Latest news with #JeffKing
Associated Press
04-08-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Bath & Body Works Strengthens Climate Commitment with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Validation
Today, Bath & Body Works, Inc. recently announced that it has had its near-term science-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a globally recognized authority on corporate climate action. Bath & Body Works commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 63% by 2035 from a 2022 base year. Bath & Body Works also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 63% within the same timeframe. The SBTi is a corporate climate action organization that enables companies and financial institutions worldwide to play their part in combating the climate crisis. SBTi develops standards, tools and guidance which allow companies to set greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions targets in line with what is needed to keep global heating below catastrophic levels and reach net-zero by 2050. With this guidance, Bath & Body Works is taking meaningful steps to reduce its environmental impact and contribute to a more sustainable future. In 2024, Bath & Body Works completed its 2022 Scope 3 emissions baseline assessment, which gave visibility into the full extent of its carbon footprint and paved the way to set these near-term (2035) science-based targets. These goals were submitted for validation in March 2025 and officially approved in July 2025. 'We are very proud of this milestone and what opportunities this unlocks to help combat climate change and address our company's environmental footprint,' says Jeff King, Group Vice President and Head of ESG. 'The journey ahead will be complex and challenging, but we are ready to take action and work together with our associates and partners in our value chain to protect the planet.' These new science-based targets replace the company's previous emissions goals and reflect an ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and progress. To learn more about Bath & Body Works' climate change journey and sustainability efforts, read pages 52-55 of the latest 2024 Sustainability and Impact Report. Visit 3BL Media to see more multimedia and stories from Bath & Body Works
Scoop
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Booster Foundation Supports Provincial High Schools To Access Online Learning Platform
The Booster Foundation is supporting 40 provincial high schools to access an online learning platform that helps prepare rangatahi for life challenges like financial planning, further education and work. Booster Foundation to sponsor 40 provincial high schools to access online learning platform MyMahi to grow students' financial capability and independence MyMahi helps prepare young people for life challenges such as financial planning, education and work Booster Foundation will cover most of cost to 40 schools to allow more students to access MyMahi The Booster Foundation is supporting 40 provincial high schools to access an online learning platform that helps prepare rangatahi for life challenges like financial planning, further education and work. The Booster Foundation funds initiatives that support build the financial capability of New Zealanders so they can achieve better financial outcomes and has partnered with My Mahi to widen its availability to young people. MyMahi provides learning modules and resources to equip young people with crucial skills and knowledge as they step toward adulthood. 120 New Zealand schools are already connected to MyMahi and it's expected that this year up to 100 thousand students will use its resources. Booster Foundation Chief Executive Anika Speedy says sponsoring 40 high schools in provincial parts of the country to access MyMahi will benefit students who lack access to facilities like banks and other resources available in cities. 'The Booster Foundation is covering almost all the cost of a school signing up with MyMahi, so its students can utilise these resources. That's $1450 for the first year, with the school only needing to come up with $100,' says Anika Speedy. 'We know a person's financial resilience depends on employment, effective money management and saving. MyMahi has some outstanding resources to guide young people as they navigate challenges like these. 'This includes its support to help young people set up banks accounts and KiwiSaver to get them on to a life-time habit of saving. 'A great example is MyMahi's digital school ID. Students will be able to use it to verify their identity via the Department of Internal Affairs which means it can be accepted by banks, KiwiSaver providers, tertiary institutions, and government organisations, so young people can get on their path to financial independence,' says Anika Speedy. MyMahi director Jeff King says 'We are very excited to be able to help more young people in provincial schools gain access to MyMahi through Booster's generous sponsorship. Teenagers love it, and although many use it at school, there are also a huge number who access it in their own time which says a lot about how useful it is.'
