Daily Archives: November 7, 2020

Capitalism is set up like a house of cards. Disjointed supply chains, competition for component parts, research and technology hoarded there are weak spots and vulnerabilities built into every joint in the capitalist system.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the economic crisis which has been brewing for a decade, has caused that house of cards to collapse. Describing the breakdown in the global supply chains,The New York Times(4/10/2020) reported,

At some ports, goods are piling up, while elsewhere container ships sail empty. Dairy farmers are dumping their milk, while grocery store shelves have been picked bare.

Mike Jette, the vice president of consulting services at GEP a company that provides supply chain software and strategy for major corporations like ExxonMobil and Walmart predicts that peak disruption for big corporations with international supply chains would likely happen three months from now.

We are currently facing a potentially dangerous shortage of key goods: food, medicine, toilet paper, and certain electronics. This is not because we ran out of supplies, or because we lack the capacity to make more. It is because companies and entire industries are scrambling to reorganize supply chains that have been built around finding the cheapest possible raw materials, component parts, and labor.

Food Supply Breaking Down

In a truly dystopian illustration of this problem, there are currently mountains of food being shovelled back into the ground by wholesale producers while grocery store shelves and food banks sit empty.

According toThe Guardian(4/9/2020) Roughly half the food grown in the U.S. was previously destined for restaurants, schools, stadiums, theme parks, and cruise ships.

There is plenty of food being grown and produced, but the nature of the demand has changed. Industrial kitchens are shuttered as large gatherings are on hold and farmers are scrambling to find customers for their excess food. The USDA did not step in to buy up excess food despite repeated pleas and now there is consensus among industry insiders that a potential food shortage is impending.

There has been no coordinated response from the federal or state governments to intervene, buy surplus crops, and distribute them to families in need, so millions of pounds of fresh food is left to rot. The myth of the invisible hand of the market is being exposed with deadly consequences.

An Alternative to Capitalist Anarchy

Illness and disease is unavoidable. Under any form of society, human beings will be susceptible to viruses and infections. (Though it is undeniable that epidemics are growing in frequency due to our constant encroachment on natural habitats.) However, what is by no means predetermined is the scale of destruction and death that sickness can cause.

The food supply issues weve identified above are just one example of how completely ill-equipped the capitalist system is to deal with the effects of a global pandemic.

From the drastic shortages of critical medical supplies to the millions without affordable health care or any health care coverage. From the low wages and lack of paid leave that force millions to work through sickness to the denial of needed personal protective equipment (PPE) to front-line workers as a way for bosses to cut costs.

None of these factors, which have exacerbated hundreds-fold the depth of this crisis, are inevitable. They are the result of a system designed to extend the profits of the rich at the expense of the health and safety of the rest of us.

What is needed to avoid this scale of calamity is a dramatic reorganization of society on a democratically planned basis. We need a socialist economic system where democratically elected councils of workers make the key decisions about how we invest societys resources.

Such a society would be far better equipped to react to a crisis on the scale of this pandemic for many reasons. Here are just a few.

The shortage of PPE for U.S. health care workers has deadly consequences. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on industry and governments to increase PPE manufacturing by 40% to meet the dire need.

General Electric workers in Lynn, Massachusetts have protested outside corporate headquarters demanding that currently idle factories be rapidly put to use making needed medical supplies.

Under a workers government, such a protest or pleas from the WHO would not be needed. Workers representatives, nationally and internationally, would debate and decide on the broad priorities for production and the distribution of resources based on the needs of society. Workers representatives in each industry, down to the enterprise level would then discuss and agree on how to implement these priorities.

Therefore when there is a clear and proven need for ventilators or masks factories could be rapidly retooled to make these products en masse. Multi-purpose factories could be built in order to accommodate the rapidly changing needs of society. Without profit in the mix, production can be determined by human need not the tunnel-vision greed of corporate bosses.

Despite being a global economic superpower, the U.S. has been pummelled by the COVID-19 outbreak. There are numerous reasons for this, including the Trump regimes flippant dismissal of the impending crisis for months. Additionally, a key contributor has been the lack of available testing and the devastatingly low capacity of the U.S.s resource-starved public healthcare system following decades of cuts. On February 10 Trump released his proposed 2021 budget which includes further cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, the CDC, as well as the U.S. contribution to the WHO.

On both an individual and societal level, testing is a crucial tool to limit the spread of viruses. For health care professionals, testing an individual patient allows for an accurate and quick treatment plan to be administered, including immediate isolation. It also allows for the identification of whoever that individual has had contact with therefore far more accurately containing localized spreads of the virus. On a macro level, accurate testing information is a key component of mapping the spread, contagiousness, and general life cycle of the virus.

