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BettorEdge Surpasses $3.5 Million in Sports Betting Orders in Just Six Months, Since Inception

BettorEdge

BettorEdge, a Minneapolis-based online no-fee sports betting marketplace and social platform connecting sports fans, today announced it has facilitated more than $3.5 million in exchange orders since its launch in January 2021. High interest in the Stanley Cup Playoffs contributed to the boost in orders. Two of these playoff games ranked the highest in BettorEdge’s all-time top five games in volume of orders. The volume of orders on the platform doubled from May to June, as well. BettorEdge is a platform created with the bettor in mind. Instead of losing money to in-house favored lines, deposit fees, withdrawal fees, and the inability to withdraw funds when needed, fans on BettorEdge can trade bets with no fees attached. “Odds are stacked against the bettor with traditional sportsbooks, and we’re changing that,” said James Seils, Co-Founder of BettorEdge. “As bettors ourselves, we knew there was a need for a social marketplace and our growth in just six months validates the need for a betting experience like BettorEdge in this industry.” BettorEdge is uniquely positioned at the forefront of in-play betting as it gains momentum in the American market. Rather than relying on a pricing engine for every live play of a game, BettorEdge users set the market prices, effectively removing the hurdle of requiring a pricing engine. The PGA’s U.S. Open and Travelers Championship in June marked the two busiest weekends of in-play betting for the platform to date. “Our sole purpose is to innovate for the benefit of the sports bettor,” said Greg Kajewski, Co-Founder of BettorEdge. “Our growth is proof positive that putting the power back into the hands of the sports bettor through an engaging social media platform, is the type of experience that bettors are truly looking for. We’re excited to keep innovating our platform for the betterment of the sports bettor and excited to see how our growing audience utilizes our capabilities for the upcoming NFL season.” About BettorEdge BettorEdge was founded in 2019 following a University of Minnesota SportRadar Innovation Challenge. Iowa native founders, now Minnesota residents, had a vision of creating a more efficient sports betting marketplace that offered a better fan experience at no fee to the consumer within the US. BettorEdge has a strong emphasis on giving the edge to the bettor through offering a fair market, providing data and analytics and creating a seamless social community. Access to their webapp can be found at app.bettoredge.com and additional information at BettorEdge.com. Contact Details Hot Paper Lantern Bailey Irelan +1 614-795-3308 birelan@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://www.bettoredge.com/

July 15, 2021 09:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Tayler Jade Debuts on Billboard Top 40 Indicator Chart and Millions Stream Her Music Around the Globe

Tayler Jade

Jade Entertainment, in conjunction with Independent Artist Tayler Jade announce the debut of "WYA" on the Billboard Top 40 Indicator Chart and surpassing 25 million Global Streams, two major accomplishments milestones for an independent artist in less than 90 days. “I am excited to see WYA resonate with people around the world and my community; it is the second single [of many] chapters that will be my music and my life,” said Tayler Jade. “The success of Temporary, WYA and the remixes has been overwhelming. I could have never imagined that in such a short period of time that the music of my life would interact with so many people around the world, let alone over 25 million of them.” The rise of Tayler Jade started with her first release of “Temporary” and really took off with the release of “WYA” and debuted this week on the Billboard Top 40 Indicator Chart at #39. The Dance community is showing her mad love and overwhelming support for the remix packages produced by Mikey Francis, Marc Stout, and Tony Arzadon and are packing dance floors with their remixes at the hottest night clubs in Las Vegas including OMNIA, Hakkasan, Encore Beach Club, XS, and Wet Republic. Adding the release of “ Whatever U Say ” to her growing catalogue of music will further solidify her voice in the business of music and growing influence as an artist and personality brand. “I have been working with Tayler for years, watching her grow into the amazing human and powerhouse singer you see today.” Said Thomas Barsoe, Recording Artist and Founder of Influential Artist Development Studio OC Hit. “Tayler continues to put in the work; both writing and performing daily, but I am blown away with her willingness to be vulnerable and her uncanny ability to connect with people through her music.” You can find Tayler Jade Music on SoundCloud, Spotify, iTunes, Audiomack, YouTube and many other platforms. To learn more about Tayler Jade and to join her community please visit TaylerJade.com. You can also connect with her on the following social channels: Facebook Instagram Twitter TAYLER JADE is an American Pop/R&B singer-songwriter and Personality Brand. Her debut “Dual Single” released on February 12, 2021 under her own label JADE ENTERTAINMENT, is climbing the TOP 40 Billboard Activator Chart alongside the biggest artists in the world. Her debut singles seem to be connecting with music fans worldwide, with over 25 million streams on all the major streaming platforms in just a few short months and continuing to climb. To learn more about Tayler Jade, we invite you to join her community at TAYLERJADE.COM Contact Details Jade Entertainment Jason Jepson +1 949-394-7033 jason.jepson@taylerjade.com DNT Agency Dani Thompson +17144965152 danithompson@dntagency.com Company Website https://www.taylerjade.com/

