Applications Now Open: SDG Ambition Accelerator. WIll begin in October 2021 and continue until March 2022

 

Applications Now Open: SDG Ambition Accelerator   SDG Ambition is an accelerator initiative that aims to challenge and support participating companies of the UN Global Compact in setting ambitious corporate targets and accelerating integration of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into core business management.    Join the Network USA accelerator to be amongst the US cohort contributing to global SDG Ambition. There is no charge to join the Network USA accelerator if your company is a participant of the Network. The program will begin in October 2021 and continue until March 2022.   READ MORE

Nothing we didn't already know. Solutions? Register Now! Aug. 17 Webinar on Biological and Socioeconomic Implications of Residential Neighborhood Characteristics

 

August 17, 2021, at 3:00 to 4:00 PM ET Click here to register for the free webinar now! Studies at EPA are showing that health disparities can be influenced by the neighborhood environment. People who live in communities where there is environmental pollution, lower incomes, traffic and lack of green spaces, for example, may be at greater risk of negative health outcomes. Neighborhood‐level socioeconomic status or deprivation can influence various health outcomes of residents and may, in fact, exacerbate responses to local environmental conditions, such as air pollution. Research at EPA examines effects of neighborhood factors on cardiovascular and overall health as well as molecular indicators of aging. This research also examines whether exposure to air pollution and neighborhood factors combined contribute to greater health effects than those observed with either exposure alone. As EPA focuses on environmental justice issues, it is increasingly important to understand how neighborhood factors and air pollution combined may affect health outcomes. View Webinar series schedule and recordings. Learn more about air research. A certificate of attendance will be offered for this webinar. Speakers: Anne Weaver, Ph.D. Anne Weaver is an epidemiologist with EPA’s Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment (CPHEA). Since joining the EPA in 2017, Dr. Weaver has focused on studying disparities in air pollution and cardiovascular disease among people with different sociodemographic backgrounds. Anne received her Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo in 2015.   Timothy Wade, Ph.D. Timothy J. Wade is an epidemiologist and Associate Division Director of the Public Health and Environmental Systems Division in CPHEA. His research experience and interests include community health surveillance, social determinants of health, biomarker development, statistical modeling, exposure assessment, and microbial risk assessment. Dr. Wade holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.   Cavin Ward‐Caviness, Ph.D. Cavin Ward‐Caviness is a computational biologist and environmental epidemiologist in CPHEA. Dr. Ward‐Caviness seeks to understand the environmental factors which influence health in vulnerable populations and the molecular mechanisms that influence environmental health risks. Cavin holds a Ph.D. from Duke University.

NAN Presents First Nations-Specific Emergency Management Concept to Ontario Premier July 28, 2021

If needed we shall provide our full support for the success of the First Nations EM.

 

We would be honored of a full C5&P (Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering)  with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

CDS.  BEMA International

 

https://www.nan.ca/news/nan-presents-first-nations-specific-emergency-management-concept-to-ontario-premier/?fbclid=IwAR3GQD6jwZm1XLGfCAWx9UGLlqoKT3AYX09plCJ-xWj2B3vK78leClHdH7Q     NAN Presents First Nations-Specific Emergency Management Concept to Ontario Premier July 28, 2021   THUNDER BAY, ON: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler has presented a report outlining a First Nation-specific emergency management concept to Ontario Premier Doug Ford during his visit to Thunder Bay today.   “The issues around emergency management are becoming more critical for First Nations communities. Ontario’s approach is failing, and our communities must have the capacity to manage on their own and be empowered to look after their members. The emergency management concept we have presented outlines this and is the direction the province should be heading in,” said NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler. “This is the foundation for action towards a holistic and successful approach to emergency management. As we advance this work, it is vital that our federal and provincial Treaty partners acknowledge the identified issues and gaps and accept the recommendations to develop a successful and culturally appropriate service delivery model that supports and empowers First Nations communities.”   Deficiencies and gaps in emergency management for First Nation communities is a significant concern, especially during this forest fire season. The lack of a tripartite agreement has led to ineffective implementation of Canada’s ‘All-Hazards Approach’ and stymied meaningful partnerships between First Nations and the federal and provincial governments.   The report, Emergency Management for First Nations in Ontario, provides 20 recommendations including: Establish clear roles for the federal and provincial governments, and First Nations through tripartite agreements. Maintain the distinction between an “emergency” and “disaster”, where an “emergency” focuses on institutional response, and a “disaster” focuses on the degree of harm. Scale the definition of “disaster” to each individual First Nation, focusing on each First Nation’s ability to cope as a benchmark. Eliminate the distinction between social emergencies and other types of emergency hazards or provide dedicated funding for social emergencies. Create a mechanism to empower emergency declarations by First Nations. Ensure that all pillars of emergency management are conceptualized as a “disaster cycle” with all pillars given equal consideration, and contribute resources to pre-disaster pillars. Develop remoteness indices/indicators specific to emergency management and apply the remoteness indices/indicators to First Nations in Ontario.   View the report here:

Black Emergency Managers Association International Washington, D.C.  20020   bEMA International Cooperation, Collaboration, Communication, Coordination, Community engagement, and  Partnering (C5&P)   A 501 (c) 3 organization
Community\Civil Society Imperative.  The impacts of climate change are increasing the frequency and intensity of disasters. Individuals, families, and communities must take a proactive approach and behaviors to save lives, their  communities, their culture and heritage.

