#larry kroger

[deadwallss]

🕯️‧₊ 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 ᵎᵎ

[philiponmycracker]

The very exclusive shopping experience brought to you by Larry "Pinto" Kroger (National Lampoon's Animal House, 1978, credited as Thomas Hulce)

[kramlabs]

Repost:

Larry Fink “forcing behaviors” via Blackrock and companies they control like Disney, Target and Kroger and whole categories of food like meat (vs fake meat) eggs (vs fake eggs)

[edwardsfiances]

Lynnea began taking detailed notes of Edward’s coming and going from her apartment. The simple act of keeping a record of when he arrived and when he left put her at ease. Edward would not help Lynnea in believing the version of the story with Kirsten that Edward needed her to accept. Lynnea gave him plenty of ways to make her believe or make her understand but he refused to do any of them and he would not let Lynnea just leave the relationship.

Lynnea’s notes are as follows:

Left apartment to clean jeep time lapsed 30:15 9/22/24

Left apartment 10:45 pm 9/22/24

Called 9:10 pm after leaving work to say he was heading to the storage shed to grab a scope for Dave 9/25/24

Called at 10:06 pm to say he’s on his way after picking up cat food and cat litter from Kroger 9/25/24

Arrived at 10:08 pm 9/25/24

Left at 12:47 am 9/26/24

Left at 12:34 am 9/27/24

Arrived 12:25 pm 9/27/25

Left at 4:24 pm to pick up car parts 9/27/24

Came back at 5:48 pm 9/27/24

Left for gym at 7:39 pm 9/27/24

Came back at 8:36 pm 9/27/24

Left for the night at 11:09 pm 9/27/24

Arrived 1:58 pm 9/28/24

Left for the gym, shed, and other errand 3:47 pm 9/28/24

I called at 6:42 pm and he said he was in the gym and couldn’t talk long the call was 43 seconds 9/28/24

Returned at 7:29 pm 9/28/24

Left at 12:02 am 9/29/24

Arrived at 6:43 pm 9/29/24

Left for gym at 7:13 pm 9/29/24

Came back at 8:40 pm 9/29/24

Left at 11:37 pm 9/29/25

Arrived at 10:42 am asking if I was talking to anyone on the phone 9/30/24

Left at 11:40 am said he had to make some phone calls 9/30/24

Returned 12:47 pm 9/30/24

Left 4:57 pm did not specify where. Drove past gym 9/30/24

Returned at 5:56 pm 9/30/24

Left at 12:07 am 10/1/24

Arrived at 9:45 10/1/24

Left at 12:46 am 10/2/24

Left at 7:04 pm to get oil 10/19/24

Arrived at 10:01 am 11/11/24 (The little Salami opens at 11, possibly dropping Kirsten off at work)

Left at 2:24 pm to get a haircut (if he picks Kirsten up from work he may not be back until after 5pm) 11/11/24

Called at 2:52 pm to tell me he’s getting his haircut and going to the gym. 11/11/24

Returned at 3:34pm 11/11/24

Left at 4:47pm to grab energy drinks and go to the gym (most likely picking up Kirsten from work which lets out at 5)11/11/24

Called 4 times at 5:05pm, went straight to voicemail, then sent text saying I just wanted to catch him before he left the gas station. He called back at 5:07 to say he was on the phone with Keller Williams and he’d call me back. 11/11/24

He called at 9:33 am I called back at 10:03 am, call went to voicemail and he texted asking me to call him back 11/12/24

He called at 9:09 pm to tell me he was going to talk to Parm then go to Kroger 11/12/24

He left at 12:30 am 11/14/24 but the explorer was still outside at 1:38 am.

Checked and explorer was still parked outside at 3:28 am 11/14/24.

11/16/24 Edward told me he’d be working today(Saturday) last night. He hasn’t talked to me much today, claiming the store has been busy. I received a call from him at 6:14pm claiming Jason had run out of gas and he told him he would pick him up. The little salami closes at 7pm tonight. I’m thinking he may be picking Kirsten up from work.

11/25/24 4:58 pm Edward left to go to the gym. The explorer pulled into the gym but it looked like the explorer pulled back out and went down town. The little Salumi closes at 5

11/25/24 5:11 pm I texted (5:02) Edward asking if he pulled out of the gym. He called me back (5:06) and said he did, he said he was at CVS getting aspirin and an energy drink.

11/27/24 9:19 pm Edward called to let me know he just finished at work and he was on his way to the apartment. With current traffic the travel time should be 17 minutes. It is currently 9:44 pm and he is still not here. He arrived at 9:52 pm. There were 16 minutes unaccounted for.

11/30/24 6:54 pm Edward called while on his way to grab a burger with Larry at Red Robin. He called me back at 8:08 pm to tell me he was on his way back. The Little Salumi where Kirsten works closes at 7. It is far more likely that he picked her up from work and dropped her off at home.

12/02/24 3:47 pm he left for a showing scheduled at 4:15 pm. He said the showing should only be 30 minutes. The little Salumi closes at 5pm today.

