resilient in an increasingly uncertain business environment.

EHS policies give businesses the tools to prepare for the unexpected. This includes things like hazard response plans, emergency drills, natural disasters, and even crisis communication plans. Having these kinds of clear protocols eliminate the guesswork for employees and brings clarity to otherwise complex situations. When a catastrophe hits, there is already a plan in place to deal with it.

That preparedness has financial benefits. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that for every $1 spent on risk management, $4 - $10 is saved. (This includes indirect costs such as lost productivity, increased insurance premiums, equipment damage, and training expenses). That’s at least 300% ROI.

EHS Improves Your Company’s Value Proposition

For high-stakes industries like automotive parts, aerospace, warehousing/logistics, and energy, your EHS record is often the first filter used during the procurement process. If you don't pass the safety and environmental "gate," your technical capabilities and pricing are never even reviewed.

And this is not simply your safety metrics; clients want to see that environmental issues are also addressed. Having a program that tracks energy use, water and wastewater reuse, and waste diversion can give your bid a boost. Having this kind of data and programs at the ready shows potential clients that working with you will make their own mandatory disclosure efforts much easier.

EHS compliance is a proxy for overall operational discipline. If a company is disciplined enough to manage complex chemical safety or high-voltage electricity, they are likely disciplined enough to meet production deadlines and quality standards. Make sure you give your C-suite data they can confidently share with potential clients to demonstrate that partnering with your company means lowering their enterprise risk.

EHS Supports Talent Retention and Acquisition

Modern professionals, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, no longer view a safe workplace as a "perk"; they view it as a baseline requirement for ethical employment. Strong EHS programs directly drive talent attraction and retention by signaling that a company genuinely values its people, not just its performance.

Today’s workforce evaluates employers based on culture, psychological safety, and wellbeing as much as compensation, and EHS programs provide the visible structure that supports those expectations: safe work environments, proactive risk management, attention to mental health, and clear processes for speaking up without fear of retaliation. When employees feel protected, supported, and heard, they are more engaged and more likely to stay.

And retaining employees is a cost saving for any company. In 2026, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is reporting the average HR cost to recruit and hire a general employee in the U.S. is approximately $5,475 per hire. This cost includes job postings, screening, and onboarding, but can exceed $30,000 for specialized or executive roles, with total hiring expenses reaching 50-200% of the position's salary. 

Managing the Complexity of Regulatory Compliance

Every industry has rules regarding environmental and workers' safety. Adhering to these regulations is another way to enhance employee well-being and mitigate risks.

By not complying, companies either leave money on the table or put their employees, communities, or brand at risk. However, a more salient point for leadership is that, when companies haven’t maintained compliance with EHS regulations, they can lose out on partnerships or business opportunities. In other cases, if work conditions aren’t up to code, the company can face significant fines from regulators and potentially not be on the favored vendor list.

When pitching to the C-suite, move beyond an "avoiding fines" proposition and present EHS as a value creation engine. In the current landscape, global EHS compliance is the primary defense against "governance stress tests", like Spain’s psychosocial laws, or supply chain due diligence (CSDDD) and carbon border taxes (CBAM). Investment in a strong EHS program allows you to turn regulatory turbulence into a competitive advantage.

Global regulatory agencies are increasingly moving toward more serious consequences (including criminal liability for directors), and significantly higher fines, even for offices. Funding a "trust but verify" system is less expensive than a single multi-million-dollar settlement or a "stop work" order from a regulator.

Being able to speak to the points above, from the benefits to the risks, gives you the convincing content you need to make a case for EHS with your leadership.

Step-by-Step: Build a Business Case for EHS

Once you know the major talking points that make a convincing argument for EHS initiatives, it’s time to build a case for your leadership team. These four steps will take you from ideation to executive approval.

1. Assess your conditions

The first step is to get a lay of the land within your company. Connect with key stakeholders in your company who are directly affected by EHS initiatives and focus on identifying risks and controls. Building a consolidated risk register is a great way to document this information; it gives you a single reference point for evaluating the strength of your controls and how their performance is currently being reported to leadership. Using that register, identify any gaps. If certain controls need to be added or revised, make a plan to vet and price them.

2. Layer on data

With a clear view of where your company is lacking in EHS standards, you can start to pull together statistics that will support the financial case for investment. Presenting specific numbers and a clear path from proposed investments to addressing audit findings helps turn a general request into a business-first pitch. Focus metrics that make the case for the tools you need to accelerate maturity of your program. (These might include micro-training, visual safety, AI tools for data analysis, and so on.) You can start broad, but it’s also important to get specific: the number of people it will affect, the cost per person, the number of findings that can be closed, etc. Calculate ROI that directly relates to your company's current budget, and don’t neglect to outline the ways the business is losing money by holding off on EHS policies.

You’ll also need to contextualize the data with a strong case for strategic alignment. In other words, why is now the best time to invest in EHS? Resources like the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks, OSHA, CDP, and the Department of Energy will have additional statistics and data about everything from injuries by classification to fines associated with violations, which you can use to relate more specifically to your company.

3. Plan for action

You also need to make sure that you have a roadmap in place for execution. Having a budget is important, but come prepared with realistic timelines, KPIs, and a system for ongoing review with key stakeholders. The company’s culture and established business demands must be part of the plan. Keep it simple, but show you have a plan for achieving success that will not cause undue disruption.

4. Make the pitch

With company data and national statistics integrated, you now have the tools to support your business case for EHS. Prepare a concise and compelling presentation or brief that you can deliver to your C-level team. Even if you are extremely passionate about EHS, it’s essential to tie financial benefit to the key talking points you present. This, in tandem with your enthusiasm, will help your chances of getting leadership to approve the investment. Focus on key messages such as:

“If we don't invest in the systems that keep our people safe and our operations compliant, we are risking incurring fines as well as our ability to attract the talent needed to run this company.”
"This ask goes beyond a reactive 'follow the law' approach. I am asking for an investment in proactive operational resilience. By centralizing our global regulatory intelligence, we move from a cost collection center to a value catalyst that secures our supply chain, protects our people, and reinforces our brand against the unknown."
“EHS protects the engine of the business. When you align safety with talent retention, operational efficiency, and investor confidence, you create a competitive advantage and a genuine driver of business value.”

Your EHS Journey Starts Today

With these tools and talking points, you’re ready to move forward in making a strong business case for EHS. The safety, environmental, and financial benefits are all there, and any EHS policy that you develop will create a better work environment for stakeholders and employees alike.

Ready to see where your organization stands? Contact us to schedule an EHS audit and take the next step toward safer, smarter operations.

Eaton Teams With FranklinWH To Expand Technologies for Energy Affordability and Resilience in U.S. Homes

Eaton Corporation — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:30:00 -0400

Eaton AbleEdge smart breakers add intelligent load management to the FranklinWH System
Collaboration makes it quicker and simpler to add and manage residential distributed energy resources

PITTSBURGH, July 9, 2026 /3BL/ - Intelligent power management company Eaton today announces a collaboration with FranklinWH to make intelligent, flexible home energy systems easier to buy, install and scale across North America. The integration of Eaton’s AbleEdge^TM smart breakers with the FranklinWH System helps improve energy affordability by enabling more flexible, intelligent and simplified energy management at home. The companies will help make it easier for contractors and homeowners to integrate solar and energy storage, manage loads, expedite installation and extend backup duration during a grid outage. The joint solution is now available, with Eaton as FranklinWH’s preferred supplier for load management.

Eaton’s AbleEdge smart breakers will add intelligent load management and support virtual power plant (VPP) functionality for the FranklinWH System in retrofit and new construction projects. The collaboration aligns with Eaton’s Home as a Grid strategy that supports flexible power systems that enable customers to do more with the power they have. Eaton’s work with leading home energy management, solar and energy storage providers such as FranklinWH is transforming what is possible for the home as an energy source.

“This collaboration raises the bar for home electrification,” said Paul Ryan, vice president and general manager of energy transition at Eaton. “We’re bringing intelligence to residential circuit breakers—so homeowners can control the loads that matter most, extend backup power and reduce wasted energy. AbleEdge smart breakers integrate with multiple storage systems, work right out of the box and are available through Eaton’s established distributor network—making it easy for contractors to install at scale.”

“FranklinWH is committed to enabling more resiliency and energy freedom for homeowners looking to add storage to their home," said Gary Lam, CEO and Co-Founder of FranklinWH. “By integrating Eaton’s AbleEdge smart breakers with our FranklinWH System, homeowners will gain new visibility and control over their energy use. Through the FranklinWH App, these insights enable smarter home energy management system, saving money and increasing energy security in the home.”

The Eaton smart breakers can be retrofitted into existing load centers and added to the FranklinWH Meter Adapter Controller to support both retrofit and new construction projects. Homeowners and electrical contractors will be able to use the FranklinWH App to install, commission, manage and monitor both companies’ technologies.

When deployed with participating utilities, the joint solution enables homes to operate as virtual power plants (VPPs). By utilizing intelligent load management, homeowners can shift or shed demand during peak times, store and discharge energy from onsite distributed energy resources, and support grid stability and resilience. Homeowners can use the functionality to participate in utility VPP programs that generate revenue or credits by exporting excess power back onto the local electric grid.

Eaton technologies are backed by the company’s secure-by-design philosophy that ensures its products meet rigorous cybersecurity and safety design standards.

Learn more about Eaton’s Home as a Grid approach.

Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for people everywhere. We make products for the data center, utility, industrial, commercial, machine building, residential, aerospace and mobility markets. We are guided by our commitment to do business right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers manage power ─ today and well into the future. By capitalizing on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, we’re helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges and building a more sustainable society for people today and generations to come.

Founded in 1911, Eaton has continuously evolved to meet the changing and expanding needs of our stakeholders. With revenues of $27.4 billion in 2025, the company serves customers in 180 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact:

Regina Parundik
+1.412.559.1614
ReginaParundik@Eaton.com

###

More Efficient and Functional Workplaces Start With Smart Building Data

Cisco Systems Inc. — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:05:00 -0400

Read on Cisco's Blog

Smart buildings are no longer just about connected devices, sensors, and automation. The bigger opportunity is using workplace data to make buildings more efficient, more responsive, and better aligned to the people and businesses that depend on them.

The need is clear. Buildings accounted for about 28% of global energy consumption and 37% of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2024, according to a 2026 report from the UN Environment Programme. For businesses, workplace environments offer a practical place to reduce energy use, manage operating costs, and improve the experience of employees and visitors.

Achieving that requires more than isolated building upgrades. It requires connecting systems that have often operated in silos, understanding how spaces are actually used, and turning building data into better decisions about energy, real estate, and employee experience.

Turning building data into better decisions

Many building systems already generate useful data. Badge, HVAC, lighting, collaboration, and facilities systems may all capture useful information, but that data often lives in separate places, creating a fragmented view. A future-proof workplace starts by connecting those signals. Cisco technologies such as Cisco Spaces, Webex devices, Meraki cameras, and Power over Ethernet lighting and shading can help bring data together across workplace and building management platforms, creating a more complete and more accurate picture of how people are using a space.

That visibility matters because building usage is rarely uniform. Some areas may be heavily used while others sit empty for much of the day. Conference rooms may be booked but not occupied. Certain floors may need heating, cooling, or lighting at different levels based on real-time activity.

In other words, smart building data can help facilities and real estate teams make decisions based on how workplaces are actually used, not how they were planned on paper.

Smart building data in action

Cisco works with customers to connect networking, collaboration, and building systems, helping real estate and facilities teams use workplace data to improve efficiency, sustainability, and employee experience.

For example, Cisco worked with the U.S. General Services Administration on a Workplace Innovation Lab in Washington, D.C., testing a more modern workplace approach within a federal building environment. By renovating a portion of the space and comparing it to an unrenovated area, the project showed how workplace design and connected technology can support measurable efficiency gains. The organization reported that over one year, the renovated space was 73% more energy efficient than the unrenovated space and avoided five metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Better workplaces, better outcomes

Smart building data can help organizations connect efficiency goals with a better workplace experience.

Energy use is one of the clearest opportunities. HVAC and lighting are typically among the largest sources of energy consumption in an office environment. With better visibility into occupancy and usage patterns, organizations can make more targeted decisions about when and where to use energy — instead of heating, cooling, or lighting spaces based only on fixed schedules or assumptions.

Those same insights can also support a better experience for employees and visitors. Data about room availability, occupancy, air quality, temperature, and noise levels can help people find spaces that fit the work they need to do, whether they are looking for a quiet area, a collaboration space, or a room with the right environmental conditions.

Cisco’s London office offers one example of how workplace technology can support a more inclusive environment. The space was designed with neuro-inclusivity in mind, including spatial organization, quieter and louder zones, wayfinding, lighting, furniture, air quality, and thermal comfort. Technology helps make those features more visible and usable, giving employees more ability to choose the environment that works best for them.

From measurement to action

Smart building technology can also support third-party certifications, including green building and wellness-focused standards, by helping teams capture and visualize data related to indoor air quality, temperature, humidity, and other building conditions. This also gives teams a clearer view of how buildings are performing, so they can identify opportunities to improve over time.

