Since 1999, the U.S. Congress has <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/106th-congress/senate-resolution/33/text" target="_blank">designated</a> each May as Military Appreciation Month. The month includes several important days the military commemorates, including VE Day (May 8, to mark the Allies’ victory in Europe toward the end of World War II), Military Spouse Appreciation Day (May 12) and, of course, Memorial Day, a time to mourn the loss of military personnel who died during armed conflict.

Despite the words of respect and admiration frequently directed to active military personnel and veterans here in the U.S., the <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2021/society-veterans-companies/731321" target="_blank">private sector’s record</a> on hiring and retaining employees who served in the military <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2021/veterans-spouses-hiring/731566" target="_blank">is mixed</a> at best.

“Though the overall rate of veterans’ employment has improved along with the general employment rate, veterans still face many barriers to advancement up the corporate ladder,” TriplePundit’s Tina Casey <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2019/veterans-theres-hiring-and-then-theres-meaningful-hiring/85621" target="_blank">wrote</a> back in November 2019.

To that end, we're highlighting four companies that are backing up their supportive words during Military Appreciation Month with action.

<h2>American Airlines and the Honor Flight Network</h2>

One of the finest honors a veteran can receive is the opportunity to participate in an “Honor Flight” to Washington, D.C. to meet other war veterans and experience the U.S. capital’s spectacular monuments, with all of their expenses paid. (Full disclosure: My uncles, one a World War II veteran and the other who was in armed combat during the Korean War, participated in a <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2017/honor-flight-network-offers-veterans-one-last-chance-see-memorials-wars-they-fought/14941" target="_blank">2017 Honor Flight</a>.) 

As with its competitors in the commercial aviation sector, American Airlines has its own military recruiting policy. Earlier this month, American Airlines was among the companies marking the 250,000th veteran who was able to join this once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity. The airline announced it would donate 15 million air miles to support and continue the Honor Flight Network’s ongoing programs.

<h2>CBRE</h2>

The commercial real estate services and investment giant has long stood out for various communities, including LGBTQ people as well as people of color. Count in the military community within CBRE’s diversity and inclusion efforts. The company says 2,000 of its employees are current and retired military, and it's <a href="https://www.cbre.com/en/careers/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/military" target="_blank">actively recruiting</a> within this community for several fields, from building maintenance to finance to information technology.

<h2>Home Depot</h2>

Whether working at the retailer is a transitional steppingstone upon the return to civilian life, or if former military personnel seek to harness their skills honed during their service at the company’s Atlanta headquarters, Home Depot is one example of a company that is aggressively hiring veterans. The company says it has had <a href="https://careers.homedepot.com/career-areas/military/" target="_blank">more than 35,000 veterans</a> who have launched or continued their careers with the retailer, and it has open positions in fields including management, logistics and information technology.

“It was wonderful knowing I had this company behind me,” said <a href="https://www.3blmedia.com/news/us-navy-reservist-celebrates-14-years-home-depot" target="_blank">Darren Hammerstad</a>, a U.S. Navy reservist based in Jacksonville, Florida, who has been with Home Depot for 14 years and at one point had to leave due to a one-year deployment to Bahrain. “One of the best feelings is knowing that I can step back into my job when I get back. This place means the world to me.”

<h2>T-Mobile</h2>

The wireless carrier says it is committed to hiring 10,000 veterans and military spouses by 2023. Further, T-Mobile has been partnering with military-focused nonprofits including <a href="https://www.hiringourheroes.org/partners/" target="_blank">Hiring Our Heroes</a>, an initiative that seeks to connect U.S. businesses with active military personnel, retired military, veterans and their spouses.

In a <a href="https://www.3blmedia.com/news/us-military-creates-great-leaders-t-mobile-wants-hire-them" target="_blank">public statement</a> commemorating Military Appreciation Month, T-Mobile’s Deeanne King, the company’s chief human resources officer, offered up a high-level summary of the brand’s commitment to military families. “In the event a military employee is called to duty, they’re eligible for their full base pay plus commission during deployment — even if it’s their first day on the job — and they’re eligible for supplemental pay for an additional 50 weeks,” King wrote.

Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/9qCDPf8gEVA" target="_blank">Jeremy Straub</a> via Unsplash

4 Companies Stepping Up for Military Appreciation Month

REI has long enjoyed a reputation of selling quality, high-end gear for serious outdoor adventurers. The brand’s stores are a nature-lover’s paradise, with an abundance of equipment for camping, hiking, climbing, cycling, running, swimming and more. Now, within the retail sector, REI is well on its way to becoming a major player in the circular economy.

As the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2015/10/28/one-big-reason-rei-can-decide-to-skip-black-friday/" target="_blank">largest consumer co-op in the U.S</a>., some of REI’s profits go back to its customers through membership rewards. As for its retail employees, benefits include healthcare, a retirement plan, sick leave and vacation time. Today, the brand credits itself as one of the first major retailers to <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2019/rei-opts-lead-retailers-big-time-shifting-circular-economy/85781" target="_blank">sell used gear and rentals</a>. In 2021 alone, REI grew its used gear revenue by <a href="https://www.rei.com/newsroom/article/rei-co-op-reports-strong-growth-in-2021-setting-co-op-record-in-membership" target="_blank">86 percent</a> from the previous year.

And on the social sustainability side, REI recently <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2019/rei-opts-lead-retailers-big-time-shifting-circular-economy/85781" target="_blank">launched a fund</a> that it says will help to promote racial equity in the outdoors.

Ken Voeller, circular commerce and new business development director of REI, said the company noticed a large uptick in sales at the beginning of the pandemic, with COVID-19 pushing people to spend time outdoors and search for reliable equipment — hence that aforementioned surge in used gear sales.

Voeller says the company’s goal is to maximize the lifespan of its products while minimizing any impacts on the environment. As he shared with 3p, any effort that REI would have used to create a brand new product is instead put back into selling <a href="https://www.rei.com/used" target="_blank">an item of used gear</a>. Those results add up: On average, the shipping, cleaning, and re-merchandizing of apparel and outdoor gear emits 50 percent less carbon than producing a new item.

“We’re starting to see the convergence of customers really wanting to shop with their values,” Voeller explained.

Through the work and research its sustainability team has taken on, REI has estimated that some resold and reused products, like bikes, can even emit 90 percent less carbon than manufacturing a new one. 
<figure role="group" class="align-center"><img alt="An REI tour at Pinnacles National Park in Northern California" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="84d3fa00-e6fd-4ba8-928e-75dca067133d" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/REI%20tour%20circular%20economy%20wide.jpg" width="1008" height="756" loading="lazy" /><figcaption>An REI tour at Pinnacles National Park in Northern California.</figcaption></figure>REI's used gear program is simple: First, customers bring their products into one of REI’s retail stores for an associate to evaluate. Those who bring in such gear are able to receive their credit immediately and are often offered 50 percent of the original retail price. If they decide to follow through with the trade-in, they receive credit in the form of an REI gift card.