In the U.S., rather than using the already in-use WHO test, the Trump administration instructed the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to develop its own test. The CDC, however, is not set up to distribute and carry out mass testing in the event of a pandemic. When the CDC tests were found to be faulty, the Trump administration did not rush to find a solution. The Trump administration made a political decision to reject the WHO test, putting millions of lives at risk.

On the basis of a workers government and a socialist economy, where medical research and technology is in public hands, scientists from across the country who are currently idle as labs and universities are closed could have been deployed to develop accurate testing equipment as well as a vaccine. Tens of thousands of health care workers, alongside workers in non-essential industries, could be sent in to set up testing stations in every community. Testing could be done on a truly mass scale, an essential first step for effectively containing the spread of the virus. This would enable medical professionals to have a better sense of where there are clusters of the disease and to follow up with contact tracing. This will also require tens of thousands of workers across the country and will be pivotal in taking immediate action to limit the spread and prevent a massive second surge.

If the approach weve elaborated were taken, extensive lockdowns would be generally unnecessary. A socialist society would develop a democratically agreed plan for dealing with virus outbreaks, therefore preventing it from escalating to such a disastrous degree. On the basis of the chaos created by capitalism, however, lockdowns have been a necessity in most countries with a few exceptions.

Hospitals in many states are bursting at the seams with sick patients and health care workers are putting their lives on the line with devastatingly limited supplies of PPE.

Under a workers government, the priorities of society would be vastly reorganized. Health care would no longer be subject to the whims of billionaire executives and decisions about where to allocate resources would be made nationally with the input of workers in the industry. This would go beyond just Medicare for All or a single-payer health care system at the point of care. It would include the public ownership of the entire health care industry including hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry, as well as medical device companies. In such a situation it is difficult to imagine nurses wearing garbage bags or four patients being forced to share a ventilator.

If nurses and health care professionals had direct democratic input in deciding how to run our hospitals, they would not have to beg for safe staffing or basic supplies. High-quality health care would be a priority of a society whose sole purpose was to meet human need. Therefore hospitals would be given ample funding for beds, more well-trained staff, and necessary supplies and equipment. Sick people could get high-quality treatment at no cost and health care workers could do their jobs with far less fear of infection or death.

Global supply chains are being thrown into turmoil by the coronavirus pandemic. This is not a surprise given the huge amount of redundancies and kinks in the capitalist supply chain. In a bizarre illustration of this, as we wrote in our August 2019 article Climate Catastrophe and the Case for a Planned Economy:

When a car is being assembled, almost every single component part will travel to Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. over and over before the parts come together to form a car. The metal base of a steering wheel thats produced in the U.S. is sent to Mexico to get covered and stitched up before being sent back to the U.S. This is entirely so the company can find the cheapest supplies and labor to make their final product.

We do not subscribe to nationalist-based arguments about the need for products to be entirely American-made. It would be impossible to continue developing needed technology if component parts were solely sourced locally. For example, smartphones are full of precious metals like cobalt and lithium that can only be obtained in large enough quantities from Africa or South America.

We are by no means opposed to global trade, however it needs to be efficiently planned in the interests of people and the planet. On the basis of a planned economy, priorities for global trade would be set. If a component part can be sourced locally, it should be in order to minimize the environmental impact of global trade as well as generally making production more efficient.

In a cooperative society, supply chains would not grind to a halt because one factory halfway across the world was unable to supply one component part. This is the reality under capitalism because corporations use just in time methods and become reliant on the suppliers willing to provide the cheapest possible parts. Under a socialist economy, based on cooperation rather than cutthroat competition in the production process, there would be multiple suppliers that could step in to fill a need.

Fight Like Hell

If society were run in the interests of the vast majority of us, we could have contained this virus and prevented a global pandemic. We would not have been forced to work because employers were not required to provide sick leave (since the pandemic broke out, companies with less than 500 employees are required to provide two weeks sick leave) or because we do not have enough savings to miss a paycheck. We would not be left to rot with no basic safety supplies while the billionaires hide out in their compounds. We would not have to ration our food to make rent.

We need to end the rule of billionaires over our lives and their reckless drive for profit at our expense. We need to replace government in the interests of the billionaires with a government of, by and for working people where societys resources are deployed on the basis of need. We need a society where decisions are made democratically by councils of workers internationally, nationally and within industries.

Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, around the world will lay dead at the end of this pandemic, killed by a system that couldnt be bothered to prioritize their lives. For them, well fight for a socialist future.

Read the original here:

Capitalism and COVID-19: Why We Need a Planned Economy - China Worker

Companies often struggle with building community trust as they navigate between profit-making and authentically engaging on climate change and environmental justice matters.