As more building data becomes connected, AI can add another layer. It can help teams identify patterns, surface issues, and recommend actions faster than manual analysis alone. For facilities and real estate teams, that could mean diagnosing why a conference room is too warm, understanding why a space is underused, or finding new ways to optimize energy use.

Smart buildings are not about technology for technology’s sake. They are about using data to future-proof workplaces; ultimately making them more efficient, more sustainable, and more responsive to the people who use them.

View original content here.

Florida Residents Rebuild After Devastating Hurricane Floods

Verizon — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:05:00 -0400

Verizon
By Stacy Morrison

At a glance

The Reality of Back-to-Back Devastation: When Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Florida just two weeks apart, they didn’t just damage property—they left vulnerable residents completely displaced with no running water, electricity, or functioning kitchens.
An Inspiring Alliance for Long-Term Recovery: Discover how a critical grant between Verizon Community Disaster Resilience and the nonprofit Rebuilding Together Greater Florida (RTGFL) is stepping in to repair 43 heavily damaged homes for those who need it most.
More Than Just Repairs: See how these organizations went beyond standard fixes—installing advanced, storm-resilient upgrades and restoring a life-changing sense of safety and peace of mind.

In fall 2024, Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Florida just two weeks apart. The storms overwhelmed households already stretched thin, leaving many people at risk of losing their homes.

To support long-term recovery in the Tampa Bay area, Verizon Community Disaster Resilience, an initiative that helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from extreme weather events, provided a generous grant to Rebuilding Together Greater Florida (RTGFL), a nonprofit organization that provides free, critical home repairs to income-eligible homeowners. Together, they expect to repair 43 homes.

For Tampa residents Shamsher Lamba and Tommy Lam, this support helped them make their homes safe, livable and more resilient against future storms.

“I can’t even go into the house”

Shamsher Lamba, a teacher from Hudson, Florida, evacuated to a friend’s house during Hurricane Helene. The next morning, he returned home to find his neighborhood nearly destroyed. Debris blocked the road. A 60-foot boat rested in his front yard, carried there by floodwater. “It looked like a bomb had gone off,” Lamba says.

Five feet of water had flooded Lamba’s home during the storm. He called a friend—Lamba has a disability that made it difficult for him to navigate the debris—and said, “I need you over here. I can’t even go into the house.” His friend photographed the damage: Water had knocked over the appliances and carried his belongings throughout the house. Lamba’s home had no water, no plumbing, no functioning kitchen and a leaking roof.

Over the next two weeks, Lamba and a group of friends tried to make the house livable again. They worked through the wreckage, hauling out waterlogged debris, ruined appliances and damaged furniture. Then Hurricane Milton hit.

Living in the severely damaged house meant that Lamba had to shower at a local gym before work each day. He ate nothing but takeout, since he had no means to cook at home. While Lamba tried to fix his home as his finances allowed, progress was slow. He installed hurricane-resistant windows and had the electrical system rebuilt four feet off the ground to survive future flooding.

While seeking assistance with the repairs, Lamba connected with RTGFL through one of RTGFL’s partner organizations. Thanks to Community Disaster Resilience funding, the home received a complete insulation upgrade designed to make the home more weathertight and energy efficient. RTGFL completed the rest of the work: a new roof, roofline repairs to protect against water intrusion, new drywall, restored water service, an accessible shower, fresh paint and new appliances.

After more than a year of hauling water and using a camp toilet, Lamba says he is newly appreciative of the home’s plumbing. “I’m still getting used to the fact that I can use a toilet in my house,” Lamba says. “I can do laundry at home again. I have running water. It’s like a novelty.”

For Lamba, who didn’t share his difficulties with his students or community, accepting help was new. “I’ve been through some hurricanes, but this one hit really hard,” he says.

Lamba’s story is like many people’s in the Tampa Bay area. “The people most likely to be left behind are older adults, people with disabilities, veterans and families who were already struggling to maintain their homes,” says José Garcia, CEO of RTGFL. “A neighborhood is only as resilient as its most vulnerable residents. If we want communities to recover fully, we have to ensure everyone has a path forward, not just those with the resources to recover on their own.”

“I didn’t think the hurricane would be dangerous”

In nearby Tampa, Tommy Lam also survived both hurricanes, although with major damage to his home. Lam hadn’t heeded storm warnings for Hurricane Helene because his neighborhood isn’t a high-risk flood zone. But as the storm continued, water poured into the house. When it reached two feet, Lam finally evacuated. By the time the flood ended, the water had risen another two feet.

“The refrigerator, the doors, everything—I had to take it all to the dump,” Lam says. He couldn’t afford essential renovations and had nowhere else to go. “All I have is my home,” he says.

Lam was also referred to the RTGFL and Community Disaster Resilience program by an RTGFL partner organization. His home received disaster-resilient repairs and improvements, including impact windows and exterior doors funded by the Community Disaster Resilience grant. RTGFL replaced the interior doors and installed new cabinets in both the kitchen and bathrooms, as well as a new stove. Lam also enrolled in home insurance coverage for the first time.

Recovery work such as this tends to be underfunded and drawn out. Verizon seeks to address these issues through the Community Disaster Resilience initiative, both by staying present in affected communities and also by partnering with organizations such as RTGFL.

“Our goal is not just to help families recover from the last storm,” Garcia says. “We strengthen their homes through critical repairs, resilience improvements and education that can reduce damage and improve safety during future disasters.”

For homeowners, that support also means a newfound sense of peace. “I feel safe now,” Lam says. “I’m happy. It feels very good.”

For more information on Verizon’s disaster resilience initiatives, visit Verizon Community Disaster Resilience.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) powers and empowers how its millions of customers live, work and play, delivering on their demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity and security. Headquartered in New York City, serving countries worldwide and nearly all of the Fortune 500, Verizon generated revenues of $138.2 billion in 2025. Verizon’s world-class team never stops innovating to meet customers where they are today and equip them for the needs of tomorrow. For more, visit verizon.com or find a retail location at verizon.com/stores.

DP World Perspective: Why Workforce Strategy Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage in Supply Chains

DP World — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400

A new Forbes Business Council article from DP World's Brittany Caskey, Chief Commercial Officer for the Americas, highlights an emerging reality for supply chain leaders: technology alone isn't enough to build resilient, high-performing operations. As organizations accelerate investments in AI, automation, and digital tools, workforce strategy is becoming a key differentiator.

The shift reflects a broader industry trend. While companies continue investing heavily in supply chain innovation, many still struggle to translate those investments into measurable operational improvements. Increasingly, success depends not only on deploying new technologies, but on ensuring employees have the skills, training, and decision-making capabilities to use them effectively.

Closing the Gap Between Technology and Execution

As outlined in the article, the next phase of supply chain performance will be defined less by who invests the most in technology and more by who can execute most effectively with the systems already in place. That requires organizations to treat workforce enablement as a strategic investment alongside digital transformation.

Rather than viewing workforce strategy as solely an HR function, leading organizations are aligning roles, workflows, and skills with increasingly data-driven operations – helping teams adapt more quickly to change while improving day-to-day execution.

Why It Matters for Business Leaders

For supply chain leaders, the implications extend well beyond employee development. Workforce capability increasingly influences:

Speed of technology adoption
Service reliability and operational resilience
Customer experience during disruptions
Long-term return on digital investments

As AI and automation continue reshaping logistics, people remain essential for interpreting data, managing exceptions, and delivering the consistency customers expect.

Read the Full Perspective

As supply chains become more complex and technology adoption accelerates, workforce strategy is emerging as a critical driver of operational performance and competitive advantage.

For a deeper look at how organizations can better align people, technology, and execution, read Brittany Caskey's latest Forbes Business Council article, "How Workforce Strategy Is Shaping Supply Chain Reliability."

KeyBank Sets a New Standard in Check Fraud Protection With Check Control for Business

KeyBank — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:00:00 -0400

CLEVELAND, July 9, 2026 /3BL/ - KeyBank (NYSE: KEY) today announced that Check Control for Business is fully available to KeyBank Business Online® clients. This service, which is unique to KeyBank as to the size of business it supports paired with its minimal cost, can help small business owners address the growing risk of check fraud with the ability to monitor check activity, quickly spot suspicious check transactions, and mark checks for return.

As fraud practices continue to evolve, small business owners are faced with increasing challenges in protecting their operations. According to the Federal Reserve’s Business Payments Study, 83% of small firms use paper checks for business payments, and more than $1 billion is recovered each year in counterfeit checks and money orders. Check Control for Business helps combat this by alerting clients to check activity so they can review and act if necessary.

“Check fraud continues to be a growing challenge for businesses as tactics evolve, and we know it’s top of the mind for many of our clients, especially small businesses, which are the backbone of our economy,” said Victor Alexander, Head of Key’s Consumer Bank. “At Key, we are committed to delivering for our clients by helping them stay ahead of emerging threats and protect what they’ve worked so hard to build. Check Control for Business is another way we’re empowering our clients with practical, effective tools to help prevent fraud and operate with confidence.”

Check Control for Business is a proactive alert system designed to help business owners monitor check activity from their online or mobile app. In addition to being a fraud mitigation solution, Check Control for Business is also a convenient check reconciliation tool that helps businesses keep track of checks moving through their account.

Check Control for Business empowers small business clients to:

View checks daily from a PC or mobile device
Confirm check amounts, numbers, and payees
Return suspicious or duplicate checks in just a few clicks
Stay in control with customized alerts and notification timing

Clients can self-enroll within digital banking with a few simple steps that can be completed in under one minute. Enrolled users receive alerts when checks are ready for review, allowing clients to detect and address potential check fraud before it impacts their business, stopping fraud before it’s too late. This can save a business from potentially thousands of dollars in losses and the cascade of problems that follow, like bounced vendor payments and disrupted cash flow.

Check Control for Business is available to eligible KeyBank Business Online clients^[i](generally, small business clients with $10 million or less in revenue) at a cost of $5 per enrolled account per month. With the addition of this service, KeyBank continues to invest in digital capabilities that empower small businesses to operate more securely and efficiently in an increasingly complex financial environment.

“Check Control for Business is an exciting addition to our suite of digital capabilities and reflects our commitment to helping businesses of all sizes fight fraud, from emerging small businesses to large enterprises,” said Emily Gessner, Head of Commercial Digital for KeyBank. “Providing clients with simple, effective tools to help safeguard their businesses is critical to allowing them to focus on growth.”

ABOUT KEYCORP
KeyCorp's roots trace back more than 200 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 $189 billion at March 31, 2026.

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 950 branches and approximately 1,100 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 Member FDIC.

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CFMA 260706-4691646
©2026 KeyCorp. All rights reserved.

^[i] Check Control for Business is available only to eligible business checking (DDA) subproduct accounts on the Key Business Banking Platform. Accounts enrolled in KeyNavigator® check fraud services (including Positive Pay) are not eligible to enroll.

Chemours’ Fayetteville Works and Chambers Works Recognized at Tandem Global Conference

Chemours — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 08:00:00 -0400

At the Tandem Global Conference—where professionals from around the world gather to advance corporate action for nature—Chemours’ Fayetteville Works and Chambers Works were recognized for their ongoing environmental stewardship and biodiversity efforts.

Earlier in the year, both sites achieved recertification under the WHC Conservation Certification®. Powered by Tandem Global, the WHC Conservation Certification® is the only voluntary sustainability standard designed specifically for biodiversity enhancement and conservation education on corporate lands. Certification is awarded through an independent, third-party evaluation of on-site programs.

In addition to the Chemours’ sites being recognized for continued progress in maintaining and advancing certified conservation programs, Chemours’ Fayetteville Works was nominated for both the Avian Corporate Conservation Award and the Pollinator Corporate Conservation Award, highlighting the site’s strong focus on protecting wildlife habitats and supporting ecological balance.

Advancing Nature Through Everyday Operations

Across both sites, conservation efforts are embedded into how work gets done—from restoring habitats and supporting native species to engaging employees and local communities in environmental education. These programs reflect a broader commitment to responsible environmental management and to advancing Chemours’ Corporate Responsibility Commitment (CRC) goals.

By participating in globally recognized programs like WHC Conservation Certification®, Chemours sites are contributing to a growing network of corporate lands dedicated to biodiversity and conservation education—demonstrating how industry can play a meaningful role in supporting ecosystems while delivering business value.

Multi-City Engagement in June Captures Collaboration Across Consumer Goods

Cascale — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:00:00 -0400

In June, Cascale staff engaged with manufacturers, policymakers, brands, and industry collaborators across external events in Pakistan, Cambodia, and the Netherlands.

These multi-city efforts reinforced the organization’s commitment to meeting its global community face to face and sharpening areas for impact across supply chains, policy topics, and more.

Strengthening Manufacturer Engagement in Pakistan

At GIZ TextileXchange 2026 in Lahore, Pakistan, Betty Li, director of manufacturer member activation, represented Cascale at an event that brought together approximately 80 delegates from across the apparel, textile, and footwear industry.

Through a presentation and one-on-one meetings with manufacturers, Li introduced attendees to Cascale’s evolving member value proposition, including updates on the Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM), the Apparel Impact Institute Decarbonization Finance Program (AIDFEP), verification initiatives, decarbonization efforts, public affairs, Better Buying resources, and new opportunities for manufacturer membership.