“We’re maximizing the useful life of a product,” Voeller explained.

REI then puts the used gear through a rigorous cleaning and inspection process to ensure it’s in good working condition for its second life. The products are then sold on the REI website and in almost all 174 retail locations for roughly half of the original price.

The majority of customers purchasing used gear are a younger, more diverse audience who tend to shop with both money and sustainability in mind, Voeller said. By promoting a combination of new and used gear, REI has positioned itself as a company for everybody and every budget. “At the end of the day, what we’re working toward is to see less and less of a distinction between our new and old products,” Voeller told 3p.

In 2021, REI sold used gear to more than half a million customers — and the company has aspirations to grow even more. “We really need this to be a billion-dollar business,” he said of used gear sales, stressing that the environment depends on businesses adopting sustainable retail practices.

As of May, REI has rolled out its trade-in program to almost all retail locations. Meanwhile, the co-op says it is committed to reducing its annual carbon emissions by 55 percent by 2030 as part of its efforts to <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2019/outdoor-outfitter-doing-more-opting-take-climate-change/85356" target="_blank">tackle climate change</a>.

Image credits: Leon Kaye

The Pandemic Didn’t Stop REI from Pushing Forward on the Circular Economy

Running shoes have certainly come a long way since Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile mark <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/sep/11/roger-bannisters-sub-four-minute-mile-running-shoes-sell-for-266500" target="_blank">68 years ago this month</a>. Bannister’s shoes were reportedly much lighter and more flexible than others on the market in the 1950s, but still! The clunkers resembled a pair of Oxford loafers with spikes nailed through the sole. Ouch! Fast forward to the 2020s, and footwear brands such as Allbirds have redefined footwear to be lighter, sleeker and, sure, more sustainable.

While we’re on the topic of Allbirds, the brand has just rolled out a new running shoe, the <a href="https://www.allbirds.com/pages/tree-flyer-distance-running-shoes" target="_blank">Tree Flyer</a>. This latest shoe is helping to solve the problems that come along with improved, high-performance athletic gear: Lighter, faster and stronger shoes also often lead to more components, added toxic materials such as glues, less of a chance at any recyclability and a complicated supply chain. 

Allbirds has tackled some of these challenges with the Tree Flyer. Its woven, lightweight upper is made from eucalyptus that is certified as deforestation-free by the Forest Stewardship Council. The lightweight, bouncy sole, which Allbirds brands as SwiftFoam, is made out of <a href="https://www.allbirds.com/pages/our-materials-sugar" target="_blank">materials</a> including a castor bean oil-based resin. The soles’ manufacturing process, says the company, requires less raw materials as well as less energy.

Of course, a sustainable shoe won’t do much good if the runner feels as if he or she went through the wringer instead of their favorite running path. The thick SwiftFoam sole boasts a flared extended heel, which helps provide additional support. Elastic woven within the upper also helps the shoe feel snug during a run, but not uncomfortable. The <a href="https://www.allbirds.com/pages/help?a=Are-Allbirds-good-for-flat-feet---id--3ujjdVXqSeWVzqD4JP4v7Q" target="_blank">removable insoles</a>, lined with a thin layer of wool, offer just enough give but aren’t spongy — and again, Allbirds makes them from materials including castor oil.

Allbirds said more than 130 runners together tested the Tree Flyer shoes for almost 4,000 miles over the duration of more than a year. Of course, should you gravitate toward running shoes more for fashion and less for function, the Tree Flyer holds its own — it does just fine when one is chilling by the pool with the dog, as seen in the photo above.

Allbirds’ latest shoes tie in with the brand's other recent work, including a <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2022/circular-economy-2021/734506" target="_blank">partnership</a> with Adidas to manufacture low-carbon shoes out of recyclable materials. The company has also long <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2018/company-making-footwear-out-wool-sugar-and-trees/11046" target="_blank">tinkered</a> with other renewable materials such as sugar-based resins, tree fibers and sustainably-sourced merino wool.

Image credit: Leon Kaye

Allbirds Further Proves Athletic Gear Can Be High-Performance and Sustainable

Two reports out this spring from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) carry stark warnings not just for the future of business on Earth, but for life itself. According to <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NfxqrezhaB30eh1FUPrXpka4-SQAjBWp/view" target="_blank">Global Land Outlook 2</a>, released in April, $44 trillion (half the global GDP) is at risk from the effects of land degradation, and half of all people on Earth are already being negatively affected in one manner or another. While as much as 40 percent of land is already degraded, another cumulative chunk near the size of South America is predicted to join it by 2050 unless major changes are made. To make matters worse, drought has increased by 29 percent over the previous decades and will continue to worsen, according to the second U.N. report released this month. As a result, humanity is facing a crisis of increasing demand for food and fresh water even as our planet’s land is rapidly desertifying and droughts are becoming more frequent and intense.

It isn’t all doom and gloom, however. The GLO2 report does offer viable solutions that can help curb desertification. And, as the nonprofit <a href="https://drawdown.org/publications/climate-poverty-connections-report" target="_blank">Project Drawdown</a> has demonstrated, climate action does not have to come <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2022/climate-extreme-poverty-global-south/741411" target="_blank">at the cost of development or equity</a> in the Global South. While the time to act is now, the potential return on investment is certainly worth it — with between $7 and $30 amassed in environmental benefits for every dollar that is spent on land restoration.

GLO2 presents three scenarios along with the future consequences of each: baseline, restoration and, in the most optimistic scenario, restoration and protection. In the first scenario, no changes are made to land use patterns. By 2050, not only will 6.2 million square miles (16 million square kilometers) be further degraded, but land productivity will decrease an additional 12 to 14 percent even as the population increases. At the current rate of degradation, carbon storage loss will likely result in an excess of 69 gigatonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere over the same time period.

In the restoration scenario, 5 billion hectares (or 35 percent of the planet’s total land) would need to be restored. This would require strategies such as transitioning from monoculture to <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2019/agroforestry-can-combat-climate-change-it-scalable/84256" target="_blank">agroforestry</a> and <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2022/silvopasture-sustainability/740161" target="_blank">silvopasture</a>, assisted <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/07/benefits-assisted-natural-regeneration/" target="_blank">natural regeneration</a>, and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2020.534187/full" target="_blank">regenerative grazing management</a>. Instead of the decreased crop yields expected in the baseline scenario, restoration would increase yields by 5 to 10 percent and the water retention of rain-fed cropland would increase by 4 percent. Biodiversity loss would be less extreme — with approximately 11 percent of species that would otherwise be lost remaining. 

By adding protections to the restoration model, the UNCCD expects to avoid substantial land degradation and desertification from clearing, draining and conversion, while also increasing natural areas by 4 million square kilometers as of 2050. This would help avoid one-third of predicted biodiversity loss and continue to store 83 gigatons of carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

If land degradation and desertification are not enough to motivate leaders to follow the third option, perhaps the UNCCD’s warning regarding global drought will push them over the edge toward sustained and targeted climate action. According to the convention, we are “at a crossroads” when it comes to managing drought. “The facts and figures of this publication all point in the same direction: an upward trajectory in the duration of droughts and the severity of impacts, not only affecting human societies but also the ecological systems upon which the survival of all life depends, including that of our own species," Ibrahim Thiaw, executive secretary of the UNCCD, said in a statement. 

