In the News

First look: IBM will provide pro bono tech services and expertise to organizations serving communities vulnerable to climate change and other environmental hazards, Ben writes. Driving the news: The tech giant’s new IBM Sustainability Accelerator is live today with a public request for proposals from nonprofit and government organizations. The 2022 awards will focus on clean energy.

On Tuesday, IBM announced the launch of its Sustainability Accelerator, a free two-year program designed to help non-profit and government organizations working with populations vulnerable to climate change, pollution and extreme weather.

IBM will provide pro bono tech services and expertise to organizations serving communities vulnerable to climate change and other environmental hazards. Driving the news: The tech giant’s new IBM Sustainability Accelerator is live today with a public request for proposals from nonprofit and government organizations. The 2022 awards will focus on clean energy.

It’s easy to take for granted modern privileges that let some populations easily weather a storm. Those luxuries could be the confidence of knowing that lights turn on when you flick on a light switch, or the ability to make a living while working remotely in the comfort of your home.

Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO of Arkansas-based Heifer International, announced he will step down in September. Ferrari has led the global development organization for the past 12 years.

Five decades ago, Heifer International shifted its operations to Little Rock from St. Louis, Missouri. Since making the move, we have supported millions of people around the world to end hunger and poverty in their communities, while promoting cross-cultural learning and sustainable farming from our Little Rock campus and the Heifer Ranch in Perryville.

As the World Bank reported on August 17, 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic led to “severe and widespread increases in global food insecurity, affecting vulnerable households in almost every country.” According to a U.N. report, 2.4 billion people lacked access to sufficiently nutritious foods in 2020, an increase of 320 million people since 2019. Luckily, anti-hunger organizations are working to ensure that people have enough food to eat during a period of increased food insecurity.

When Pierre Ferrari took over as president and chief executive officer of Heifer International in 2010, he promised that he wouldn’t use “weak words” such as “alleviate, diminish, lessen or reduce” when it came to the nonprofits’ mission of ending world hunger and poverty.