Scoop
16-07-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Booster Foundation Supports Provincial High Schools To Access Online Learning Platform
Booster Foundation to sponsor 40 provincial high schools to access online learning platform MyMahi to grow students' financial capability and independence MyMahi helps prepare young people for life challenges such as financial planning, education and work Booster Foundation will cover most of cost to 40 schools to allow more students to access MyMahi The Booster Foundation is supporting 40 provincial high schools to access an online learning platform that helps prepare rangatahi for life challenges like financial planning, further education and work. The Booster Foundation funds initiatives that support build the financial capability of New Zealanders so they can achieve better financial outcomes and has partnered with My Mahi to widen its availability to young people. MyMahi provides learning modules and resources to equip young people with crucial skills and knowledge as they step toward adulthood. 120 New Zealand schools are already connected to MyMahi and it's expected that this year up to 100 thousand students will use its resources. Booster Foundation Chief Executive Anika Speedy says sponsoring 40 high schools in provincial parts of the country to access MyMahi will benefit students who lack access to facilities like banks and other resources available in cities. 'The Booster Foundation is covering almost all the cost of a school signing up with MyMahi, so its students can utilise these resources. That's $1450 for the first year, with the school only needing to come up with $100,' says Anika Speedy. 'We know a person's financial resilience depends on employment, effective money management and saving. MyMahi has some outstanding resources to guide young people as they navigate challenges like these. 'This includes its support to help young people set up banks accounts and KiwiSaver to get them on to a life-time habit of saving. 'A great example is MyMahi's digital school ID. Students will be able to use it to verify their identity via the Department of Internal Affairs which means it can be accepted by banks, KiwiSaver providers, tertiary institutions, and government organisations, so young people can get on their path to financial independence,' says Anika Speedy. MyMahi director Jeff King says 'We are very excited to be able to help more young people in provincial schools gain access to MyMahi through Booster's generous sponsorship. Teenagers love it, and although many use it at school, there are also a huge number who access it in their own time which says a lot about how useful it is.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Firefighting foams contain toxic PFAS. Could soybeans be the answer?
Jeff King has served on the volunteer fire department in Corydon, Kentucky, for over 30 years. He is well aware of the dangers of the job — including one that may be hiding in the supplies he and his crew use to keep others safe. Many of the foams firefighters spray to extinguish blazes contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. Known as 'forever chemicals,' PFAS are a class of human-made chemicals that repel water and oil; it's this quality that makes them effective at battling tough-to-put-out fires, like those started with diesel fuel. The chemicals are also tied to a host of human health problems, from reproductive issues to high cholesterol to certain types of cancer. King admits that some of the foams he's used over his career 'may or may not be good for us.' That's why he visited Dalton, Georgia, last year to meet with representatives from Cross Plains Solutions, a company that developed a PFAS-free firefighting foam made from soybeans. After seeing the foam in action, he was impressed. 'The product performs just fantastic,' said King. And because it has been certified as PFAS-free, he figured, 'there's nothing in it that could potentially make me or any other firefighter in this country that uses it sick. I just thought, 'Wait a minute, this is almost a no-brainer.'' There's another upside for King in all of this: In his day job, he's a soybean farmer himself. A new application for the humble soybean would be good for business. The search to find a PFAS-free firefighting foam is relatively new, as a growing body of research illuminates the harmful impact that these chemicals have on humans and the environment. Soybean farmers have presented their crop as a surprising solution to this problem. Although more research and development are needed to ensure soy-based firefighting foam holds up under the toughest circumstances, the product is catching the attention of local fire departments. 'There is a good bit of interest,' said Alan Snipes, CEO of Cross Plains Solutions. He estimated that his company's product, aptly named SoyFoam, is now being used in 50 fire departments around the country, mostly in the Midwest. That's not a coincidence: Snipes pointed out that many rural fire departments in the middle of the country depend on volunteer firefighters. 