12/06/24 7:02pm Edward left for Kroger then the gym. The little Salumi closes at 7pm on Saturday. He is most likely picking Kirsten up from work and taking her back to Fairbrook Condos.

12/13/24 Edward said he had a showing at 5-5:30 pm. Then he asked how long Erin was out of school for winter break.

12/13/24 Edward did not end up going on a showing.

12/14/24 Edward left at 5:55 for a showing appointment. He did not end up going with me to A Holiday to Remember in downtown Northville. The little Salumi closes at 7 today.

(END)

Lynnea realized that he would just deny, deny, deny after she mentioned to Edward that she knew where Kirsten works. At this point she is trying to focus on getting herself out and away from Edward but she wants to save Kirsten too. She hopes that Kirsten realizes what Edward did to her and Lynnea is not right. He was horrible to both of them. They both deserve better. Lynnea hopes and prays that if and when she finds this that Kirsten does not tell Edward. Lynnea hopes that Kirsten will confide in her parents and does not blame herself for Edward’s transgressions.

Lynnea hopes to find pease for herself and Kirsten.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Animal House (1978)

National Lampoon’s Animal House is an important movie. You can see its influence in the many raunchy and gross-out comedies that attempted to ride on its coattails after its release. Countless films have either imitated its style or attempted to one-up its hijinks. It’s unapologetically vulgar and crass, memorable and often hilarious. It’s also horribly dated - we’re talking Breakfast at Tiffany’s dated - which makes it hard to recommend unless you’re from a certain era, or watching it for academic reasons.

In 1962, Faber College’s Dean Vernon Wormer (John Vernon) is fed up with the Delta Tau Chi "Animal House" Fraternity. It isn’t hard to see why. Its members are nothing but hard-partying, womanizing delinquents with low grade point averages and a knack for disobedience - unlike the prestigious, snooty, elitist Omega Theta Pi house, who hate them just as much as the Dean does.

Animal House doesn't have much of a plot. For 109 minutes, we follow various members of the fraternity as they go wild. New pledges Larry Kroger (Tom Hulce) and Kent Dorfman (Stephen Furst), the legendary John "Bluto" Blutarsky, motorcyclist/mechanic Daniel Simpson "D-Day" Day (Bruce McGill), chapter president Robert Hoover (James Widdoes), ladies’ man Eric "Otter" Stratton (Tim Matheson), and the only one with a steady girlfriend, Donald "Boon" Schoenstein (Peter Riegert) all go on the kind of adventures that you can’t believe someone committed to film in 1978. It’s essentially a series of sketches, many of which you see once and never forget. That's not necessarily a bad thing. I just need to say “the horse” and you start to crack up.

While the film doesn’t contain the kind of rampant misogyny many of its imitators attempted to mine for comedy (such as Porky’s)… it’s still got a problematic attitude towards women. If it were just one scene of Bluto peeking through a window to see ladies changing, it might be ok. The college students we see are all parading in their underwear while having a pillow fight, which is so outlandish it's funny. The problem is how many moments of this nature we see. Animal House has a scene in which a character has to seriously consider why having sex with an unconscious woman is a bad idea. It’s one rape joke too many but then there's another not too far away. Yikes.

I can’t blame anyone who gets offended at the homophobic jokes - all I can say is that’s just the way things were back then - or the racist jokes - times were different but things have changed, I swear. Even if you overlook them, the picture’s general attitude just doesn’t sit well today. You might not like the snobs in Omega Theta Pi but at least they’re good students. Animal House is filled with cheaters who take nothing seriously and then complain when the administration holds them accountable. Maybe fraternities mean a different thing in the United States than they do in Canada, or they were a bigger deal back in the day but it's hard to figure out why you should like the hooligans from Animal House at the end of the day.

If you’re curious and undeterred by the dated humor, there are plenty of funny gags and several of them produce big laughs. I just don’t know who this movie is for anymore. You’d have a difficult time looking at your female friends in the face after watching this film with them. With your kids? They’d be appalled. Even among your buddies, I suspect you’d find a larger-than-expected number of them who’d go “Hey man, this isn’t cool”. I'm glad I saw Animal House. Now that I have, I understand why the film was as influential as it was but I doubt I'll feel the need to revisit it. This makes me unsure if I recommend it or not. I suppose I do, if you know what you're getting into, at least so you can "get it" too. (On Blu-ray, July 23, 2021)

[sinfonia-antarctica]

The Tom Hulce Aesthetic ™

[victor-the-vampire]

I'm a cosplayer for fun. It's kinda apart of my love of fashion. But I can't afford going to cons so I wear them out. I go to the grocery store, I go to the library, go to dnd, go to pay my bills, whatever needs to be done I'll sometimes do it in cosplay! It's the funniest thing sometimes, here's some of my highlights!

Kroger as Misa Amane: got stopped by a guy talking to me in character asking for my autograph and to get a picture together. Yes I was holding my deathnote too.