July 15, 2021 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

CSG Systems International to Hold Second Quarter 2021 Earnings Conference Call on August 4

CSG

CSG ® (NASDAQ: CSGS) invites you to participate in a conference call on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 5:00pm EDT to discuss the company's second quarter 2021 earnings results. The conference call will feature CSG President and Chief Executive Officer Brian Shepherd and CSG Chief Financial Officer Rollie Johns. To reach the conference, call 1-833-921-1665 and use the passcode 4290448. Click here to join a webcast of CSG’s earnings call in live or archived format. # # # About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage, and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California DMV, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Contact: John Rea Investor Relations CSG +1 (210) 687 4409 john.rea@csgi.com Contact Details CSG John Rea +1 210-687-4409 john.rea@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

July 15, 2021 06:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time

Elsevier commits to Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040

Elsevier

Elsevier, a global leader in research publishing and information analytics, is pleased to announce its commitment to becoming net zero by 2040, signing the Climate Pledge together with parent company RELX, to reach the target at least a decade ahead of the Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of 2050. Kumsal Bayazit, Elsevier’s CEO said: “The scientific consensus is clear, climate change is happening and we all have the responsibility to make the future sustainable for our planet. At Elsevier we are already net zero for our own direct emissions and by signing the climate pledge I am confident we can rise to the challenge and accelerate the action needed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040.” In 2020, Elsevier was net zero for its own direct emissions (Scope 1 and 2) and business travel (part of Scope 3) 1. By joining The Climate Pledge alongside other signatories, Elsevier sets out its accountability to achieve net zero carbon across all its emissions by no later than 2040. Today’s announcement further reinforces Elsevier’s longstanding efforts to address the global climate emergency and builds upon the company’s science-based target to limit the rise in average global temperatures. To achieve its goal, Elsevier will: Set a clear target to reduce carbon emissions resulting from business travel by 50% before 2025, based on a 2019 baseline, saving around 10,000 tonnes of CO 2 e emissions annually. Establish an ambitious climate action program focused on sizing and reducing indirect emissions from suppliers (Scope 3 emissions). Form a Climate Advisory Board of distinguished research experts to help identify the challenges, explore best practices and initiatives that will accelerate progress in climate change research. Leverage its data analytics capabilities to map the net zero pathways in renewable energy with its latest finding due to be released in October 2021. Focus on our leadership in publishing content on sustainability science and by launching interdisciplinary journals covering climate science such as One Earth and The Lancet Planetary Health. Create Sustain, an employee-driven resource group to further embed sustainable principles and practices throughout the company. Elsevier’s wider sustainability efforts focus on accelerating progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including being an early signatory to the SDG Publishers Compact and the release of the landmark SDG Report, The Power of Data to Advance the SDGs. The report offers unique insights and initiatives, many developed together with partners to map the state of research and integration of sex and gender within each SDG area, including SDG 13 Climate Action. Elsevier has also launched an SDG tool on SciVal, its web-based analytics solution that provides access to the research performance of global research institutions and their researchers. The SDG tool enables researchers to investigate, understand and analyze SDG research globally to develop existing partnerships or identify potential new opportunities for collaboration. Nick Luff, Chief Financial Officer, RELX, said: “Between 2010 and 2019, thanks to the efforts of colleagues across our business, we achieved a reduction of 52% in our carbon emissions. But we know there is much more to do to limit climate change to 1.5⁰C. By making a commitment to net zero through The Climate Pledge, we will continue our work on tackling climate change through our own operations, and by meaningful engagement with our suppliers, customers and other stakeholders.” Read more about RELX signing The Climate Pledge here. Elsevier will also publish a report analyzing the global impact of research around energy-related emissions, expected in October 2021. --- Notes for editors 1 Sourced from: "Being a responsible business | Environment", RELX, 2020. About Elsevier As a global leader in information and analytics, Elsevier helps researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. We do this by facilitating insights and critical decision-making for customers across the global research and health ecosystems. In everything we publish, we uphold the highest standards of quality and integrity. We bring that same rigor to our information analytics solutions for researchers, health professionals, institutions and funders. Elsevier employs 8,100 people worldwide. We have supported the work of our research and health partners for more than 140 years. Growing from our roots in publishing, we offer knowledge and valuable analytics that help our users make breakthroughs and drive societal progress. Digital solutions such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath support strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and health education. Researchers and healthcare professionals rely on our 2,500+ digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell; our 40,000 eBook titles; and our iconic reference works, such as Gray's Anatomy. With the Elsevier Foundation and our external Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board, we work in partnership with diverse stakeholders to advance inclusion and diversity in science, research and healthcare in developing countries and around the world. Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.elsevier.com Contact Details Andrew Davis +44 7393 242466 andrew.davis@elsevier.com Jonathan Davis +31620987384 j.davis.1@elsevier.com Elsevier Communications newsroom@elsevier.com Company Website https://www.elsevier.com/