Last week at GreenBiz Groups virtual conference and expo on stimulating the clean economy, VERGE 20, community leaders and businesses from across the country came together to network, share insights and explore solutions to these challenges.

During the panel "Connecting Communities to the Clean Economy," experts shared their experiences working with private companies, their fights for green jobs and why businesses need to think of themselves as part of the community. The talk featured two women of color and leaders within the environmental and economic justice movement: Elizabeth Yeampierre, executive director of UPROSE (founded as the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park); and Rahwa Ghirmatzion, executive director of PUSH Buffalo (People United for Sustainable Housing); with Heather Clancy, editorial director at GreenBiz, acting as moderator.

PUSH Buffalo is a nonprofit grassroots community organization working to build and execute a comprehensive revitalization plan for West Buffalos West Side. This stimulus plan includes affordable housing rehabilitation, building weatherization and other green infrastructure projects. UPROSE is Brooklyn's foremost Latinx community organization. Its work involves community organizing, supporting sustainable development and community-led climate adaptation in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Communicating genuinely and authentically listening are two key components.

Panelists explained how their community organizations and business partners have successfully collaborated in the past. The conversation provided an insight into how companies can understand the communities they serve, the area theyre in and the people they employ. Communicating genuinely and authentically listening are two key components. Here are four key takeaways:

1. To build real, authentic community trust, businesses must be willing to listen to community concerns and respond with effective community-oriented solutions.

Ghirmatzion talked about PUSH Buffalos work with a local hiring hall that connects New Yorkers to jobs. This initiative provides both hands-on training for people in the Buffalo area who have been underemployed for long periods of time and employment opportunities in renewable energy projects and green construction. According to Rahwa, at least "99.9 percent of them were folks of color."

For example, a few years ago, about 24 of PUSHs trainees experienced racist harassment and open hostility from their white coworkers and supervisor. When PUSH brought their concerns to the companys CEO, the organization investigated the matter and fired the supervisor. Workers and community members alike appreciated the companys quick action and zero tolerance, Ghirmatzion said. Listening to the community and taking their issues seriously is crucial for building trust, she observed.

2. Private entities should think of themselves as community members and view local residents as political and economic partners.

For Yeampierre of UPROSE, the most successful partnerships have been ones in which businesses joined local initiatives and shared the same political and environmental goals as the community. According to Yeampierre, UPROSE has had excellent relationships with some companies and terrible relationships with others. The excellent relationships have been with businesses that seek input from UPROSE on climate adaptation and embrace UPROSEs best practices for environmental justice and community resiliency.

Yeampierre cited two successful partnerships. Sims Recycling Solutions worked with UPROSE from the beginning to become a carbon-neutral state-of-the-art facility that would serve community needs but not be an eyesore or polluting facility on the industrial waterfront.

Additionally, UPROSE has received support from Patagonia since 2011. In this mutually beneficial relationship, Patagonia also provides financial support for UPROSEs environmental work. UPROSE has helped Patagonia have an office culture in which its employees join in UPROSEs grass-roots organizing. As Yeampierre said, "Sometimes businesses don't see themselves as part of the community, and see our community as a front for wealth for them." She encouraged private businesses to view the community they operate in not as a resource but as a partner.

3. Businesses and developers need to embrace resilient thinking rather than viewing job creation and profit-making as their key goals.

Yeampierre got a chance to provide a brief overview of UPROSEs work to protect Sunset Parks industrial waterfront from land speculation. UPROSE was at the center of a triumphant seven-year-long struggle against the rezoning of Industry City in Brooklyn. However, the rezoning would have created thousands of jobs.

Developers viewed this project as a win-win, but activists and community leaders opposed it because the jobs would have been mostly low-paying. Plus, the influx of high-end retail and new office jobs would spur gentrification.

Yeampierre argued that waterfronts such as Sunset Park are where we need to start building for "climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience."

"It's what we call a green reindustrialization of our industrial waterfront," she added.

Businesses should avoid trying to fight long, drawn-out battles that ignore the wishes of the community.

Making a resilient New York means investing in renewable energy, energy efficiency retrofits, construction, sustainable manufacturing and food security, all of which would create thousands of jobs. We need these things now, because as Yeampierre said, "We know that climate change is here." The campaign to preserve the waterfront was a significant victory for industrial communities all over the U.S., who are told they ought to accept new jobs that rely on the extraction of fossil fuels and displacement. Sunset Parks future could become a model for converting an industrial zone into an environmentally friendly infrastructure through green manufacturing.

Businesses should avoid trying to fight long, drawn-out battles that ignore the wishes of the community. Instead, its vital to support community-led proposals consistent with a resilient green future from the beginning.

4. Companies can use their communications resources to showcase community climate activists' voices and a voice in the fight for a just transition.