'A lot of the volunteers are farmers, and a lot of the farmers grow soybeans,' he said. Cross Plains began to look into creating a PFAS-free, soy-based firefighting foam after being approached by the United Soybean Board. Snipes was first in touch with the board more than 30 years ago, when he worked in the carpet industry and started using soy-based compounds to manufacture backing for commercial carpets. He started Cross Plain Solutions about 13 years ago to produce a bio-based cooling gel for mattresses. Then, three years ago, the United Soybean Board offered the company funding to develop and test a biodegradable firefighting foam. The board, whose members are appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, exists to collect one-half of one percent of the market price of every bushel of soybeans sold by U.S. farmers. This congressionally mandated process, called the soybean checkoff program, is used to fund research into new markets for soybeans. The United Soybean Board partners with both public and private actors, like universities and corporations, to fund research into and commercialization of new soybean uses. Often, this looks like investing in more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels — like using soybean oil as a petroleum replacement in tires, straws, and shoes. In a partnership like the one with Cross Plains, the checkoff program is hoping to create a business opportunity that might help farmers sell more bushels down the line. The result is a 'win-win,' said Philip Good, chair of the United Soybean Board. After King returned back home to Kentucky, his fire department voted to exclusively use SoyFoam going forward; according to King, it was the first in the country to do so. SoyFoam is not unique. There are other alternatives to PFAS-based firefighting foams on the market with different formulations and applications, said Danielle Nachman, a senior staff scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. 'They can span all kinds of chemistry,' said Nachman. Some are bio-based, like a gel made with canola oil, while others try to replicate the chemical properties of PFAS without relying on fluorinated compounds. The big hurdle for SoyFoam and other PFAS-free firefighting foams is meeting requirements set by the Department of Defense for military firefighting and training activity. PFAS-containing firefighting foams were first patented by the United States Navy in the 1960s, following a series of devastating fires on aircraft carriers and other ships. In the 1970s, virtually every U.S. military base began using these foams for emergencies and training exercises — leading to dangerous contamination in the surrounding areas. 'The majority of the headache when it comes to PFAS [in firefighting foams] is the military application,' said Mohamed Ateia Ibrahim, an adjunct assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Rice University, 'because of all of the military bases and the training activities.' The Department of Defense has been working to transition away from firefighting foams that contain PFAS — but SoyFoam has a ways to go before it could be fully embraced by the military. The Pentagon has not tested Cross Plain Solutions' product, but Snipes said the agency has encouraged the company to seek further funding to continue its R&D. The Department of Defense didn't respond to Grist's request for comment. Ibrahim said he supports the development of bio-based, PFAS-free foams, but that companies need to be more transparent about what exactly goes into their products. 'We need more clarification about the other components and whether they are, as a whole, really better or not' than PFAS-based firefighting foams, said Ibrahim. According to Snipes, SoyFoam is made up of things you could find in your pantry — although when asked to specify what those components are, he demurred, calling the information proprietary. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Firefighting foams contain toxic PFAS. Could soybeans be the answer? on Jun 23, 2025.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Fatal motorcycle crash under investigation in Bloomfield Hills
A crash involving a speeding motorcycle resulted in the death of the rider Sunday afternoon in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, local police reported. "We are thankful that no other injuries or fatalities resulted from this dangerous and reckless behavior," Chief Jeff King, Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety, said in the press release. The circumstances leading to the fatal crash started about 2:45 p.m. Sunday in the area of Woodward Avenue and Hickory Grove Road, according to a report from Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety. The motorcycle operator was traveling on a high rate of speed when a police officer tried to stop the rider; but the biker drove southbound on Woodward and the officer was unable to pursue at that point. A short time later, another Bloomfield Hills officer saw the same motorcyclist riding at a high rate of speed southbound on Woodward near Long Lane Road, at which point the motorcyclist was "attempting to disobey multiple traffic control devices," according to the report. At the traffic light on Long Lake, the southbound motorcycle collided with an eastbound vehicle. Police said the eastbound vehicle had the right-of-way at the intersection. The motorcyclist was thrown off the bike as a result of that crash, and collided with objects in the median. Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety crews attempted to provide medical care, but the motorcycle operator was pronounced dead at the scene. The occupants of the other vehicle were not injured. Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety is working with the South Oakland County Crash Investigation Team on the investigation. Police ask that anyone with information to share about the crash call Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety at 248-644-4200.