July 15, 2021 03:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Signarama® Signs Their Way into History with GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title

Signarama

Signarama, ® the world’s largest sign franchise, announced today that it has been recognized by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ for setting the record for most signatures on a banner in one hour. During its World Expo event on June 28 th between 10:00AM and 11:00AM in West Palm Beach, the brand successfully captured the needed signatures on the 25-foot banner. The banner was sponsored by Signarama’s preferred vendor partner, GCI Digital Imaging, and themed to celebrate Signarama’s 35 th year in business in 2021 as a continuation of their “we love signs” campaign. “The Signarama brand is proud to hold this record title and it was wonderful to share the moment with our franchisees and vendor partners during our World Expo event,” said A.J. Titus, President of Signarama and United Franchise Group. “The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ™ title attempt was also done in part to celebrate Signarama’s 35 years in business. We couldn’t think of a better way to commemorate this milestone!” The attempt itself was exciting to witness. The crowd exited the Grand Ballroom at the Palm Beach County Convention Center after the morning’s guest speakers and filed in an orderly fashion around the banner as the timer started. Special guest Jesse Cole, founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas, was dressed in his famous yellow suit and present among the crowd. Each signature was counted as attendees dropped a registration card into the famous Signarama “Mini” Mini Cooper vehicle on their way by. There was plenty of time still remaining in the hour as the crowd filed by in record time, so the Signarama team made the split-second decision to pick up the banner, and transport it down the escalators to the heart of the trade show floor in order to finish out the remaining minutes of the record attempt. The crowd followed behind the eye-catching procession chanting “we love signs” as they made the trip down the escalators and onto the trade show floor, where Signarama were able to gain a significant number of additional signatures! Guinness World Records adjudicator, Michael Empric, flew in for the event and was present to count each participant. He later officially announced and confirmed the record attempt totaling 689 signatures on-stage in front of all the participants. The minimum number to set this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ™ title was 250. The official record title certificate and banner now hang proudly in Signarama Corporate Headquarters in West Palm Beach. Signarama is the world’s leading sign and graphics franchise with over 700 locations worldwide in over 20 countries. For more information about Signarama, visit Signarama.com. About Signarama Signarama, the world's largest sign franchise, offers branding and messaging solutions in addition to comprehensive sign and graphic services to consumers and commercial customers – from business signs, vehicle wraps, and digital signs, to advertising and marketing services. Signarama is part of a successful system of business-to-business franchise brands and development services under the United Franchise Group (UFG). For more information, visit signarama.com. For more information on the Signarama franchise opportunity, visit SignaramaFranchise.com. About United Franchise Group Led by Founder and CEO Ray Titus, United Franchise Group is home to an affiliated family of brands, including Signarama, Fully Promoted, Experimax, Jon Smith Subs, Transworld Business Advisors, Accurate Franchising, Venture X, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Network Lead Exchange, Resource Operations International (ROI) and Graze Craze. With over three decades in the franchising industry and more than 1,600 franchisees throughout the world, United Franchise Group offers unprecedented leadership and solid business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Contact Details United Franchise Group Brittny Fuchs +1 561-812-6032 bfuchs@ufgcorp.com Company Website https://signarama.com/

