Autor: venred

NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Fredrick D. Scott announced today that he has successfully completed his three-year term of supervised release in connection with his previous guilty plea for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and making a materially false statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission; a plea that was garnered through intimidation and forced by the prosecution after failing to successfully secure an indictment.

Though never indicted by a jury of his peers and being the only person ever charged in any capacity in his case, due to pressure applied by the Prosecution and threats to charge and deport his then wife, who was in the process of receiving her Green Card, Fredrick waived his right to indictment and entered into a plea bargain based on a prosecutor’s information, subsequently being sentenced to five years in federal prison and three years of supervised release.

«Though I am not happy about the circumstances and situations surrounding my guilty plea, nor am I happy about all the time I lost with my children. The net effect of what happened, oddly enough, was the best thing that could have ever happened to me at that time. It gave me time, time to find me, learn to love and accept me for exactly who and what I am, find my purpose and calling in this life and realize what it truly means to be ‘Black in America’. I have been everywhere a person wants to be and everywhere they don’t and because of that I can now effectively use my Knowledge, Experience and Execution abilities to bring about real impact and change in disadvantaged communities in the United States and abroad and am looking forward to doing so!»

About Fredrick D. Scott:

Fredrick D. Scott is the CEO of The Scott Family Office Intl. A single-family office structure from which Fredrick stewards his family’s assets. He is also the Chairman of the Board for the New York City–based foundation, The Scott Family Foundation Intl., a Civil Society Organization (CSO) and member of the United Nations Global Compact. Fredrick is a business consultant, private equity investor, motivational speaker, social activist, and philanthropist. Named one of Ebony magazine’s «Top 30 Under 30» in May 2010 at the age of 25, Fredrick was, at the time, the youngest African American hedge fund founder in history.

Fredrick is the pioneer of the #GetRealWoke movement. Designed to foster economic stability, viability, and the uplifting of our community by advancing financial literacy initiatives and combating policing, incarceration and economic tactics that are used to perpetually disenfranchise communities of color and render these communities modern day slaves in the United States. You can learn more about Fredrick and his endeavors by visiting: https://fredrickdscott.com and on Instagram: @fredrickdscott

Contact: Terracia Wilkinson, BTaylor & Associates,
404.631.6700, twilkinson@btaylorandassociates.com

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SOURCE Fredrick D. Scott LLC

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Feb. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, TAZO announces its commitment to fight for climate justice, in partnership with Top Dawg Entertainment recording artist and singer-songwriter SZA, and nonprofit organization American Forests. Together, they are launching the TAZO Tree Corps: a paid, locally hired workforce that will use tree planting and maintenance to help combat climate change and create new jobs in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and communities of color – because trees have the power to transform neighborhoods. Across the U.S., trees absorb 17.4 million tons of air pollutants, and in addition to making a community greener and cooler, trees can increase air and water quality, improve mental health, lower energy costs and lead to more overall economic opportunity.¹

For decades, Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities nationwide have been disproportionately impacted by the negative effects of climate change. In fact, some neighborhoods can be five to 20 degrees hotter than predominantly white neighborhoods in the same city.² Environmental inequities are so pervasive in low-income communities and communities of color that environmental experts have used the term «sacrifice zones» to describe areas that carry a greater burden of air, land, and water pollution and warmer temperatures because they are situated near chemical treatment plants, highways, or heavy polluters.

«The climate crisis is no longer a future problem – it’s here now and BIPOC communities are disproportionately at risk,» said Laraine Miller, President, Unilever Tea Americas. «As a brand rooted in challenging the status quo, we believe we have a role to play in fighting for a sustainable and equitable future, which is why TAZO is announcing the first steps of a long-term purpose ambition to fight for climate justice. Climate change is not only an environmental issue, but also a human rights issue, so we’re getting started by focusing on the racial injustices that must be addressed to make meaningful progress within the climate crisis.»

The TAZO Tree Corps will be a paid cohort of 25 locally hired fellows employed by The Davey Tree Expert Company who will receive training in climate justice advocacy as well as tree planting and maintenance. They will work over the next two years to achieve measurable Tree Equity in five cities – Minneapolis, MN, Detroit, MI, the San Francisco Bay Area, CA, Richmond, VA and The Bronx, NY – where historical discriminating zoning practices have left many low-income communities and communities of color with less green space. Tree Equity, a term coined by American Forests, means all communities, regardless of income or race, can experience the benefits trees provide.

«Across the country, BIPOC communities are facing the worst effects of climate change because they live in neighborhoods that are disproportionately burdened with more pollutants and fewer trees,» said SZA. «Planting trees can help improve everything – from air quality to economic opportunity to mental health – and everybody deserves these benefits. I’m proud to partner with TAZO and American Forests to stand up for environmental justice and start making an impact in neighborhoods that need it the most.» 

