The Middle East, where we have our largest operational footprint, is a climate hotspot. Cheap, abundant fossil fuels means electricity consumed there typically generates more carbon-equivalent emissions per kilowatt hour than in other regions. Summer temperatures are projected to rise twice as fast as the global average, with temperatures above 46°C more than five times as likely by 2050.

Fortunately, Agility Dubai makes progress each year in greening our operations to cool our people and our customers’ cargo. New lighting solutions at one facility will achieve energy savings of up to 77%, while upgrades to the lighting system at a second facility will reduce usage by over 50%. These improvements stand to reduce Agility’s carbon footprint in the United Arab Emirates by more than 7%, and help the business achieve a target of 25% reduction of our carbon footprint.

Investments to reduce water usage, and further efforts to reduce electricity usage are coming in Dubai and other operating regions in the near future.

Since 2011, Agility has been working to reduce power consumption and CO2 emissions from our data centers/servers in Irvine, California and Leeds, UK. In Irvine, an original virtualization and consolidation project in 2011 reduced the server totals by over 60%. A second consolidation project reduced the number again by a further 60% in 2015. Today, our total average electricity usage has decreased to 69% of peak usage in 2011, saving over 45 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year. A similar exercise at our data center in Leeds reduced energy consumption to more than 83% less than peak usage in 2010, saving over 60 tons of CO2 emissions each year. A forthcoming hardware upgrade is expected to reduce energy consumption by a further 50%.

Four Agility Chemicals employees, based in Liverpool, U.K., volunteered their time to give a chemical safety workshop to nearly 200 students, ages 9-11 years old. In addition to giving safety tips and knowledge on chemical safety at home, the employees also gave students insights into the world of supply chain logistics.

Agility Bangladesh volunteers participated in a Customs Workshop organized by the UN Logistics Cluster in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This training helps humanitarians to reduce the time that humanitarian cargo is in transit, which reduces inventory requirements and operating costs, while increasing the amount of aid materials available to beneficiaries. The Agility Bangladesh team also supported the Logistics Cluster by helping them to prepare a Logistics Capacity Assessment (LCA) for the country, and by working with local government, private sector and NGO stakeholders in a country-wide preparedness project to help the country prepare for future humanitarian emergencies.

Fourteen Agility Italy employees in Verona volunteered to refurbish a small farm. Working with Cooperativa Gramigna, the volunteers divided themselves into three groups and spent four hours cleaning a stable, clearing pathways to what will soon be a playground, and refurbishing chairs and tables. Once abandoned, the farm area has recently been refurbished by 3 organizations, for public use, including as an educational establishment for young scouts to learn about farming and nature.

For the second year in a row, Agility provided humanitarian fleet operations training to 25 representatives from 13 different humanitarian partners in Beirut, Lebanon. This training helps humanitarian partners better manage transportation fleets so more humanitarian cargo can be safely and more efficiently delivered to people in need. It also helps humanitarians reduce their operating costs and deliver more assistance when people most need it.

Agility and its portfolio company, United Projects for Aviation Services Company (UPAC), have teamed up to run a charitable meal program during Ramadan. In coordination with the Kuwait Food Bank, 17 volunteers from Agility and UPAC donated their time to help feed more than 20,000 individuals through a daily Iftar meal program and a Machla donation box distribution.

As part of UNHCR’s Ramadan campaign, Agility ran an internal fundraising drive. Employees in six Middle Eastern countries donated to UNHCR, ultimately supporting 14 refugee families (or approximately 70 individuals) during the Holy Month of Ramadan. The funds raised were channeled through UNHCR’s Cash Assistance program, which enables refugees to procure the food and life support essentials they need to survive. UNHCR cash assistance also contributes to the local economy and reduces refugee exploitation through forced & child labor, sex trafficking, family separation and forced marriage.