Both UPROSE and PUSH Buffalo are a part of NY Renews, a coalition of over 140 community, labor and grassroots organizations working to end climate change in New York while safeguarding workers. Moderator Clancy asked how being members of this coalition amplifies their work. Both panelists agreed that the legislation NY Renews fights for, such as the Climate Mobilization Act, which passed last year, makes it easier for smaller social justice-based organizations to show their communities its possible to have a just transition. This legislation would generate thousands of jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy prices.

Companies also can benefit from supporting the work of NY Renews because a just transition is an idea that appeals to workers and communities who fear that the process of reducing emissions could lead to a future with fewer jobs and more poverty. For UPROSE, being in NY Renews "helps us build locally, but it also helps us build the scale, and it helps us create the kind of regional impact that climate change demands. We need to be thinking big and locally," Yeampierre declared. Supporting or doing similar work as NY Renews, creating green and decent jobs, can help private enterprises show that they want to support resiliency and want communities to thrive.

In their closing remarks, both panelists reiterated their earlier comments on authenticity and seeking community input as soon as they start planning a project. Authenticwas the word the panelists most used to describe the kind of relationship and behavior they would like to see from businesses.

"Authentic" is the characteristic you should want the community to think of your company as, and you should meet that expectation, the tow community organizers observed. That is, authentic businesses genuinely communicate; they find out what their community wants and take the impact they have on the community seriously. People who live in the community can offermany solutions and critical perspectives because theyve been working on these issues for generations, they concluded.

More here:

4 ways businesses can connect with their communities to create a clean economy | Greenbiz - GreenBiz

Solar has become a staple of the U.S. power generation mix in the last decade. Now that the industry is maturing, its time to have a tough conversation: The solar industry needs to improve its circular practices.

Like any industry, the solar industry has unique machinery and equipment; specifically, its photovoltaic (PV) cells have silicon, metal, glass and plastic components that are melded together in order to create a functioning solar panel.

But these cells have a limited lifespan of about 25-30 years. Most component materials retain their value, however, and can be reused to participate in the circular economy, the economic system that aims to keep resources in use and eliminate waste.

At GreenBiz Groups virtual clean economy conference, VERGE 20, last week, industry experts discussed the complexities of circularity in solar.

The solar industry is still growing the International Energy Agency predicts that total renewable based power capacity will grow by 50 percent between now and 2024, and 60 percent of that rise will be attributed to solar. Given this rapid increase and dependency on solar, Evelyn Butler of Solar Energy Industry Alliance (SEIA) emphasized that with increased capacity comes increased waste.

The IEA predicts that total renewable based power capacity will grow by 50% between now and 2024, and 60% of that will be solar.

"By 2030, with that much PV, there's a potential of something like 8 million tons of potential PV waste," Butler said. Its also a global opportunity of about "$450 million in raw material recovery that could be leveraged for new industries or employment."

The challenge is making PV waste recycling and repurposing more efficient than it is in order to move towards a more circular economy.

Some of these opportunities arise at the solar manufacturing level. As Andreas Wade of First Solar explained, the energy-resource nexus is a top priority at First Solar. The company works throughout the production, deployment and maintenance parts of the solar industry. Since 2005, First Solar has been a part of an established global recycling and take-back program for its panels since 2005. To Wade, a major area of development for circular economy practices in the solar industry is repurposing materials used to create solar cells, such as crystalline silicon and aluminum.

But designing products for end-of-life in a way that the materials can be reused or repurposed can be a challenge. Wade described the apparent conflict: "We want to deliver a solution to our customers, which is out there in the field for 25, 30, 35 or even 40 years or longer. So design for recycling means for us that we try to make sure that we hit the quality, reliability and longevity marks, as well as making sure that we can recover the materials encapsulated and embodied in our PV module at the end of life in a high volume fashion."

By considering circular economy practices from the onset of designing solar panels, materials can be more efficiently reused and recycled, rather than considered in hindsight at the end.

For First Solar, material recovery goes beyond the traditional model of bulk recycling and recovering glass and aluminum, but also taking back the semiconductor system such that it can be reused in new panels. Wade claimed that First Solar is able to recover 90 percent of its panel's semiconductor functions.

Butler echoed these challenges but said that manufacturers are beginning the process of overcoming them. In her experience so far at SEIA, Butler mainly has seen repurposing of solar materials that "have been damaged, either the weather events or logistics, or sometimes their installation." This is in contrast to the traditional end-of-life planning First Solar is employing, but can still be a large number of materials that should be repurposed for sustainability. Other opportunities include companies standing as the middleman for selling excess modules from installers.

Other opportunities also include companies standing as the middleman for selling excess modules from installers.