Land restoration is vital to protecting human life and biodiversity from drought. At the same time, biodiversity <a href="https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/drylands-and-land-degradation#:~:text=Land%20degradation%20in%20drylands%20is,human%20vulnerability%20to%20climate%20change." target="_blank">is crucial</a> to soil’s capacity to filter and store water as well as cycle nutrients. Continued land degradation will only make drought worse, creating a cyclical downturn for a food system that will be increasingly strained by the need to feed a growing population. “Modern agriculture has altered the face of the planet more than any other human activity,” Thiaw <a href="https://www.unccd.int/news-stories/press-releases/chronic-land-degradation-un-offers-stark-warnings-and-practical" target="_blank">explained</a> regarding GLO2. “We need to urgently rethink our global food systems, which are responsible for 80 percent of deforestation, 70 percent of freshwater use, and the single greatest cause of terrestrial biodiversity loss.”

Land restoration and protection should be made an immediate priority in order to mitigate further desertification and protect against extreme drought. Failure to do so will worsen climate change and its effects on humans and biodiversity loss. Left unchecked, humanity faces a crisis of food production at the same time that our population is rapidly expanding. Global leaders must act now to reverse course. Doing so protects business and the GDP from threats to the market while ensuring a sustainable planet that can continue to supply us with food, water, and the means for profit. 

Image credit: Leon Kaye

Land Restoration is a Must to Mitigate Global Desertification and Drought

Earth has a 50-50 chance of warming 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the next five years, according to a <a href="https://mcusercontent.com/e35fa2254c2a4394f75d43308/files/c739c482-e277-fc7c-12ea-c9e368e10b88/WMO_GADCU_2022_2026.pdf" target="_blank">new report</a> from the World Meteorological Organization. Climate change has reached a dangerous place. The climate is on track to warm 2.7 to 3 degrees Celsius (4.9 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times, with devastating consequences for human safety and well-being. Around the world, communities will suffer more frequent and intense heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, storms, flooding and other calamities. The changes are already being felt, with the frequency of such (not-so-natural) disasters quadrupling since 2000. As always, the world’s poor will suffer most.

More alarming still is the growing risk that warming will trigger abrupt, catastrophic shifts in Earth’s natural systems. Such <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03595-0" target="_blank">potential tipping points</a> include an accelerated melting of permafrost and a rapid collapse of the Amazon rainforest.

It’s easy to be frightened about the future we are facing with global warming. Fortunately, there may be a lifeline, albeit an unorthodox one. It is called sunlight reflection, or solar climate intervention (SCI), and it involves slightly increasing the reflection of sunlight from clouds and particles in the atmosphere to reduce climate warming. Society needs to explore this option because climate change poses a catastrophic threat now. That is the central message of a <a href="https://www.cfr.org/report/reflecting-sunlight-reduce-climate-risk" target="_blank">report</a> from the Council on Foreign Relations, for which we served as author and advisor, respectively.

The world currently has three main strategies to manage climate risk: emissions reductions, carbon removal, and adaptation. Unfortunately, the changing climate is now outpacing these efforts. Emissions must decline 50 percent by 2030 to meet the 1.5°C target, but are on pace to rise 16.3 percent instead. New technologies to capture and permanently store atmospheric carbon could take decades to scale. Efforts to build resilience against warming and its impacts are expensive, underfunded, and inherently limited. Most local measures will be overrun by warming effects in the interconnected climate system.     

How much worse it will become depends on how warm it gets. Given this predicament, the world cannot afford to ignore a potentially rapid climate response that could keep people safe and natural systems stable while humanity transforms the global economy and reduces the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere. 

Increasing sunlight reflection to cool the climate could be accomplished in various ways. The most promising options are based on naturally occurring events. One approach would involve dispersing aerosols in the upper atmosphere (or stratosphere), likely from aircraft. This would be a safer version of the cooling effect of particles emitted during volcanic eruptions, such as that of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which reduced global temperatures by about 0.5°C (1.1°F) over the ensuing fifteen months. Another approach involves spraying a mist of sea salt from ships (or ocean platforms) to brighten low-lying marine clouds. This approach would be a cleaner version of the global cooling effect of current particulate pollution, estimated at 0.5-1.2°C.  
      
Despite these precedents, the idea of sunlight reflection has been controversial, though that is starting to change as the risks of warming intensify. Critics worry that climate interventions could carry large, uncertain risks and will give governments, corporations, and citizens a perceived pass to continue polluting. These warrant careful consideration. They need to be weighed not in isolation, but against the rising safety risks of an already warming the planet. The key question is: Can increasing the reflection of sunlight from the atmosphere reduce the dangers posed by global warming? 

Unfortunately, we don’t know the answer because our understanding of the relevant atmospheric processes and their impacts on natural systems is too low. This leaves policymakers flying blind, unsure of the feasibility of—and unable to make informed decisions about—reflecting sunlight to cool the climate. Complicating matters, the world lacks monitoring systems and specific agreements to govern the implementation of such approaches. This increases the threat, as the National Intelligence Council has warned, that a single country could launch a unilateral program sometime soon, with global effects and geopolitical ramifications.      

To ensure the world has the information it needs to evaluate these approaches, the Biden administration and Congress must launch an ambitious, well-funded national research program on reflecting sunlight to reduce climate risk. Such an initiative would build on recommendations issued last year by the U.S. National Academies, as well as direction already given to U.S. science agencies by Congress in the FY22 funding bill to develop a 5-year plan for research to support an assessment of near-term climate risks and solar climate intervention.         

This U.S.-led effort must be grounded in international cooperation. The United States should promote mechanisms for scientific collaboration, multilateral monitoring and assessment, and joint decision-making on any deployment of these techniques. The Montreal Protocol for Protection of the Ozone Layer, which is already reviewing the implications of sunlight in the stratosphere as part of its next Ozone Assessment, is a promising place to start. That convention’s universal membership and commitment to science-based decision-making have helped make it history’s most successful environmental treaty.                 

Although current global tensions will complicate diplomacy, we believe that a mutual vulnerability to climate change could create opportunities for collaboration that cut across traditional geopolitical and ideological lines, including between the United States and China and between advanced economies and developing ones. 

The ultimate solution to climate change is ending carbon emissions and removing carbon from the atmosphere. The dilemma for humanity is how to survive, much less thrive, during this transition. Sunlight reflection could be a bridge that offers safe passage to a sustainable future. To protect people and natural systems, we need to do the work to find out.

Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a3xymeWNDso" target="_blank">Huper by Joshua Earle</a> via Unsplash

Reflecting Sunlight Could Ensure Human Safety on a Warming Planet

The very notion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) was unthinkable a century ago when the relationship between companies and their workers was overwhelmingly tilted in favor of employers.