The dollar tree as Harley Quinn: a child came up to me talking to me and asked how my Puddin' was doing. Of course I played along. Told him my Puddin was doing great. I don't like kids but there's just something about kids when your in costume.

Walmart as Tanjiro Kamado: that day I got stopped by several people, a few taking pictures of me and one guy who just went "Damn! Bro walked right outta demon slayer!" Which was very funny.

Dollar Tree as Larry Johnson: the cashier was talking to me in full character and I fucking forgot for a moment. He was like "so you live in those shitty apartments?" And it took me way to long to get ir and then we had a nice chat about how Mr Addison is fucking weird.

Just yesterday at the library I was in full elf get-up for dnd and I had kids ask to pet the dragon on my shoulder

My point is, wear the costume! It's fun! It gives you confidence to talk to people, it's ironically helped a lot with my social anxiety, it's great. I had a dude talk to me in his very good sebastian Michaelis voice because I was dressed like grell I died. It's just so fun! You will get strange looks and comments but enjoy

something ive noticed after being a hobby cosplayer for years is that in a lot of places the general consensus seems to be that wearing costumes in public is weird and/or socially unacceptable, but whenever I'm in costume in public while on the train to the con venue or having a photoshoot on location or something, people by and large fucking love my costume. they think it's so cool. kids think my costume rocks. their parents are impressed that I made it myself. random grandmas tell me my armor kicks ass. I was at a japanese garden once and barely got around to doing the photoshoot me and my homies came there to do because swathes of visitors who had never heard the word cosplay before were lining up to take a picture with me.

it's the same thing with adjacent hobbies like larp or reenactment or fursuiting, the general image of the hobby is that you're weird nerds (and probably also sex perverts) for playing dressup despite not being a child but when you're actually in costume the response from random normies is categorically positive. I inevitably get weird looks from the kind of people who think having a tattoo is an affront to god but they give me that look for just existing with blue hair and pronouns too and the people who actually talk to me always do because they wanted to tell me they love my costume. and the response that always gets me the most is when they say it looks fun but they would never dare to do the same. it's such a shame. why did wearing a silly little costume have to become an act of bravery.

[cyprinodont]

Just had a Larry David moment in Kroger. Totally understaffed so the self checkout line went like 2 aisles back. Im standing in line and a dude gets in 2 people behind me with a Bluetooth speaker in his cart, BLASTING Yeah by Usher. Everyone in line slouches down a bit deeper as our dignity takes another hit. His song ends and a fucking Spotify ad starts playing. So I turn around and say "hey dude if youre gonna play music for all of us you gotta pay for premium" the rest of the line IMMEDIATELY TURNS ON ME. I am now the villain of the line, someone tells me to shut up and that it's "not that big of a deal"

*cue curb your enthusiasm theme*

[nancyvana]

Larry & I went to our local Kroger's parking lot tonight to see the Budweiser Clydesdales! ❤

[deadwallss]

🍒‧₊ 𝓟𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 ᵎᵎ (he’s so bbg)

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2021/05/walmart-costco-to-stop-requiring-masks-for-vaccinated-workers-and-shoppers

Walmart, Costco to Stop Requiring Masks for Vaccinated Workers and Shoppers

American companies began to rethink their requirements for face masks after federal health regulators relaxed their guidelines this week, and on Friday Walmart Inc. WMT 0.93% made the first big move to bend to the new view.

The U.S.’s largest private employer said it would no longer require vaccinated workers and shoppers to wear masks in stores and warehouses outside of municipalities that require it. Walmart’s new policy for its 1.6 million U.S. workers goes into effect May 18, the company said, while vaccinated customers could shop maskless immediately.

That made the country’s largest retailer by revenue an early mover in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidance. Costco Wholesale Corp. COST 1.29% made a similar shift. Executives in sectors ranging from autos to grocers said they were still wrestling with how to respond to the new guidelines, which they note conflicts in many cases with state, local and other protocols specific to certain industries.

People who are fully vaccinated don’t need to wear a mask or physically distance for most outdoor or indoor activities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Thursday, but some exceptions remain, including the requirements for public transportation. Photo: Justin Lane/Shutterstock

Car makers General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. said they are sticking with existing policies while awaiting guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has jurisdiction over their workplaces and still requires face coverings and social distancing. The agency didn’t immediately update its guidance based on the CDC announcement. OSHA representatives didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Some national retailers said they were reviewing the CDC’s changes. Kroger Co. , the nation’s biggest supermarket chain, said it would continue requiring masks and encouraging social distancing. The company said it is asking employees for feedback as it reviews safety practices and the latest CDC guidance.

Another grocer, Trader Joe’s, said it would drop its mask requirements for vaccinated customers. “We encourage customers to follow the guidance of health officials,” the company posted on Twitter. It won’t require proof of vaccination for those who forgo masks, a spokesperson said.