Both Wade and Butler argued that such repurposing will be optimized only with outside pressure from the customers of such companies. Wade encouraged users to ask their providers questions such as: "What are you doing about circularity? Do you offer a recycling program? What are your recovery rates?" He believes specifying such questions in RFPs can drive the industry to the next level.

Tadas Radavicius of SoliTek added that theres an opportunity for using circular economy principles for secondhand panels: "We see a growing market for secondhand panels just usually comes from utility-scale systems ... you can look at the degradation rate, and you can identify for your potential client for how long these panels go, or how much the energy will be generated." However, he explained that this is only feasible if there is clear communication about the history of the panels from one company to the next.

In addition, Radavicius noted that pressure on the policy level from the European Commission to incorporate the solar industry into the circular economy. Because of the competitive market in Europe, solar companies are frequently battling for bids and need to set apart from others. Participating in the circular economy and presenting sustainable practices often gives these companies an edge.

Radavicius also explained that increasing circular economy practices could enable Europe to function more independently in the industry. As Radavicus described: "If you could manage circularity in the rate that you can recover these materials, Europe can create its own local supply chain and can increase its supply of these materials, which usually comes from outside."

The event highlighted key opportunities for the solar industrys much-needed entrance into the circular economy. As Butler said, "There is a need to create the right infrastructure in order to realize that value creation, and to provide opportunities for materials to be recovered and re-utilized in some way, shape or form."

Excerpt from:

From design to recycling, opportunities abound to make solar more circular - GreenBiz

This years bigBANG! conference explored critical issues related to racial, gender, and economic equity in our communitiesan especially timely topic given the recent events that have been going on across the country.

In 2009, Social Venture Partners Dallas founded bigBANG! to gather those who believe social innovation lies at the heart of an equitable society. Today, its known as North Texas longest social impact conference.

The first half of 2020 brought what is being called the largest civil rights action since the 60s at the same time as a global pandemic that disproportionately affected communities of color. Thats why the leaders of bigBANG! decided to make this years conference one of reflection, action, and transformative dialogue.

The evidence of long-standing discrimination in our nation is clear, conference organizers said. Disparities in income, wealth, community infrastructure, educational outcomes, health and incarceration rates all point to systems that better serve some groups and exclude others, particularly people of color and women.

bigBANG! 2020 is a rally point for our community, an opportunity to mark the progress that has been made and renew our commitment to the arduous struggle toward equity and justice for all.

We teamed up with Social Venture Partners and bigBANG! organizers to reflect on the week-long conference and the social impact experts, community leaders, and business professionals who discussed opportunities related to human-centered design, innovation, and impact.

They aimed to lift up rightful disruption and its methods in order to dismantle injustice and intentionally rework and rebuild systems that provide equal opportunity for all people. Overall, the goal is to make Dallas a more equitable city.

Heres a few key takeaways that you might have missed from bigBANG 2020s Equity in Action: The Next 100 Years.

Michael Sorrell is an entrepreneur, corporate securities lawyer, and sports and crisis management professional turned president of the worlds first Urban Work College. As the leader of award-winning Southern Dallas HBCU Paul Quinn College, Sorrell is credited with implementing a series of innovative initiatives that create equal, promising futures for his students.

At bigBANG!, Sorrell spoke about the quest for innovation and equity in the midst of ignorance, indifference, and hypocrisy. He said we must be okay knowing that our leadership journey may not allow us to see the whole result, as there may be other leaders who take on different parts of the issue.

There is room for all of us to achieve the dream of a better life, he said. Self-centered leadership is what has gotten us in this mess and selfless leadership is what is going to get us out.

Toward the start of his presidency, Sorrell was told if he wanted to be a good leader, he needed to lead with love.

Now, he focuses on making the lives of the marginalized better. Our path forward must be together; we must fight indifference, we must fight ignorance, and we must fight hypocrisy together, he said.

Although women in Texas hold more than 50 percent of jobs in corporate America, statistics show that they only represent 14 percent of management positions. According to bigBANG! organizers, evidence suggests there are endless economic and social benefits of women leaders in business and the community.

To discuss the importance of making powerful waves of change to strengthen the pipeline of female leaders in the workplace, four members of the Texas Womens Foundation Economic Leadership Council came together: Bonnie Clinton, the vice president and chief procurement officer at Toyota North America; Shonn Brown, chief global litigation counsel at KimberlyClark Corporation; Hilda Galvan, partner at Jones Day; and Jana Etheridge, MVP and chief of staff and customer office of Financial Services at Capital One.

They said its important to build a culture where women are fulland equalparticipants at every level.

Brown focused on ELC, a peer group of 56 C-suite executive women in North Texas and Houston thats aligned with the Texas Womens Foundations board of directors. The ELCs mandate is to drive womens leadership in the company sector cross sector.

