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Cumulus Global Grows its Sustainability with Evertreen Reforestation Initiative

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Cumulus Global Partners with Evertreen to Offset CO2 with Reforestation Projects 

ReforestationAugust 10, 2023 – Westborough, MA – Cumulus Global announces a dramatic expansion of our company’s sustainability efforts. Partnering with Evertreen, Cumulus Global is supporting reforestation projects in four countries trees. Joining a reforestation program helps the company offset emissions from commuting, business travel, and other business activities. Each monthly planting will remove over 4.2 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere.  This is equivalent to the amount of CO2 created by driving over 11, 000 miles in a car getting the average miles per gallon in the United States. 

“We are excited about expanding our sustainability efforts in ways that will also benefit local communities around the world,” stated Cumulus Global CEO Allen Falcon. “This is a creative way that we, as a small business, can make a difference.”

Each month, Cumulus Global will plant at least 7 trees across four projects. The projects are located in Ethiopia, Madagascar, South Africa, and the United States. Beyond reducing carbon in the atmosphere, the reforestation projects also address local community needs.  Evertreen designs each project to provide local employment. Tree selections help increase local food supplies, prevent soil erosion, and protect local watersheds.

“We chose Evertreen for their holistic approach to the reforestation projects,” noted Falcon. “Their monitoring program and existing partnerships with IT industry leaders further proves their credibility and integrity.”

Beyond planning and planting forests, Evertreen actively monitors the health and growth of its forests with staff on-the-ground and advanced satellite imagery. View a summary of Cumulus Global’s participation, add trees to Cumulus Global’s forest, and learn more about Evertreen.

This tree planting program further extends the company’s sustainability program, that also includes recycling and the use of renewable energy. Since October 2020, Cumulus Global has relied on 100% renewable energy for all of the electricity needs at its main office. 

About Cumulus Global

Cumulus Global is an industry-leading managed cloud service provider with a mission to deliver solutions with tangible value.

  • What We Do: We translate your business goals and objectives into solutions and services.
  • How We Do It: We start with your business needs and priorities. Planning and migration includes guidance to help your team adopt and utilize new services. Your team benefits from co-managed services, on-going support, and client success services. We help you adapt as your business changes and grows.
  • What We Offer: Managed cloud solutions featuring Google, Microsoft, and more than three dozen providers.

About Evertreen

Evertreen (www.evertreen.com) helps individuals and companies offset CO2 emissions by planting trees around the world. In addition to reducing CO2 in the atmosphere, Evertreen forests contribute to local economies and ecosystems. As of the date of this post, Evertreen has planted more than 707,700 trees in more than a dozen forests spanning 10 countries. 

Cumulus Global Goes Green with Renewable Energy Commitment

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October 1, 2020 (Westborough, MA). Cumulus Global announces today that the company is now using renewable energy for 100% of its internal electricity needs. This change is part of the company’s on-going sustainability efforts. Cumulus Global switched to electricity producers using only renewable sources, directly and via Massachusetts Level 1 Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The company participates in a Community Electricity Aggregation Program, known as Westborough Power Choice, that negotiates electric rates based on consumption across all residential and commercial users. With highly competitive rates, moving to 100% renewable energy does not materially impact cost.

“We are proud to continue our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint and lower the impact of our business on the environment and climate,” stated Cumulus Global CEO, Allen Falcon. “This change demonstrates that small businesses can make changes for the better that also help their bottom line.”

Moving to 100% renewable energy is one part of the company’s sustainability efforts. The company has modified workflows to reduce paper. Employees participate in an active recycling program.  And, the company tracks the sustainability efforts of its key vendors and partners.

“Google and Microsoft have been carbon neutral since 2007 and 2012, respectively, and continue to pursue aggressive sustainability goals,” notes Falcon. “We partner with vendors that plan and act to protect the environment.”

The efficiency of cloud computing shifts the use of energy from computers, networking equipment, and HVAC systems in your business, to cloud data centers designed for efficiency.  Leveraging cloud computing helps small and midsize businesses reduce their carbon footprint while enabling their businesses to thrive and grow.

For more information about Cumulus Global and the company’s sustainability efforts, please contact us at info@cumulusglobal.com.

 

About Cumulus Global

Our core belief is that IT should clearly help you achieve your business goals and objectives. Cumulus Global successfully helps small and midsize businesses get more value from existing IT and new cloud computing services. By first understanding your business, we design and deploy secure, cloud forward solutions that empower your team and create a competitive advantage. We partner with Microsoft, Google, and dozens of vendors to match you with the right technologies. We stay with you for the long haul, supporting your team and keeping your IT systems in sync with your changing business needs and priorities.

2nd of 5: Leadership and Google Apps in Your District

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Google EDU Globe
At the NJ Google Apps for Education Summit this month, we had the opportunity to briefly present and discuss the role and impact of Google Apps in K-12 Education with administrators and leaders from several districts.  This post is the 2nd of 5 on Leadership and Google Apps in Your District.

Create an Equitable and Sustainable Ecosystem

Every district and school we work with for Google Apps, Chrome, and/or Play deployments has a population that spans some measure of socio-economic conditions. These socio-economic factors will play a part in funding technology.

As schools move to 1:1 programs, socio-economic differences across the student population can also weigh heavily on students and their families.  Depending on how a district structures its 1:1 program, the district can create an equitable resource for all students or can further exasperate the digital divides.  Poorly crafted 1:1 programs may also lack the financial stability to remain sustainable following the initial equipment purchase or first refresh cycle.

Schools can avoid these hazards with sound, long-term planning guided by a mandate for equitable opportunity and sustainability.

Here are few considerations.

  • 1:1 Programs with BYOD can create a systemic bias based on family wealth, unless the district is willing and able to ensure all students have access to a default device that is comparable in form, function, performance, and reliability to those brought from home.
  • 1:1 Programs in which families purchase specific devices are often a financial hardship for lower and middle-income families, particularly those with multiple children in the system.
  • Districts should consider policies covering if and when students may use applications and resources not provided by the district for school work.
  • Initial 1:1 program plans should look forward through at least 2 equipment refresh cycles, to ensure that funding is stable and equipment life cycles (reliability and usability) are consistent across classes and grades.
  • 1:1 program funding should be a recurring operating expense rather than a discretionary budget item.  Delaying purchases and refresh cycles reduces the effectiveness of the program across the student population and can result in higher overall costs.  Fair market value (FMV) leases help even out annual costs and maintain refresh cycles
  • 1:1 Programs with equipment and applications purchased by the district ensure all students have equal access to resources, but place the greatest potential financial burden on the district.
  • Districts should consider policies related to “Technology Fees” or “1:1 Program Fees” as a means of mitigating 1:1 program costs.  Districts should consider if and when to subsidize or waive fees based on financial need.
  • Professional development for faculty and staff should be an ongoing process that develops skills and sets expectations for technology integration into the learning process.
  • Districts should consider the ability to leverage technology in the classroom as a skill set on par with subject matter expertise and other teaching skills.

With a well-considered, long-term plan and a commitment to equity and sustainability, districts can design and execute 1:1 programs that provide all students with an equivalent learning environment. Schools will always need to deal with socio-economic differences across their populations, and it is impossible to ensure all things are equal.  Solid leadership as districts adopt technologies and methods, however, can ensure equitable access and opportunities to learn.

 

 

into available grants and other sources of funding,  these factors can also weigh heavily on the