The event also provided valuable insight into the unique challenges manufacturers face in Pakistan. Discussions highlighted persistent audit fatigue, increasing regulatory expectations around data transparency and Digital Product Passports (DPP), upstream traceability challenges, and the need for greater alignment between sourcing decisions and sustainability commitments.

Manufacturers also emphasized growing concern around occupational heat stress and called for more collaborative approaches to implementing emerging industry guidance.

Advancing APAC Policy Dialogue in Cambodia

Separately, Cascale’s senior manager of public affairs APAC, Howard Kwong, participated in the 2026 Cambodia Textile Summit in Phnom Penh. He joined government leaders, industry associations, international organizations, and manufacturing stakeholders to discuss the future of Cambodia’s garment and footwear sector.

Marking the 30th anniversary of Cambodia’s export garment industry, the summit highlighted the country’s growing importance within global supply chains as manufacturing investment continues to expand across Southeast Asia. Discussions focused on responsible purchasing practices, worker well-being, climate resilience, and stronger collaboration across the value chain.

Several themes closely aligned with Cascale’s APAC Policy Priorities Paper, including advancing responsible purchasing practices, reducing duplicative audit fatigue, strengthening occupational health protections such as heat stress mitigation, and promoting shared responsibility between stakeholders.

The summit also highlighted new worker safety initiatives from Cambodia’s Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, including the development of a national commuting policy and pilot workplace monitoring programs.

Collaborating with ZDHC to Streamline Verification

Cascale also attended ZDHC’s Co-Creation Meeting Days 2026 in Amsterdam, an invite-only series of working meetings for the ZDHC Committed Community and peer organizations.

Shifting from the public Impact Day concept, this internal co-working format focused on advancing the Roadmap to Zero Programme, strengthening practical collaboration, and exploring opportunities for collaboration.

Representing Cascale were Erlinda Lee, senior director of member development; Sophie Roos, manager, partnerships; and Maravillas Rodriguez Zarco, vice president, tools and data.

During the event, Zarco spoke in the session, “Simplifying Suppliers’ Journey: Cascale and ZDHC Streamlining Verification,” an interactive discussion exploring how greater alignment between Cascale and ZDHC can help reduce complexity for suppliers.

Participants shared technical insights, implementation experiences, and case studies that will help inform a future joint pilot aimed at harmonizing verification across wastewater and sustainable chemical management programs.

Building Momentum Through Collaboration

Together, these event engagements demonstrate Cascale’s commitment to convening stakeholders across regions and disciplines to address the industry’s most pressing challenges. Whether advancing public policy, strengthening manufacturer engagement, or collaborating on technical solutions, Cascale continues to foster partnerships that support responsible purchasing practices, supply chain transparency, decarbonization, worker well-being, and more resilient global value chains.

What Sustainability in Practice Looked Like at Tandem Global Conference 2026

Tandem Global — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:05:00 -0400

Sustainability is increasingly defined not by commitments alone, but by how organizations put them into practice. At the 2026 Tandem Global Conference in Austin, Texas, leaders from business, government, and the nonprofit sector shared practical examples of how they're applying technology, strengthening resource stewardship, and engaging employees to address today's sustainability challenges. Across discussions on artificial intelligence, water, and biodiversity, one message was consistent: meaningful progress depends on turning ideas into action.

Putting AI to Work for Sustainability

Artificial intelligence has become one of the most discussed technologies shaping business today, but the conversation at Tandem Global Conference 2026 focused less on what AI could eventually do and more on how organizations are already applying it to solve practical challenges. During the opening mainstage session, moderated by Margaret O'Gorman, CEO of Tandem Global, Bill Cobb, VP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Freeport-McMoRan, Eunice Heath, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer at CRH, and Emilio Tenuta, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab, explored how AI is being integrated into operations to improve safety, increase efficiency, and support better environmental decision-making.

Across industries, the panelists emphasized that successful AI adoption begins with understanding business needs. At CRH, AI applications are evaluated through a focus on operational efficiency and leadership oversight. Heath shared how the company uses technologies such as SPOT, a robotic platform that can enter areas where sending employees could create unnecessary risk. Across CRH’s more than 1,300 extractive sites, AI and autonomous equipment are helping support preventative maintenance and allow teams to deploy resources more effectively. The company is also exploring tools that can help municipalities identify issues such as water system leaks, demonstrating how AI can support broader infrastructure challenges.

For Ecolab, the conversation centered on how AI can help organizations better understand and manage one of the world’s most critical resources. As demand for data centers continues to grow, Tenuta encouraged attendees to consider not only the water required to support AI infrastructure but also the ways AI can help address water challenges. Ecolab’s approach focuses on making water use more circular and using data to identify opportunities for improvement. Through tools such as Water Navigator IQ, the company is helping organizations understand water stress and make more informed decisions about water withdrawals, efficiency, and operational planning. Tenuta also highlighted examples where AI and smart technology have helped industrial facilities identify opportunities to reuse water and improve performance in water-constrained regions.

Freeport-McMoRan approaches AI through the lens of operational improvement. Cobb explained that the company’s investments are focused on making operations more efficient, which can also create environmental benefits by reducing fuel use and improving resource management. The more recent autonomous haul trucks and remote operating centers are examples of how the company is using technology to transform its operations. AI is also helping Freeport evaluate restoration efforts and better understand what strategies are working overtime, supporting decisions about future investments.

While the applications vary, the message from all three leaders was consistent. AI is a tool that can help organizations work more effectively, but it requires clear objectives, strong governance, and human judgment. The technology can provide data and insights, but decisions about how to respond remain with people.

As Tenuta noted during the discussion, “AI is inevitable. Protecting our natural resources is not.”

Confronting Texas' Water Future

Austin was an appropriate place to discuss the future of water. A rapidly growing region facing drought, extreme heat, and increasing demand, the city reflects many of the challenges communities across Texas are confronting. During the conference’s final mainstage session, Adam Butler moderated a discussion with Sarah Schlessinger, CEO of Texas Water Foundation, Joni Carswell, CEO and President of Texan by Nature, and Shay Ralls Roalson, Director of Austin Water, on how communities, utilities, and businesses can prepare for a changing water landscape.

The conversation moved beyond the question of whether Texas has enough water. Instead, panelists examined the broader systems required to manage a shared resource, including infrastructure investment, groundwater protection, long-term planning, and collaboration among utilities, companies, and communities. Joni Carswell highlighted the scale of Texas’ water challenges, pointing to aging infrastructure and planning gaps as factors shaping the state’s future. She noted that companies have opportunities to contribute through investments in projects with established standards and measurable outcomes while also supporting the communities where they operate. Corporate water stewardship, she emphasized, is becoming less of a voluntary initiative and more of a requirement for businesses planning for long-term success in Texas.

Schlessinger built on that point by describing how organizations are increasingly viewing water security as a business risk that extends beyond their own operations. Companies must consider not only their direct water use but also the broader systems and communities that make their operations possible. She argued that Texas’ challenge is not simply a question of water availability, but also one of infrastructure and efficiency. Strengthening the human systems that manage water will be essential, and she encouraged a future where water is treated as a broader community priority rather than an issue addressed only during periods of crisis.

That need for shared responsibility was also reflected in Roalson’s perspective from the utility side. As communities grow, utilities are making generational investments while balancing financial sustainability and affordability for customers. She discussed how utilities are working with new and existing customers through water benchmarking to better understand demand, identify efficiency opportunities, and explore ways to reduce overall consumption. Those conversations can influence decisions far beyond industrial processes, including landscaping choices and the broader question of how communities use water. For utilities, businesses, and residents alike, understanding where water comes from and how individual decisions affect shared resources will be essential to building long-term resilience.

The discussion reinforced that Texas’ water future will depend on partnership. Addressing the state’s challenges will require better planning and a shared understanding that water security is a responsibility that extends across sectors.

Nature as a Catalyst for Employee Engagement

Many biodiversity conversations center on what can be measured, including habitat restoration and conservation targets. This discussion focused on something less tangible but equally important, how nature initiatives can influence workplace culture and inspire broader participation in sustainability efforts. Examples from CRH and CalPortland demonstrated how those effects can emerge in organizations of very different sizes.

For Carolyn Jewell, Senior Manager of Biodiversity and Natural Resources at CRH, building that kind of momentum requires engaging employees at scale. CRH operates from roughly 4,000 locations and employs more than 83,000 people worldwide, making participation an important component of the company's biodiversity strategy. Internal networks connect biodiversity specialists and employees with a shared interest in nature, creating opportunities to exchange ideas and replicate successful projects across the organization. Those connections also support broader goals, including CRH's commitment to have 1,000 locations take action to support pollinators by 2030.

Jewell shared several examples of how engagement can begin with simple activities. During Mental Health Awareness Month, employees were invited to participate in Lunch and Listen, an initiative encouraging people to spend time observing birds, whether at home or at a company site. Employees submitted 833 observations representing 201 identified species, including two classified as vulnerable and two considered near threatened. One participant recorded 43 species, while the Eurasian robin was the most frequently observed bird. The initiative demonstrated how everyday interactions with nature can generate enthusiasm and help employees see biodiversity as something they can actively support rather than simply observe.

Karin Perissinotto, Sustainability Manager at CalPortland, shared a different example, one that began with a relatively modest project on a single site.

At CalPortland's El Segundo Ready Mix Plant, a habitat-focused landscape project was originally designed to improve safety and create a more welcoming landscape between an industrial facility, a nearby residential area, and a school. Native habitat and pollinator-friendly plantings transformed a small space within a heavily industrial corridor, but the effects extended well beyond the project's original objectives. As the landscape matured, employees would increasingly spend time there during breaks. Informal conversations developed around the new habitat, and employees began engaging with the area in ways that had not been anticipated. Some drivers even referred to it as their "happy space." The site prompted a broader reflection on how organizations define value. Environmental outcomes can be measured, but some benefits become visible in other ways through employee experiences and workplace culture.

Looking Ahead

As Tandem Global Conference 2026 concluded in Austin, we look forward to seeing how this year's ideas, partnerships, and discussions continue to shape the Tandem Global community. The conversation will continue next year when Tandem Global Conference heads to Chicago in 2027.

State of Corporate Conservation 2026 | Building a Nature-Positive Future Through Collaboration, Community, and Continuity

Tandem Global — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:35:00 -0400

Hello everyone. I’m always thrilled and honored to stand on our conference stage and talk to this truly inspiring collaboration of Tandem Global members and partners coming together to deliver quality content and conversations that celebrate and support your work.

Collaboration is something I’ve been thinking about a lot this year as I’ve travelled, visiting programs, and members, and stakeholders. I’ve been thinking about the importance of collaboration but also of community and continuity and how critical they all are to the work we do and celebrate today.

When I think of collaboration, there are so many examples that come to mind that show how collaborative efforts have delivered excellent results for business and nature and how the best outcomes happen when groups with a little or a lot in common work together towards a shared goal.

Across Tandem Global and our conservation, corporate and social impact efforts we see collaboration for nature happen repeatedly and each collaboration delivers learnings to build better efforts, and we can also learn from the successes of historic collaborations that have used collective energy to pursue sometimes seemingly unattainable goals.

A timely example, given the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, is the successful collaboration for the enduring symbol of the U.S., the American Bald eagle.

The American bald eagle was included in the Great Seal of the U.S. in 1782, by fellow Irish-person, Founding Father and first secretary of Congress, Charles Thomson, who is credited as a co-designer of the seal with William Barton.

The bald eagle is one of the largest raptors in North America, having a wingspan of 6 to 7 feet which allows it to soar to heights of 10,000 feet with little effort. They build nests that last decades, with a record-breaking nest in Florida measured at 10 feet in diameter, 20 feet in thickness and in use for 30 years. Before its inclusion on the Great Seal, the bald eagle was already an iconic bird for the tribes who saw the eagle as a messenger between humans and spirits.

Back when the nation was being formed and when land was being managed sustainably, the bald eagle was common across the continent. Records of numbers were not kept at the time, but some estimates suggest that when the eagle was chosen for the Great Seal in 1782, there were 100,000 nesting eagles across what is now the lower 48 states of the US.

From its adoption as a symbol of the US to today, the bald eagle as a species has experienced highs and lows as its habitat and numbers have seen decline and restoration over the last 250 years. In fact, the US nearly lost its iconic bird twice.

The first time, the loss of the birds was from a methodical massacre. Across the 1800’s bald eagles were shot due to the mistaken notion that they stole children and were a threat to livestock. The federal government’s department of agriculture established official bounties of 50 cents – about $100 in today’s value - for every eagle killed.

The killing of birds was not just eagles – crows, blackbirds, and owls all had bounties. These policies had an impact on all bird populations, some of which have never recovered, like the passenger pigeon. Its very existence was wiped out in the US during this time-period when the population of billions of passenger pigeons collapsed to extinction which was recorded on September 1st, 1914, when the last passenger pigeon named Martha was found dead on the floor of her cage in the Cincinnati Zoo.

These bird bounty policies were under pressure at the beginning of the 20th century and the extinction of the passenger pigeon added to the increasing disdain for the practice of birds killed for bounty. In 1940, in response to declines in bald eagle and golden eagle numbers, Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act which made it illegal to kill or capture these birds.