Its objectives are to provide rising women executives with leadership development and engage with TWF through legislative session involvement, championing research and also diversity and equity inclusion efforts.

Etheridge, who serves on the executive steering committee for Empower Her, shared her passion for making all communities vibrant, a core goal at Capital One. She said she believes that is the start of social equity. Her work currently supports business resource groups which help underrepresented associates at Capital One.

Advocate outside your own company at organizations that share your values Advocate for other women, she said. Advocate for women who are junior to you, advocate publicly, and if youre in a position of powerit is important to advocate privately.

Clinton spoke on value alignment, respect for people, and how to seek continuous improvement. She was key in forming the Womens Leadership Initiative, and said the women of Toyota who have attended the sessions have already gotten life-changing feedback.

This special session focused on how to dispel commonly held myths about inequity in the economy and how communities can move toward new policies able to close the racial wealth gap.

Darrick Hamilton, a professor of Economics and Urban Policy at The New School in New York, chatted with Roy Lopez, the assistant vice president and community development officer at Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and J.H. Cullum Clark, director of the Bush Institute at SMU.

The trio shared what they think are the root causes of race-based economic inequalities and the policies that could address them.

At the Dallas Fed, we define racial equity as just and fair inclusion in any economy in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential, Lopez said.

All panelists agreed that the underlying causes of economic equalities are: racial discrimination, educational barriers, and land use policies. And, the economic harms people of color face are: higher unemployment, lower wages, and difficulties with wealth accumulation.

Technology was also a big play.

History has shown us that with every new technology or technological revolution, it has often been used to extract from those that are vulnerable, namely the black community who dont have the economic, political, and even identity might to protect themselves, and we can do something different now and use it instead to empower, Hamilton said.

Clark agreed: For people to be bona fide participants in the economy, they must be digitally connected and they must have the actual physical connection and some basic skills, and that must be a baseline that our society delivers to all.

Lyda Hill and Nicole Small of Lyda Hill Philanthropies came together with Roslyn Dawson Thompson, the president and CEO of Texas Womens Foundation, to announce a collaboration between their organizations.

Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies has been busy investing in game-changing advances across nature and science. The organization believes science is the answer to the future, and that requires more minds at the tableespecially women. Its fairly new IF/THEN initiative empowers all women to be innovators in STEM.

This summer, the IF/THEN collection was announced, the worlds largest free resource for photos and videos that celebrates those women.

So, Lyda Hill Philanthropies is making a half million dollars available to North Texas nonprofits and schools that use content from the IF/THEN collection through a new fund managed by the Texas Womens Foundation.

The investment makes the content free for everyone.

The recording of all the BigBANG! 2020 sessions can be found on the Video on Demand platform. All-access passes are $20. For more information or to register for the video passes, go here.

Quincy Preston contributed to this report. This story was updated with additional information on Nov. 5, at 8:39 p.m.

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Musings on innovation from the region's paradigm-shifting companies and organizations.

The mixed-use social purposeprojectdesigned to boost local biotech, nonprofit, and corporate innovationhas been in the works for years. Expected to open in early 2021, the future-focused campus is located near the Dallas Medical District.

Musings on innovation from the region's paradigm-shifting companies and organizations.

The IF/THEN Collection aims to inspire girls to become scientists and engineers because they are 'exciting, relevant, and cool.' As part of the project's kickoff, IF/THEN will offer a $1 million matching fund for teachers and a $650,000 grant program for science and technology centers and museums.

Founded by social entrepreneur Michelle Corson, On the Road Garage intends to fix cars affordably, while tackling underemployment and transportation challenges among vulnerable populations. The first location in Irving is now open, and applications for technology-forward apprenticeships and training are online.

Read more:

bigBANG! Gathers Social Impact Leaders to Discuss Equity in Action Over the Next 100 Years - dallasinnovates.com

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvanias (BFTP/NEP) Board of Directors has approved the investment of $407,130 in support of regional economic development. Nine companies in BFTP/NEPs 21-county service area received funding.

Investments identified as continuation projects indicate that the client achieved pre-determined milestones and is receiving more funding to accomplish additional project work. BFTP/NEP announces the following early-stage company investments, which are provided in the form of loans with warrants.

Hanish Water, Inc., Hazleton, Luzerne County

Ben Franklin Investment: $100,000

Develop Hanishs Watercrest water filtration system by supporting drawings, prototypes, testing, and patenting proprietary materials and approaches. Using NASA-derived technology, the WaterCrest whole-house physical water treatment systems provide comprehensive water filtration using no salt, no electricity, no moving parts, requiring no back-washing, and wasting no water. There is a growing global market for effective and efficient water treatment due to industrialization and population growth.