Then sweeping changes within U.S. labor law occurred over the years. Starting in the early 1900s, a slew of much needed employee-centric laws was passed. In 1935, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was introduced, along with collective bargaining. Before passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 (FLSA), as many as 1.75 million workers in the U.S. were between 10 and 15 years old and not attending school. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act became law in 1964. In 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act established safe standards in the workplace. And Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibited discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities.

Still, gradually, and then suddenly, the pandemic highlighted an imbalance in the relationship between employees and employers. The mass work exodus and ensuing “<a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2021/dark-side-great-resignation/730736" target="_blank">Great Resignation</a>” as a result of quarantine resulted in businesses failing and employees gaining an element of power and negotiation not seen before. 

Workers have now leveraged their newfound worth to include better work/life balance, flex time, mental health days and time for volunteering — things unheard of in the Industrial Age. And, inspired by societal events that include mass shootings and racist attacks, the symbiotic relationship between employee and employer expanded to include what’s good for the community and society as well.

Now it matters more than ever that what the stakeholder holds as sacred is also of value to the business. When that is not the case, well …

Bob Chapek, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, is certainly the poster child for blunder in stakeholder relationships. He underestimated the implications of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education act—otherwise known as the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” — and it took a near employee revolt for him to get the message.

But Ron DeSantis — Governor of Florida, not technically a CEO, but close enough — deserves to have a book written on “How To Alienate Dang Near Everyone In Your Sphere:” workers, business leaders, constituents, and probably small children who love Mickey Mouse. 

Tunneling through with his own narrow, ultra-conservative political agenda, and on the heels of having introduced legislation criminalizing abortion after 15 weeks and having launched a ban on math books deemed to have questionable social content, DeSantis’ Parental Rights in Education act went too far. Or maybe he didn’t bother to test the waters ahead of introducing the bill. 

And so, DeSantis shares some blame for the upheaval taking place at Disney. He multiplied this mistake exponentially when he revoked Disney’s special district tax status, failing, again, to consider that Floridians might object to the largest employer in the state being manhandled. Now he is being sued by his constituents for the actions he’s taken against Disney. 

So far, DeSantis has the look of a leader who doesn’t know the value of his stakeholders in the form of business relationships, employees, community organizers or constituents.

On the other hand, there’s a question as to whether or not businesses have yet to fully embrace the CSR concept at all or are still looking for shortcuts. 

For example, in response to Texas Senate Bill 8, Governor Gregg Abbott’s ban on abortion after the detection of fetal cardiac activity, which normally occurs after about six weeks of pregnancy, mega-corporations such as Tesla, Apple and Citigroup joined the growing list of others who will <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2022/corporations-abortion-access/742001" target="_blank">pay travel expenses</a> for employees seeking an abortion who cannot access these services nearby due to legislation.

Last fall, Salesforce <a href="https://www.axios.com/2021/09/11/salesforce-relocate-employees-texas-abortion-law" target="_blank">offered</a> to relocate employees and their entire families away from Texas altogether.

But before we grant any “Golden CSR” award to any of these, imagine establishing a relationship that means you seek an abortion through your employer. What must you disclose as you complete that paperwork? And it should be noted that this option is of no benefit for women who are not employees of these companies. This is watered-down CSR at best. 

And do corporations really care about the sensitivities of their employees if a big enough payday looms? Twitter employees would say that accepting an offer from Elon Musk to buy the company for $43 billion means “no.” 

“Turmoil” would describe the atmosphere around Twitter, with a real concern for attrition and difficulty in hiring. Recent news from Elon Musk that he would reverse the platform’s ban on Donald Trump only compounded the concern that employees have for maintaining discretion over content.

Ultimately, CSR will likely look different for different companies. Some corporations will continue their focus on earnings and employees and let society figure itself out. This may be all that some workers require or expect. 

No matter the nuances, the hope is that the common thread includes authenticity and integrity. 

Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Ha2-2jGRJcI" target="_blank">Ernie Journeys</a> via Unsplash

Clearly, Corporations Struggle Being Beholden to Both Shareholders and Communities

The water technology company Xylem recently announced an initial commitment to invest $5 million in financial institutions that focus on underserved communities of color and rural communities in several states in the South, Midwest and in Hawaiʻi. The investment specifically targets regions and banks that are aligned to Xylem’s organization and customers, such as areas where the company has a large commercial presence, or a large employee base, says the company.

“Historically, communities of color and rural communities in the U.S. have had less access to capital and investment than other communities,” Xylem’s Chief Financial Officer Sandra Rowland told TriplePundit. “These groups often use small, regional financial institutions to access loans, day-to-day banking and other financial activities.” 

Xylem typically has a sum of cash on hand that is held in large financial institutions, Rowland explained. By partnering with <a href="https://www.mycnote.com/" target="_blank">CNote</a>, the women-led social enterprise platform, she said Xylem can invest a portion of that cash in small, regional banks and credit unions operating in underserved communities. 

“CNote streamlines the investment and maximizes impact,” Rowland told 3p. “And each investment allows the institutions to provide loans and other services to support their community.”

The investments are flowing through CNote’s Impact Cash platform, which provides an easy-to-use and measurable tool for streamlining Xylem’s investment with one interface 
while maximizing the impact created for underserved communities of across the U.S. 

Austin Alexander, Xylem’s vice president of sustainability and social impact, explained to 3p that the company became interested in working with CNote because of the platform’s ability to effectively evaluate each institution in which it is investing.

“It was important to us that every dollar invested was being used in a meaningful way, and CNote’s Impact Cash platform allowed us to do exactly that with confidence and ease,” Alexander said.

Xylem’s initial investments include Bank of Cherokee County (Hulbert, OK), Carver State Bank (Savannah, GA, pictured above), City Federal Credit Union (Amarillo, TX), Hope Federal Credit Union (Jackson, MS), Education Credit Union (Amarillo, TX), Legacy Bank and Trust (Springfield, MO), Self Help Credit Union (FL, NC, SC, VA), Kaua’i Federal Credit Union (Kauaʻi, HI), Optus Bank (Columbia, SC) and Virginia Community Capital Bank (Richmond, VA).

“We are proud to partner with a corporation that has a longstanding, industry-leading position in sustainability and community development,” said Catherine Berman, CEO of CNote, in a <a href="https://www.xylem.com/en-us/about-xylem/newsroom/press-releases/xylem-invests-$5-million-with-cnote-to-benefit-community-financial-institutions-serving-black-and-underserved-communities-in-the-u.s/" target="_blank">public statement</a>. “Now Xylem is extending its leadership by joining the vanguard of companies unleashing their balance sheets to promote racial equity and help communities across the U.S. thrive.” 

Rowland said that Xylem discovered CNote, which has deployed <a href="https://www.mycnote.com/blog/100m-dollars-deployed/" target="_blank">more than $100 million</a> to underserved communities across the country, after several months of researching options for using the company’s cash-on-hand investments to support underserved communities. 