The CDC said Thursday that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear a mask or physically distance during outdoor or indoor activities, large or small, in most settings. The agency said it made the revisions based on the latest science indicating that being fully vaccinated cuts the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus to others, in addition to preventing severe disease and death.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association, a trade group, said the CDC’s mask announcement creates ambiguity since it doesn’t align with state and local orders. The group asked customers who decline to wear masks to shop online or use curbside pickup services.

“Retailers will continue to prioritize the safety of their team members first, as they’ve done throughout the pandemic,” said Lisa LaBruno, a senior vice president at the group. “We urge all retail customers and guests to follow a store’s safety protocols including wearing a mask and social distancing.”

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Erik Nordstrom, chief executive of Nordstrom Inc., one of the largest department-store chains in the U.S., said in an interview Thursday that Nordstrom’s stores would continue to follow CDC guidance on masking, but that the company was in no rush to change its mask requirement for both employees and customers. The retailer’s priority, he said, is helping both customers and employees feel safe.

“Up until the last month or two, pretty much every jurisdiction has had a mask mandate, too,” Mr. Nordstrom said in the interview, which was part of The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival. “We’ve stayed with requiring masks for our employees and customers. And we’ll follow the CDC. So, when they indicate that that’s not necessarily the thing to do, we’ll follow suit.”

At Walmart, to go maskless, workers have to say they are vaccinated during the health screenings each worker takes to start a shift, the company said. The retailer continues to review whether masks should be worn for certain jobs, said a companywide email Friday, and workers can continue to wear masks if they want to.

Walmart won’t ask shoppers to offer proof that they have been vaccinated, instead relying on customers’ word, a spokesman said.

At Costco, vaccinated shoppers and workers will no longer need to wear masks, though it recommends employees continue to do so, said Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti Friday. Workers will need to sign a “mask opt out” form verifying they are vaccinated, he said, while it won’t verify whether shoppers are vaccinated.

The relaxed mandate could allow bigger crowds to gather. Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Chapek said he expects to see an immediate increase in the number of people allowed inside domestic theme parks following the CDC move. “Today’s guidance,” he said Thursday, “is very big news for us, particularly if anyone has been in Florida in the middle of summer with a mask on.”

Food makers Conagra Brands Inc., General Mills Inc. and Kellogg Co. said they are continuing to require masks and social distancing at their factories even as employees get vaccinated, as food manufacturers have to follow a range of industry-specific regulations.

The Consumer Brands Association, a trade group for food and other grocery manufacturers, said it has asked the CDC for more details on how its latest mask guidance affects businesses such as factories.

Betsy Booren, senior vice president of regulatory affairs for the group, said that the revised guidance seemed directed mainly at consumers in their daily lives but that food factories, where workers are often crowded together and can’t always distance, present different circumstances. Ms. Booren said that while she is encouraged by the latest CDC guidance and what it might mean for returning to normal, she hesitates to advise manufacturers to change their practices.

Restaurants face complicated decisions in part because they have employees and customers who could be unvaccinated, and operators can’t easily distinguish who has been inoculated and who hasn’t. Many also face state and local regulations that require mask-wearing on their premises.

While restaurants want to return to normal so they can get more business, they also want diners to feel safe enough to return, said the National Restaurant Association, which has decided not to update its masking guidance immediately.

Larry Lynch, senior vice president of science and industry for the association, said he is “encouraged by the CDC’s decision and the potential it has to help move the restaurant industry closer to being fully reopened.”

Paul Mangiamele, chief executive of Legendary Brands LLC, a Dallas company whose franchisees include roughly 80 Bennigan’s pubs and Steak and Ale restaurants in the U.S., said he expects most of his franchisees to remove masking restrictions in the coming days. But the company will let individual restaurants decide how to verify vaccination status. He expects most restaurants to make masking optional for employees and to benefit from a flood of pent-up demand.

“We want to react immediately to the guidance that’s provided, but do that with common sense and safety,” Mr. Mangiamele said.

“ ‘Everyone’s excited…but the potential for every night being New Year’s Eve, with five deep at the bar and people screaming in your face for a beer, is still a little jarring.’ ”

— Chris Mullins, owner of McGillan’s Olde Ale House in Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, McGillan’s Olde Ale House, a 150-year-old Irish pub near the city’s downtown, is operating at 50% capacity and requiring masks and social distancing for all patrons and employees, except while eating and drinking. Owner Chris Mullins is waiting for the city’s guidance before lifting the pub’s mask requirement. Local health officials have said they hope to remove all capacity and distancing precautions by June 11.

“Everyone’s excited, and they want the extra money and the increased business,” Mr. Mullins said. “But the potential for every night being New Year’s Eve, with five deep at the bar and people screaming in your face for a beer, is still a little jarring to some of my employees, too.”

Small businesses aren’t certain how to respond to the CDC’s new mask guidance, especially when it conflicts with OSHA’s and other guidelines, said Kevin Kuhlman, head of government relations for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, a trade group representing 300,000 mostly small, private companies.

