In a highly coordinated plan designed to coincide with Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 15, Planet Water Foundation will improve the lives of 36,000 people by deploying 20 of its community-based solutions and programs that improve the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations suffering from contaminated drinking water supplies and lack of handwashing facilities.
School Children Washing Hands – School children washing hands at a Planet Water Foundation AquaTower in Cambodia. The system provides handwashing facilities and safe drinking water for up to 1,800 people.
The series of 20 project deployments in six countries is the result of corporate partners supporting Planet Water Foundation programs across Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines and Vietnam. Each project includes an AquaTower with integrated handwashing stations, reusable water cups for students, an AquaSan surface disinfection system, and school and community-based hygiene education programming with a focus on handwashing. The 10 steps to proper handwashing are reinforced using illustrations on the AquaTower signage and also as a graphics wrap on the reusable cups.
The United Nations reports that 818 million children lack a handwashing facility with water and soap at their school, and 462 million children attend schools with no handwashing facilities at all [1]. In 2022, it was estimated that hand hygiene alone is responsible for 394,000 deaths from diarrhea and 356,000 deaths from acute respiratory infections. As well as preventing a multitude of diseases, hand hygiene can help avoid significant financial costs resulting from sickness and death [2].
Planet Water Foundation and its program partners are timing deployments to support and bring greater awareness to this need through broadened corporate engagement around handwashing education with the series of events spanning Oct. 9-14 culminating on Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 15.
“Our Global Handwashing Day projects are specifically designed to support these communities with improved drinking water conditions while raising awareness on the importance of proper handwashing practices,” said Mark Steele, founder and CEO of Planet Water Foundation. “The collective effort of our donor partners provides tangible impact in the communities where we all operate.”
Planet Water Foundation’s Global Handwashing Day program partners include Capital One Philippines, Cole Haan, Columbia Sportswear, Electrolux Group, Escudo Antibacterial, Mativ, Metito, Microsoft, The Starbucks Foundation, Watts Water Technologies, and Xylem.
About Planet Water Foundation
Planet Water Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on bringing clean water to the world’s most impoverished communities through the installation of community-based water filtration systems and the deployment of hygiene education programs. Planet Water Foundation projects are focused on children, schools, and rural/peri-urban communities across Asia and Latin America. Since 2009, Planet Water has deployed more than 1,700 projects that provide clean water access to more than three million people across 26 countries. Learn more at www.planet-water.org.
Contact Information
John Deotrakul, Director, Global Communications & Development, john@planet-water.org +1 (877) 711-3083
Very Clean Planet (VCP) today announced the launch of its global digital engagement hub for carbon asset management and the inaugural OTC (over-the-counter) I-REC (International Renewable Energy Credit) trade between Hebei Construction and Investment Group Co., Ltd. (HECIG) and BroadVision Hong Kong, Ltd. (BVHK).
VCP is the world’s first blockchain-enabled platform where each carbon credit certificate can be traced end-to-end, preventing any fraudulent offering or double counting that is difficult to verify in today’s market. Specifically, VCP empowers insight into each I-REC in much finer granularity regarding its origin, process, seasonality, and a host of other pertinent environmental attributes, ensuring the member organization’s compliance with its corporate ESG standards in the most stringent, accountable, and timely manner.
“The lack of transparency and trust for cross-border carbon credits poses serious challenges to multinational corporations seeking to achieve carbon neutrality across all locales as well as to regional renewable energy producers seeking to monetize their carbon assets globally,” said VCP Managing Director Yunping Hsu. “VCP has been built from the ground-up to digitally transform the global carbon market, alleviating those challenges while delivering superior efficiency, security, liquidity, and value for our members.”
“We are very excited to partner with VCP to launch its digital engagement hub for I-REC, which is seamlessly integrated with our blockchain-based enterprise carbon asset management platform,” said Mr. Zhu Shaokang, CEO of BravoWhale Technology (BWT), “This makes VCP the world’s only platform that conveys unprecedented insight into each I-REC’s entire lifecycle, resulting in greater trust and more timely decisions for all participants.”
“As a global leader in professional services for sustainability and climate change, Deloitte is devoted to supporting clients on business transformation by taking advantage of technology and data, based on strong collaboration with strategic partners such as HECIG and BWT,” explained Allan Xie, Climate & Sustainability Practice Leader, Deloitte China. “Today’s inaugural I-REC trade between HECIG and BVHK on VCP symbolizes that a successful closed-loop digital carbon ecosystem has come into fruition. We look forward to expanding this ecosystem so as to build a more sustainable future, together with our partners and clients.”