“Their mission resonated with us, and we were enthusiastic about working with a women-led impact investment platform,” added Rowland. “We were also impressed by their use of technology to increase economic mobility and financial inclusion in underserved communities.”

The investment further advances Xylem’s innovative “green” finance strategy as the company continues to place economic, social and environmental impact at the center of its business operations and functions. In 2019, Xylem announced an $800 million revolving credit facility with a sustainability-linked pricing mechanism, followed by a $1 billion green bond offering in 2020. Most recently in 2021, Xylem added a sustainability-linked cash account tied to its 2025 sustainability goals.

“Our social impact is just as important as environmental impact within our sustainability strategy,” Alexander said. “This investment complements the environmental impact outcomes we have established with other green finance solutions.”

Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/xP1ySp_Nnjo" target="_blank">Tyler Edic</a> via Unsplash

Xylem and CNote Partner to Invest in Underserved Communities Across the U.S. 

TriplePundit recently had an opportunity to speak to the director of sustainability and government affairs at Audi of America. What particularly piqued our interest in speaking with him is, not only is it atypical to combine sustainability and government affairs into one role at a car company, but in this case, the role is occupied by a person who is also a climate scientist.

We were interested to understand how placing a climate scientist in this role helps Audi navigate and perhaps drive an auto industry increasingly committed to electrification, and to learn what lies ahead for the company and for an industry in flux. 

<a href="https://www.media.audiusa.com/en-us/releases/257" target="_blank">Spencer Reeder</a>, who started out as a chemical and materials scientist, is the person driving these efforts at Audi of America. Having previously worked for Boeing on environmental programs, and in particular, researching ways to reduce the toxicity of products used in the aerospace industry, Reeder later went back to graduate school to study earth sciences. This led him to focus on geophysics and climate science, and later to developing the environmental portfolio for Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen’s philanthropic organization. 

Four years into his current role at Audi, we asked Reeder to talk a bit about Audi placing sustainability and government affairs in one role, and his approach to the job. 

“It’s only when you align government policy advocacy work with sustainability goals, that you truly mean what you say” he explains, adding that when he came on board he was “going to be a loud voice for this” both in terms of his engagement with the industry but importantly, internally within Audi.

By this he meant, he saw his role as one which needed to inspire the organization to see sustainability as something that would become part of its DNA. This was particularly important because <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2016/volkswagen-agrees-pay-147b-following-emissions-scandal/24726" target="_blank">around that time</a>, Audi’s parent company, <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2015/3p-weekend-your-cheat-sheet-vw-emissions-scandal/31281" target="_blank">Volkswagen</a>, was recently emerging from its “<a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15339250/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-vw-diesel-emissions-scandal/" target="_blank">dieselgate</a>” scandal.

Though Reeder recognizes he is just one voice in a large organization, aligning sustainability with government affairs manifests in things like opposing the previous administrations’ efforts to <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-03-31/trump-rolls-back-fuel-economy-standards" target="_blank">roll back national fuel economy standards.</a> Audi, as part of VW, was one of only four car companies which joined with California to maintain more stringent mileage standards, for example.

Audi also aggressively prices carbon emissions within its own organization. Setting a price of $200 per ton — a level higher than industry standard, by an order of magnitude — Reeder says, rather than operating this as “shadow pricing,” the company actually makes a transfer of funds which is then used to undertake further CO2 mitigation activities internally. “The only way to effect long term change is through pricing carbon into your business systemically,” Reeder asserts.

Reeder was also a voice internally advocating for the company to lean-in to battery electric vehicle (BEV) technology for the future, even over competing technologies such as fuel cells. With that in mind, we asked him what he thinks the opportunities and impediments are for electric vehicles (EVs) in the short term.

First of all, he says customer demand is “very strong” though concedes it remains quite regionalized at the moment. Unlike California, many states have yet to make strong commitments to EVs, but Audi is not having any difficulty selling the ones it’s producing. 

Unfortunately, though, for the time being at least, costs are heading in an adverse direction. “Things are going to get more expensive before they get cheaper,” Reeder says. This is a result of higher commodity prices, and supply chain shortages in general — the latter, or course, impacting many industries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another important challenge Reeder identifies is the need for better charging infrastructure. Federal funding, he says, is “completely insufficient,” especially at this moment when he believes EVs have passed the point of the early adopter phase and are quickly moving into the initial stages of the mass market. He warns, “the mass market won’t tolerate inconvenience.”

As such, he says, broadly distributed fast charging infrastructure will be necessary to sustain the mass market, equipped with 150 kW fast chargers at a minimum. 

Given Reeder’s chemical and materials science background, we were keen to ask him about end-of-life battery considerations, since this is often cited by EV detractors as an environmental concern associated with the push towards electric vehicles. 

As well as identifying energy storage as an important second-life use for vehicle batteries, he is quite bullish on the opportunities for battery recycling, even to the point that recycling valuable battery components may even help wind down raw materials extraction at some point in the future. Indeed, Reeder says, most vehicle batteries probably won’t be repurposed for energy storage, so it is “critical for Audi to have a closed-loop life cycle for batteries.”

The automaker's goals are to have reduced its carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2025 compared with 2019 levels and for 30 percent of its vehicle portfolio to be fully BEV or plug-in hybrid by 2025.

Image credit: Audi <a href="https://media.audiusa.com/en-us/models/e-tron-gt-rs-e-tron-gt#gallery" target="_blank">media relations</a>

Meet the Climate Scientist Heading Sustainability and Government Affairs at Audi

Anyone who has stood downwind of a dairy farm knows the digestive processes of dairy cattle packs a noxious punch to the olfactory senses. Those same processes generate greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane. Estimates suggest livestock produce about 30 percent of the total <a href="http://www.sustainabledairy.org/publications/Documents/DairyCap_Methane_FactSheet_Final.pdf" target="_blank">methane emissions</a> produced from human activities in the U.S., with beef and dairy cattle as the major contributors to climate change.

With dairy ingredients accounting for more than 50 percent of Ben &amp; Jerry’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the ice cream maker has made a bold, but not atypical, <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ben--jerrys-pilot-project-plans-to-cut-dairy-farm-ghg-emissions-to-half-of-industry-average-by-2024-301542564.html?tc=eml_cleartime" target="_blank">commitment</a> to bring greenhouse gas emissions on 15 dairy farms to half the industry average by the end of 2024. Once proven, pilot project initiatives will be expanded to farms across Ben &amp; Jerry’s global dairy supply chain.  

The pilot program, <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2022/05/mootopia" target="_blank">Project Mootopia</a>, will use regenerative agricultural practices and new technology to address methane-producing enteric emissions (cow burps), manure, and feed crops.

In a public statement, Jenna Evans, global sustainability manager for Ben &amp; Jerry’s, said this new approach could be a “game changer” for dairy farming. 

“It has the potential to make a meaningful reduction in emissions on dairy farms and help fight the worst effects of climate change,” said Evans. “All of us, especially businesses, must take action before it’s too late and the climate crisis makes our world uninhabitable.” 