July 14, 2021 09:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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You & Mr Jones Data Company fifty-five Expands U.S. Executive Team

fifty-five

fifty-five, a new breed of data company that helps brands leverage data and technology to improve marketing, advertising and the customer experience, is adding to its leadership ranks as part of its U.S. expansion. The company is promoting Robin Clayton to managing director and appointing Alicia Arnold to managing director. Both Clayton and Arnold will report directly to Hugo Loriot, partner at fifty-five. This expansion comes at a time when updates to consumer privacy laws and third-party tracking are impacting advertising leaders globally. “We are thrilled to be announcing the promotion of Robin and the appointment of Alicia,” said Hugo Loriot, partner at fifty-five. “They both bring extensive industry knowledge and will play critical roles in the success of fifty-five in the U.S. and in our efforts to continue to grow our footprint globally.” In her new role, Arnold brings 20 years of award-winning experience working at the intersection of digital, marketing, and technology. Arnold will be responsible for overseeing the operations and performance of fifty-five in the U.S. across new verticals, delivering on business strategies, nurturing talent, enhancing the culture, and growing the fifty-five footprint. Prior to joining the team, Arnold founded a global consulting firm and held client leadership and executive roles at Cognizant, Forrester, and Hill Holliday. She is also a member of the Customer Experience Professionals Association and volunteers with the CXPA Boston Marketing, Community Engagement, and Event Planning team. “At fifty-five, we have the opportunity to shape the future and leave a lasting imprint. Technology and data are transforming how brands connect with their customers. Whether B2B or B2C, data and technology are front and center,” said Arnold. “fifty-five is at the forefront of that change and I cannot wait to see where our team takes the company.” Clayton has worked with fifty-five for the last two years, most recently holding the position of executive director where she led the U.S. consulting practice and was responsible for overall client delivery and growth across accounts, building BrandTech partnerships, managing the U.S. consulting team, and driving a data-driven performance agenda. In her new role, Clayton will focus on balancing growth with building out the right team and organizational structure to sustain and enable that growth. Throughout her time with fifty-five, Clayton has been an instrumental part in generating awareness for fifty-five while delivering quality work to build out case studies and credentials. “I am thrilled to be expanding my career with this amazing team,” said Robin Clayton. “I am looking forward to building on the incredible work we’ve been doing over the last two years, delivering innovative data transformation work with amazing clients, attracting great talent, and taking the time to foster team culture and spirit so it’s embedded in our work products.” About fifty-five fifty-five, the data company fifty-five is a new breed of data company that helps brands like Adidas, Shiseido, and Nestlé leverage data and technology to improve marketing, advertising, and customer experience, through a combination of specialized consultancy and technology services. fifty-five was founded in 2010 by former Google executives and is now a proud member of You & Mr Jones, the world’s first Brandtech group. Headquartered in Paris, the company has a global headcount of 300 with a footprint in New York, London, Geneva, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Taipei. To learn more about fifty-five and its offering, visit here. Contact Details Kite Hill PR Kerriann Becker +1 631-235-7796 kerriann@kitehillpr.com

