We launched KickICO in 2017 to create a safer means of raising capital for enterprises in the blockchain sector, and to open that safer new channel to a community of investors.

In its first two years, the KickICO platform had played a key role in helping over 35 startups to raise 800,000 ETH.

However, ICOs have vanished and IEOs have been labeled as scam right in the beginning since its non-transparent realization that various exchanges have implemented and did not make it fair and transparent like was described in our White Paper.

Anticipating this back in 2017, and clearly understanding that the ICOs that were done in such way will soon die out, we began to build not just another platform for fundraising, but a large ecosystem in which fundraising is just one core element of our broader vision for a new financial paradigm driven by mainstream use of digital assets.

The primary services and pioneering concepts at the heart ofKick Ecosystemcame about through necessity. The Initial Coin Offering model was broken, creating opportunities for rogue developers and providing zero transparency or protection for consumers.

We found no exchange using a better model, and so we created our own; The initial exchange offering (IEO) and auction-based initial coin offering (AIO). It was not just the sale models that needed fixing, but exchanges too. Many were using ICO and IEOs for their own benefit, to the detriment of all other market participants, so we decided to launch our own exchange,KickEX, which could lead the way in open, trustworthy token finance.

In developing the exchange infrastructure, it became obvious that many services could be developed for enterprise use or harnessed by other projects.KickID, for example, is used in WHIRL, and our subsidiary blockchain-powered crowdfunding platform is used for private individuals, not companies.

Until now, the fintech sector has consisted of myriad apps scattered across the cryptoverse, defined more by their poor user journeys and barriers to entry than their innovation and traction. There has been no single entry point into the world of fintech, which helps to explain the gap between rapid technological progress and adoption. No single platform exists that brings together every service that individuals and businesses need, that anyone can use. That is the Kick Ecosystem vision. Every service, made for all: Beginners, professionals, and everyone in between.

We believe a one-stop hub for cryptocurrency services will be the driving force in mainstream adoption, but also that individual products and services can be useful to traditional enterprises without dependency on mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies.

Using Kick Ecosystem as the foundation, we are releasing autonomous global services that allow for interoperability to create an ambitious financial services network that far exceeds any current model.

By harnessing critical elements from P2P, B2B, and SaaS technologies, were able to design and implement a range of autonomous services that can function both independently and in synergy with each other as part of the ecosystem.

With unparalleled usability and integration at their core, our services can be applied to a virtually limitless range of commercial applications in non-crypto projects, from gaming to e-commerce and retail.

Every element within the Kick Ecosystem performs an important role in the exponential growth of users and partners.

KickEX is the primary entry point for new users including traders, investors and miners. Users are then able to access the fundraising platform and to other services and back. All services are linked to KickID the unified ID services, a B2B solution, which is offered to external business, that will become a part of our ecosystem.

KickID andKickWalletare the core tools which enable users to seamlessly navigate the network of products and services, while KickRef gives them a role in the organic scaling of our user base.

For commercial partners, the advantages and synergies of operating within the Kick Ecosystem are obvious. Businesses can transform their bottom lines, access a qualified consumer base and bring the benefits of Kick to their existing database of users.

Reliable implementation and the development of standards will be key to the success of Kick.

Each service is developed by a separate team with a single protocol, standards and API. Services are modular in design, with the ability to function as a stand-alone product and as part of the wider ecosystem. All Kick services are compatible with cryptocurrencies and digital assets, although they can be configured to operate with or without them.

Thanks to a single standard of communication between services and IPAs, the ecosystem can be easily expanded with other services that do not yet exist.

From the very beginning of exchange development, security and decentralization of user funds have been key priorities for us. We employ CISCO next-generation hardware firewalls, DELL server hardware stacks, geographically distributed data centers and cloud hosting services based on private networks with the latest generation of encryption.

We also use the most advanced and modern data access algorithms, and third-party detection and prevention mechanisms with updated real-time signatures of new types and methods of attack.

Security is further enhanced with proprietary, provider-level mitigation services for DDoS attacks, automatic start-of-the-attack protection mode if suspicious activity is detected and Trusted Platform Module systems that protect against physical access to servers.

These and many other security measures and technologies allow us to guarantee the clear and uninterrupted operation of all services and the safety of user funds.