The company will <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2022/01/reducing-enteric-emissions" target="_blank">take on enteric emissions</a> by switching dairy cattle to a high-quality forage diet and innovative rumen modifiers that act as a digestive aid. Digestion can produce up to 50 quarts of gasses (mostly carbon dioxide and methane) an hour in the rumen, the largest component of a cow’s four-chambered stomach, and most of that gas is released by belching. Research has shown, for example, that adding <a href="https://www.ucdavis.edu/climate/news/feeding-cattle-seaweed-reduces-their-greenhouse-gas-emissions-82-percent" target="_blank">small amounts</a> of seaweed to cattle feed can reduce greenhouse emissions as much as 82 percent.

A single dairy cow produces about <a href="https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-biogasconverting-waste-to-energy" target="_blank">80 pounds</a> of manure a day. Project Mootopia will <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2022/01/turning-waste-into-a-resource" target="_blank">manage manure</a> through methane reduction technology such as digesters and separators, which reduce the need for commercial fertilizer.

Ben &amp; Jerry’s says the project will use regenerative practices to grow more grass and other feed crops to maintain healthy soils, increase carbon sequestration, improve grassland use, lower synthetic inputs, promote biodiversity and raise the percentage of homegrown feed.

The company says Project Mootopia is also promoting renewable energy on dairy farms and continues Ben &amp; Jerry’s tradition of meeting high animal welfare standards. The 15 participating farms will be split between members of the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) cooperative in the U.S. and CONO Kaasmakers in the Netherlands. 

“Too often, corporations buy up carbon offsets from somewhere else to claim they are ‘carbon neutral’,” <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ben--jerrys-pilot-project-plans-to-cut-dairy-farm-ghg-emissions-to-half-of-industry-average-by-2024-301542564.html" target="_blank">said</a> Taylor Ricketts of the Gund Institute for Environment at the University of Vermont. “Ben &amp; Jerry’s is taking a more meaningful and direct approach: attacking the systemic causes of climate change in its own supply chain to achieve measurable, science-based targets.”

Intensive cooperation among researchers, advisors and farmers is key to developing tailored mitigation methods that are “feasible, affordable and safe,” said Theun Vellinga from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands in a public statement. 

“We have constructed the ‘Mitigation Engine’ as a tool to combine the science around [greenhouse gas] mitigation with the knowledge and experience of the farmer,” said Vellinga. “We cannot stick to one mitigation option only; there is no silver bullet. But a package of options will help us reach the target reduction.”

Ben &amp; Jerry’s received $9.3 million to prove and scale regenerative practices on dairy farms from the billion-dollar Climate and Nature Fund <a href="https://www.unilever.com/climate-nature/" target="_blank">of its parent corporation</a>, Unilever, which has set several ambitious goals for reducing its carbon footprint. In addition to the Climate and Nature Fund, Unilever has committed to net zero emissions for all its products by 2039; a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023; empowering a new generation of farmers and smallholders to protect and regenerate their environment; a new Regenerative Agriculture Code for all suppliers; and water stewardship programs for 100 locations in water-stressed areas by 2030.

In addition to its environmental work, Ben &amp; Jerry’s commitment to social activism is widely known, as evidenced by its efforts on behalf of <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2019/justice-remixd-ben-jerrys-flavor-criminal-justice-reform/84801" target="_blank">criminal justice reform</a>, <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2020/10/milk-with-dignity" target="_blank">worker’s rights</a>, and the ice cream company’s <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2020/responding-george-floyd-murder-ben-jerrys-targets-elephant-room/120506" target="_blank">public statement</a>s against racism and former President Donald Trump. On its website about <a href="https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2022/01/turning-waste-into-a-resource" target="_blank">turning waste into renewable resources</a>, Ben &amp; Jerry’s says they strive to be guided by their values in everything they do, that the climate crisis is the “single greatest challenge to life on this planet,” and that “everyone, especially businesses, must do their part to get greenhouse gas emissions under control <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58130705" target="_blank">before it’s too late</a>.” 

Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/nKUkTnHMg48" target="_blank">Annie Spratt</a> via Unsplash

Ben & Jerry’s ‘Mootopia’ Seeks to Prevent Climate Dystopia

In Miami, home of the Miami Heat, buses soon will be plastered with images of sweating pregnant women imploring people to seek shade, drink water and rest. It’s part of a vanguard campaign by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and <a href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/chief-heat-officers" target="_blank">Chief Heat Officer Jane Gilbert</a> and their <a href="https://miamifoundation.org/extremeheat/" target="_blank">Climate and Heat Health Task Force</a> to save lives – lots of lives – as extreme heat impacts escalate due to climate change.

I’ve written <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2016/how-health-climate-change-and-social-justice-intersect-chicago/20941" target="_blank">before</a> about extreme heat’s impact on health. And we know definitively now, based on COVID-19’s deadly toll, that real social determinants erupt from these impacts. Climate change shocks, like COVID-19 impacts, aren’t fair. Heat disproportionately impacts Black and Hispanic workers and could claim <a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/extreme-heat-the-economic-and-social-consequences-for-the-united-states/" target="_blank">nearly 60,000 lives a year by 2050</a>.

Which is why it’s particularly important that anyone with a stake in our cities uses that involvement to support extreme heat mitigation. As with many climate resilience interventions, local governments lead. And, fortunately, many of their tactics can be adopted easily by the corporate sector.  

Change outdoor work hours to allow for working when the sun isn’t blazing. A local Phoenix <a href="https://www.maricopa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/2013/P-22---Hours-of-Construction-Ordinance-PDF#:~:text=1.,7%3A00%20p.m.%20each%20day." target="_blank">ordinance</a> allows for construction to begin at 5a.m., and Home Depot obliges by opening then, too. Also in the West, the <a href="https://aghealth.ucdavis.edu/news/night-work-growing-trend-western-agriculture" target="_blank">growing tren</a>d is to harvest crops at night to escape the worst of the agricultural sector’s heat.

Consider impacts for indoor workers in workplaces without air cooling options. Many job sites are blistering. Make frequent breaks compulsory. Require cooling centers. Ensure that a hierarchy doesn’t prohibit any of your employees from benefiting from such cooling actions. Also, reward foremen and teams that comply, change key performance indicators to include breaks per hour and discard performance measures that drive overwork in too-hot conditions. (And, while we’re at it, change cultural norms to waive dark suits for office workers in hot workplaces.)

Make drinking water accessible. At outdoor entertainment venues – including summer festivals where bottled water prices rival beer prices – make water free and easily available. Some municipalities are considering this requirement for events on public property.

Invest in cool community spaces that community residents actually will use. <a href="https://www.climateresolve.org/" target="_blank">ClimateResolve</a>, which in Los Angeles builds collaborations to champion equitable climate solutions, is working to create privately funded resilience-hubs – community-serving facilities that includes use as public cooling centers when it gets hot there. 

Install publicly accessible spray pools and water fountains; and in addition, build integrated shade and cool pavements, walls and roofs (think white reflectivity); install as much vegetated space outdoors as possible; and orient buildings to maximize shade.