«Trees do more than beautify a neighborhood – they’re life-and-death infrastructure for health equity and climate justice,» said Jad Daley, President and CEO of American Forests. «Trees can transform neighborhoods and lives, and every person needs this healing power, regardless of income, race or location. But achieving Tree Equity is about more than just planting trees. The TAZO Tree Corps will help us turn this work into new economic opportunity for people in these disproportionately impacted communities. That is our full vision for Tree Equity.»

Additionally, TAZO is working with sustainability consulting firm Pure Strategies to conduct an environmental and social impact audit of its business – from evaluating workers’ rights in the regions where the brand sources its 50+ globally grown ingredients, to understanding the carbon footprint of its products, and more.

To expand the brand’s environmental justice commitments, TAZO has also committed to support WE ACT for Environmental Justice and Intersectional Environmentalist, two BIPOC-led climate justice organizations that provide economic opportunities, education, resources, community and training for BIPOC youth.

TAZO, SZA and American Forests encourage those eligible to apply to the TAZO Tree Corps by visiting TAZO.com/TreeCorps. To learn more about our pursuit to measure Tree Equity with American Forests and TAZO’s commitments to climate justice, head to TAZO.com and AmericanForests.org/About-Us/TAZO, and follow along for updates on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

¹ American Forests, 2021. Trees as a Pathway for Social Equity. Retrieved from https://www.americanforests.org/why-it-matters/social-equity/. 
² The New York Times, 2020. How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/08/24/climate/racism-redlining-cities-global-warming.

About TAZO
TAZO exists to challenge the status quo to better society. Founded in 1994 by Steven Smith, TAZO has a rich history of pushing taste and blend boundaries in the specialty tea segment, with its core values rooted in supporting a sustainable and equitable future for all. Carefully crafted with the most delicious tea leaves, spices and botanicals, TAZO’s portfolio includes hot and iced tea, concentrates, k-cup pods, bottled tea and tea bags. For more information, including where to purchase, please visit TAZO.com.

About American Forests
Since our founding in 1875, American Forests has been the pathfinder for creating healthy forests nationwide. We create healthy and resilient forests, from cities to wilderness, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife.  Now we are focused on building a reforestation movement in America, from cities to large, rural landscapes. And we are driven by two critical issues: climate change and social inequities that people in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities face.

Too often, there are far fewer trees in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities than wealthier ones. This concerns us because it means that not everybody experiences the many benefits trees provide. That’s why we created a tool that determines whether a neighborhood has Tree Equity, defined as the right number of trees so all people experience the health, economic and other benefits that trees provide. The tool, aptly named Tree Equity Score, creates a score for the neighborhood that is based on such things as existing tree cover and ethnicity. The score can be used to build support for planting more trees in the neighborhood. 

But we know that planting trees is not enough. The trees also need to be taken care of, and there are not enough people trained in how to do so. American Forests is helping to address this through urban forestry workforce partnerships that train and employ people from the neighborhoods that need more trees. Learn more at www.americanforests.org/TreeEquity.

About Unilever North America
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Personal Care, Home Care, and Foods & Refreshment products with sales in over 190 countries and reaching 2.5 billion consumers a day. It has 150,000 employees and generated sales of €50.7 billion in 2020. Over half of the company’s footprint is in developing and emerging markets. Unilever has around 400 brands found in homes all over the world. In the United States and Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Dove, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Magnum, Axe Ben & Jerry’s, Degree, Dollar Shave Club, Q-tips, Seventh Generation, St. Ives, Suave, TRESemmé and Vaseline.

For years, we have been taking action through our sustainability efforts to help more than a billion people improve their health and well-being, halve our environmental footprint and enhance the livelihoods of millions of people as we grow our business. We have made significant progress and continue to expand our ambition – in 2019 committing to ensure 100% of our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. While there is still more to do, we are proud to have been recognized in 2019 as sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and in 2020 – for the tenth consecutive year – as the top ranked company in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders survey.

For more information on Unilever U.S. and its brands visit: www.unileverusa.com 
For more information on Unilever Canada and its brands visit: www.unilever.ca 

Contact: Aleigha Whitmore / Edelman
332-206-5071 Aleigha.Whitmore@edelman.com 
Michele Kurtz / American Forests 
617-803-9293 mkurtz@americanforests.org  

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SOURCE TAZO

ATLANTA, Feb. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — A new paper from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) found that low- and moderate-income Black and People of Color (POC) households are significantly more likely to support initiatives that address climate change and are more interested in smart energy technologies than White households in the same income brackets.

SECC’s «Racial Disparities Among Lower-Income Energy Consumers» white paper was developed from a national online survey of 1,000 Americans with incomes under $50,000 annually. The survey asked respondents how and when they engage with their electricity providers; how interested they are in smart energy technologies (e.g., community solar, smart thermostats, smart appliances); where they typically receive information on saving electricity; what they think about climate change and the environment; how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their households and more.