IntelliGreen, West Hazleton, Luzerne County

Ben Franklin Investment (continuation project): $50,000

Expand sales and marketing efforts for a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to work in tandem with IntelliGreens products, which were developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Intelli-Temp devices can detect and identify a persons face, including for an individual wearing a mask; direct a person to put on a mask as a requirement to entry; detect a reference temperature within 0.5 degrees accuracy; and provide alerting for fever conditions; all within one second. The Intelli-Temp MAX features a 22 screen that enables a display of user-generated content. The investment will allow IntelliGreen to leverage its relationships with four distribution partners and launch the SaaS product and gate-monitoring solution.

NexUS 1, LLC, Hazleton, Luzerne County

Ben Franklin Investment: $100,000

Support marketing and human resource development to leverage state-of-the-art Green building technology and patented materials in the construction of new buildings and retrofit industries. Nexiis whole-building solution utilizes a patented material, Nexiite, and the proprietary Nexii design and assembly process, which together enable the construction of sustainable, cost efficient, durable, and disaster-resilient buildings. Nexii materials can be used for buildings of all heights and sizes, and are suitable for commercial/institutional/industrial, mixed-use, multi-family residential, and single-family detached homes, as well as for retrofitting existing buildings. The NexUS facility will be the first Nexii-certified manufacturer of the system in the U.S., serving the northeast and mid-Atlantic states, and will employ 176 Pennsylvanians.

Raven Biomaterials, LLC, Ben Franklin TechVentures, Bethlehem, Northampton County

Ben Franklin Investment: $50,000

Develop and test initial samples of a fundamentally new type of magnetic beads with significantly higher magnetic capability. Ravens proprietary beads will change the way manufacturers of cellular therapeutics isolate targeted cells within complex mixtures such as blood. The companys initial target application is to improve cell-based therapeutic manufacturing to enhance performance, reduce costs, and accelerate patient access to emerging treatments such as cell and gene therapy.

Ben Franklin provides 1:1 matching funding for work with a college or university partner on technology-based innovation in established manufacturers.

Brenntag Northeast, Inc., Reading, Berks County

Ben Franklin Investment (continuation project): $15,000

University Partner: Lehigh Universitys Enterprise Systems Center

Improve warehouse and operating efficiencies at the Reading plant. Brenntag Northeast is a chemical distributor that provides custom-made distribution solutions for industrial and specialty chemicals. The company delivers specific application technology, extensive technical support, and value-added services including just-in-time delivery, product mixing, formulation, repackaging, inventory management, and drum return handling. With more than 10,000 products and a comprehensive supplier network, Brenntag serves 195,000 customers globally.

Oldcastle APG Anchor Central, Easton, Northampton County

Ben Franklin Investment: $15,000

University Partner: Lehigh Universitys Enterprise Systems Center

Improve order fulfillment processes, optimize throughput, and enhance facility layout to increase competitiveness at this manufacturer of precast pavers, bricks, and concrete. Oldcastles products are used in a broad range of commercial and residential applications.

To help companies accelerate the recovery from the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) provided a $1 million disbursement in May that was matched by Ben Franklin. BFTP/NEPs Return to Health funding program has included emergency regional investments in 19 start-ups and 19 established manufacturers. The three investments below will complete Ben Franklins Return to Health funding.

Rebuilding Northeastern PA Manufacturers Investments allow BFTP/NEPs recent established manufacturer clients with 250 or fewer employees to develop and implement plans for recovery. Many of these manufacturing firms were partway through the development of innovative production and process enhancements, and failing to complete them would hinder their recovery and growth. These clients will facilitate job retention and creation.

Ben Franklin announces the following Rebuilding Northeastern Pennsylvania Manufacturers Investments in two companies, which are provided as matching funding.

Ben Franklin Investment: $25,000

University Partner: Lehigh Universitys Enterprise Systems Center

Analyze, test, and develop intravenous (IV) tubing materials and manufacturing processes that will provide a consistent product with the desired properties for longer IV tubing. Additional length is required to separate patients with infectious diseases including COVID-19 from caregivers who monitor the IV pumps and fluids.

Reitnouer, Inc., Birdsboro, Berks County

Ben Franklin Investment: $15,000

Adjust operations to improve production flow and operational efficiencies following decreased sales due to COVID-19. Reitnouer is a leading manufacturer of aluminum flatbed and drop deck trailers. The company utilizes an innovative approach in building the structures that improves product strength and durability. Prior to the pandemic, sales were growing, but the transportation industry has been strongly affected. The investment will improve the companys productivity and position it for recovery and growth.

Also part of BFTP/NEPs Return to Health Funding, Next-Generation Pandemic Defense Investments support new Ben Franklin clients that are creating tools and techniques that could help us recover from COVID-19 and/or protect us from future infectious disease outbreaks. BFTP/NEP invested in one early-stage firm with a three-year, 0% interest loan.