 

CNN: Goldman Sachs draws a line in the sand on employee vaccination July 2021

 https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/29/business/goldman-sachs-vaccine-building/index.html

Goldman Sachs draws a line in the sand on employee vaccination By Alexis Benveniste, CNN Business Updated 8:39 PM ET, Thu July 29, 2021 New York (CNN)All eyes are on Wall Street as the Covid-19 Delta variant continues to spread and Corporate America starts rolling out vaccination policies. And although there's talk of banks requiring employees to show proof of vaccination,  Goldman Sachs has drawn its line in the sand. The investment bank is barring employees from using their ID cards to enter the office building if they haven't submitted proof of their vaccination status, a spokesperson for the company told CNN Business. Goldman's plan Goldman Sachs employees are currently required to report their vaccine status to the company, a policy that was instituted on June 10. Failure to do so comes with specific consequences. "If you do not report your vaccine status to Goldman, your ID card will not work to enter the building," a spokesperson for the company told CNN Business. "The entrance of the building is contingent on you reporting your vaccine status," the spokesperson added. Unvaccinated employees are required to get a rapid Covid-19 test on site at the Goldman Sachs office and will be tested regularly, the spokesperson said. Employees who test positive will immediately be asked to leave the building. How other banks are handling the return to work Morgan Stanley (MS)'s New York office is banning all unvaccinated staff and clients from entering its headquarters. All employees who work in buildings with a "large employee presence" were required to confirm their vaccination status by July 1, according to a memo to employees. At Deutsche Bank (DB), there are no restrictions on employees who are vaccinated and have shared their vaccine status with the company, a spokesperson for the bank told CNN Business. Unvaccinated employees and employees who don't share their vaccination status, however, are required to answer a set of questions about any symptoms and travel, and must wear masks and get tested several times per week at the office. Citibank employees who are vaccinated can submit their vaccine cards, and employees who are not vaccinated are required to test three times per week with an at-home rapid test. After taking the test, the employees upload their results to the test's app for their employer to see. Bank of America (BAC) was more vague when asked for specifics on how their vaccine policy will be implemented. "We are pulling folks back who have shared their vaccination status," a spokesperson for the company told CNN Business. "We are prioritizing the vaccinated coming back," the spokesperson added. Wells Fargo (CBEAX) is "collecting vaccination status from our employees to better enable our focus on health and safety in the workplace," a spokesperson for the company told CNN Business. Jefferies (JEF) is only allowing vaccinated employees into the office according to a memo that the company's CEO and president sent to employees, and only after they're past the appropriate waiting period for full vaccine efficacy. "We require that, after Labor Day, anyone who is not fully vaccinated should continue to work from home," the memo said. Barclays declined to comment on its vaccine policy. JP Morgan Chase, UBS, HSBC did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Wall Street's push for the office For months, Wall Street has pushed for employees to come back to the office as more Americans get vaccinated against Covid-19. Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, for example, both made it clear that they're expecting their employees to return by Labor Day — a date that is quickly approaching yet might become a moving target as the Delta variant continues to spread. Gorman previously warned that he'll be "very disappointed" if workers aren't back by Labor Day. And for those who are not, "we'll have a different kind of conversation," he said. As for Moynihan, he recently said, "Our view is all the vaccinated teammates will be back" after Labor Day. The rush to get back to the office is due, in part, to work cultural concerns, as Zoom calls and Slack messages are no substitute for in-person meetings and training. Others worries center on cybersecurity and risk management vulnerabilities inherent in businesses that conduct billions of dollars of transactions every day. At its core, banking is a highly interactive business — and no one on hyper-competitive Wall Street wants to lose a deal because of a slow WiFi connection. -- CNN's Matt Egan contributed to this report

College Degree, Affordable and Accessible/ 10,000 free online college courses and credit-bearing exams to prospective students July 2021

 

Morgan State Joins the Fast Start Program That Could Offer Significant Savings to Students Modern States, a philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible, will provide at least 10,000 free online college courses and credit-bearing exams to prospective students. This will save over $10 million in tuition and expenses for HBCU students.