“A robust, scalable, fully digital and truly global carbon platform is the key to fulfilling the world’s zero-carbon commitments under the Paris Accord,” commented Dr. Daniel Kammen, Distinguished Professor of Sustainability at the University of California, Berkeley and IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) lead author on the seminal report which contributed to its winning the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. “We applaud VCP’s and BWT’s vision and efforts in launching this groundbreaking platform and for consummating its first cross-border I-REC trade between HECIG and BVHK by addressing critical issues such as authenticity, timeliness, and traceability, once and for all, which should solidify the international drive and mutual trust toward a greener future with a compelling financial incentive.”
“Yingda Securities has been a pioneer in carbon asset management in China,” stated Mr. Chen Kai, CEO of Yingda Securities Co., Ltd., a wholly-own subsidiary of the State Grid Corporation of China. “We are very enthusiastic about digital transformation in the carbon economy and believe initiatives like VCP will have a positive impact to global enterprises for achieving their ESG compliance objectives.”
“To comply with the Chinese Government’s two-carbon mandate,” said Mr. Wang Shuanghai, Chairman of Jointo Energy Investment Co., Ltd. (000600.SZ), an HECIG’s wholly-owned subsidiary. “HECIG has led the energy industry in digital transformation by adopting cutting-edge technologies such as BWT’s blockchain/IoT platform solution to digitize and intellectualize our carbon assets with outmost accountability, so that they can be efficiently traded and optimally monetized internationally. We invite and welcome all responsible organizations worldwide to join our crusade toward carbon neutrality and to transform our earth into a very clean planet.”
About Very Clean Planet Very Clean Planet is a global digital engagement hub that manages, aggregates, and facilitates the flow of carbon assets, guaranteeing unprecedented authenticity, transparency, efficiency, immediacy, and liquidity. We are driving a paradigm shift for the world to reach carbon neutrality on schedule by empowering organizations to meet their mandated or voluntary ESG (Environmental & Social Governance) compliance targets ahead of schedule. To register as a member, please visit www.verycleanplanet.com for more details.
About BravoWhale Technology BravoWhale Technology, headquartered at the Shanghai Pudong Free Trade Zone, is a leading platform solution provider that helps the enterprise unlock and maximize its intrinsic asset value via digital transformation, with proven use cases and compelling success stories across B2B financing, taxation, carbon management, etc. Integrating blockchain, big data, AI, and IoT into a holistic cloud platform while optimizing it per actual business scenarios, our solution empowers the enterprise to digitize its core assets such as cash flow or carbon credits into a private chain of transparent and immutable data for the benefit of engaging counterparties to conduct their businesses with higher efficiency and greater trust, thereby unleashing the true value of such underlying assets. For more information, please visit www.bravowhale.com.
Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. (“Woven Planet”), a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, announced the closing of the acquisition of CARMERA, a U.S.-based spatial AI company that specializes in developing scalable, next-generation mapping solutions for automated mobility, a proposed transaction previously announced in July 2021. Following its acquisition of Level 5, the automated driving division of Lyft Inc., this is the second acquisition for Woven Planet, a group that is focused on mobility innovations and investments in automated driving, robotics, smart cities, and more.
The CARMERA team has been a long-standing, trusted partner to Woven Planet, and with the closing of the transaction, Woven Planet will immediately oversee their offices and operations in New York and Seattle. They will join Woven Planet’s Automated Mapping Platform (“AMP”) team, helping develop AMP to become the most globally comprehensive road and lane network HD map platform, enabling high-precision localization support to automated vehicles. CARMERA’s strengths in map updates, change management and camera-based crowdsourcing from fleets will complement and help expand upon the HD mapping platform Woven Planet has already built. Together with Level 5 and Toyota Research Institute (“TRI”), the addition of CARMERA will bring Woven Planet one step closer to achieving its vision “Mobility to Love, Safety to Live.”
The deal closure follows the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review of the deal.
Comment from James Kuffner, CEO, Woven Planet
“This acquisition will accelerate our AMP initiative that will advance our mission to develop the safest mobility in the world at scale. Bringing CARMERA’s world-class engineers and experts into the fold–as well as additional technology resources and footprints in New York and Seattle–the Woven Planet team, alongside the team of TRI and Level 5, will help us reach our goal of providing the best globally comprehensive road and lane network HD map platform. We will transform the world we live in through mobility technologies that can bring about a happier, safer future for us all.”