But this was not the end of the pressure on these birds, it was after the bounty killing stopped that the bald eagle suffered most. Following industrialization and the massive growth in industries following World War Two, the eagle was dealt an almost fatal blow when DDT was introduced as an insecticide used in agriculture as well as homes and gardens. DDT is considered the first modern synthetic insecticide, and it was approved by the government for widespread use. Little then was known about the environmental damage and risk to human health it would cause.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, DDT made its way into the waterways, into the food chain and eventually into the bloodstream of species like the bald eagle. In the 1960’s and 70’s efforts had begun to limit the use of DDT driven in part by declining benefits but also by concerns from the burgeoning environmental movement informed by author Rachel Carson who, in writing Silent Spring, described an environmental disaster that nobody saw and nobody heard.

Rachel Carson observed the silence of the skies as the dawn chorus – the morning cacophony of bird song – dimmed and as mating calls, warning calls, and nighttime calls faded into silence. She documented a link between the widespread and broadcast application of DDT to the decline in bird species.

This book was acclaimed as the catalyst of the modern environmental movement. This modern movement succeeded early environmentalism that focused only on protecting wild places through the creation of National Park System. This modern movement cared about these wild places, but it also cared deeply about everyday places, everyday people and once common species.

At this time of environmental awakening, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the EPA and the Endangered Species act all came into force, all advanced during the Nixon administration.

At that time, the prevalence of DDT in the water and the food-chain had caused the population of bald eagles, the most iconic bird in America, to collapse to 417 nesting pairs.

How did DDT do such damage to the bald eagle population? Bald eagles themselves were not being sprayed with DDT so how come there was such a concentration in their bloodstreams? This is due to two processes – bioaccumulation which is the build up of a toxin in an individual organism and biomagnification which is the compounding build up as the toxin moves up the food chain. Because eagles need to consume massive quantities of prey to survive, they ingest more toxins that species lower on the food chain and so suffer more when damaging toxins are released. Research found that levels of DDT in the blood of bald eagles were causing eagles to lay thin shelled eggs that could not withstand an incubation period which caused the population to crash.

DDT was banned in 1972 following scientific evidence that the chemical caused severe environmental and wildlife damage. The Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1973.

In 1976, the bald eagle was listed as endangered in the lower 48. And with a remaining population as low as 400 breeding pairs, fewer than 1,000 birds, its extinction was almost certain.

But today there are more than 300,000 bald eagles across North America.

300,000 eagles in every state except Hawaii. An estimated 500 eagle nests in New Jersey, one of the most urban states in the country while states like Michigan with less urbanization and large areas of fresh water are home to thousands.

So, what was the path from 800 birds to 300,000?

It was a path of collaboration, community, and continuity.

When scientists realized that the remaining birds were laying eggs that would never successfully hatch and fledge, that would never produce young, they knew extinction was around the corner. A species can’t recover if it can’t reproduce.

Scientists in state and federal wildlife departments proposed a novel approach that would use eaglets from successful nests to rebuild the population. This collaboration brought together wildlife scientists and researchers as well as healthy eaglets from Maine, Canada and Alaska where populations were less impacted by DDT.

These eaglets from Maine, Canada and Alaska were transported to places considered safe and suitable for nesting and introduced into the population in two ways, hacking and fostering.

Hacking is a process of hand rearing eaglets towards independence without making them attuned to humans while fostering takes advantage of existing but unsuccessful pairs.

First engineers had to design hacking towers – platforms constructed at the same height and in similar locations to bald eagle nests. These towers allowed the chicks to fledge into the wild while also keeping them safe. It allowed the chicks to be fed without seeing or becoming used to human presence. Hacking was very experimental and untried. Biologists did not know if the eaglets would learn how to hunt without parental training. But the birds did learn to hunt and feed on their own. Hacking was a success.

And for fostering, which was also experimental, scientists removed thin shelled eggs from impacted nest and replaced them with dummy eggs. During the period of normal incubation, the eagles cared for the dummy egg, but four weeks in, scientists would bring a new chick from a captive breeding facility and transplant them into their new home.

Fostering was successful like in New York state where the last remaining pair of bald eagles accepted, cared for and successfully fledged fostered eaglets for 3 years and when the male of this pair died, the female mated with a hacked bird and the pair fostered five more chicks in subsequent years.

Along with biologists, researchers and engineers, landowners also became part of the collaboration since many nests were established on private lands and the recovery effort depended on every single nest being successful regardless of whether it was in parkland, a wildlife refuge or private land. The future of the bald eagle depended on a public private partnership.

Another aspect of this incredible effort was community in the form of volunteers or citizen scientists. With only one and two pairs of eagles remaining, it was important that every nest be monitored which was impossible for under resourced wildlife departments so biologists turned to the public and recruited an army of bald eagle volunteers who monitored every single nest across the breeding and fledging season, a task that spanned months and provided important intelligence to address issues like chicks falling from nests or nests failing from weather.

Through collaboration, community and continuous effort over 30 years – an entire career for many people – this American icon was brought back from the brink of extinction to be de-listed in 2007 and continues to recover and grow in numbers today.

As bald eagle populations are thriving, Tandem Global members contribute to the continued stewardship of this iconic bird across 18 of our WHC-Certified programs. A well-known eagle spotting site and certified program is at DTE’s cooling station at their Monroe Power Plant on the shores of Lake Erie while members like CRH, Freeport-McMoRan, Vulcan, WM and others all monitor nests on their properties.

And it’s not just bald eagles that have benefited from collaborations, so have many other species and ecosystems. Through collaboration, incredible recovery stories for bald eagles, ospreys, bison and wolves have been realized. Through community, coalitions focused on singular outcomes like species recovery have been built and through continuity, intractable problems have been solved.

I see this conference as a community of collaborators solving problems and continuously delivering and driving towards a world with better outcomes for people, nature and the future.

At Tandem Global, we collaborate to achieve everything we do. During our recent Executive Roundtable on AI, Dr. Neelam, a researcher at NASA, said “no one entity has broken it, so no one entity can fix it.” She was talking about water systems in the US and about basin-wide restoration approaches being led by groups like Ecolab for companies and communities to collectively address water stress. But she could have been talking about the recovery of the bald eagle or any of the other intractable problems we face today because… no single entity did or can do it all…not the federal government, not advocacy groups, not scientists and not private philanthropy…as we say here at Tandem Global together always leads to better.

And when we talk about better, the things we point to as impacts for better are the results from our certification applicants. Our WHC Certified numbers are our KPIs for nature – and when consolidated clearly illustrate collaborative impact across space and time.

This certification collaboration has been ongoing for 45 years and has delivered some great results for nature.

This year’s cohort of program applications have been no different delivering results for nature across habitats, species, employees and community. 2025 saw the submission of 284 program applications. With 5 successful NEW program applications this year from Lundin Gold, Boehringer Ingelheim, Suntory Global Spirits and Peckham Industries, this means 279 applications were renewed, maintaining their certification and through continuity adding more value. Of all total applications over 1,000 projects were submitted. As usual the most popular project types this year were Avian Projects followed by Awareness and Community Engagement Projects then Landscape Projects with Grasslands, Pollinators and formal learning all well represented in this year’s cohort.

The 2025 cohort of applications spans 10 countries. It is great to see the spread across north and south America and in Europe.

I want to thank every applicant this year. We know the application process is not the easiest, so we appreciate all the hours you dedicate to maintaining and growing your programs but also to monitoring and submitting your application.

And it wasn’t only applicants that were returning good numbers this past year. Our consulting team supported a total of 213 separate sites in the last year helping members and non-members in all aspects of supporting planning, developing, maintaining or growing a corporate biodiversity program. The team supported 39 different companies with a diverse suite of programs that included Biodiversity Net Impact Assessments, scorecard development, capacity building and integrated social impact support and a variety of customized support services that meet companies where they are on their nature journeys.

The diversity of these engagements allows us to have a finger on the pulse of how the corporate sector is engaging with nature at their locations and also in the corporate offices. We can identify trends that we are seeing in this arena.

We’re identified trends that impact from the enterprise level to the site of operation.

Firstly, we are seeing more companies engaging in net impact assessments at their sites. We have developed a methodology working with CRH to assess Net Impact at 20 quarry sites this year. We look at the baseline and the current state and compare it to the reclamation plan to identify where additional efforts are needed to leave the location with a net positive impact on nature. In some cases, we are seeing that reclamation can move a location from having habitat with low biodiversity values to one with higher biodiversity values than existed in the pre-development state.

We are also seeing increased interest in nature metrics among our members and clients, as more organizations ask us to help identify which indicators are right for their efforts. Our knowledge of our members’ operations and business helps cut through the noise and understand what works for their particular situation. That’s important - with all the different methodologies out there, it’s great to be able to simplify approaches so that the right metrics are collected to assess the right impacts. I am heartened to see this trend as it means that many companies are moving from assessment to action which is critical to create a nature positive future.

When we look at our site support, this year the technical team reviewed 88 project applications prior to submission to help teams deliver their strongest application. They delivered support calls, gap analyses and playbooks to strengthen members’ site-based approaches. They delivered training to build capacity for sites seeking to acquire or retain certification.

Across our members, we are also seeing innovation and action for nature, climate resilience and community impact. With Toyota we continue the work to identify Indicator Species at their facilities. With WM, we continue supporting their micro-forest tree plantings in 3 locations this year. With GM we developed internal scorecards for pollinators and to raise awareness of threatened and endangered species in the regions they operate. Our social impact work with bp, Phillips66, DTE, Marathon and others, continues in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Louisiana and Texas where members are realizing tangible benefits from investing in nature-based solutions with community engagement and support. All told, we innovated and implemented with 39 different companies this past year.

It’s so great that our members never stop innovating for nature as it keeps us busy and creative and happy to help. Much of the innovation at the moment is centered on the many new and interesting uses of tech, so much so that we are standing up a Tandem Global Tech Peer Group with members sharing how they are using tech for wildlife, water, soil health etc. This peer group will become a clearing house of sorts as we work to sift the aspirational nature tech from the use-ready nature teach and highlight practical and realistic use cases.

And innovation does not stop with tech. Innovation is internal to Tandem Global too.

As we grow into our new name and new mission, we are engaging with companies and other stakeholders in new and different ways, all towards moving business and nature together in tandem and in collaboration.

And while collaboration is an important part of a recovery story like the bald eagle, continuity is a critical part of every stewardship story. Like our work in the Great Lakes region to recover a globally rare ecosystem by managing invasive species and promoting connectivity in a fragmented urban landscape.

Along the shores of Lake Michigan, a complex of sandy ridges and parallel shallow channels formed, starting 5,500 years ago with the retreat of glaciers and intermittent periods of drought and varying water levels. This complex is called the dune and swale and is a globally rare ecosystem that exists only along the shores of Lake Michigan. Because of the range of topographies from the high and dry top of the dunes to the wetland bottom of the swales, the diversity of plants and animals, especially birds, in the area is among some of the highest in the country.

But decades of industrialization have fragmented these ecosystems. Ports, steel mills and oil refineries developed in this area as they were easily accessible by ships moving through the great lakes and communities like Gary, Indiana and others were developed to support the burgeoning industry. The ecosystem was almost completely wiped out. But remnants remain that have become even more important to the birds and plants that depend on the habitats provided by the dune and swale. These remnants have been degraded by invasive non-native phragmites and other plants that travel easily across the landscape with corridors for growth provided by roads and railways that crisscross the area. Anyone who knows non-native phragmites knows that it grows in dense stands that push out native plants and alters wetlands hydrology and reduces available habitat for birds and other species. Anyone who has worked with non-native phragmites knows how hard it is to remove once it has taken root.

Along the Calumet River where the remnant dune and swale complexes occur, the phragmites are deeply rooted into the ecosystem, almost to a level where a sane person would throw up their hands in despair and decide to dedicate invasive species resources elsewhere.

Happily, the Tandem Global team is not really sane and have, with the support of a restoration grant from bp become part of a collaboration that is leveraging continuity to show results that are frankly beyond belief. I visited on a recent spring day when the wind and rain were particularly intense but despite the conditions, I was very thrilled to see that the complex of preserves protected by Indiana DNR and being restored in collaboration with Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy and Tandem Global led by Daniel Goldfarb, were for the most part free of phragmites. Across the fenceline from the preserve, phragmites reigned supreme but in the managed lands, early spring flowers and rare sedges were thriving. Our guides told us that upwards of 200 species of birds have been identified in the preserves.

Knowing how difficult it is to eradicate phragmites, I asked how this collaborative effort was successful when others failed. The answer I received was “continuity.” By investing in continuous management and maintenance, by continuously working with the same crews, the effort to eradicate an invasive species has been successful. Typical approaches with resource constrained teams usually see contractors with no real experience of the ecosystems, hired on an ad hoc basis with little or no real understanding of the job at hand beyond the specifics of the herbicide application. But, by collaborating the team is able to hire for continuity, keeping the same crew busy across the seasons and increasing the crew’s knowledge of the ecosystem and the needs of the restoration efforts which in turn increases the success.

To stand in a landscape surrounded by industry and bound by freight rail lines and highways and see such a restored landscape was a pleasure even if the rain poured and the wind roared!

