Kellen

August 5, 2016 Comments are off Kellen
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Supporting Education

An average kid can ask hundreds of questions per day. It’s no coincidence that the Children’s Museum of Houston, ranked number one in the nation by Parents magazine, caters to youthful curiosity with a “How Does It Work?” exhibit.

Sponsored by Flint Hills Resources (FHR) Houston Chemical plant, the year-round attraction offers an entertaining and interactive way to explore science and technology. James Rhame, local site manager for FHR, was first contacted by the museum in 2015. “They were wondering, since our company had just joined the Houston community, if FHR would be interested in supporting the museum,” said Rhame. “We wanted to know their target audience, and make sure the doors would be open to all socioeconomic areas.”

The FHR team soon learned that almost 50 percent of the museum’s more than 810,000 annual visitors receive free or discounted admissions through partnerships with over 800 community service organizations that assist low-income families. “I went through the museum and they almost couldn’t get me out of there because it was so interesting,” recalls Rhame. “My parents, sister, son and daughter have all worked as educators in Texas. I love technology and helping kids, so this was a positive experience from the start. It met everything that I think Flint Hills Resources is all about.”

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August 5, 2016 Comments are off Kellen
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Carnival Corporation Issues 2015 Sustainability Report

Carnival Corporation Issues 2015 Sustainability Report, Continues Strong Commitment to Environment and Safety
World’s largest leisure travel company today released 2015 sustainability report detailing progress made in environmental, safety, employee and social areas
Sustainability milestones achieved underscore company’s commitment to protecting the environment and include reduction of carbon footprint, increased fleet-wide capacity of advanced waste water purification systems and exhaust gas cleaning technology, and increased usage of clean-burning liquefied natural gas as a fuel source

MIAMI, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world’s largest leisure travel company, today released its 2015 sustainability report detailing the  progress made in 2015 against its 2020 sustainability performance goals. The report’s details show the company is on track to meet its goals in the next four years, with sustainability efforts highlighted across its 10 cruise line brands. The report was prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 “core” level, and a full copy can be downloaded from Carnival Corporation’s site.

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest leisure travel company, today released its 2015 sustainability report detailing the progress made in 2015 against its 2020 sustainability performance goals. The report's details show the company is on track to meet its goals in the next four years, with sustainability efforts highlighted across its 10 cruise line brands.

In 2015, Carnival Corporation announced 10 goals for reducing its environmental footprint, while enhancing the health, safety and security of its guests and crew members, and ensuring sustainable business practices among its brands, business partners and suppliers. As part of the effort to achieve these goals, the company and its 10 global brands have implemented strategic energy reduction and conservation initiatives. The most notable progress made against these 10 goals to date, as outlined in the infographic here, includes:

  • Reduced the company’s carbon intensity rate by 2.8 percent resulting in a 23.4 percent overall carbon dioxide emission reduction relative to the 2005 baseline
  • Equipped 41 percent of fleet with exhaust gas cleaning technology to reduce sulfur compounds and particulate matter from engine exhaust
  • Improved the company’s carbon footprint with order of world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships, as well as the first cruise ship to be powered by an LNG hybrid barge
  • On track to meet the 10 percentage point increase in fleet-wide capacity coverage of advanced waste water purification systems (AWWPS)

“We know it is increasingly important to have sustainable and transparent operations, so we work hard every day to run our company in a sustainable way, and to share those practices broadly, so that our guests can feel confident that they are making a responsible decision when they book a vacation with us,” said Bill Burke, chief maritime officer forCarnival Corporation. “We are committed to providing a safe and comfortable voyage for our guests and crew members as our cruise line brands create great vacations, while at the same time maintaining our deep commitment to protecting the oceans, seas and destinations we visit.”