About Woven Planet Group
Woven Planet Group represents a carefully curated blend of expertise and resources dedicated to bringing the vision of “Mobility to Love, Safety to Live” to life. Through innovations and investments in automated driving, robotics, smart cities, and more, we are transforming how humankind lives, works, and moves. We exist to design, build, and deliver secure, connected, and sustainable mobility solutions that benefit all people worldwide. Founded in 2018 as Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (“TRI-AD”), Woven Planet is composed of four complementary companies: Woven Planet Holdings, Woven Core, Woven Alpha and Woven Capital.
For more information, please visit: https://www.woven-planet.global/
About CARMERA
CARMERA is a spatial AI company, built on the revolution of vehicular crowdsourcing and remote sensing to capture street-level change, at global breadth and high definition depth. CARMERA employs an open systems approach to working with the world’s leading automotive companies, commercial mobility operators, and mapping platforms. With a team hailing from leading geospatial, machine learning and computer vision organizations, and venture backing from Google Ventures among others, the company is headquartered in New York City and Seattle. CARMERA is the recipient of multiple industry awards, including Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 North American Mapping Company of the Year.
For more information, please visit: https://www.carmera.com/
Contact Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. pr@woven-planet.global
Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. (“Woven Planet”), a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, announced the closing of the acquisition of Level 5, the self-driving division of Lyft, Inc. (“Lyft”), a proposed transaction previously announced in April 2021. This marks the first acquisition for Woven Planet, a group that is focused on mobility innovations and investments in automated driving, robotics, smart cities, and more.
With the acquisition in place, Woven Planet will be provided with technology, talent, and an international footprint that will accelerate its efforts. Woven Planet will immediately oversee Level 5’s offices and operations in Silicon Valley and London. In addition, Woven Planet welcomes Level 5’s team of over 300 high-caliber engineers, research scientists, and mobility specialists. It will also be acquiring the Lyft division’s significant sensing, computing, and software assets, and Level 5’s strategic capabilities in automated driving systems.
The deal closure follows the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) review of the deal and determination that there are no unresolved national security concerns with respect to the transaction.
Comment from James Kuffner, CEO, Woven Planet
“As the first major acquisition for the Woven Planet Group, Level 5 represents a significant investment in our future. This deal strengthens our capabilities to deliver on the promise of freedom and mobility for all, uniting the resources, talent and technology needed to place us at the forefront of the mobility revolution. World-class skills and expertise from Level 5 will be combined with exceptional engineering know-how from Woven Planet and research insights from the team at Toyota Research Institute to form an industry brain trust. We are excited to bring this acquisition over the finish line, building a ‘dream team’ within the automotive and mobility industry.”
About Woven Planet Group
Woven Planet Group represents a carefully curated blend of expertise and resources dedicated to bringing the vision of “Mobility to Love, Safety to Live” to life. Through innovations and investments in automated driving, robotics, smart cities, and more, we are transforming how humankind lives, works, and moves. We exist to design, build, and deliver secure, connected, and sustainable mobility solutions that benefit all people worldwide. Founded in 2018 as Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI-AD), Woven Planet is composed of four complementary companies: Woven Planet Holdings, Woven Core, Woven Alpha, and Woven Capital.
For more information, please visit: https://www.woven-planet.global/
About Lyft
Lyft was founded in 2012 and is one of the largest transportation networks in the United States and Canada. As the world shifts away from car ownership to transportation-as-a-service, Lyft is at the forefront of this massive societal change. Lyft’s transportation network brings together rideshare, bikes, scooters, car rentals and transit all in one app. Lyft is singularly driven by our mission: to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation.
Contact: Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. pr@woven-planet.globa
Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. (“Woven Planet”), a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation, announced the acquisition of CARMERA, Inc. (“CARMERA”), a U.S.-based spatial AI company, which specializes in bringing next-generation road intelligence to automated mobility at scale. This is the second major deal for Woven Planet in North America, following the April 2021 announcement to acquire Level 5, the self-driving division of Lyft.