This visit to the preserve in Gary, Indiana is an example of urban habitats and how remnants can become important in restoring nature and in some cases acting as a sentinel against fragmentation and invasive species. In this area, the existence of these relatively large tracts of land are a real advantage but not all urban areas can claim such land but must rely on the nature that appears in the cracks and crevices of an urban landscape.

In urbanized landscapes, we rely on small places to make a big difference. Many Tandem Global members are making big differences in small places by investing in microhabitats. We published a white paper on the topic, highlighting WM’s work creating a micro forest on 14,000 square feet, the size of a youth soccer field at its Harlem Yard transfer station, ITC Holdings transforming rights of way to prairies and Toyota North America creating micro-wetlands with a point one five acre pond to provide a tiny but vital habitat for reptiles, amphibians and other wildlife.

The ability to see these small spaces as having potential for nature requires imagination but also knowledge that many wild plants and animals can thrive in small habitats and also that these small habitats act as steppingstones for species like pollinators and birds that are moving across the landscape. Continuity of effort can ensure that these steppingstones are maintained season by season and year by year.

The work in Gary and other urban areas is an example of continuity and with the world in chaos of one sort or another, this continuity is important but under threat. As our member companies face the head winds of trade wars, commodity price fluctuations, geoeconomic uncertainties that lead to cost containment and other spending restrictions, it’s tempting to seek to disinvest in non-critical items like biodiversity management or habitat restoration efforts but, this would mean abandoning investments that have been delivering returns for decades – maybe not monetary returns but definitely returns for wildlife, for employees, for community members that contribute to bottom lines by reducing risk, maintaining social license to operate and increasing employee retention.

Collaboration and continuity can only achieve so much if community is not involved. This was recognized at the last biodiversity COP, the global meeting for nature, with a major win for indigenous people securing recognition for their community as being a special interest group for nature and with their learning recognized as essential to delivering the nature-positive agenda. Indigenous communities as well as the communities that host your operations all have a stake and all have a role to deliver positive outcomes for nature. Across our 600 plus certification applications, almost 200 applied with a community engagement or training project with quite a few gold and silver certified programs showing community engagement both inside and outside the fenceline.

In urban, suburban and rural areas, community is increasingly playing a key role in habitat and engagement projects. A strong trend we have identified in our interactions with sites and corporate offices is the desire to reach out to communities and engage with community members to share ownership in the efforts and enter into new conversations and relationships with communities that may be impacted by industrial facilities in their neighborhoods.

Earlier this year, Tandem Global worked with Phillips 66 at Hillcrest Park in Lake Charles, Louisiana to create a microhabitat of 7,000 square feet that will address a significant flooding issue in the area while also turning what was park grass into an area that can support significant biodiversity by providing habitat for birds, insects and other species while also adding to the aesthetics of the park overall. Most importantly though it has also served as a community of connections for Phillips 66 employees, local master gardeners and students from McNeese University who will use the microhabitat as an outdoor laboratory to study over seasons and years, how it grows and what species it will attract.

These types of community efforts continue to grow in importance to our corporate members; their employees abut also community residents. It is a clear trend that we are seeing our members seek more integration of their environmental, sustainability, community and social impact investments. This integrated approach speaks to the power of collaborating across corporate fencelines and allows social investment budgets to deliver greater returns and co-benefits site by site and community by community.

And the Tandem Global community continues to grow in its reach.

This past year, we held three Executive Roundtables to support sustainability officers globally – one on collaborative supply chain approaches sponsored by CRH, one on risk management in ESG reporting sponsored by Beveridge and Diamond, and one on AI and how it can enable better environmental management across water, land and nature sponsored by Ecolab. These roundtables are an important part of the conversation to enable cross-sectoral exchange of views, ideas and innovations.

This year, we also kicked off the latest round of our Empower Innovation Challenge, a U.S. state department grant designed to build capacity in micro-, small- and medium sized enterprises in south and central America. I’m just back from a summit of the groups selected to provide the training and found excitement across the board to build resilient small businesses whether they be in tech, agriculture, coffee, cacao or artisans becoming entrepreneurs and accessing new markets. To date this program has delivered training and tools to 97 MSMEs through training activities focused on business development, proposal development, sustainability, and improved management practices. So far, 59 MSMEs reported improved management practices, adoption of new technologies, and increased access to finance due to the training which has resulted in the creation of 6 full-time equivalent jobs – something material to a micro- and small-sized enterprise.

In other grant-funded news, we must mention a multi-year collaboration happening with Green Latinos, with East Chicago Parks and Recreation, Bishop Noll Institute, the Student Conservation Association, and others. With support from the USFS, this collaborative has installed nature-based solutions to address environmental challenges in the area. Each member of the collaboration brings something to ensure impact. East Chicago Parks has the land; the student conservation association has the workforce and the students from Bishop Noll institute have the curiosity to learn and act. Stakeholders from multiple sectors are a community collaborating for place-based investments. Similar efforts in Detroit have seen nature-based solutions at a steel mill, an oil refinery and in neighborhoods.

These efforts show that place continues to be critical to the work we do, whether it’s the collaboration with Green Latinos in East Chicago, training for small businesses across Latin America, conservation assessments in North America or capacity building in the EU, most everything we do is based in place, in the lands and waters that need support and in the companies, classrooms, communities and cities that offer the support in whatever form it takes.

Collaboration, community, and continuity delivered one of the best feel-good nature stories of the year this year.

I don’t know if you saw this on the news this year, but a group of scientists published a paper where they described witnessing the live birth of a sperm whale off the coast of Dominica in 2023, recording both audio and video, showing how whales work together and communicated during the birthing.

The scientists observed through drone technology, that the female who was giving birth was supported by other females in the group and the support didn’t depend on a familial relationship just a community relationship. When the newborn whale emerged from its mother 4-6 other whales collaborated to nuzzle and cuddle the newborn, rolling it between their heads and bodies. They took turns lifting the young whale into the air for it to get oxygen time and again until the whale started swimming. Audio was also captured that documented an intense uptick in whale clicks during the period of birthing – the whales communicating urgently with each other as they collaborated on this community birth. A biologist not involved in the story, Mauricio Cantor from Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute told CNN, “What stands out is just how collective the process is. In sperm whales, it’s now very clear that birth isn’t just a mother – calf event — it’s a group effort.”

Today I’ve tried to focus on positive conservation stories – species recovery, ecosystem restoration, whales having babies. It doesn’t mean that the biodiversity crisis has abated, it has not. CEOs across the world see biodiversity loss as the number 2 long term risk according to this year’s Global Risk Report from the World Economic Forum. While it’s heartening to see the recognition of the risk, it worries me that it’s always cited as a long horizon risk, never a near-term one. In Ireland we call that “putting it on the long finger” from the saying - “If you put everything on the long finger, then the long finger will become too short.” i.e., if you keep postponing things then there won’t be enough time left to act.

This is the danger of viewing the biodiversity crisis as a long-term risk – we will run out of the long term.

To address some of this long-termism, the international body that oversees the global knowledge about the threats to nature, the Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services – IPBES - published a long-awaited report this year on business and biodiversity. In it, the body of experts fully, completely and without hesitation states that business depends on nature, that business has an impact on nature, and that business has a key role to play in bringing about a nature-positive future.

One of the high-level findings is that business can be an agent for change. The report says that because businesses are highly influential and can move quickly when motivated, informed, and enabled to do so, they can be agents for positive change. But the report also goes on to say that the enabling conditions are not in place for this to happen in a systemic way. Worldwide, $2.4 trillion dollars of public money is spent on subsidies – tax breaks etc. – that harm nature while only $20 billion in public and private finance is directed towards conservation and sustainable use of nature. If you’re like me and can’t visualize billions and trillions it means that that less than 1% of the spending that harms nature is spent to support nature. That’s hardly a fair fight.

To create the right conditions for change, we need to radically change a regulatory framework that does not support nature, a financial system that rewards harm and our social values that fail to recognize the true cost of nature loss. We need to create technology and data to make restoration and recovery easier to measure and develop the capacity and knowledge for all to act. To effect these changes, we need collaboration across government, finance, business and civil society.

When it comes to action on the ground the report authors ask business to do three things – establish corporate governance to set direction and enable actions to improve biodiversity, implement actions at operations to deliver positive outcomes for biodiversity at the site and landscape level, and implement actions for the value chain to address impacts and dependencies.

These three action items are the meat and potatoes of our work and of your work and we’re here today and tomorrow to celebrate the positive outcomes at the site and landscape level and also to encourage stronger top-down support and increased resources for more action at operations and along the value chain.

This is not a community that puts biodiversity on the long finger but that recognizes that action today is needed for benefits tomorrow and that from the smallest micro habitats to the most expansive landscape approaches, every effort is needed to move us towards a nature positive future.

At Tandem Global we collaborate, we create community, and we continue because we are inspired by the resilience of the bald eagle, the poetry of birthing whales or the unexpected sight of wildflowers among the train tracks. We – which means everyone in this room – are building a future that we can be proud of and when this country celebrates its 300th anniversary, the stories will be about thriving nature, restored habitats, and resilient communities.

Thank you

Guiding Stars: New Guidance on Alcohol

Guiding Stars Licensing Company LLC — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:15:00 -0400

Originally published on Guiding Stars Health & Nutrition News

Earlier this year, I wrote about Dry January and the growing sober curious movement. Halfway through 2026, trusted health organizations are backing this trend with updated guidance and new research. Summer days are marked by barbecues and beach days, often paired with seasonal beverages. So it’s a good time to highlight these revised recommendations. If it’s all new to you, and your own intake exceeds recommendations, maybe it’s also a good time to consider Dry (or “Damp”) July.

Definition of a Standard Drink

Let’s begin by reviewing the definition of a standard drink. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, a standard drink (in the US) contains about 14 grams (0.6 fluid ounces) of pure alcohol. This looks like:

A 5-ounce glass of wine at 12% alcohol by volume
A 1.5-ounce shot glass of distilled spirits at 40% alcohol by volume
A 12-ounce regular beer at 5% alcohol by volume*

*Some craft beers are as much as 10% alcohol by volume, making 12 ounces the equivalent of two standard drinks. The same goes for many canned cocktails.

Alcohol Consumption Guidance

Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies, Rutgers University

Last month, the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs published the results of a new study on alcohol intake. Using weekly consumption reports, investigators examined the per-occasion impact on a person’s health. The goal was to understand the connection between alcohol consumption and morbidity and mortality in the US. The authors concluded that alcohol consumption should be limited to one drink per day or less to lower risk of developing health issues.

American Heart Association

The American Heart Association (AHA) has also updated their guidance on alcohol intake. In a new scientific statement, the AHA highlights the challenges of studying the impacts of low/moderate drinking. Previous advice suggested that some alcohols (like red wine) may be beneficial. However, the AHA has determined that recommending alcohol intake as part of a healthy lifestyle is no longer valid. More importantly, binge drinking, or consuming on average more than three drinks a day, often aligns with elevated blood pressure and increased risk for cardiovascular events. Given the definition of a standard drink, it’s not uncommon for an individual to have three drinks on one occasion. This AHA guidance was underscored in updated recommendations released earlier this year. They simply stated that if you aren’t presently drinking alcohol, don’t start. And if you are, limit your intake.

American Cancer Society

Alcohol is classified as a class #1 carcinogen (the highest risk group), and linked to seven different types of cancer. For this reason, the American Cancer Society recommends limiting intake to no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks a day for men. For breast cancer prevention, specifically, women should limit or abstain from alcohol altogether to lower risk.

Additional Research

Women’s Health

Alcohol impacts women in particular in many other ways, including negative effects on heart, liver, and brain health. Alcohol intake also worsens menopause symptoms, causing higher frequency and intensity of hot flashes, along with greater potential for weight gain and poor sleep. Regular or heavy drinking also negatively affects bone health. Current guidelines recommend that women limit intake to one standard drink/day (maximum seven drinks/week) to lower risk.

Brain Health

Studies published over the past several years have connected moderate and heavy drinking with cognitive decline. The impacts on brain health include accelerated aging and increased inflammatory markers. Alcohol has also been shown to increase risk of dementia and other brain disorders. This includes Alzheimer’s Disease, which progresses faster with heavy drinking (defined as eight drinks per week).

If you’re looking for something special to serve this summer that’s refreshing, but non-alcoholic, try one of these:

Cucumber Lemon Kombucha Mocktail

Tropical Ginger Punch

1 Guiding Stars

View recipe »

Blueberry-Basil Tea Spritzer

3 Guiding Stars

View recipe »

About Guiding Stars

Guiding Stars is an objective, evidence-based, nutrition guidance program that evaluates foods and beverages to make nutritious choices simple. Products that meet transparent nutrition criteria earn a 1, 2, or 3 star rating for good, better, and best nutrition. Guiding Stars can be found in more than 2,000 grocery stores, in Circana' Attribute Marketplace, and through the Guiding Stars Food Finder app.