July 14, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

CSG Supercharges Customer Engagement Solutions with Acquisition of Kitewheel

CSG

DENVER, July 14, 2021 — CSG ® (NASDAQ: CSGS), the leader in innovative customer engagement, revenue management and payments solutions that make ordinary customer experiences extraordinary, today announced the acquisition of Kitewheel, the leading provider for customer journey orchestration and analytics. The acquisition unites respective industry leaders and propels CSG into new industry verticals, unlocking a $10 billion global market growth opportunity that further extends the company’s position in customer experience management. “Kitewheel is a natural extension to CSG’s customer engagement portfolio and strengthens our presence in faster growing industry verticals like retail, financial services and healthcare, which further diversify our revenue mix and customer base,” said Alfred Binford, president of customer engagement for CSG. “Kitewheel’s expertise and established market leadership will enhance our ability to deliver greater value to new customers around the world and turbo-charge the global expansion of our customer engagement business.” According to Forrester's research on "How to Choose the Right Tech for Your CX Needs" (June 29, 2021), "[c]ustomer-obsessed firms must break down organizational silos to focus on the needs of their customers. But disparate and overlapping technology investments severely hamper their collaboration efforts.” The combination of CSG’s digital customer engagement technologies and Kitewheel’s journey orchestration and analytics SaaS technology creates a powerhouse, cloud-based, engagement platform that orchestrates real-time, contextually relevant customer experiences for leading brands. The result is a real-time interaction management platform that bridges the gap between information silos and taps into the power of unified customer interaction and behavioral data to produce meaningful, end-to-end customer journeys. “In today’s hyper-connected, hyper-personalized world, the ability to offer differentiated customer experiences can make or break a company and brand,” said Mark Smith, president, Kitewheel. “By joining the CSG family, Kitewheel brings added scale to our combined customer engagements portfolio, tying together CSG’s proven products, experiences practice, journey orchestration, analytics and communication engagement channel solutions. These real-time interaction management capabilities are unmatched in the industry and offer an end-to-end solution with the agility and intentionality companies need to wow their customers.” CSG and Kitewheel have already successfully sold and delivered multiple customer wins worldwide, including a full-suite deployment at one of the world’s largest global banks. The financial services giant turned to CSG and Kitewheel to simplify and automate its mortgage notification process and comply with various regulations. The bank increased its digital customer notifications by over 10%, reduced paper and postage costs and improved overall operational efficiency. Based on the success of the mortgage use case, the bank has since expanded the CSG-Kitewheel technology suite to other lines of business in its ongoing effort to provide optimized micro-journeys for exceptional and personalized customer experiences. Building on a successful partnership that began in 2018, this acquisition combines two industry leaders – CSG, a global leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Integrated Revenue and Customer Management and Kitewheel, a leader in The Forrester Wave™: Journey Orchestration Platforms, Q4 2020 and a visionary in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Hubs. For more information on CSG’s customer engagement solutions, visit https://www.csgi.com/capabilities/customer-engagement/. # # # About Kitewheel Kitewheel empowers the world’s largest businesses to understand and improve the consumer experience with the leading customer journey management platform. Kitewheel’s innovative Customer Journey Hub orchestrates intelligent customer journeys by unifying decisions across disparate systems, touchpoints, and technologies and provides seamless customer experiences that drive real-time revenue as well as long-term loyalty. Kitewheel serves its global partner and client base from offices in Boston and London. For more information, please visit http://www.kitewheel.com and follow Kitewheel on Twitter and LinkedIn. About CSG For more than 35 years, CSG has simplified the complexity of business, delivering innovative customer engagement solutions that help companies acquire, monetize, engage and retain customers. Operating across more than 120 countries worldwide, CSG manages billions of critical customer interactions annually, and its award-winning suite of software and services allow companies across dozens of industries to tackle their biggest business challenges and thrive in an ever-changing marketplace. CSG is the trusted provider for driving digital innovation for hundreds of leading global brands, including Airtel Africa, América Móvil, AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, DISH, Formula 1, Hutchison 3 Indonesia, Inmarsat, Mastercard, Maximus, Microsoft, Mobily, MTN, New Leaf Service Contracts, State of California DMV, TalkTalk and Telstra. To learn more, visit our website at csgi.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Copyright © 2021 CSG Systems International, Inc. and/or its affiliates (“CSG”). All rights reserved. CSG® is a registered trademark of CSG Systems International, Inc. All third-party trademarks, service marks, and/or product names which are referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners, and all rights therein are reserved. Contacts: Tammy Hovey Global / North America / Asia-Pacific Public Relations CSG +1 (917) 520-2751 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Kristine Østergaard CSG Europe / Middle East / Africa Public Relations +44 (0)75 0051 8412 kristine.ostergaard@csgi.com John Rea Investor Relations CSG +1 (210) 687 4409 john.rea@csgi.com Contact Details CSG Tammy Hovey +1 917-520-2751 tammy.hovey@csgi.com Company Website https://www.csgi.com