Many small businesses hope state and local governments endorse the CDC’s view on masks soon. Meanwhile, were OSHA to issue any new emergency guidelines that conflict with the CDC’s advice, “that would really confuse small businesses,” Mr. Kuhlman said. “Our biggest fear is getting something brand new from OSHA that’s even more restrictive.”

Dropping mask requirements—along with widespread vaccine availability and falling case rates—would help bring more white-collar workers back to offices, said Kenneth Caplan, global co-head of real estate at Blackstone Group Inc. As an owner of office space, he said he has noticed more talk of businesses bringing employees back.

“It’s another positive step, but it’s part of a continuum of a lot of steps toward reopening,” Mr. Caplan said.

—Christina Rogers, Jaewon Kang, Annie Gasparro and Craig Karmin contributed to this article.

The New Face Mask Guidelines

Related coverage, selected by the editors

Corrections & Amplifications Kellogg Co. has said it is continuing to require masks and social distancing at its factories. An earlier version of this article misspelled the company’s name as Kellog. (Corrected on May 14)

Write to Robbie Whelan at robbie.whelan@wsj.com and Sarah Nassauer at sarah.nassauer@wsj.com

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

[lark-fan]

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful hubby who has lately learned to put shoes and socks on my feet, soap up, rinse, and dry my legs, become a great dishwasher, and mastered Kroger with the weekly shopping! Love you Larry ❤️

[larrys1dasfck]

In other news, I was just walking around my local Smith's (our Kroger affiliate in Vegas), and Watermelon Sugar was playing... I'm vibin to it, as one does, and then, right after it "Miss You" comes on.... I mean, damn.....

Who'da thunk the Kroger radio peeps are Larries?

[interfusor]

One of Tom Hulce’s first screen credits. He’s playing Larry Kroger in the 1978 movie National Lampoon's Animal House.

[phroyd]

Every year, I look for important themes in sustainability that will have lasting impact on society, from glaring evidence of global megatrends to inspiring stories of corporate action. The year 2018 brought extreme change — in weather and environmental ecosystems, in political winds and power, and in the expectations of business. It also brought incredible clarity about the scale of our challenges and opportunities.

So let’s start with the big picture before moving to some corporate success stories.

The world’s scientists sound a final alarm on climate

We have about 12 years left. That’s the clear message from a monumental studyfrom the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). To avoid some of the most devastating impacts of climate change, the world must slash carbon emissions by 45% by 2030, and completely decarbonize by 2050 (while, in the meantime, emissions are still rising).

The IPCC looked at the difference between the world “only” warming two degrees Celsius (3.8°F) — the agreed upon goal at global climate summits in Copenhagen and Paris — or holding warming to just 1.5 degrees. Even the latter, they say, will require a monumental effort “unprecedented in terms of scale.” We face serious problems either way, but every half degree matters a great deal in human, planetary, and economic losses.

It wasn’t just the IPCC that told a stark story. Thirteen U.S. government agencies issued the U.S. National Climate Assessment, which concluded that climate change could knock at least 10% off of GDP. Other studies tell us that sea level rise is going to be worse than we thought, Antarctica is melting three times faster than a decade ago, and Greenland is losing ice quickly as well. If both those ice sheets go, sea level rise could reach 200-plus feet, resulting in utter devastation, including the loss of the entire Atlantic seaboard (Boston, New York, D.C., etc.), all of Florida, London, Stockholm, Denmark, Uruguay and Paraguay, and land now inhabited by more than 1 billion Asians.

All of this suggests that business must dramatically change how it operates: companies will need to push well past their comfort zones from areas like politics and policy to engaging consumers to how they make investment decisions.

Entire towns are wiped off the map by extreme weather

This year the weather devastation around the world got, in the words of one colleague, “biblical.” The town of Paradise, California, was effectively eliminated by wildfires (that, yes, are made worse by climate change), killing at least 85 people. Most houses in Mexico Beach, Florida, were destroyed by Hurricane Michael. Unprecedented rains and damage from Hurricane Florence slammed North Carolina and temporarily turned a major highway into a river. Typhoon Mangkhut ravagedthe Philippines and parts of China, killing dozens of people. Incredible heat blanketed four continents this summer, with records falling across Europe and Asia. Venezuela’s last glacier is disappearing. Finally, Capetown, South Africa, is essentially out of water due in part to drought — the city nearly shut off all the taps this year, but has held off “Day Zero” through ongoing restrictions and aggressive citizen action.

The consequences of these extremes are not theoretical. What is the economic cost to an area with no water, or one that’s under water, or burned to the ground? In the U.S. alone, it was $306 billion in 2017, shattering records.

Coral is dying, insects are disappearing, and the fate of major ecosystems looks dim

The world’s top coral expert confirms that at 2 degrees of warming, all coral will die. This will destroy a critical part of an ocean system that provides protein to hundreds of millions of people, helps blunt coastal storm surges, and supports the livelihoods of people working in fishing and tourism.

And it’s not just coral: there’s the death of pacific kelp forests, radical declines in insect populations, and continuing population drops in all mammals and bees.