Image by Freepik

Industry Leaders Join New Advisory Council

Cascale — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:45:00 -0400

AMSTERDAM and HONG KONG and OAKLAND, Calif., July 7, 2026 /3BL/ - Cascale today announced the establishment of its Membership & Stakeholder Advisory Council (MAC), a new governance body designed to strengthen how member and stakeholder perspectives inform the organization's strategy, engagement priorities, and collective action efforts. By bringing together leaders from across brands, manufacturers, affiliates, and stakeholder organizations, the MAC strengthens Cascale's ability to convene the industry around shared challenges and accelerate collective action toward climate and social goals.

The inaugural MAC includes member representatives and external experts from organizations including ALGI, bluesign technologies, Centric Brands, CIEL Textile, Crystal International, Dunelm PLC, ITL Holdings Ltd., la Vie en Rose, lululemon athletica, Recover, TAL Apparel Ltd., and the Outdoor Industry Association, alongside additional organizations from across the consumer goods industry. Together, these leaders bring perspectives spanning brands, manufacturers, affiliates, and stakeholder organizations. The Council is chaired by former Fair Wear Executive Director Alexander Kohnstamm.

The establishment of the MAC marks another milestone in Cascale’s governance evolution, building on the launch of the Technical Advisory Council (TAC) earlier this year. Together, these advisory councils create clearer pathways for participation and strategic input, helping ensure Cascale’s work benefits from both technical expertise and broad stakeholder perspectives.

The MAC will provide strategic recommendations on membership engagement, public affairs, and programs that scale collective action across the industry. In its inaugural year, the Council is expected to advise on topics such as improvements to the member experience, strategic guidance for Cascale’s decarbonization work, and other priorities identified by the Council. By strengthening how member and stakeholder perspectives inform strategic decisions, the MAC helps ensure Cascale remains a trusted, representative partner for industry collaboration.

As sustainability expectations continue to increase, effective collective action depends on strong governance, broad representation, and meaningful stakeholder engagement. The MAC provides a structured forum for member and stakeholder perspectives to help inform how Cascale engages its community, advances shared priorities, and develops programs that drive measurable industry progress.

“Strong governance depends on creating meaningful pathways for participation and perspective,” said Nikki Wood, director, governance, Cascale. “The MAC expands how members and stakeholders can contribute strategic insight to Cascale’s work, helping ensure our engagement, public affairs, and collective action efforts remain relevant, representative, and responsive to industry needs.”

“Effective collective action requires more than shared ambition — it requires clear common purpose, based on governance structures that bring diverse perspectives together,” said Alexander Kohnstamm, chair of Cascale’s Membership & Stakeholder Advisory Council. “I’m looking forward to helping the MAC create space for thoughtful dialogue and strategic recommendations that strengthen Cascale’s impact across the value chain.”

The establishment of the Membership & Stakeholder Advisory Council reinforces Cascale's commitment to collaborative, transparent, and representative governance. As the organization continues to evolve, the MAC will help ensure that diverse perspectives from across the consumer goods value chain inform the decisions, partnerships, and collective action needed to accelerate meaningful environmental and social progress.

For more information about Cascale governance, visit www.cascale.org/about-us/governance/.

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AI, Data Centres, and Climate Tech Governance

SAP — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:20:00 -0400

Sophia Mendelsohn: [00:00:00] AI's capabilities are entirely inseparable from data centres. And data centres are inseparable from land, water, power, waste, heat at scale. Most credible projections assume demand will keep rising. Demand for electricity, demand for those precious natural resources will keep rising. So framing AI as sort of just software allows leaders to defer the hard infrastructure question a little bit. And that deferral is a governance failure.

Tom Raftery: That's the crux of this conversation. AI's promise is real, but the choices around it are already becoming business, climate, and governance decisions. Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, [00:01:00] where everywhere in the world, this is Climate Confident Stories and Strategies that cut Emissions Episode 284, and I'm your host, Tom Raftery.

My guest today is Sophia Mendelsohn, who leads SAP's Global Sustainability Platform. We talk about how sustainability teams can move beyond PDFs and carbon accounting and into procurement, supplier data, financial planning, and the decisions that shape AI before those systems lock in.

So I began by asking Sophia how sustainability and commercial growth come together. And very quickly the conversation moved to the infrastructure reality behind AI.

Sophia, welcome to the podcast.

Would you like to introduce yourself?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Yeah. Thank you Tom. Thank you to everyone giving us their time to listen. I am Sophia. I run SAP's Global Sustainability [00:02:00] Platform, including corporate as well as the products and solutions that help others also execute their sustainability.

Tom Raftery: Interesting. And so you sit across both sustainability and commercial growth. How do those two worlds come together for you?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Well, they come together through ensuring that we know exactly what needs to be done in the world of sustainability. In technology, there is a philosophy that the closer you are to the problem, the closer you are to the people and teams executing on that problem, the better off the solution.

Tom Raftery: And was there a moment for you when these two worlds stopped feeling separate?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Oh, these worlds were never separate to me. I've been a Chief Sustainability Officer three times. I've been in this space over 20 years. [00:03:00] I know that the major challenge for sustainability teams are putting those precious time and resources from the wrong space to the right space. Sustainability teams don't get outta bed in the the morning gung ho to create PDFs.

They're not excited, right? About counting things that they don't see the world valuing. No. We want to use technology and automation to build up the governance, the infrastructure, the accounting, the carbon accounting elements in particular as quickly as possible, and free the sustainability teams to get to the change management work.

Tom Raftery: And let's get into the tension because this is where things get interesting. AI, AI is not a weightless. So what are most leaders still getting wrong about AI and sustainability?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Yeah. And you're [00:04:00] right, Tom. Tension is where things get interesting, right? And sustainability professionals, and those in the world of climate solutions sit at attention, have volunteered, have put their hand up to be part of that tension. And the same goes for AI, right?

So first and foremost, let's establish two basic facts. One, AI's capabilities are entirely inseparable from data centres. And data centres are inseparable from land, water, power, waste, heat at scale. So most credible projections assume demand will keep rising. Demand for electricity, demand for those precious natural resources will keep rising. These are engineering constraints within real geographic regulatory and community dimensions, In SAP's own integrated report in 2025, we acknowledge that the growing demand [00:05:00] for energy due due to increasing use of AI could have a negative effect on GHG emissions. We see the same from the World Economic Forum, but the upside is also real.

So is the downside. So framing AI as sort of just software allows leaders to defer the hard infrastructure question a little bit. And that deferral is a governance failure, right? So if we're going to talk about AI, we're also gonna have to talk about sustainability.

Tom Raftery: Okay. And obviously as you said, people think that AI is just software, but what changes when we treat it as physical infrastructure?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Mm.

Tom when we see AI as physical infrastructure, right? The data centre comes in to focus, and this is structurally identical to [00:06:00] what mining and energy companies have navigated for centuries. The discipline built to manage all that contradiction, all that tension that we talked about earlier is called sustainability.

The difference is that the technology centre is arriving at this realisation now, right? As this technology builds and grows and brings benefits to us, whereas mill and mining and other traditional energy industries had a hundred, a hundred and fifty plus years to deal with it. This is like watching history in fast forward.

Tom Raftery: Right. Well then where do you see the real business stakes if companies get this wrong?

Sophia Mendelsohn: There are real business advantages at stake AI can bring, and it has already brung, immense benefit and changes to companies. There is no company that's gonna leave [00:07:00] that advantage on the table. So we are all opting in to proactive, conscious, additional resource consumption. And if we seek only the benefits without counterbalancing the reality of investment for those benefits, what supports the business case will eventually falter.

We will eventually come full circle to the need to say, we want the benefits of AI. That means investing in understanding the unwanted externalities as well as the resource consumption going into it, and investing in building up the accounting and governance infrastructure to support that.

Tom Raftery: And then when we think about reporting and decision control, when does sustainability stop being a reporting exercise? Those PDFs you referred to and become a [00:08:00] decision rule inside the business?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Mm, today, please, Tom, let it be today. There's a historical perception of sustainability as a reporting function. And that is a liability at this moment. Sustainability, friends do not approach AI the way we approached ESG reporting, We do not want to be bean counters of carbon and water associated with AI while missing the largest technical opportunity to advance a balanced economy that we've seen in our lifetime.

And I'll, I'll make a pitch directly to my fellow sustainability leaders here, right? You bring three capabilities that are necessary for your organisation to scale and grow and benefit from AI. So, you know, one, how to manage resource constraint management. [00:09:00] Two, you know how to do multi-stakeholder engagement.

And three, you understand how to administer the social licence to operate.

Tom Raftery: To what end?

Sophia Mendelsohn: To the end of being able to use AI within planetary boundaries, within social acceptance, and within the benefit of your own company's understanding of the ROI of the technology. Right? So I think, Tom, we're already seeing this a little bit, and you know, podcasts live on far past the moment they're recorded.

But if we take ourselves into this moment for a second, with every technology, with every trend, there's a hype cycle, right? We saw it with sustainability as well. And within the upward initial curve of that hype cycle, there's a temptation to disregard any [00:10:00] consequence of the new topic, to not consider the pros and cons, the different stakeholder groups.

And without that consideration, you get what Gartner, which is a major analyst in the technology industry, refers to as a hype curve or a hype cycle that then comes crashing down much faster. And organisations, companies, they do best with sort of slow, stable improvements that then continue in an upward trajectory.

And I would argue as a corporate professional, any sustainability executive or team member who's opted in to a company structure, we have a fiduciary responsibility to help our organisations not just get the fastest return on AI as a technology, but the most consistent and sustained. And that's what we're seeing happening right now.

When you're deep in it like I am, you see [00:11:00] organisations realise like, Hey man, tokens actually cost money and maybe we should hold the outcomes of AI to any other investment we would make. Show me the benefit to my people. Show me the benefit to my business.

How do I create a quantifiable outcome for this? That's the side of the equation sustainability wants to be on. What are the benefits to materials R&D? What are the benefits to new technology that do help us live in planetary boundaries? You do not wanna be on the side of the equation of tallying up the bill and then going, oh gee whiz, we don't know how to solve it, so use less of it.

Tom Raftery: And obviously then we gotta get into the issue, the thorny issue of data. Because if AI is making recommendations from [00:12:00] fragmented sustainability data, what goes wrong? Are we likely to be making bad decisions just more efficiently?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Well, as has been said many times before, AI is a reflection of ourselves. It's a reflection of what we've done. It's a reflection of how we train it. And what's clear in the business world is that we have an inherent bias towards the short term, very understandably. So if we train AI to do business case analysis, for example, as seeing sustainability as inherently, moral or inherently for a greater good outside of our business structure, and AI is inherently within the business structure because it creates efficiency. You'll get the wrong answer.

And it's worth, Tom, if I may, before you ask me another question, just pause here for one second, folks, because the sustainability [00:13:00] elements we're talking about here are very short term. Community backlash against data centres holding up hundreds of billions of dollars of investment that is real today. Concern about energy and water use in local communities and social licence to buy in onto data centres real today. And likewise, if you think you can create a beneficial business case or a superior analysis for an organisation without considering the changes in natural resources, without considering supply chain, you'd be grossly mistaken.

It would be like trying to buy olive oil without seeing what olive oil and olive farmers are saying in Greece. Or it would be like looking at cacao without noticing the trends of cacao prices and droughts in Africa.

Tom Raftery: Mm-hmm. As a guy based in the south of Spain, [00:14:00] in the middle of olive country, I do have to point out that Spain is the world's largest exporter of olive oil, but the Italians get all the credit.

Sophia Mendelsohn: That's okay. And so, so Tom, if I may ask you a question, right? You sit at a country already feeling the effects of climate change, I think with, a proud history, of things like olive oil. And is there a global, or social, I should say, is there a community-wide dialogue about the effects of olive oil in Spain?

Tom Raftery: I mean, there is, but only because it's massively consumed here, as well as produced here. So if you remember, two years ago, two summers ago, so summer 24, the year before that, again, 23, we had a significant drought here. So the olive oil harvest dropped by about 40%. And so the price two years ago, [00:15:00] so six months after, the price in summer 24 of olive oil went from about, five euros a litre to between 10 and 12 euros, a litre for extra virgin olive oil. So in that scenario, yes, it is very, very close to people's, attention span, but it's gone back down now again. It's, it's at about five again per litre. Now it's quite variable, and so we'll have to see what it's like next year after this summer because, and, and this summer, even after, because with the El Nino effect coming in, there's a large possibility that we'll have a, a drought again next year, next summer.

So the year after the, the harvest may be impacted again. We're quite lucky this year because we had a very wet winter. And so, the olive harvest should be good this year.

Sophia Mendelsohn: And so that's, that's exactly the question. I, is that a sustainable way for an organisation to go on? As sustainability professionals, when we see that our [00:16:00] communities or companies are exposed to price fluctuation at this rate, is our job to say, this is how much emissions came out of an AI data centre, or is our job to say, this is how much emissions came out of a data centre.

Now let's make dang sure, we reduce past that through additional benefits. I don't mean just direct carbon capture offsets, which are an important part of the equation, but I mean in the ability for sustainability professionals to use AI to talk about baseline and shifting baseline, right. We are also in a moment in time as this podcast is happening right now where gas prices all over the world are going up and down in geopolitics, and I'm constantly asked, oh, is this it?