July 14, 2021 06:30 AM Mountain Daylight Time

Unique Stays Are Booming on Airbnb, with Big Opportunity for Hosts

YourUpdateTV

From a treehouse to a giant potato hotel, searches for unique homes on Airbnb have increased by 94 percent in 2021 compared to 2019, with Hosts of unique stays collectively earning $300 million globally. Recently, the Host of the Big Idaho Potato Hotel, Kristie Wolfe, teamed with Airbnb and YourUpdateTV on a satellite media tour to talk about why guests are so drawn to unique homes and the economic opportunity of hosting for those with unique spaces to share. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/R3kglXdaOA8 The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is one of the several unique stays that travelers are turning to break up the monotony of the past year. According to the Airbnb Report on Travel & Living, this fascination with unique stays is universal, with 55 percent of the 100 most wishlisted homes in the last year falling into unique categories. Unique home searches have increased by 94 percent in 2021 compared to the same time period in 2019. Searches for certain types of unique homes – such as yurts, huts and farm stays – have exploded by 10x compared to just two years ago. In fact, there are over 170,000 unique properties all over the world on Airbnb. Unique Hosts have also benefited from the increased interest in unique stays. Since the start of the pandemic, they have collectively earned $300 million globally. To help meet the pent-up demand, Airbnb launched the new Flexible Destinations tool for guests who aren’t committed to a specific destination and want to be able to filter for unique stays when finding trip accommodations. Spending time outdoors has become more important than ever, and parks are seeing a broader range of people visiting and enjoying in record numbers. As more and more people flock to these treasured places, it’s imperative to be safe and thoughtful about how to enjoy and experience them. Airbnb has teamed up with the National Park Foundation to encourage people to recreate responsibly in parks this summer and share some really helpful tips. This includes: Be mindful of where you plan to visit. Don’t overcrowd areas, as this may endanger the safety of yourself and others. When you’re ready to leave a park, make sure to pack up your garbage. Minimize waste by bringing food in reusable containers and utilize refillable water bottles. Remember to respect wildlife and always observe from a distance. And be an active part of making the outdoors safe and welcoming for park visitors of all identities and abilities. Whether you already have a unique space to share, or are interested in creating one, now is the time to consider joining Kristie in sharing it with people from all over the world, on Airbnb. If you’re interested in learning how to get started as a Host, go to airbnb.com/host About Kristie Wolfe: Kristie is a proud Idahoan who is passionate about living simply. In the winter of 2013, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of building her very own treehouse and sharing it with travellers from around the world. From the success of that unique stay, she has since been able to build a hobbit hole, refurbish a fire lookout and, of course, has made over a 6-ton spud guests can sleep in! About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

July 13, 2021 05:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Starting With Reducing World Inequity; W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Esri, and PVBLIC Form New Data Alliance Using Big Data Geospatial Technology for SDG Goals