Our fundamental strategy for the expansion of Kick Ecosystem is to design tools and services that solve the challenges we face ourselves. Thats how KickID andKickRefwere born.

That strategic vision flows through everything we do, from high-level roadmaps to each service and mechanic. This is the reason that the entire architecture of the Kik Ecosystem is built using a microservices model. Each service can function independently, which increases fault tolerance a problem in one part of the system does not affect other services and the chance to operate each service as a stand-alone project.

Our team mirrors our technology, with a large group of developers divided into smaller teams responsible for each product. Microservices communicate with each other through a common, unified communication protocol that allows us to make B2C products such as KickEX exchange and then evolve them for enterprise use.

Our strategy can be seen in the creation and evolution of the KickID and KickRef services. First, we created them for ourselves, debugged, optimized, and further understood what features were necessary for success. Now we are transforming these services into B2B products suitable for third-party use.

The evolution of microservices into independent B2B products expands the entire Kick Ecosystem exponentially. Each new user who registers via KickID or KickEX becomes part of our ecosystem, with the opportunity to utilise and easily switch between any services. Having registered and verified once, each users journey through the ecosystem will be seamless.

Our strategy is based on synergy, the snowball effect, and business virality. By implementing new parts of the ecosystem, new services, which will then be distributed by other companies, projects and businesses, we believe our technology and values can transform any sector for the good of every enterprise and its end users.

Each new member of the ecosystem will enjoy all the benefits that were created by members that came before them and create value for the community they join. Using these principles of leverage and synergy to drive our exponential growth strategy, we are creating right now, the connected digital world of tomorrow.

KickIDis an end-to-end authorization and authentication service that connects all of our services and enables full access to the Kick Ecosystem through registration and universal KYC verification. As well as being an essential component of Kick Ecosystem, KickID is also the perfect tool for businesses seeking access to a single database of users already registered in the ecosystem, or who need an effective stand-alone solution for registering and verifying their users.

KickID was designed to slash the cost of KYC by requiring users to be verified only once. As the ecosystem grows and more users install KickID, KYC overheads decrease further. Over time, that cost will drop to virtually zero, saving businesses who operate on Kick millions of dollars.

By removing the need for new customers to complete verification more than once, KickID optimises consumer user journeys and has the potential to dramatically increase conversion rates for all third-party businesses that have integrated KickID for themselves.

Access to a pool of active accredited consumers gives business not only a valuable new acquisition channel but also enables them to develop more competitive offers and reward programmes. Businesses who use KickID can also reduce or eliminate the time and cost involved in processing data, payments and verification while ensuring they meet all compliance obligations for their jurisdiction.

KickRefis a zero-cost multi-level marketing solution that can be used to drive quality traffic to almost any online product or service. In just 6 months and with no marketing budget, KickRef has proven its effectiveness by acquiring 1 million users with a genuine interest in KickEX.

KickRef uses a 10-level referral model that any online business can harness to create viral growth with minimal cost, effort, or risk.

By distributing a part of the companys profits proportionally throughout a users network of referrals, the KickRef model is perfectly suited to businesses such as online games, gambling, and e-commerce. Just as KickID is able to improve registration and conversion rates, KickRef can increase traffic, create an instant user base, improve average customer value and reduce churn.

Like every proven Kick product that is tested and optimised within our own Ecosystem first, KickRef can be customized to specific business requirements. Rewards can be configured to suit specific business models and audiences using real money, game points, bonuses, and other virtual items.

Affiliate programmes should be simple, quick, and effective tools for its user-evangelists. With built-in tools such as leagues, ratings, statistics, and messengers, KickRef is a powerful enterprise affiliate solution for promotion and growth.

TheKickEXdigital asset exchange is the core feature of Kick Ecosystem. With pioneering trading functionality, enhanced security, and innovative reward mechanisms, we are certain that believe our exchange can become the gold standard for cryptocurrency exchanges.

Most cryptocurrency exchanges suffer from a limited selection of order types: market order, limit order, and simple stop-order. As a result, traders have to use various third-party services and software to implement their strategies. KickEX smart orders such as trailing or double stops, chain orders, and others, allow users to automate their trading and maximise profits. These features also allow novices to trade professionally without the need to buy and master additional software tools, reducing the skill gap between beginners and professional traders.