Plant trees. Keep in mind that trees need water, so make it your business to care for trees in and near your property. It can take years for a tree to provide the shade and air cooling that the evapotranspiration we learned about in school confers. Check out the <a href="https://www.americanforests.org/tools-research-reports-and-guides/tree-equity-score/#:~:text=Tree%20Equity%20Score%20calculates%20a,the%20tool%20is%20wide%2Dreaching." target="_blank">Tree Equity Score</a> developed by American Forests to determine where your investment can pay significant dividends. Begin now with investments that confer <a href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5602e09be4b053956b5c8d3a/1623179809355-B8E47X81HCSD06O274P7/Health+Benefits+of+Trees+final+png.png?format=1500w" target="_blank">multiple benefits</a> to our communities for a generation.

While major coastal storms often catch the headlines, extreme heat <a href="https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-heat-related-deaths#:~:text=Heat%20is%20the%20leading%20weather,heat%2Devents%2Dguidebook)." target="_blank">is the leading weather-related killer</a>. Increasingly, academics are pouring through death records of people who died during extreme heat times to identify heat-related deaths. Often, such deaths are a co-morbidity with heart attacks, asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Are these casualties in your community? What can you do to contribute to preventing future deaths – beyond the tips above?

Build partnerships with health care providers, emergency responders, faith communities, workers’ rights organizations, different units of government, corporations and small business to share the responsibility of caring for everyone when it’s scorching outside and to raise awareness about the danger of extreme heat and how to address it. 

And, of course, meet and exceed your ambitious net zero greenhouse gas emission targets. Because while heat will continue to rise due to the current greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere, the prospects for unlivable conditions (did you read about the astonishing heat <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astonishing-heat-grips-india-and-pakistan/#:~:text=On%20April%2030%2C%202018%2C%20Nawabshah,wheat%20harvests%20in%20some%20areas." target="_blank">in India and Pakistan</a>?) are incredibly dire if all countries continue on today’s path of global emissions. 

At the recent Forum on Global Resilience convened by the <a href="https://www.onebillionresilient.org/" target="_blank">Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center</a>, Mayor Cava launched Miami-Dade County’s (and the nation’s ) first <a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/releases/2021-11-02-mayor-heat-season.asp#:~:text=Today%2C%20Miami%2DDade%20Mayor%20Daniella,with%20the%20annual%20hurricane%20season." target="_blank">Heat Season</a>. She and Kathy Baughman McLeod, director of the Center, are on a mission to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/climate/heat-wave-names-greece.html" target="_blank">name heat events</a> like we identify hurricanes. 

In the face of rising city temperatures, more Americans are inspired to ensure that those most at risk in hot weather, the poor and minorities, survive and thrive. And many more must be so motivated. Simply consider this: Vivid Economics, a strategic economics consultancy, <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/59e0a95f40f0b61ab035cb3d/VIVID_Heat_impacts_on_labour_productivity_and_VfM_adaptation.pdf" target="_blank">estimates</a> that heat-related losses of labor productivity will cost the U.S. economy half a trillion dollars annually by 2050. 

Let’s agree: We are not playin’ with heat. All of us have a role – indeed, a stake – in creating ways to stay cool even as global temperatures rise. 

Image credit: <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/areal-photography-of-high-rise-buildings-821338/" target="_blank">Daniel Alvarado</a> via Pexels

Extreme Heat: We Are ‘Not Playin’ in Miami and Beyond

The political leanings of U.S. Supreme Court justices are not a matter of routine discussion in corporate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) meetings. However, they should be, they must be, and they will be if business leaders really are serious about their responsibility to ensure diversity, equality and inclusion in the corporate family. Or was DEI always just a joke, all along?

<h2>How to sidestep the bystander effect</h2>

Activists seeking to ban abortion have held the rhetorical cards for far too long, thanks in part to business leaders who stood by while phrases like “right to life” and “pro-life” set the terms of debate.

Business leaders can begin to take action by defining abortion in the context of their DEI programs. Rather than getting distracted by arguments over the beginning of life or the legal status of a fetus, employers can —  and should —  insist that the anti-abortion movement is rooted in an extremist religious belief, not a civic one.

Editor's note: Be sure to <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/category/brands-taking-stands/59911" target="_blank">subscribe</a> to our Brands Taking Stands newsletter, which comes out every Wednesday.

As a matter of social morality, legal principle and medical ethics, it is generally agreed that society has interest in fetal life, limited to the advanced stages of pregnancy.

In contrast, the idea that society has an unlimited interest in preserving the existence of a zygote, embryo or fetus is of apiece with fundamentalist theory. It places men at the center of the decision-making universe and while treating everything else having to do with gender, sexuality and sexual identity as sins to be quashed. In short, it is <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2021/texas-abortion-law-hr/728066" target="_blank">the complete opposite</a> of DEI.

In the context of DEI programs, the idea that non-believers should be held to an extremist position on pregnancy is as ridiculous as the notion that everyone in a company should be forced to adopt the behavior and clothing of a particular religion, whether or not they identify with that religion.

<h2>Calling out the anti-pregnancy movement</h2>

It is high time for employers to take control of the rhetoric and call the “pro-life” movement by its real name.

Unlimited social and legal control over an individual person’s pregnancy is not pro-life. It is anti-pregnancy. It stigmatizes all pregnancies, by identifying the womb as a human organ under community ownership, to be monitored and controlled by any passing stranger.

The anti-pregnancy movement reduces all pregnant people to a less than human status. Regardless of the risk to their health, life and safety, their right to self-determination is superseded by community control over their womb.

The resulting picture is about as ugly as it can get, for everyone. Every pregnant person is literally reduced to a community-owned vessel. Under this regimen, even those who plan their pregnancy and carry it to term are vulnerable to constant surveillance, harassment and stalking.  

<h2>The social bulldozers are coming for your DEI program</h2>

Against this backdrop, business leaders are deluded if they think they can wall off their DEI programs from the outside world.

That is made abundantly clear by the authenticated <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473" target="_blank">draft opinion of the Supreme Court</a> attributed to Associate Justice Samuel Alito, which was leaked to the news organization Politico last week. In the draft, Alito outlined the fundamentalist case for overturning Roe V. Wade and other pregnancy rights precedents.

Court watchers quickly pointed out that the opinion does not stop at pregnancy rights. It upends decades of decisions affirming privacy rights of all kinds. As written, the draft opinion threatens the right to contraceptives along with marriage equality and LGBTQ+ protections, among other areas.

A nationwide ban on abortion could also be the ultimate outcome of the Alito opinion, forcing the anti-pregnancy movement onto states where privacy rights have long been respected.

<h2>Yes, let’s talk about ethics at the U.S. Supreme Court</h2>

The leaked draft has sparked a torrent of outrage, which Chief Justice John Roberts and his Republican allies in Congress have tried tamp down by expressing their outrage over the ethics of leaking an internal Court document to the public.