Once the deal is closed, the CARMERA team will report into the Automated Mapping Platform (“AMP”) organization of Woven Alpha, Inc. (“Woven Alpha”). Woven Alpha focuses on exploring new strategic areas for business expansion and incubates several innovative projects such as Woven City and Arene, which is Woven Planet’s open software platform. AMP is a connected crowdsourced software platform that supports the creation, development and distribution of high definition (“HD”) maps–a key enabler for smart and safe automated mobility.
The Woven Alpha team plans to develop AMP to become the most globally comprehensive road and lane network HD map platform, enabling high-precision localization support to automated vehicles. The acquisition of CARMERA will accelerate AMP’s shift from the R&D stage to the next phase of commercialization by bolstering the platform’s engineering team with top experts in the development of HD maps. In addition, it will provide access to CARMERA’s sophisticated map update, change management and IoT sensing technology.
Together, the teams will tap into CARMERA’s ability to successfully update HD maps from crowdsourced, camera-based inputs–a significantly cheaper and faster approach than traditional methods. This will strengthen AMP’s ability to serve a comprehensive set of road classes and features, reflecting changes in lane markings, traffic signals, signs and more in near real-time, and support its future multi-regional commercial launch.
CARMERA will join Woven Planet Group as a wholly-owned subsidiary, expanding the company’s footprint beyond its Tokyo headquarters by adding New York and Seattle offices to its planned offices in Silicon Valley and London.
Comment from Mandali Khalesi, Vice President of Automated Driving Strategy and Mapping, Woven Planet
“AMP has been a key project of Woven Planet since its foundation, helping support its vision of ‘Mobility to Love, Safety to Live.’ We’ve been progressing steadily in bringing safe automated mobility to the passenger and commercial vehicle segments, such as our recent announcements with Isuzu Motors Limited and Hino Motors, Ltd., and with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation. I’m really excited to welcome CARMERA to Woven Planet. With CARMERA joining the team, we’ll be able to hit the accelerator. CARMERA’s software stack, which is focused on real-time HD map changes and proprietary hardware custom-tailored to crowdsourcing, is an ideal complement to AMP’s mapping efforts. In addition, their world-class experts will allow us to bring forward the execution of key strategic milestones and jumpstart operations in the United States.”
Comment from Ro Gupta, CEO and Co-founder, CARMERA
“Woven Planet and AMP have been highly aligned with CARMERA’s culture and mission from the beginning. Our teams have a common view of the unmet need for ubiquity in advanced mobility data going forward, including maps. Woven Planet, thanks to its software-first automotive DNA, shares our commitment to the end-user–to creating a technology stack that can be used safely and without friction by all stakeholders from data originators through to data consumers. This validates and furthers our founding thesis that richer, faster spatial intelligence is both critical to the next generation of ‘Mobility for All’ and viable at global-production scale. I’m beyond excited for CARMERA to join the Woven Planet organization, as it continues to strengthen its footprint in North America and ramp up its software-first development of mobility innovations.”
An earlier partnership between Woven Planet–under its predecessor organization Toyota Research institute – Advanced Development, Inc.–and CARMERA in Tokyo, Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan, laid the groundwork for this deal. Woven Planet and CARMERA participated in collaborative projects in 2018, 2019 and 2020, which proved the companies can successfully develop and update HD maps from commodity, device-agnostic sources, such as commercially available dashboard-mounted cameras.
About Woven Planet Group
Woven Planet Group represents a carefully curated blend of expertise and resources dedicated to bringing the vision of “Mobility to Love, Safety to Live” to life. Through innovations and investments in automated driving, robotics, smart cities, and more, we are transforming how humankind lives, works, and moves. We exist to design, build, and deliver secure, connected, and sustainable mobility solutions that benefit all people worldwide. Founded in 2018 as Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI-AD), Woven Planet Group is composed of four complementary companies: Woven Planet Holdings, Woven Core, Woven Alpha, and Woven Capital.
For more information, please visit: https://www.woven-planet.global/
About CARMERA
CARMERA is a spatial AI company, built on the revolution of vehicular crowdsourcing and remote sensing to capture street-level change, at global breadth and high definition depth. CARMERA employs an open systems approach to working with the world’s leading automotive companies, commercial mobility operators, and mapping platforms. With a team hailing from leading geospatial, machine learning and computer vision organizations, and venture backing from GV (Google Ventures) among others, the company is headquartered in New York City and Seattle. CARMERA is the recipient of multiple industry awards, including Frost & Sullivan’s 2020 North American Mapping Company of the Year.
For more information, please visit: https://www.carmera.com/