Three years after the first initial coin offerings rewrote the rules of fundraising, token sales are still the primary means of fundraising for blockchain projects. But not all ICO platforms are equal. KickICO is a fundraising platform underpinned by a ready-made audience engaged by social features.

From the technology we use to the features weve provided and messaging across every, KickICO reflects the wider values of Kick Ecosystem. With such a high profile history of fraud and unethical behavior, its critical that fundraising is open, transparent, fair, and safe.

Launching a fundraising campaign is just the first step for blockchain projects. We empower projects to exceed their campaign goals with a complete toolkit which includes automated advertising capabilities to maximise reach with minimal effort.

KickICO has remained at the forefront of crypto fundraising with a pioneering Auction Initial Offering (AIO) fundraising model invented by the Kick team. Projects will soon have access to a new Security Token Offerings (STO) model too.

Campaigns launched via KickICO have greater potential thanks to integrations with KickEX exchange and other Kick services such as KickID. By allowing projects to conduct multi-platform token sales through KickICO, KickEX, and their own channels using a simple, secure widget, Kick Ecosystem offers blockchain projects the best possible chance of success.

We recognise that social fundraising is an increasingly important means of attracting investment and generating early demand for innovative technology. As a result, KickICO comes pre-loaded with widgets for forums, websites, and blogs, as well as integrations with KickRed referral marketing features which allow users to earn money by attracting backers to fundraising campaigns.

By connecting KickICO with KickEX and KickRef, we supply projects with an organic, free flow of verified users with a confirmed interest in emerging technologies that only the most expensive PR campaigns could achieve.

Together, the Kick Ecosystem tools make KickICO the most powerful, one-stop fundraising and marketing platform in crypto.

KickMessengeris an instant communication tool created for use with KickRef as well as, but now available for a wide range of B2B use cases.

Unlike other messenger applications that facilitate anonymity, KickMessenger requires users to be verified, although communications and content remain secure and private.

By integrating KickMessenger with the Kick Ecosystem, fraudulent or spam users can be identified and blocked throughout the network with a single click, reducing the impact and cost of criminal or unethical behavior.

We believe transparency and accountability are crucial to the long term success of Kick services and are also fundamental requirements for enterprise use. Unlike most messenger applications where illegal behavior is allowed by platform owners to flourish, KickMessenger does not support anonymity and ensures that users who breach the law or platform terms will be held accountable for their actions.

We made KikMessenger both for ourselves and for all projects who require a simple and easy-to-integrate messenger. Although originally designed for Kick Ecosystem users, we will release a stand-alone version of KickMessenger software which can be easily integrated with external B2C and B2B platforms.

KickWalletis our native solution which allows users to conveniently and safely store, send and spend their funds.

Users can easily store a range of digital assets, manage their portfolio, deposit, convert, and withdraw. The KickWallet roadmap includes support for credit and debit cards, and once released, gives users a single payment gateway for all businesses within the ecosystem, and enables businesses to quickly integrate a wallet solution into their applications.

Currently, KickWallet is a B2C service within the KickEX exchange, and fully functions as a custodian service. For B2B use, we are combining the technology behind KickWallet andKickMobile to offer a portfolio of funds and tokens, deposit and withdrawal of fiat funds, and simple and quick conversion of fiat and cryptocurrencies.

Depending on demand, we may also introduce a physical payment card linked to KickWallet.

KickAcquire is a planned crypto-enabled payment gateway for personal and enterprise use which allows users to deposit to, transact with and withdraw funds from cryptocurrency projects.

For crypto projects that cannot access traditional banking services, KickAcquire will give them the ability to accept payments and guarantee secure custody of funds.

Thanks to one-click integration with products and services as well as simple widgets, merchants can accept cryptocurrencies without the usual hassle or risk involved in creating their own infrastructures.

As with all Kick Ecosystem services, KickAcquire will also leverage the power of KickID to increase conversion, as many users will already be verified.

KickAcquire will be a B2B solution for enterprise use.

KickCPA is more than just a dedicated digital advertising tool for the cryptocurrency sector. As a means of reaching bigger audiences and rewarding acquisition in an honest and transparent way, KickCPA is a blessing for everyone in the cryptosphere.