How does this all connect to business? For some sectors, it’s obvious: the food and agriculture industry will have trouble feeding us without pollinators, and tourism takes a big hit without coral and other wildlife. But more broadly, society will not thrive in a world where entire pillars of planetary support are collapsing. And if society can’t thrive, neither can business.

The U.S. environmental protection system continues being dismantled … from within

The EPA and Department of Interior are reversing years of protections for air, water, and land. In 2018, the Trump administration has opened up offshore waters and rolled back safety rules for drilling, greatly weakened the voice of science in policy, reduced focus on children’s health, and moved to make it easier to build dirty coal plants.

The big question now is whether businesses will push back and go down a cleaner path on their own. It’s easy to see why multinationals might as they face pressure from sub-national regions — California Gov. Jerry Brown held a Global Climate Action Summit which produced many aggressive climate goals from cities and state, for example. Gov. Brown also signed aggressive new laws committing to carbon-free electricity statewide by 2045 and requiring solar on all new homes. So even if U.S. action sputters, governors and mayors who influence local and regional business conditions will be pushing the clean economy and pro-climate agendas.

In pointed contrast to the U.S., the EU backed a proposal to strike no new trade deals with countries not in the Paris climate accord (i.e., only the U.S.), France will shut coal plants by 2021, India just cancelled plans for big coal plants, and China banned 500 inefficient models of cars.

A prominent leader retires, but new leaders step up

For nearly a decade, no business leader has done more to bring sustainability into the business mainstream than Paul Polman, Unilever’s outgoing CEO (Full disclosure: I’ve worked with Unilever). His depth of understanding of our biggest global, social, and environmental challenges, and his commitment to use business as a way to tackle them, has been unparalleled. But it wasn’t just talk. The company also grew throughout Polman’s tenure and the stock outperformed peers and the FTSE index. Luckily, there are other corporate leaders who are stepping up, including Danone’s Emmanuel Faber (see below for more).

But climate isn’t the only area where we’re seeing bold stances. Societal issues more broadly made headlines, too. The New York Times declared 2018 year that “CEO activism has become the new normal,” with prominent voices like Salesforce’s Marc Benioff leading the way. Other notable moments include Nike making Colin Kaepernick — the man who led NFL player protests about police violence against African Americans — the face of its 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign (sales rose quickly). Under pressure from survivors of school mass shootings, Dick’s Sporting Goods stopped selling assault weapons, and other companies cut ties to the powerful National Rifle Association. Kroger celebrated a year of its “End Hunger” initiative. Unilever threatened to pull its substantial ad dollars from Facebook and Google if they didn’t police “fake news and toxic content.” One hundred U.S. CEOs urged action on controversial immigration issues. And more than 100 U.S. companies gave employees time off to vote.

Danone North America becomes the world’s largest B Corporation

A “B Corp” certification requires answering an intensive set of questions on environmental, social, and governance issues. But most importantly, it commits a company to create value for all stakeholders (customers, employees, communities, and so on), not just shareholders.

French consumer products giant Danone has now put 30% of its brands and businesses through the certification process and says that “companies are fundamentally challenged as to whose interests they really serve.” Becoming a B Corp is arguably is a direct statement about whose interests it values most, and it’s and fascinating frontal attack on the dominance of shareholder capitalism.

More investors are viewing climate and sustainability as core value issues

Something is shifting in finance. Vanguard wants CEOs to be a force for good. Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, said that “70% of [UK] banks, who normally have a shorter horizon, are viewing climate as a financial risk—not a CSR one.” Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock, the world’s largest asset owner, encouraged longer-term thinking about environmental, social, and governance issues in a strongly-worded letter to large-company CEOs.

Anecdotally, I’ve talked to leaders at big banks who are now thinking differently about purpose and systemic risk. And in a quieter move, a major real estate investor in Miami began pulling money out of coastal assets to avoid risk of sea level rise. Watch this space.

The clean technology explosion continues and accelerates

Three big clean tech themes wowed me this year.

1) Renewables keep getting cheaper. According to Lazard’s annual analysis of the cost of building new power plants, renewables are now the cheapest. And another global analysis showed that new wind and solar are cheaper than one-third of the coal already on the grid — and will be cheaper than 96% of existing plants by 2030.

2) Corporate buying of clean energy keeps rising. By the end of just the first half of 2018, businesses bought more clean energy than they did in 2017. Companies like Owens Corning (disclosure: a client of mine) are buying enough green energy to pitch their products as cleanly manufactured (which they started doing in late 2017).

3) Electric vehicle sales are exploding, and it’s not just small vehicles: even container ships are going electric. UPS bought its first EV delivery vehicles at price parity to combustion engines, and China is adding nearly 10,000 electric buses to the roads — equal to the size of London’s entire bus fleet – every five weeks.

China rejects the world’s trash

For years, the U.S. had a great deal: When container ships arrived from China with goods, we sent them back filled with our recyclable paper and glass. But starting January 1, 2018, China stopped accepting our trash. The ripples of this move are unpredictable and still moving through the system, but in some regions, materials piled up and prices for recycled content plummeted. In a business world trying to go “circular” (i.e., find a use for everything and eliminate waste), it was a wake-up call about how much waste we still produce.