Carnival Corporation’s Commitment to Sustainability
Carnival Corporation and its brands implement extensive measures to deliver on its commitment to continue to keep guests and crewmembers safe and comfortable, protect the environment, develop and provide opportunities for its workforce, strengthen its stakeholder relations and enhance the communities in which the company visits and operates. Those measures are detailed in the company’s 2015 sustainability report in three key areas – cruising, commitment and community.

Cruising
In 2015, Carnival Corporation introduced its 10th and newest brand, Fathom, which is pioneering a new travel category, social impact travel, which combines people’s love for travel with their desire to make a difference in the world. Later in the year, Carnival Corporation made history with its Fathom brand by receiving U.S. approval to sail to Cuba, laying the groundwork for it to become the first cruise company in over 40 years to sail from the U.S. to Cuba in May of 2016.

Commitment
In 2015, Carnival Corporation made progress toward its focus on maintaining measured capacity growth with the delivery of innovative, more efficient ships for its fleet by finalizing agreements for 15 new ships for delivery between 2016 and 2020 – four of which will be next-generation ships that will pioneer a new era in the use of cleaner fuels as the first cruise ships to be powered by LNG both at sea and in port. The introduction of LNG – the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel – is a major step for the corporation in reducing its carbon footprint from the reduced carbon and cleaner emissions of LNG. In 2015, AIDAsol from the company’s AIDA Cruises’ German-based brand was the first cruise ship in the world to be supplied with power by an LNG hybrid barge while in port.

Other strides Carnival Corporation made in 2015 to deliver on its commitment to its guests, crew, stakeholders and the environment include:

  • Actively undertaking shipbuilding research and development for new abatement technologies and equipment to improve energy efficiency including: air lubrication systems using air bubbles to reduce friction between the ship’s hull and the water; exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS); and alternative fuels like the industry-first use of LNG as the world’s cleanest burning fossil fuel
  • Working with suppliers on expanding its sourcing of cage free eggs to 100 percent by 2025
  • Expanding tour operator sustainable practices

Community
Another key milestone for the company in 2015 was the opening of its newest port and Caribbean destination, Amber Cove, located in the Dominican Republic. The new destination represents Carnival Corporation’s single largest direct port development project with an $85 million investment to date, the largest cruise industry investment ever made in the Dominican Republic. As a part of Carnival Corporation’s commitment to the region, its Fathom brand also announced in 2015 that it would be making trips every other week to the area to enrich the lives of its travelers as they work alongside the locals, assisting them in improving the quality of their lives.

Carnival Corporation reinforced its leadership position in the China cruise region with the successful introduction of a fourth ship in 2015 – Costa Serena from its Costa Cruises brand. The company also announced in 2015 that it would introduce two more year-round ships – one each from Costa Cruises and Princess Cruises – making it the first cruise company with six ships based in China, maintaining its industry leadership in the country. Carnival Corporation also formed a strategic joint venture by partnering with state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation and China Investment Corporation to launch a new cruise brand in the Chinese vacation region.

Other strides Carnival Corporation made in 2015 to deliver on its commitment to the communities in which it operates include:

  • Donating $5 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami to create the Carnival Center for Excellence that will serve as the headquarters for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami
  • Donating reusable goods such as furniture, kitchenware, toiletries and other items from its ships to people in need throughout the communities it visits
  • Providing in-kind donation of cruises totaling over $2 million in 2015

Partnering with The Nature Conservancy to Advance Ocean Health
In 2015, Carnival Corporation continued its partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, with a $2.5 million financial commitment over a five-year period, starting in 2014.