Is this where sustainability is coming back? Is this where we see the return in the pendulum swing? And I'm like, heck no. These are short term things. Olive oil prices went [00:17:00] back down, gas prices will go back down. It is about pointing out the sustained disadvantage, the sustained volatility, the sustainability professional, using AI to understand and quantify that risk for their organisation so that we can use AI to create a living intelligent institutional memory for the decision makers in our companies that goes beyond what olive oil or gas costs today.

Tom Raftery: Sure. Sure, sure. And in terms of the, social licence that you talk about, is the constraint more likely to come from communities, or regulators, or customers, or employees, or someone else entirely, or all of the above, or it depends?

Sophia Mendelsohn: So let's start with what social [00:18:00] licence to operate even is. Social licence to operate is sort of the informal permissions granted by communities, customers, and workforces for a company to operate. It's different than legal compliance. So right now for AI, we see this popping into three places. One, the communities hosting the infrastructure.

Two, the enterprise customers whose own stakeholders scrutinise their technology choices. And three employees who must trust the systems they're being asked to use daily.

Tom Raftery: And obviously we're seeing a lot of companies racing into AI, but governance, as you referred to earlier is lagging. So why is accountability so hard to assign?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Why is accountability so hard to assign? It's so true.

Accountability for ethical AI and AI and [00:19:00] sustainability challenges our conventional organisational structures. It challenges the typical boxes we like to put people and ideas in, So AI typically sits in technology and now we need it to sit alongside technology, people, and environment. There's no ability to say we want to work on re reducing emissions, but we're not gonna reflect on perception of data centres.

Tom Raftery: And what's the cost of waiting until after deployment to govern AI properly?

Sophia Mendelsohn: The cost of waiting for sustainability to engage in AI will be the missed opportunity, This is our window of opportunity to say how you design a [00:20:00] chip for water consumption matters. This is our opportunity to say, no, I do care which data centre my resources for my AI use cases and my token consumption are being pulled from.

And I would like to know that that data centre is covered by renewable energy, either in the local market or through some type of market based measure. This is when whole new worlds of procurement are taking shape. And I would implore my sustainability coworkers do not use this moment debating or reporting out on how much AI emissions increase your scope 3. Yeah do that. To be clear, Tom, for the comments, do that, please do that because we are the accountants and record holders. Do [00:21:00] that, but also go to procurement. Go to your global risk function and say, we are now signing new contracts for the first time. We have new companies new types of companies asking us to engage with them for the first time.

Now is the time to bring sustainability to the negotiating table and say, if you want us to go with your data centre, if you want us to go with your forward deployed engineering teams, talk to us about how you are gonna control for water, land, and energy consumption. So I know my brand is not exposed. I know my Scope 3 isn't exposed, and I know you have a way to control costs in the long term.

Today is the period to ask questions because the system will solidify itself. It will calcify into something that scales and the [00:22:00] messages that the market gives now to those organising and decision makers are what will be entrenched in the larger governance system for the years to come.

Tom Raftery: So what you're saying there is that sustainability teams are not best placed to solve this alone, they need a broader coalition.

Sophia Mendelsohn: Oh, good Lord. I've never seen anyone solve anything alone. And when it comes to AI, while sort of the act of coding or vibe coding can be very individual, the act of applying the outcomes of that coding to society is perhaps more social and communal than anything we've seen in recent times.

Tom Raftery: And where have you changed your mind on responsible AI or sustainability over the last year?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Oh, Tom, it's a hell of [00:23:00] a question. where have I changed my mind on sustainability and AI over the past year? I have gone from thinking that we could look at energy consumption and direct carbon air capture and market-based measures alone to really seeing AI as a gift to sustainability teams because we now also have a tool to calculate externalities. We now also have a tool to create the assumptions and data sets that we need. And let's just take Scope 3 for an instance. Okay. I'm assuming everyone listening to something like this knows about Scope 3.

Scope 3 is based on the belief that if you ask, you will get information back. That is not correct, right? We know what it looks like inside a supply chain. You could ask and not get an answer. By the way, [00:24:00] shout out to the sustainability community on LinkedIn for their hilarious gifs, and JPEGs on Scope 3 emissions and asking for suppliers for information and not getting responses back.

But with AI, there's the ability to generate that information for yourself and say, dear supplier, is this right or wrong? And you have the opportunity to prove it to me otherwise, but I'm gonna go forward and say, this is your carbon footprint, this is your product carbon footprint, and I'm expecting you to minimise that.

I would also say, let's talk about sustainability, AI and investors. Okay, so slightly different headspace, gear change for our conversation, but an important one. I spend time with investor relations. I spend time with investors. And what AI is making clear in that space is that investors have [00:25:00] the opportunity to model scenario plans and different potential outcomes as much, if not more, than the company and the portfolio themselves. So this is a huge cue for sustainability professionals, Do not remain the asker for information. Transition to becoming the calculator of the information with AI in your own hands, and then pressure testing if that works with your stakeholders.

But establishing for your own organisation, a net new amount of data, a net new baseline. And Tom, that baseline is so important because baselines within human psychology and human nature are shown to shift about every two years. So I'm [00:26:00] sitting outside right now. It's hotter than it historically has been, but I'm not really processing that because it's been hotter than historical averages in the summer where I am for the past two years. My baseline has already shifted. Actually even now, socially acceptable olive oil prices are probably higher than they would be without climate change. But the Spanish baseline for what is acceptable to pay for olive oil has already shifted. Right?

And then we look for all these other ways to compensate for that, ways to cure the symptoms rather than the root cause. And if sustainability professionals are able to use AI to scenario plan what their company's supply chain looks like in the foreground, or go back to the background and say, Hey, that supplier that went out of business, or that spike we saw in automotive parts that was related to historical flooding in Thailand X number of years ago.

And by the way, those [00:27:00] prices came back down, but they never came back down to the same baseline before that climate crisis moment. Right now we're having a conversation.

Tom Raftery: Sure. Sure, sure. And so then what does it mean to build sustainability into AI decisions as opposed to bolting it on afterwards?

Sophia Mendelsohn: To build sustainability into AI decisions rather than bolt on after, means to consider the entire equation of AI and sustainability as a return on investment. We are investing a certain amount of human capital, land use, water use, and energy use into a net new technology. What is the return on investment for your organisation, for the community you're from and for the long term objective you might be trying to achieve? In this case, I would say a low carbon circular economy that can still grow and thrive and support more and more people.

And [00:28:00] right now, dear sustainability professionals in your organisation, that calculation is being taken at the board level with the CEO level. And the return, or the outcomes are being listed. We get through this workflow faster. We eliminate this cost. We get this type of information that helps us grow in new markets.

We increase margin because of AI,

Tom Raftery: Hmm.

Sophia Mendelsohn: And our job is to make sure that sustainability outcomes are added to those returns, right? So the investment is being made already. The dollars are being spent. Now, our job is not to count the impact of the dollars spent alone. It is also to make sure that outcomes include the objectives of the [00:29:00] sustainability team within that organisation.

And then once you're in that return on investment conversation, and you're looking not just at, for example, margin, decrease through more efficient processes in the factories, but also the ability to use AI to rethink R&D for packaging, and reduction in packaging fines, fees, and just sheer amount of plastic used. Now, you're part of the benefits conversation for the business.

And you're earning your seat at the table by articulating an outcome that your organisation should receive for investing in AI and changing the balance of equation. This much money spent, this many more benefits, and that is a much stronger place to then go ahead and continue to address land use, emissions, and water from, rather than being the bean [00:30:00] counter or the one trying to stop or pull back on a technology per se.

Tom Raftery: And can you give me, one practical decision that AI could improve if sustainability data were properly included?

Sophia Mendelsohn: AI plus sustainability can bring real benefits immediately. Let's imagine you are a beauty company, right? And you're selling perfume. Perfumes are actually made of natural ingredients, very beautiful natural elements like vanilla and rose petals, These are precious inputs to your commercial product.

In the past, a corporate sustainability professional would've had to pay sort of X dollars to a consultant to go through a complicated scenario analysis per raw ingredient, and then get it back as a PowerPoint [00:31:00] to try and pitch to the product team about why they should care about how hot it is where you grow rose petals.

Now for every input into that perfume, you can run a scenario of how endangered that ingredient is, what could be done with local communities to protect that commercial input and cost to your commercial product, how you might need to pay more for shade grown ingredients rather than regular, and how you might need to compensate for that cost by changing the packaging and turning around and going to the packaging manager and saying, let's rethink our R&D on this.

Let's see if we can get plastic out or switch from glass to plastic in a different type of example to bring cost down and then go to the marketing department and say, dear marketing, [00:32:00] you've always assumed that the driving force of this perfume was how it looked on the shelf. Now let's test that, right?

We can use AI to do many, much more virtual outreach and prove that actually maybe there's more customer engagement in changing the packaging, for example, to recycled packaging or a material made of plastic harvested and saved and pulled out of the oceans. And there's an engagement story there as beauty companies I've spoken to have seen as sneaker companies I've spoken to have seen.

And it allows the sustainability professional to go department by department in the value chain of whatever their organisation sells and say, let me help you rethink our assumptions, because now we have the budget and bandwidth to do it.

Tom Raftery: Nice. And what changes then when carbon [00:33:00] moves from sustainability report into financial planning?

Sophia Mendelsohn: When carbon moves from your PDF report to your true financial plan, the first thing you do is make it approachable for your colleagues, right?

They're not thinking in scopes, they're thinking at the group level, they're thinking at the enterprise level, the country level, the P&L level, the portfolio level, and ultimately the SKU or product level. So if you are going to approach someone with an ask, a desire for investment and change, we gotta be speaking the same language as them.

And because it's you with the ask, we're gonna speak their language? After it becomes approachable, you can make it relevant. What does this have to do with me? What does this have to do with my iPhone instead of with Apple and the memory of Steve Jobs? And then you can begin to scenario plan for it, right? More and more of the world has a [00:34:00] price on carbon.

We see the cost and polluter plays principles being distributed to companies as voters and their elected officials are reluctant to put on general costs in a high inflationary environment. And companies need to be able to account for what is in their product and negotiate with the regulators or the equivalent of the tax man and say, this is how much we have in there and this is how much we don't.

And you need that topic to have been approachable and relevant to your colleagues first, if you're then gonna do that.

Tom Raftery: And can you turn this whole argument into one sentence a CEO would remember?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Well, Tom, if I had to give a CEO one sentence to remember, I would start it with a compliment.

I would say [00:35:00] as the most intelligent and experienced person in the room. You have been through waves of excitement about change in technology before, and you know that the organisations that get the most sustained benefit from that change are the ones that bring multiple stakeholders in from across the company to determine the best outcomes for themselves, and then blend and prioritise them for investment.

Having sustainability in that blend of outcomes not only gets you an additional outcome, it protects all the others.

Tom Raftery: Lovely.

So can you take this, Sophia, from where we are at kind of ground level now to going up 3000, 5,000 a hundred thousand feet. [00:36:00] Give us your overview of it.

Sophia Mendelsohn: Sure. So in the immediate right at the 30,000 foot level, this is headed towards the sustainability team, making sure they are canvassing their organisation to understand who is spending what on AI and determining how sustainability could be an additional advantage of that. Let me give you one really clear example on that, Tom, for the short term, right?

We have one company in the technology space, the consumer goods technology space, using AI to better answer questions they receive from their clients as a vendor, and the vendor questions they have. At first, they were just answering questions about price. When we engaged the sustainability team with them, they were able to quickly and automatically calculate thousands of product carbon footprints across multiple [00:37:00] locations.

Each location of course, having its own special different process and say, this is the price and these are the additional benefits and attributes we give you at the product level of what you're asking for. So the ability to generate an additional return on investment, an additional listed outcome in the short term. And then in the medium term, there's the protection of the resources as we've discussed many times. There's also the protection of the company, Hey company, you're signing up for a lot of money. That's a lot of spend. Company, we should think about what we could ask for while engaged in that spend, or what additional costs to that spend might be.

And then at the highest level, that a hundred thousand foot level, the sustainability professionals should get excited how much data [00:38:00] and points of view this will be able to calculate for them on their existing budget and what type of tools that can literally put in their hands to go back to their stakeholders and say, your baseline is shifting and you don't even know it, but I got the data to help you track that now.

And I have views on where it's going.

Tom Raftery: Okay, great. For people who are listening to this, Sophia, who want to act on this, where should they start?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Well, Tom, I'll, I'll answer that question as a leader, What do I hope my team members come to me with from AI on where to get started, my customers come to me on where to get started, and our regulators, or elected officials and other stakeholders and influencers like the media. So for the team member, we want the team member to get started with AI by canvassing their organisation, understanding where it's in [00:39:00] use for what purpose, and determining if there can be an additional outcome related to sustainability or additional protection added to that. And using a balanced equation, using AI tools to make a data-driven argument that used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars of consultants and now doesn't. And that's something my own team's done and that I've seen for myself.

Tom Raftery: Okay.

Sophia Mendelsohn: For my customers, we're seeing them say, Hey, I didn't have this information from my supply chain before, and even when I did get it, I didn't believe it.

But now with your tools, I'm able to calculate it for myself and work from that place rather than waiting for the world to come up.

And for stakeholders, be them media or influence or regulators to understand that AI is an infrastructure question and a social buy-in question as much as it is a technology [00:40:00] question.