The paper found that while lower-income Black and POC consumers often have greater financial and household struggles, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, these consumers are much more likely to be concerned with climate change and the environment. Black and POC consumers are more likely to:

• Say the government should invest in renewable energy (88% and 86% vs. 79%).
• Vote for representatives based on their environmental concerns (74% and 72% vs. 49%).
• Want electricity from clean sources (88% and 86% vs. 74%).
• And worry about the health effects of pollution (91% and 86% vs. 83%).

In addition, lower-income Black and POC households are more interested than lower-income White households in all eight of the smart energy technologies tested. For example, 39% of Black households and 36% of POC households are very interested in smart thermostats compared to 21% of White households, and 38% of Black households and 34% of POC households are very interested in community solar compared to 25% of White households. However, Black and POC households are also more likely to cite financial barriers for accessing these technologies.

The «Racial Disparities Among Lower-Income Energy Consumers» white paper can be downloaded here, and the key findings will be presented during a one-hour webinar with the research team on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. (ET).

To learn more about SECC, visit www.smartenergycc.org or follow @seconsumer on Twitter.

Jonathan Field                                                                                  
Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative
404-348-8015
jonathan.field@smartenergycc.org

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SOURCE Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Feb. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce and 21 business groups launched a new campaign to urge the New Mexico state legislature to refocus its efforts on economic recovery and expanding opportunities for workers and businesses. The campaign kicked off with a full-page ad running today in nine of the state’s largest newspapers.

The New Mexico legislature is currently working to fast-track more than 20 bills that will make economic recovery more difficult. A partial list of the harmful legislation shows everything from bills that would potentially close our rural hospitals to eliminating billions of dollars in revenue for New Mexico schools. These bills would not only create regulatory uncertainty, but stymie efforts to safely reopen the state’s economy, working against the best interests of more than two million New Mexicans who call the state home. As the ad points out, neighboring states of Arizona, Colorado and Texas rank among the top 20 states for business; New Mexico ranks 48th.

«New Mexico is at a crossroads, and we need to decide what kind of opportunities we want our children and future generations to have,» said Rob Black, President and CEO of the New Mexico of Commerce. «Unfortunately, so many of the bills being fast tracked through state legislative committees will put our shared vision for the future at risk. We must work together to ensure an equitable and prosperous future for all, and the time for that is now.»

«Santa Fe is the tourism hub for New Mexico and the industry is essential for both our local and state economy. We need the legislature to focus on re-starting and supporting this crucial sector of the economy. We are at a turning point where we can salvage and then recover beyond the losses, we have experienced in the tourism industry.» said Bridget Dixson, President and CEO of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.

«As our state struggles to overcome a tumultuous and economically devastating year, we look to our state elected officials to provide a legislative environment that creates new opportunities for our children and attracts new investments, revenue streams and jobs for New Mexico – now and for the future,» said Hayley Klein, Executive Director of the Artesia Chamber of Commerce. «We are particularly concerned at how some of these bills will impact the backbone of our local economy here in southeast New Mexico, namely the energy sector. If these high paying jobs disappear, there are few if any other opportunities for our workers.»

«We work hard to advance the civic and business interests of not only Farmington, but the entire Four Corners region,» said Jamie Church, President and CEO of the Farmington Chamber of Commerce. «Unfortunately, several proposed bills in the state legislature would kneecap these efforts and make an already bleak economic outlook worse. We have suffered considerably in recent years as state and federal efforts targeted energy producers in our region, and these bills aren’t providing any relief; they’re piling on. We all deserve better. Our lawmakers must collaborate with us to ensure we do not continue to lose out on valuable investments and opportunities to neighboring states.»

«New Mexicans are already struggling to provide for their families and make ends meet amid the devastating economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,» Bill Lee, CEO of the Gallup McKinley-County Chamber of Commerce, said. «Now, proposed bills circulating through our state legislation stand to cost New Mexicans billions of dollars in revenue in the near term – creating an insolvable business climate and jeopardizing the quality of life for our friends, families and neighbors. We need the help of our state legislators to provide economic relief to our state.»

The full coalition includes: Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce, Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, Angel Fire Chamber of Commerce, Artesia Chamber of Commerce, Carlsbad Mainstreet, Clovis Industrial Development Corporation, Economic Development Corporation of Lea County, Economic Forum of Albuquerque, Farmington Chamber, Gallup–McKinley County Chamber of Commerce, Greater East Mountain Chamber of Commerce, Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce, NAIOP, New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, New Mexico Chile Association, New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau, New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, Portales Roosevelt County Chamber, Rio Rancho Regional Chamber, Ruidoso Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.

Visit OpportunityNM.org for more information.

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SOURCE New Mexico Chamber of Commerce