Esri

A long-term universal threat to social and economic development, inequity hampers poverty reduction initiatives, destroys people’s sense of fulfillment and self-worth, and stunts every human’s potential. In September 2015, world leaders agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have the power to create a better, more equitable world by 2030. Reducing inequality is the most important step countries can take to improve standards of living. Based on the foundational principle of reducing inequalities of all kinds, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Esri, the PVBLIC Foundation, and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) Secretariat, announced today they have joined forces to form the SDG Data Alliance. Using the power of purpose-driven collaboration, globally recognized geospatial frameworks, and leading GIS technology, this influential group of partners will accelerate achievement of the SDGs by creating 17 SDG Data Hubs across developing nations in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Based on geospatial frameworks and technology, the data hubs will assist developing countries in measuring, monitoring and reporting on their progress toward reducing inequality and will empower people to ensure inclusiveness and equality. The SDG Data Alliance will empower governments, businesses, and people to respond to and manage shared global challenges like poverty, inequality, and climate change. SDG Data Hubs at Work. A Few Local Examples Ireland and Gender Equality. Women are significantly outnumbered by men in both local and national politics in Ireland. The introduction of gender quota legislation before the 2016 General Elections produced an increase of 6.5 percentage points in female representation in those elections. The gender quota legislation did not apply in the 2019 Local Elections, which saw a smaller increase of 3.8 percentage points in the number of seats won by women. With SDG equity data, gender information, constituent and population information, and economic data help identify marginalized workers, economic and labor market opportunities, and gender balance in government. Iraq and Health Access Inequity. A young pregnant woman living in an informal settlement in Iraq during COVID-19 pandemic may not have adequate water, sanitation, housing or access to healthcare facilities. With SDG equity data around water, healthcare and housing, gaps and patterns can be identified in context to build an infrastructure to keep this woman and her baby healthy during the pandemic. Haiti and Climate Justice. Haiti is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters with more than 90 percent of the population at risk. A young man makes his living and supports his family by selling fruit on the street during rush hour and at tourist destinations. Hurricane Irma nearly swept away his family’s home and his ability to go to school for a better economic potential. With SDG equity data around education, economic growth, climate, and agriculture, insights can be found and shared to provide this young man the opportunity to finish his education and build a more promising future for his family. The SDG Data Alliance’s technology, expertise, and financial support will help countries around the world measure their progress in achieving global equity. Geospatial information and the collaborative efforts to collect and share SDG data are the foundation for connecting people to their location and environment. This alliance enables countries to more precisely allocate resources to address all forms of inequity - reducing inequalities of all kinds, including equity for women, reducing hunger, poverty, improving access to clean water and taking action to reduce the impact of climate change. “Together, we have a vision to build the capacity of communities, governments and NGOs to monitor their progress towards their goals,” said La June Montgomery Tabron, President and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “At the heart of this partnership is the belief that people have the capacity to create the conditions for their children to thrive and for communities to become equitable places of opportunity. When communities see the full picture of what’s at play, it will only accelerate that change.” “Inequality threatens long-term social and economic development, and hampers poverty reduction initiatives, especially among vulnerable global communities,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “Open, community-driven partnerships like the SDG Data Alliance offer a framework to create a reporting environment that help communities see patterns and trends around issues like inequality. Our goal in this partnership is to enable the world to work more effectively together on reducing inequalities by leveraging geospatial technology to better understand and solve these challenges.” “We have been advancing this concept for many years and it is remarkable to see this dream become a reality with so many global partners coming together,” said Sergio Fernandez de Cordova, Chairman of PVBLIC Foundation. “Our core mission at PVBLIC is to mobilize media, data, and technology to take action on the sustainable development goals and that’s what the SDG Data Alliance is all about. The partners assembled here are poised to rewrite history, around the role of data, in a post-pandemic world.” “Reducing Inequalities is fundamental to creating a just and prosperous world where no one is left behind and everyone can thrive,” said Michelle Gyles McDonnough, Director, Sustainable Development Unit, Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the United Nations. “It is essential that member states build up their capacity based on actionable data to measure and monitor their progress on the SDG 10 – Reducing Inequalities. The SDG Data Alliance is an example of a multistakeholder initiative that drives progress and offers innovative solutions. Greater universal equality among women and men, income groups and regardless of race and ethnicity will enable us to keep the promise to reach the goals by 2030.” Visit the SDG Data Alliance site at alliance.sdg.org. Members of the SDG Data Alliance have already helped many countries create, organize and implement their SDG Data Hubs including Colombia, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, State of Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and the United Arab Emirates. About W.K. Kellogg Foundation: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life. The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan, and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special attention is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org. About Esri: Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations globally and in over 200,000 institutions in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics. Visit us at esri.com. About PVBLIC Foundation: PVBLIC Foundation is an innovative non-profit organization that mobilizes media, data, and technology for sustainable development and social impact around the world. The Foundation connects public, private, and nonprofit sectors, plugging innovations into social agendas and helping governments, NGOs, and intergovernmental organizations amplify their impact through original programs, creative partnerships, and strategic donor funds. The foundation has managed programs and partnerships that have reached more than a billion people in 125 countries and inspired global action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Contact Details Esri Jo Ann Pruchniewski +1 301-693-2643 jpruchniewski@esri.com W.K. Kellogg Foundation Kari Carlson +12698832220 kari.carlson@wkkf.org PVBLIC Foundation Luisa Fernanda Ruiz +573105819176 luisaf@pvblic.org CIEN+ Angela Sustaita-Ruiz +19172042787 angela.sustaitaruiz@cien.plus

July 13, 2021 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time