Tom Raftery: A left field question for you, Sophia. If you could have any person or character, alive or dead, real or fictional as a champion for sustainable AI at scale, who it be and why?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Well, I am sitting in a field, and if I look to my left and I had to imagine a historical figure coming or a fictional figure, I would choose the Greek goddess Athena, because Athena knew that you had to get in the mix if you wanted to apply your wisdom. In every story, both Athena and the sustainability professional refuse to be passive accountants of the change, but determine how it should be designed [00:41:00] for what outcome, at what cost.

Tom Raftery: Very good. Lovely. I like it.

So, Sophia, if people would like to know more about yourself or any of the things we discussed on the podcast today, where would you have me direct them?

Sophia Mendelsohn: Oh SAP. Sustainability. I used to give a website address, but you know, now you can just put it into your agent. Tom, for anyone who wants to continue the dialogue and go deeper, I am engaging on LinkedIn on exactly this topic.

Tom Raftery: Great. I'll put your LinkedIn details in the show notes and everyone will have

access to them.

Sophia Mendelsohn: Thanks.

Tom Raftery: Sophia, that's been fascinating. Thanks somebody for coming on the podcast

today.

Sophia Mendelsohn: Thanks Tom.

[00:42:00]

Honoring Local Bravery at the 24th American Red Cross Heroes Breakfast

Motorola Solutions — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:30:00 -0400

Bravery often lives in a single, split-second decision. At the 24th Annual American Red Cross Heroes Breakfast in Chicago on May 6, community leaders, supporters and partners gathered to honor those rare individuals who, in the face of crisis, chose to run toward the danger.

As a long-standing partner of the American Red Cross of Illinois, the Motorola Solutions Foundation was proud to sponsor the Heroes Breakfast’s Law Enforcement Hero Award. This is more than an award. It’s a moment to recognize the heart, grit and selflessness of the people who protect our communities every day.

A Heroic Rescue on the Ice

This year’s Law Enforcement Hero Award honorees, Officers Dennis Stachura and Marco Lomibao of the Glendale Heights Police Department, show us that "duty" often requires extraordinary sacrifice.

On a sub-zero December morning, a vehicle carrying three people plunged into a frozen pond. Despite the danger of the thin ice and freezing water, the officers pressed on until every life was saved. Their teamwork and courage capture the true meaning of heroism.

Watch the powerful story of their rescue.

About the Program

The Heroes Breakfast honors a Class of Heroes whose actions reflect the Red Cross mission to alleviate human suffering. We congratulate the entire 2026 Class of Heroes for their inspiring courage.

To learn more about this year’s honorees, visit CBS News Chicago or the American Red Cross of Illinois

HIV Is Now a Manageable Chronic Condition — How CVS Specialty Helps Patients Start and Stay on Treatment

CVS Health — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Originally published on CVS Health Company Newsroom

Key points

Diagnosed at a time when HIV was often considered a terminal condition, CVS Specialty patient Christopher Hooper is now living a full life decades later, reflecting the impact of modern treatment.
Today’s HIV therapies can help people manage the condition long term, with effective treatment and prevention options available.
CVS Specialty pharmacists, HIV-focused CareTeams and Center of Excellence help support patients with education, adherence and ongoing care.

Living with HIV today: One patient’s experience

When Phoenix-based Christopher Hooper was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as a college student in the 1990s, treatment options were limited and life expectancy was uncertain.

Today, after decades of advances in care, he is a business owner, married and living well.

Now a CVS Specialty patient, Christopher works closely with his HIV CareTeam, including his pharmacist, Helen Everett, to manage his condition and stay on track with treatment.

“It’s important to feel supported,” he says. “That relationship has provided a consistent foundation of trust and confidence that I don’t have to manage it all alone, allowing me to focus on the parts of my life that matter most.”

How HIV treatment and prevention have evolved

HIV care has changed significantly over the past several decades.

Early treatments often required multiple medications with significant side effects.

Today, patients have more simplified and flexible options with fewer side effects, including once-daily oral medications and long-acting injectable therapies administered by providers every two to six months.

CVS Specialty dispenses HIV medications and helps patients access them by navigating prior authorization requirements and connecting them to third-party financial assistance when needed.

With consistent treatment, many people can achieve an undetectable viral load.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a person living with HIV who is on treatment and maintains an undetectable viral load is not at risk of transmitting HIV to sexual partners — a concept often referred to as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
Today, the average life expectancy for people living with HIV on continuous antiretroviral therapy, is similar to people without HIV.

There are also effective options to help prevent HIV, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP).

CVS Specialty supports patients, communities impacted by HIV

CVS Specialty has a long history of supporting patients and communities impacted by HIV, including CVS Pharmacy Specialty Services walk-in locations originally established in neighborhoods heavily affected by the condition — roots built on trust, community engagement and commitment to expanding awareness and access that continue to shape how patients are supported today.

CVS Specialty provides support across the patient journey through:

Access to HIV medications and CareTeams: Patients can connect with CVS Specialty pharmacists and technicians who specialize in complex conditions like HIV and can help answer questions about medications and pharmacy care.
Help starting therapy: Support with processes like prior authorizations and connecting patients to third-party assistance programs that may reduce out-of-pocket costs, can help patients begin therapy as quickly as possible.
HIV Center of Excellence (CoE) for injectable HIV therapies: CVS Specialty’s HIV-focused teams help facilitate access to long-acting injectable therapies for patients and their providers, including coordination with provider offices. These therapies require more complex administration and are supported by pharmacists with specialized therapy-specific training.
Adherence and refill support: Outreach programs help identify when patients may be at risk of falling behind on therapy, with reminders and follow-up to help them stay on track and maintain viral suppression.
Community engagement and outreach: Relationships with local and national advocacy organizations help expand awareness, education and access to care.

Why HIV testing, prevention and awareness still matter

Advances in treatment and prevention have transformed what it means to live with HIV, but HIV remains a public health issue.

Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, but about 1 in 8 are unaware of their status. (CDC data)
More than 50% of new diagnoses occur in the South. (HIV.gov data)
HIV continues to disproportionately affect certain populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. (CDC data)
The CDC recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care, with testing available in many settings, including options like MinuteClinic.

Helping people start and stay on therapy, while reducing stigma and expanding access to care, remains critical to improving outcomes for individuals and communities.

Learn more

To learn more about HIV prevention, testing and treatment options, visit:

Lenovo Achieves 90% Renewable Energy in Operations’ Electricity, Announces New Aspirations in FY2025-26 ESG Report

Lenovo — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 09:05:00 -0400

Lenovo advances toward net-zero emissions, scales circular innovation, and strengthens governance of AI to sustain business growth and resilience across environmental, social and governance impacts.

MORRISVILLE, N.C., July 8, 2026 /3BL/ - Lenovo today announced strong progress against its first generation of long-term, enterprise-wide Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) aspirations, advancing its vision to provide smarter technology for all that supports Lenovo’s own sustainability goals and its customers. The FY2025‑26 ESG Report highlights measurable gains in climate action, circular economy, social impact, and governance, while reinforcing responsible innovation in the AI era and Lenovo’s continued commitment to ESG programs with the announcement of a new set of sustainability aspirations.

“This fiscal year represents an important moment for Lenovo,” shared Dave Carroll, Lenovo’s Chief Legal and Corporate Responsibility Officer. “As we near the end of our first generation of ESG goals, we are proud of the progress we’ve made—but even more focused on applying what we’ve learned to accelerate future impact. Our work is closely aligned with the needs of our customers and partners as we navigate environmental challenges, geopolitical complexity, and the rapid evolution of AI.”

Over the last five years, Lenovo has embedded ESG across its global operations, strengthening collaboration and driving measurable action while remaining agile. The company remains on track to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, with targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Today, more than 90% of Lenovo’s global operations’ electricity now comes from renewable sources (onsite renewable energy generation, PPA agreements, and/or purchase of RECs), demonstrating strong progress in emissions reduction and support for renewable energy markets.

As a global technology powerhouse, Lenovo continues to advance responsible design through its R.E.A.L Framework, focusing on repairability, reuse, and recycling. Key achievements include:

100% of PC products incorporate post-consumer recycled content materials (excluding tablets and accessories)
Enabled more than 800 million pounds (~363 million kg) of end-of-life product recovery since 2005
Reused 300 million pounds of post-consumer recycled plastics since 2005
Increased smartphone packaging sustainability, including 60% recycled materials and a 50% reduction in single-use plastics (compared to FY2020/21, excludes Lenovo-branded smartphone packaging and includes motorola razr packaging as of FY2023/24).

Lenovo continues to foster an inclusive workplace and positive community impact. Representation of women and underrepresented groups has measurably improved across Lenovo’s global workforce. The company’s inclusion efforts have been recognized by organizations including Disability:IN, Workplace Pride, the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, and Forbes.

From 2021 to 2026, Lenovo’s philanthropy programs positively impacted more than 25 million people by expanding access to technology and education. Employee programs like Love on Month of Service achieved record engagement, reflecting a strong culture of volunteerism.

In the era of AI, Lenovo is advancing its smarter AI for all focus to support metric collection and analysis for sustainability, highlighting AI’s role as a tool for a more sustainable future. Lenovo also supports industry collaboration through initiatives like the ITU AI Skills Coalition and Coalition for Sustainable AI, in addition to social impact initiatives that harness the power of AI, including:

TRAdA solution for predicting heart arrhythmia in athletes
Accessibility tools such as communication avatars and sign language translation
Global AI skilling initiatives with partners like Tech To The Rescue and Ashoka

Lenovo also continues to earn global recognition for ESG performance, including:

EcoVadis Platinum Medal
CDP A List (climate and water) and A rating for supplier engagement
Corporate Knights 100 Most Sustainable Companies
#5 in Gartner’s 2026 Global Supply Chain Rankings
‘Most Sustainable Organization’ Award from the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants

As Lenovo prepares its next generation of ESG aspirations, it remains focused on innovation and responsible growth to advance sustainability worldwide. Future aspirations can be found in the FY2025-26 ESG Report.

About Lenovo

Lenovo is a US$83 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #196 in the Fortune Global 500, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Guided by its vision of “Smarter Technology for All”, Lenovo is executing a Hybrid AI strategy that spans Personal AI – one personal AI, multiple devices; and Enterprise AI – helping customers turn data into insights and value. This strategy is delivered through the Group’s commitment to world-class innovation and a full-stack AI portfolio, including devices (PCs, workstations, smartphones, tablets, accessories), infrastructure solutions (server, storage, edge, high performance computing and software defined infrastructure), as well as software, solutions, and services. With a global footprint spanning more than 20 research and development locations and a global supply chain that includes more than 30 manufacturing sites across 10 markets, Lenovo is widely recognized for its operational excellence. Lenovo is listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange under Lenovo Group Limited (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY). Learn more at www.lenovo.com and follow the latest news in our newsroom.

Sofidel: A New Photovoltaic System Now Operational in the United Kingdom

Sofidel Group — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 09:05:00 -0400

Sofidel

Following the commissioning of a new biomass boiler in France in March, the Group – celebrating its 60th anniversary this year – has brought a new photovoltaic system into operation at its Rothley Lodge converting facility in Leicester, UK

PORCARI (Lucca), Italy, July 8, 2026 /3BL/ - Sofidel, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of paper for hygienic and household use, known particularly in Italy and Europe for its Regina brand, continues to invest in the energy transition across its European facilities.

The Group today announces the start-up of a new photovoltaic system installed at the Rothley Lodge converting facility in Leicester, in the United Kingdom.

Installed on the roof of the production building and covering a total surface area of 6,130 square metres, the system is designed to directly use the solar energy generated, without the need for storage systems such as batteries. This technical choice optimizes operational efficiency while reducing management complexity. The installation is equipped with the latest solutions for production optimization and fire prevention.

During the initial operating phase – characterized by significantly limited solar irradiation in Northern Europe – the system covered 11.68% of the site’s total electricity demand, corresponding to 13.45% of the electricity drawn from the grid. During the summer months, coverage is expected to peak at around 19%.

“Also at Sofidel UK facility in Rothley Lodge, we continue to take action to reduce our carbon footprint. The results of the first operating period are encouraging, especially considering they were achieved during the coldest season and with lower levels of solar irradiation,” said Giuseppe Munari, Country Operations Manager for Sofidel in the United Kingdom. “This represents further confirmation of our investment strategy in renewable energy, driven by the conviction that reducing dependence on fossil fuels also means building a lasting competitive and industrial advantage.”

The investment made in the UK photovoltaic system is just the latest step in Sofidel’s broader decarbonization strategy across the countries where it operates. This approach adapts solutions to local climatic, infrastructural and regulatory contexts: biomass in France and the United Kingdom, biomethane in France and Sweden, bio-syngas in Sweden, and photovoltaic systems in Romania, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

Just a few weeks ago, a biomass boiler was commissioned at the Group’s Frouard facility in France. Together with a first unit already in operation, it will make it possible to cover up to 95% of the site’s steam requirements.For Sofidel, sustainability is a strategic lever for development, closely linked to innovation in production processes, products, and logistics. It enables the Group to anticipate new opportunities for growth and continuous improvement, while reducing the impact of its activities on natural capital.