Existing ad networks do not serve the needs of blockchain organisations and particularly fundraising projects. For crypto projects looking for initial investment, acquiring investors through digital marketing has become prohibitively expensive. And with some of the biggest ad networks, crypto marketing may not be possible at all.

Advertisers often end up paying for vanity metrics such as clicks and views and are at higher risk of fraud.

KickCPA solves these problems by enabling projects to raise funds through KickICO and pay only when leads convert from a visit to investment.

KickCPA also enables publishers, bloggers, and individuals with an online audience to generate revenue by serving ads that drive meaningful traffic to KickICO campaigns and result in backing.

Once it has proven its worth on KickICO, the technology behind KickCPA will be extended beyond KickICO fundraising to provide an independent advertising network that third-party businesses

We believe in empowering our users with both effective products and vital knowledge.KickAcademyis an online learning centre which covers all aspects of cryptocurrencies and trading. With tools such as our unique trailing stop constructor, inexperienced traders can accelerate their learning curve, understand how markets function and how to place orders without risking their own funds.

Our institute also publishes comprehensive and exclusive data about the latest academic research in the crypto markets, investments, exchanges, and fintech fields:

One in Two Crypto Users is a Referral ProgramStudy of the crypto community opinion and level of trust in stablecoinsResearch on the usage of orders on crypto-exchangesWhat is KYC and why the global crypto community needs user identification?

There are also educational articles for beginners and professional crypto traders to learn the basics oftechnicalandfundamental analysis, trading strategies,risk management,indicators, and other crypto trading professional tools. All the materials are available on the official academy website for free.

The studies made by KickAcademy team are being regularly published in top crypto media like DeCenter, Hackernoon, Coinspeaker.

After being credited to the clients exchange wallet, the cryptocurrency is transferred to the Mosaic Wallet to ensure reliable storage and eliminate the risk of cryptocurrency theft from the clients cryptocurrency wallet.

In Mosaic Wallet, cryptocurrency during its life-time is not stored in the same cryptocurrency wallet but moves between different cryptocurrency wallets at a certain frequency. At the same time, Mosaic Wallets, on which the cryptocurrency was already stored, do not participate in the further stages of the cryptocurrency life-cycle. The frequency of movement of cryptocurrency between Mosaic Wallets is set in the system settings. This approach can significantly reduce the risks of theft of clients money from the Mosaic Wallet cryptocurrency wallets.

In addition, various types of cryptocurrency wallets are installed within the Mosaic Wallet, depending on the maximum amount of cryptocurrency allowed to be stored in this wallet.

Thus, the risk is divided into different areas, such as R1, R2, R3. For example, the R1 wallet does not allow storing cryptocurrency in the equivalent of more than 100 USDT, the R2 wallet does not allow storing cryptocurrency in the equivalent of more than 1000 USDT, and the R3 wallet does not allow storing cryptocurrency in the equivalent of more than 10000 USDT. In case of the compromise of private keys for one of the wallets, the risk does not apply to the other wallets.

The cryptocurrency is stored on Mosaic Wallet until a command is received from the client to withdraw the cryptocurrency asset to an external wallet that does not belong to the exchange.

Mosaic Wallet private keys are not stored on electronic storage devices. When creating a private key, several responsible persons of the company receive one character string each, which is the basis for obtaining a private key. Thus, one employee of the company cannot single-handedly access the Mosaic Wallet cryptocurrency wallets. To gain access to the Mosaic Wallet cryptocurrency wallets, all responsible persons of the company must simultaneously enter all the strings of characters transferred to them for storage. This approach minimizes the risks of internal fraud and collusion of company employees.

To minimize operational risks associated with the unavailability of company employees and/or the loss of character strings handed over to them for storage the company introduces the roles of deputy responsible persons and duplicates of character strings required to obtain Mosaic Wallet private keys are stored in the safe deposit boxes or other secure offline data vaults.

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The infrastructure of Kick Ecosystem - hackernoon.com

Between 2000 and 2013, Earth lost an area of undisturbed ecosystems roughly the size of Mexico.

That's the mind-melting finding of a new study published in One Earth and the researchers say it has "profound implications" for global biodiversity and for humans who rely on natural resources.