So, let’s have it. Let’s have that discussion about ethics at the Supreme Court. That discussion is long overdue, considering the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/30/1089595933/legal-ethics-experts-agree-justice-thomas-must-recuse-in-insurrection-cases" target="_blank">conflict of interest issues</a> swirling for years around Associate Justice Clarence Thomas.

The apparent power of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/leonard-leo-federalists-society-courts/" target="_blank">a single executive at The Federalist Society</a> to influence the confirmation process under multiple Republican presidents is another ethics issue that should be under discussion.

Also in need of a thorough airing is the successful effort by Republicans in the Senate to pack the court with justices vetted by The Federalist Society. In 2016, the Republican majority in the Senate <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/10/20/fact-check-gop-senators-blocked-nomination-merrick-garland-2016/5916555002/" target="_blank">blocked former form president Obama</a> from exercising his authority to nominate Merrick Garland for a seat left vacant by the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. That exercise in pure partisanship enabled former president Trump to replace Scalia with <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-02-01/media-barred-from-justice-gorsuch-talk-to-federalist-society" target="_blank">another Federalist Society conservative</a>, Neil Gorsuch, after he took office in 2017.

In 2018 the rather abrupt and unexplained <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/06/donald-trump-justice-anthony-kennedy-retirement" target="_blank">decision of Justice Anthony Kennedy</a> to retire cleared the way for Trump to nominate Brett Kavanaugh as a younger, more reliably conservative replacement. Trump and Republicans in the Senate also rushed a third conservative nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, onto the court just days before the U.S. presidential election of 2020, after Ruth Bader Ginsberg died on September 18 of that year. The effort to install Barrett compressed a normally months-long process into weeks, but apparently that did not raise any ethical red flags in the Roberts court.

In addition, reporters have been scrolling back through confirmation hearings, during which several of the conservative nominees implied that overturning the right to privacy was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/05/03/1096108319/roe-v-wade-alito-conservative-justices-confirmation-hearings" target="_blank">not on their judicial radar</a>, leading to accusations that some of them outright lied to members of the Senate. Apparently, that is not a breach of ethics, either.

<h2>What’s a corporate leader to do?</h2>

The leaked draft is actually a good thing. It has finally brought the true agenda of the anti-pregnancy movement into the sphere of public discussion. It has cleared the way for corporate leaders to mark their ground on diversity, equality and inclusion in no uncertain terms.

Either employers support DEI, or they don’t. Either they defend their employees against the anti-pregnancy movement, or they don’t.

A <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2019/abortion-now-part-corporate-activism-conversation/83906" target="_blank">pro-pregnancy movement</a> did begin to take shape among corporate leaders three years ago, when a group of companies took out a full-page ad in The New York Times to protest a growing torrent of <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2021/salesforce-texas-abortion-law/728386" target="_blank">state-based anti-pregnancy laws.</a>

Clearly, that movement needs to step up to the next level. Offering to <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2022/corporations-abortion-access/742001" target="_blank">support and protect employees</a> impacted by state based anti-pregnancy laws is a good start, but more is needed. Corporate leaders need to stop supporting candidates and legislators who seek to undermine the basic principles of a modern democratic society. 

The only answer now is money, and plenty of it, directed away from anti-pregnancy politicians, and towards allies in state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, who uphold the principle that control over one’s pregnancy is a basic human right.

Abortion is a necessary feature of individual self-determination and equality under the law, regardless of what religious extremists profess to believe.

Image credit: <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/xENKE2dzxow" target="_blank">Ian Hutchinson</a> via Unsplash

Corporate DEI and the Bystander Effect in the Age of Court-Stacking

As discussed <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2022/return-office-dei-companies/743816" target="_blank">in the first part of this series</a>, it’s clear that many employees — particularly women of color — are hesitant to return to the office. Nevertheless, <a href="https://tarajayefrank.com/" target="_blank">Tara Jaye Frank</a>, equity strategist and author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Waymakers-Clearing-Workplace-Competence-Confidence/dp/1637551800" target="_blank">The Waymakers</a>, actually sees opportunities for business executives to address diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within their organizations. A well-planned and smartly deployed strategy could result in a working environment in which everyone is encouraged to reach their full potential, which in turn can help companies retain talent and remain viable for the long term.

So, how does Frank help leadership stay on course with such goals? With six years of consulting under her belt, Frank has it down to a science. The first step is a work culture assessment. Leaders are instructed to take a good hard look at their reality and embrace it. That means analyzing payroll, promotions and retention data; paying attention to who is moving where within the organization and at what rates; and analyzing patterns across all data sets, including survey data from present employees and exit data from those who leave. Next, she helps company leadership define a vision — and they work together to determine what systems and processes need to be changed or implemented in order to achieve that vision. 

Frank is hopeful that her book will be used as a guide by more leaders to embrace their potential as “waymakers” in working to implement DEI in their organizations. Her goal for the future is one we should all commit to — a vision in which “every single person in the workplace, especially Black and Brown, can not only be themselves but also be able to achieve their highest aspiration.”

In the meantime, she does have some advice for Black women needing to safeguard their mental health upon returning to the office. She starts with a reminder to take care of themselves and take paid time off or a leave of absence, as they're able, if they need it.

When dealing with outright racism she also recommends that it is important to determine if it is an individual causing harm or part of the company culture. If there is no intervention made in response to inappropriate comments, or if high-level leaders are the ones making them, that is a sign that the problem is a company norm. So, while filing a complaint with human resources may fix the issue with an individual, it can really backfire if it is part of the company norm. Frank encourages women to connect with their external network for guidance and options and says that having such an external network is imperative for Black women in corporate America. With blatant racism, sometimes the best thing to do is find a new position. “That kind of harm gets on you and in you and it’s really difficult to unravel,” she explained.

As for leaders, Frank recommends they take their employees’ mental health seriously. “Whenever there is toxicity in any environment, it always harms the marginalized the most,” she said. As such, workers end up doubting their own abilities, and it becomes too painful for them to be so invested in their job. Instead of being able to fully contribute, they are forced to focus on self-preservation. 

It doesn’t stop with the individual either. Organizations suffer when they allow toxic and racist behavior to continue. An employee who is focused on self-preservation isn’t going to be able to be as creative in their contributions or as interested in collaboration. “Companies that don’t prioritize mental health will have a high turnover and low creativity," Frank explained. 

On the other hand, if a company wants workers to feel safe contributing and giving their all, then it is important to address racism immediately instead of trying to ignore it and pretend it won’t happen again. “Sometimes a company says they don’t want to give it attention, but that’s really saying it’s acceptable to them," Frank said. “The best response is swift, public and clear.”

Climbing the corporate ladder shouldn’t come with the expectation that Black women sacrifice their mental health or their personhood. As workers return to the office, corporate leaders have the opportunity and the responsibility to implement changes that eliminate microaggressions and encourage Black women to reach their full potential within any given organization. 

Image credit: <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-black-blazer-holding-smartphone-3727469/">Anna Shvets</a> via Pixabay

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