The battle against single-use plastic heats up, starting (somewhat oddly) with straws

Sometimes weird things hit a tipping point. For a combination of reasons, including a viral video showing a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose, companies waged war on straws this year. Marriott, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Burger King, and the city of Seattle, among others, all banned or are phasing out straws. It was a very small part of a larger conversation about “single-use plastics,” most notably plastic bags, which IKEA and Taiwan are banning as well.

Raising the bar for suppliers

The greening of the supply chain is a perennial story, but there are some noteworthy recent actions. Apple created a $300 million fund to help suppliers in China build more solar, and also partnered with Alcoa and Rio Tinto to develop a better smelting process to make carbon-free aluminum. On the labor side of the supply chain equation, PepsiCo and Nestle cut ties with a palm oil supplier over human rights abuses and Coca-Cola said it would work with the U.S. State Department to use blockchain to fight forced labor.

Meatless options grow plentiful

Given the way most cattle is currently raised, one of the most effective things an individual can do to reduce her carbon footprint is eat less meat. The options to do so are growing, and the rise of products made from non-animal proteins has been remarkable. The Impossible Burger, Beyond Meat, and other brands have made believers out of skeptics (they taste great) and are, as the Wall Street Journal put it, “overrunning grocery meat cases.” In another fascinating move, tech company WeWork went meat-free in its offices and even stopped reimbursing employees on business trips for meat meals.

What comes next…

I’m sure I missed many stories, especially globally (my view is from the U.S.). Predictions are hard, but I’m safe in assuming 2019 will be a bumpy ride again. Ultimately, today’s global political situation is, at best, unpredictable. Brazil now has a strongman-style leader who talks about cutting down the Amazon, but the U.S. just swung its House of Representatives back the other way, giving power to Democrats who want more focus on climate change, inequality, and other sustainability agenda items. No matter what happens politically, it seems clear that companies will continue to feel pressure, internally and externally, to do more on social and environmental issues. While the problems face we are extremely serious, I remain optimistic that companies will be doing more in 2019 than ever before.

[greeneyesandsunshine28]

Things About Me

200: My crush’s name is: louise

199: I was born in: Pittsburgh, PA

198: I am really: stressed and anxious all the time

197: My cellphone company is: verizon

196: My eye color is: blue

195: My shoe size is: 7

194: My ring size is: no idea

193: My height is: 5'5"

192: I am allergic to: nothing

191: My 1st car was: ford edge

190: My 1st job was: a marketing assistant

189: Last book you read: a view from the bridge

188: My bed is: one of my favorite things in the world

187: My pet: don't have one

186: My best friend: i miss her

185: My favorite shampoo is: function of beauty

184: Xbox or ps3: don't care

183: Piggy banks are: cute when you're a kid

182: In my pockets: my phone and ID, ventra

181: On my calendar: hw assignments, finals and shows coming up

180: Marriage is: beautiful

179: Spongebob can: ?

178: My mom: love her more than anything

177: The last three songs I bought were? Home-edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, i see fire-ed sheeran and so long lonesome-explosions in the sky

176: Last YouTube video watched: we haven't been doing too good...karin&skyler

175: How many cousins do you have? 17

174: Do you have any siblings? A younger brother

173: Are your parents divorced? No, my dad is deceased tho:(

172: Are you taller than your mom? Same height

171: Do you play an instrument? No I wish

170: What did you do yesterday? Went to classes and did homework

[ I Believe In ]

169: Love at first sight: no

168: Luck: yes

167: Fate: no

166: Yourself: no

165: Aliens: no

164: Heaven: yes

163: Hell: yes

162: God: sometimes

161: Horoscopes: no

160: Soul mates: yes

159: Ghosts: no

158: Gay Marriage: yes

157: War: yes

156: Orbs: no

155: Magic: no

[ This or That ]

154: Hugs or Kisses: hugs

153: Drunk or High: drunk

152: Phone or Online: phone

151: Red heads or Black haired: red heads

150: Blondes or Brunettes: blondes on girls, brunettes on guys

149: Hot or cold: hot

148: Summer or winter: summer

147: Autumn or Spring: spring

146: Chocolate or vanilla: vanilla

145: Night or Day: night

144: Oranges or Apples: apples

143: Curly or Straight hair: curly

142: McDonalds or Burger King: McDonalds

141: White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate: white chocolate

140: Mac or PC: mac

139: Flip flops or high heals: flip floos

138: Ugly and rich OR sweet and poor: sweet and poor

137: Coke or Pepsi: neither

136: Hillary or Obama: Obama

135: Burried or cremated: buried

134: Singing or Dancing: dancing

133: Coach or Chanel: Chanel

132: Kat McPhee or Taylor Hicks: don't care

131: Small town or Big city: small town

130: Wal-Mart or Target: targey

129: Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler: Can't choose

128: Manicure or Pedicure: pedicure

127: East Coast or West Coast: east coast

126: Your Birthday or Christmas: Christmas

125: Chocolate or Flowers: flowers

124: Disney or Six Flags: disney

123: Yankees or Red Sox: don't care

[ Here’s What I Think About ]