Carnival Corporation’s partnership with TNC supports the organization’s Mapping Ocean Wealth (MOW) program that creates maps showing the extent and distribution of benefits that habitats like coral reefs and mangroves provide, including fish production, flood mitigation, erosion control and recreation. Progress made in 2015 with the help ofCarnival Corporation’s donation include:

  • Generating new knowledge about coral reef conditions, comparisons of nature-based and artificial defenses, innovative financing and other important topics
  • Publishing groundbreaking research on fish production associated with oyster reefs
  • Pioneering innovative methods, such as using social media to measure tourism activities, natural resources available, distribution, intensity of use and user satisfaction through the work being performed on the development of a global map of mangrove tourism
  • Developing an online web mapping tool allowing users to view and download models and maps of ocean benefits associated with coral reefs, mangroves and other critical coastal systems

More information about Carnival Corporation’s sustainability efforts and the full versions of its past sustainability reports can be found here.

About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest leisure travel company in the world, with a portfolio of 10 cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia comprised of Carnival Cruise Line, Fathom, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

Together, these brands operate 101 ships visiting over 700 ports around the world and totaling 225,000 lower berths with 15 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2020. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P500 and the FTSE 100 indices.

Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com, www.carnival.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de,www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com and www.fathom.org.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160803/395557-INFO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnival-corporation-issues-2015-sustainability-report-continues-strong-commitment-to-environment-and-safety-300309060.html

SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc

Roger Frizzell, Carnival Corporation, rfrizzell@carnival.com, (305) 406-7862; Mike Flanagan, LDWWgroup, mike@ldwwgroup.com, (727) 452-4538
August 3, 2016 Comments are off Kellen
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New 3M Petrifilm Plate Launched to Help Food Companies Reduce Spoilage and Minimize Waste

ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In food processing, lactic acid bacteria can be friend or foe. Kept in check, these organisms help produce fermented foods ranging from smooth yogurts to crunchy pickles – and can even be leveraged for probiotic purposes. But under low oxygen, low temperature and acidic conditions, the bacteria can cause spoilage, discoloration, bloated packages and textures, odors and flavors that displease customers, trigger recalls and cause food waste.

To help food processing companies streamline complicated labor intensive testing methods, 3M Food Safety introduces the 3M™ Petrifilm™ Lactic Acid Bacteria Count Plate with a more efficient, all-in-one solution for monitoring lactic acid bacteria levels in food products and manufacturing environments. The plate offers all of the time-honored benefits of the award-winning 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates – simplicity, reliability, productivity, and sustainability – while eliminating the need for the costly anaerobic equipment used with traditional methods.

For the first time ever, the 3M Petrifilm Lactic Acid Bacteria Count Plate combines oxygen-scavenging technology and oxygen-barrier films to create a self-contained anaerobic environment. Now food processors and testing laboratories can get true, accurate anaerobic results using aerobic incubation conditions, providing enhanced recovery of lactic acid bacteria within 48 hours.

“Food manufacturers are becoming more aware of the impact lactic acid bacteria plays on their products’ quality and shelf life,” said John David, 3M Food Safety global marketing manager. “Our hope and belief is that the improved and easier testing process made possible with the 3M Petrifilm Lactic Acid Bacteria Count Plate will enable them to more effectively monitor this group of microorganisms and make confident decisions about their product quality, helping to reduce waste, minimize recalls and protect brand reputation.”

In contrast to traditional methods, 3M’s advanced technology can be used to test a wide range of foods and environmental surfaces. The company expects its plate will be especially valuable for manufacturers of meat, fish and poultry products, processed foods, produce, dairy products, and various dressings and sauces. If the test determines lactic acid bacteria levels are unacceptable, companies may want to adjust their processing conditions or intensify cleaning and sanitation.

3M Food Safety, a leader of innovative solutions that help the food and beverage industries optimize the quality and safety of their products to enable consumer protection and improve their bottom lines, is pursuing third-party scientific validations such as AOAC and ISO for its new technology. To order the 3M Petrifilm Lactic Acid Bacteria Count Plate, or learn more about it and related products, individuals can contact their local sales representative, call (800) 328-6553 or visit http://3M.com/foodsafety/PetrifilmLAB.

About 3M
At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $30 billion in sales, our 90,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems atwww.3M.com on Twitter at @3M or @3MNewsroom.