"We were expecting there to be high levels of intact ecosystem and wilderness loss, but the results were shocking," lead researcher Brooke Williams of the University of Queensland told The Guardian. "We found substantial area of intact ecosystems had been lost in just 13 years nearly two million square kilometres which is terrifying to think about. Our findings show that human pressure is extending ever further into the last ecologically intact and wilderness areas."

In total, the researchers found that 1.9 million square kilometers (approximately 700,000 square miles) of previously intact ecosystem area had been "highly modified" during the study period. They also found that 58.4 percent of Earth's land ecosystems were under "moderate or intense" pressure from human activity, while only 41.6 percent of ecosystems were intact and 25 percent were true wilderness.

The 1.9 million square kilometers lost were mostly tropical and subtropical grasslands in Asia, South America and Africa, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which participated in the research. The rainforests of Southeast Asia also suffered significant human encroachments.

The 1.9 million square kilometers lost were in Asia, South America and Africa.

Image: One Earth

To achieve these results, an international team of 17 scientists from six countries used satellite imagery to assess the human footprint on land-based ecosystems and how it had changed between 2000 and 2013, The Guardian explained. The researchers found that human pressure increased on nearly 20 percent of the globe and decreased on only around six percent.

"Data does not lie," senior author James Watson from WCS and the University of Queensland said in the WCS press release. "Humanity keeps on shrinking the amount of land that other species need to survive. In a time of rapid climate change, we need to proactively secure the last intact ecosystems on the planet, as these are critical in the fight to stop extinction and halt climate change."

The study comes amidst other dire news for wildlife and biodiversity. A UN study released last week found that world governments had failed to achieve any of the 20 targets they had set for preserving biodiversity by 2020. Another study published this month found that wildlife populations had plummeted 68 percent on average over the last 50 years.

Williams explained to WCS why the loss of intact ecosystems is such a big deal for humans and other animals.

"Intact lands are relied on by biodiversity for habitat, and by people for ecosystem services such as climate regulation and clean water," Williams said. "We continue to take these last functioning places for granted, and our results show urgent action is needed to protect those lands that do remain intact."

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This is the size of undisturbed ecosystems lost in 13 years - World Economic Forum

Where would you go if, say, a flood devastated the city you live in? Millions of people around the world have been forced to answer this question. In 2017, 68.5 million people were displaced more than at any point in human history, according to the Brookings Institute. More than one-third of those were uprooted by sudden weather events, including floods, forest fires and intense storms. A 2018 report from the World Bank, which focused on three regions Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America found that without tangible climate action, more than 143 million people in just these three areas will be forced to move to escape the impacts of climate change by 2050.

But more than 1 billion people worldwide will live in countries with insufficient infrastructure to withstand climate change by 2050. The Pacific Islands are expected to be affected especially hard. Sea level there is already rising at almost 0.5 inches per year. Eight islands have already been submerged and two more are close to vanishing. By the year 2100, experts fear 48 more islands in the Pacific will be completely underwater.

So what about the people who live there? What do we call these people who will be displaced? It's actually complicated. It's difficult to determine what category these migrants should fall under because no global definition exists. Why does that matter? Without a standard method of classification, there's no way to track how many people are affected or displaced by an environmental or climate event. So the most commonly used term is "environmental refugee."

Experts credit the term and its definition to UN Environment Program (UNEP) researcher Essam El-Hinnawi, who in 1985 wrote the United Nations report titled "Environmental Refugees." El-Hinnawi defined environmental refugees as:

... those people who have been forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily or permanently, because of a marked environmental disruption (natural and/or triggered by people) that jeopardized their existence and/or seriously affected the quality of their life.

This working definition has been the baseline for current debate.

But according to the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention, a refugee "is someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion" [source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]. Environmental refugees do not legally fall under this status.

Why environmental refugees flee their homes is a complicated mixture of environmental degradation and desperate socioeconomic conditions. People leave their homes when their livelihoods and safety are jeopardized. What effects of climate change put them in jeopardy? Climate change triggers, among other problems, desertification and drought, deforestation, land degradation, rising sea levels, floods, more frequent and more extreme storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, food insecurity and famine.