122: War: ugly

121: George Bush: no opinion

120: Gay Marriage: completely accept it

119: The presidential election: rigged

118: Abortion: no comment

117: MySpace: nostalgia

116: Reality TV: is ok sometimes

115: Parents: caring

114: Back stabbers: two-faced

113: Ebay: cool

112: Facebook: addictive

111: Work: dumb

110: My Neighbors: very kind

109: Gas Prices: too high

108: Designer Clothes: ehh

107: College: scam

106: Sports: don't care for them

105: My family: love them

104: The future: scary

[ Last time I ]

103: Hugged someone: brooke at formal?

102: Last time you ate: 2 minutes ago

101: Saw someone I haven’t seen in awhile: my family a month ago

100: Cried in front of someone: probably mari jo

99: Went to a movie theater: months ago

98: Took a vacation: January

97: Swam in a pool: January

96: Changed a diaper: never

95: Got my nails done: at least 6 months ago

94: Went to a wedding: june 2018

93: Broke a bone: never

92: Got a peircing: 8th grade

91: Broke the law: 2 years ago

90: Texted: 10 hours ago

[ MISC ]

89: Who makes you laugh the most: ryan stiles, wayne Brady, colin mochrie, louis tomlinson

88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: my brother

87: The last movie I saw: a simple favor--so good

86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: summer

85: The thing im not looking forward to: finals

84: People call me: idk

83: The most difficult thing to do is: act like you're happy when you're not

82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: no

81: My zodiac sign is: leo

80: The first person i talked to today was: my roommate

79: First time you had a crush: 3rd grade

78: The one person who i can’t hide things from: my mom

77: Last time someone said something you were thinking: not sure

76: Right now I am talking to: no one

75: What are you going to do when you grow up: hopefully be a dance teacher

74: I have/will get a job: next year hopefully

73: Tomorrow: i get to go home!

72: Today: was ok

71: Next Summer: i hope i'll be happy

70: Next Weekend: i have 3 dance shows!

69: I have these pets: none

68: The worst sound in the world: nails on a chalkboard

67: The person that makes me cry the most is: not sure

66: People that make you happy: larry, summer mckeen, jess conte, lucy, my brother

65: Last time I cried: an hour ago

64: My friends are: awesome

63: My computer is: always on

62: My School: ok

61: My Car: cool

60: I lose all respect for people who: are rude/ignorant/selfless

59: The movie I cried at was: safe haven

58: Your hair color is: blonde

57: TV shows you watch: gilmore girls, single parents, one tree hill, gossip girl, chilling adventures of Sabrina, glee, the office, the list could go on

56: Favorite web site: tumblr

55: Your dream vacation: Santorini

54: The worst pain I was ever in was: either my first period cramps or any ear infection I've had

53: How do you like your steak cooked: i'm a vegetarian

52: My room is: very me

51: My favorite celebrity is: can't choose one-miley cyrus, ariana grande, louis tomlinson, harry styles, tarjei sandvok moe, dianna agron, kiernan shipka

50: Where would you like to be: santorini

49: Do you want children: yes

48: Ever been in love: no

47: Who’s your best friend: emily

46: More guy friends or girl friends: girl friends

45: One thing that makes you feel great is: people complementing me

44: One person that you wish you could see right now: my dad

43: Do you have a 5 year plan: no

42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: no

41: Have you pre-named your children: yes

40: Last person I got mad at: one of my professors

39: I would like to move to: somewhere on the east coast

38: I wish I was a professional: ballerina

[ My Favorites ]

37: Candy: nerds

36: Vehicle: idk

35: President: Obama

34: State visited: Arizona

33: Cellphone provider: sprint

32: Athlete: simone biles

31: Actor: tarjei sandvik moe

30: Actress: amanda bynes

29: Singer: ariana grande

28: Band: the 1975

27: Clothing store: target

26: Grocery store: kroger

25: TV show: one tree hill

24: Movie: the blind side

23: Website: tumblr or pinterest

22: Animal: cat

21: Theme park: not a huge fan

20: Holiday: Christmas

19: Sport to watch: gymnastics

18: Sport to play: volleyball

17: Magazine: cosmo

16: Book: the english roses

15: Day of the week: friday

14: Beach: any beach in FL

13: Concert attended: hannah montana/miley cyrus

12: Thing to cook: pasta

11: Food: pasta with vodka sauce

10: Restaurant: macaroni grill

9: Radio station: don't listen to the radio

8: Yankee candle scent: I honestly love them all

7: Perfume: don't have one

6: Flower: rose

5: Color: blue

4: Talk show host: james corden

3: Comedian: wayne brady

2: Dog breed: don't know

1: Did you answer all these truthfully? Yup

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