ParoAI Inc., Ben Franklin TechVentures, Bethlehem, Northampton County

Ben Franklin Investment: $37,130

Continue to build Paros existing conversational artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare platform by developing Paro Rapport, which will provide healthcare providers, patients, healthcare manufacturers, and health networks a simple-to-use method for asynchronous communication via voice technology. This will address an unmet communication system need that can be leveraged during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future public health crises that limit in-person interactions.

About the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/NEP) creates and retains highly paid, sustainable jobs by investing in and linking companies with experts, universities, follow-on funding, and other resources to help them prosper through innovation. It is part of a four-center economic development initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and is funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority.

BFTP/NEPs strategy encompasses three key areas:

Since beginning operations in 1983, BFTP/NEP has helped to create 19,257 new jobs for Pennsylvania workers and to retain 43,880 existing jobs, to start 525 new companies, and to develop 2,113 new products and processes. Since 2007, BFTP/NEP clients have generated more than $1.6 billion in follow-on funding. The Pennsylvania Ben Franklin Technology Partners network has returned $3.90 to the state treasury for every $1.00 invested in the program.

BFTP/NEP owns, manages, and is headquartered in Ben Franklin TechVentures, an award-winning business incubator/post-incubator facility on Lehigh Universitys campus in Bethlehem. BFTP/NEP also owns and manages the Bloomsburg Regional Technology Center. Applying more than 35 years of experience and two international awards for excellence in business incubation, BFTP/NEP leads a 13-member business incubator network that is among the largest in the nation.

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Ben Franklin to Invest $114500 in the Regional Economy - bctv.org

E[co]work Association, Resource Futures and partners Sofies and Curry Stone Design Collaborative have been awarded a share of the 9.3 million grant provided by Innovate UK through its 'Global Challenge Research Fund' to support the informal e-waste sector.

The fund aims to boost the markets and emerging economies in the Global South through innovative projects.

This investment will target the reform of the co-working space model to enable the transition of informal e-waste micro-entrepreneurs to the formal sector. The projects team will be experimenting with creating a socially inclusive space so e-waste dismantlers in Delhi can network and share workspaces.

India is currently generating over three million tonnes of e-waste annually, with more than 95 per cent of it processed by the informal sector.

The workplaces where e-waste is processed are usually in residential areas and use inconsistent practices that often cause both environmental pollution and health hazards. This puts both the individual worker and the entire neighbourhood and surrounding communities at risk.

Over 12,000 citizens, mainly from minority and migrant backgrounds, are employed in dismantling e-waste in the surrounding areas of Delhi.

Restrictive rules, combined with expensive and challenging authorisation procedures, lead micro-entrepreneurs to remain in the informal sector and maintain poor recycling practices.

Delhis e-waste industry has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with workers based in these densely populated areas. A strict lockdown has been enforced but the e-waste sector has not been given the same permission to continue as other sectors have.

This has emphasised the importance of registering businesses officially and implementing stricter hygiene and protective measures.

David Lerpiniere, Head of Global Resource and Waste Policy at Resource Futures said: "We are very excited to be working with our partners to tackle the challenges of safely reprocessing e-waste in India.

The E[co]work concept has the potential to tackle the social exclusion issues commonly faced by informal recyclers and also drive e-waste recovery and reprocessing, a fundamental element for the transition to a circular economy."

The E[co]work Space plans to bring the benefits of co-working spaces, such as the ability to network and share equipment, to a completely different market segment that is traditionally marginalized and often at the bottom of the social pyramid.

Other projects selected for the funding include an affordable housing enterprise in Indonesia run by Percheron (UK) Ltd, a mosquito trap business in Pakistan run by Razbio Ltd and a water sterilisation device in Ghana run by Clear Water Designs.

Innovate UKs research fund aims to change the way investors and businesses look at the Global South and prove that it is possible to embark on scalable and impactful projects in these countries in a low-risk way.

Outside of India, e-waste is an ongoing problem across the world. In July, the Global E-waste Statistics Partnership (GESP) revealed that global e-waste had increased by 21 per cent in five years.

GESP reported that in 2019 alone a record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of e-waste was generated. This is related to an increasing consumer drive for electronic products that have short life-cycles and are difficult to repair.

The UKs waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) sector has faced challenging consequences from Covid-19, with national lockdown bringing the closure of most Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) which led to collections falling by 80 per cent.

This resulted in a rescue fund being issued through the WEEE Support Grants and Loans Package to ensure that British recyclers will stay afloat during the crisis.

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Fund announced to support informal e-waste dismantling in India - Resource Magazine