The September 2020 Ecological Threat Register Report, by the Institute for Economics & Peace, predicts the hardest hit populations will be:

• Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa
• Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Chad, India and Pakistan (which are among the world's least peaceful countries)
• Pakistan, Ethiopia and Iran are most at risk for mass displacements
• Haiti faces the highest risk of all countries in Central America and the Caribbean
• India and China will be among countries experiencing high or extreme water stress

The report also suggests that developed countries like the United States and regions like Europe are not immune. "The European refugee crisis in the wake of wars in Syria and Iraq in 2015 saw 2 million people flee to Europe and highlights the link between rapid population shifts with political turbulence and social unrest." Developed countries including Sweden, Norway, Ireland face little to no threat, the report found.

Climate change does not impact all people and all parts of the world in the same way. While floods ravage some areas, deserts are spreading in others. Desertification and depleted resources, including shortages of water and fertile land, are long-term consequences of climate change. But one of the biggest threats will be food insecurity.

"Ecological threats and climate change pose serious challenges to global peacefulness," Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace said in the in the 2020 Ecological Threat Report. "Over the next 30 years, lack of access to food and water will only increase without urgent global cooperation. In the absence of action civil unrest, riots and conflict will most likely increase. COVID-19 is already exposing gaps in the global food chain."

The report suggests global demand for food will increase by 50 percent by 2050. That means if there's no increase in food supply, many people could starve or be forced to flee in search of food. Currently, more than 2 billion people around the world are already food insecure.

When faced with the decision to flee, most people want to stay in their own country or region. Leaving a country requires money and could mean leaving behind family; simply relocating from a rural to urban area in search of work and resources may be easier. Plus, the chance to return and resettle back home is unlikely if a family leaves their country entirely. In instances when an area is temporarily inhabitable, like after a destructive hurricane, returning home may be an option. But when coastlines or entire islands are underwater, the possibility of going home is out of the question.

The future impacts of climate change will disproportionately affect the world's poorest but will also pressure countries around the globe through mass migration of refugees. Adaptation and resilience will be the key to reducing displacement risk both temporary and permanent in the forms of early warning systems and flood-defense infrastructure, sustainable agriculture and drought-resistant crops, as well as other protections.

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Humans Destroyed Intact Ecosystem Land the Size of Mexico in Just 13 Years - EcoWatch

SAINT PAUL, Minn. andMUMBAI, Sept. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, has partnered with maurices, a women's fashion-apparel retail chain in the US and Canada, to help create a new flexible and scalable IT landscape for the latter.

Followingits journey as a standalone organization, maurices selected TCS as its digital transformation partner to help build its greenfield IT ecosystem that will optimize more than 200 existing applications and software components in the next 17 months of their transformational journey. TCS will help maurices strategize, create and operationalize the new scalable, secure and future-proof architecture for the underlying IT infrastructure, security layer, and a new application stack, as well as remediate its technical debt. Leveraging TCS' Machine First Delivery Model, powered by ignio, its cognitive automation software,maurices' technology transformation will drive synergy across the enterprise, integrating business, operations and IT teams without disruption to existing services.

In addition, TCS will help maurices build a brand-new data analytics platform with extensive reporting features. The project will also involve a refreshed, upgraded ecommerce platform that will facilitate quicker business decisions and faster go-to-market responses to industry or fashion trends.

"We are creating a greenfield IT and Infrastructure that will lay the foundation for the growth of maurices' business and operations. TCS being the industry leader has been chosen as our SI partner to implement the Project Split Rock, the initiative to standup the IT Ecosystem. We look forward to leverage TCS' Partnership Skills, Tools, Processes, Practices and Thought Leadership to ensure the success of Project Split Rock," saidFred Argir, Chief Information Officer & Chief Digital Officer, maurices.

"We are delighted to partner with maurices as they embark on their IT ecosystem transformation. The new resilient, agile, and scalable platform, powered by MFDM and ignio, will help them accelerate innovation, improve customer experience, build competitive differentiation, and fuel future growth," said PC Thomas, Head of Retail, North America S&W, TCS. "We look forward to building a long-term, trusted relationship with maurices."

TCS is utilizing its pioneering Secure Borderless Workspaces, a transformative operating model that allows organizations to fully and seamlessly transition to virtual workspaces, to enable a remote program kick-off from multiple locations.

About Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. (TCS)

Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that has been partnering with many of the world's largest businesses in their transformation journeys for over 50 years. TCS offers a consulting-led, cognitive powered, integrated portfolio of business, technology and engineering services and solutions. This is delivered through its unique Location Independent AgileTM delivery model, recognized as a benchmark of excellence in software development.

A part of the Tata group, India's largest multinational business group, TCS has over 443,000 of the world's best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $22 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020, and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India. TCS' proactive stance on climate change and award-winning work with communities across the world have earned it a place in leading sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), MSCI Global Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Emerging Index. For more information, visit us at http://www.tcs.com.

For TCS global news, follow@TCS_News.

About maurices

Maurices is a women's specialty apparel retailer that celebrates feel good fashion for real life.

Maurices is committed to its service with stylepromise and offering affordable fashions that take women from workday to weekend, and all of life's adventures in between. With inclusive sizing from 0-24, maurices is famous for its versatile styles including key categories such as denim, dresses, tops and more. Established in 1931, maurices operates 916 stores in communities across the U.S. and Canada and offers even more fashion at maurices.com. maurices is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota.

TCS media contacts:

SOURCE Tata Consultancy Services

http://www.tcs.com

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maurices Partners with TCS to Build Greenfield IT Ecosystem for its Growth and Transformation - PRNewswire

WSP USA is a key participant in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a major global initiative to bring awareness to the fight against climate change.

Sep. 22 /CSRwire/ - When the United Nations General Assembly declared 20212030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, it did so with an objective of taking a leadership role to find nature-based solutions to restore vital ecosystems around the globe.

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration aims to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems as a proven measure to fight the climate crisis and enhance food security, water supply and biodiversity. It is targeting widespread engagement with governments, UN agencies, international non-government organizations, academia and large corporations.

This initiative moves ecosystem restoration from a fringe movement to an essential response necessary to protect our global food and water supply and help change the trajectory of climate change, said Jennifer Brunton, WSP USA national practice lead for ecosystem restoration.

For its part, WSP provided feedback for the strategy report,United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030 - Strategy for the Decade.

As identified in the report, The global public is largely unaware of the extent to which ecosystem degradation is impacting the well-being and livelihoods of billions of people, the costs of this degradation, and the profound benefits that would accrue with major investments in ecosystem restoration.

At the end of the decade, my hope is that the political support and public will is behind the scale of restoration needed, Brunton said. Policies, regulations, and legislation are changed to promote smart growth and habitat protection/restoration, and the financial mechanisms for supporting ecosystem restoration are in place.

Key Objectives

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration has set several key objectives. The effort aims to:

showcase successful government-led and private initiatives to halt ecosystem degradation, restore those ecosystems that have already been degraded;

enhance knowledge exchange on what works and why (policy, economics and biophysical aspects), and how to implement restoration at scale;

connect initiatives working in the same landscape, region, or topic, to increase efficiency and impact;

create links between ecosystem restoration opportunities and initiatives with businesses interested in building a solid portfolio of sustainable production and impact investment; and

bring a wider spectrum of actors on board, especially from sectors that are not traditionally involved, by demonstrating the importance of ecosystem restoration to conservation as well as generation of social and economic benefits.

I have seen the transformation that can happen when ecosystem restoration projects are implemented, Brunton said. Its a powerful thing to witness a barren landscape change into lush breeding and foraging grounds supporting a diverse array of species. It can be done.

The UN initiative is raising the understanding that widespread improvements on a local scale will have a profound impact on the global environment.

Our ecosystems are connected in a complex web, and that includes us humans, Brunton said. The fish we buy at the market may breed in marshes, rivers, or streams but spend their adult life migrating in the open ocean. This results in an interconnectedness between us as individuals and habitats that extend well beyond our borders.

She added that the UN initiative aims at articulating these links to target shifts in culture and political/economic drivers so the act of restoring habitat is part of a broader initiative and ecological restoration is mainstreamed. Brunton stressed that there must be complete ownership of responsibility for the environment, even when it is not in our own backyard.

For example, the destruction of rainforests do affect us through this network; it is not some far way problem for someone else, Brunton said. The products we buy connect us to these degradations. For example, the fruit we buy at the store may be grown in fields developed from clearing the rainforest.

Environmental Partnerships

Currently, the UN lacks the technical capacity to implement a strategy to address the scale of restoration needed on its own and is looking to corporate partners like WSP to help guide its successful development.

WSP has over three decades of experience restoring habitats, which has culminated in over 10,000 acres of restored habitats, Brunton said. We have one of the largest benches of restoration experts in any organization. Pairing our technical strength both by numbers and range of expertise we have with our global reach makes our firm an ideal partner for this initiative.

WSP has been involved in several ecological restoration projects that exemplify the goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration initiative, including:

Higbee Beach Tidal Wetland Restoration The restoration of several hundred acres of marsh into a greenway near Cape May, New Jersey is providing habitat for migratory species, and supports maritime and early successional forest, as well as a public access network. WSPs restoration design is grounded in science and supported by extensive baseline studies, including hydrodynamic modeling, extensive sediment sampling, and detail threatened and endangered species surveys.

Saw Mill Creek Wetland Mitigation Bank A 68-acre wetlands area on Staten Island has been threatened by flooding, invasive weeds and illegal dumping for years, and suffered severe degradation following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. To turn the tide, the New York City Economic Development Corporation selected WSP to provide wetland restoration for New York Citys first wetland mitigation bank.

Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan WSP is providing the South Florida Water Management District with scientists, engineers and restoration specialists to protect the water supply and control flooding in the region by preventing saltwater intrusion, encouraging responsible agriculture and urban development, and preserving fish and wildlife habitat in the Everglades.

Lincoln Park Wetlands Restoration A large tidal marsh was designed by WSP to fit into the natural landscape adjacent to Lincoln Park in Jersey City, which had become a landfill without a permit. Today the wetlands, streams and salt marshes, once blighted with debris, are now restored with 42 acres of tidal habitats, new inter-tidal channels, and public walking trails.

Wisconsin Point Dune Restoration A three-mile-long natural sand spit along Lake Superior, part of one of the longest freshwater sandbars in the world and a popular recreation area, had become degraded by excessive heavy foot traffic and activity, destabilizing the shoreline. WSP provided environmental and resilient design services to restore and stabilize 48,000 square feet of sand dune habitat.

Future Generations

The work carried out today will leave a legacy for future generations, and Brunton believes that this initiative is one way to establish tangible positive impacts in our own generation.

We have the understanding of the negative impacts of habitat degradation on climate change, food security, and biodiversity; and we also know the substantial benefits gained from uplifting degraded habitat to high functioning systems, Brunton said. What we have not done effectively is integrate these facts into the political and economic engines that are driving protection and restoration of habitat. This initiative aims to infuse a respect for habitat health into the global culture.

She believes it is possible to map ways for development to progress in balance with the global health.

We have not run out of time to repair the imprint we have left on the earths landscape, Brunton said. It will require slicing the problem from many angles economic, political, cultural. The UN is the one entity infused globally whose network and influence can forge the change needed.

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Helping the UN Guide Ecosystem Restoration Into the Mainstream - CSRwire.com

Companies procuring oil from and financing the Royal Golden Eagle, which set up palm oil and pulp plantations in Indonesia, finds investigation

Palm oil is the go-to-product for food companies trying to meet the zero transfats limit in their products. But this shift has implications for the rainforests in Indonesia from where most companies source this oil.

An investigation by global watchdog Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has shown that food and cosmetic companies as well as financial institutions have links with companies implicated in the destruction of the Leuser Ecosystem, a forest area on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

This rainforest is said to be the only place left on Earth where tigers, orangutans, elephants and rhinos still coexist in the wild.

The investigationclaimed the following companies for procured oil from and financed the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group, which has established the destructive oil palm and pulp plantations in the area through subsidiary companies.

RGE, for example, procures palm oil from a mill supplied by PT Tualang Raya, a palm oil producer in the Leuser Ecosystem, the investigation claimed.

PTTualang Raya is also known to have cleared at least 60 hectares of lowland rainforest in the Leuser Ecosystem over the past six months. This is three times the rate of clearance in the last six months.

RAN investigation pointed out that many of these companies and banks had pledged to conserve the environment. For example, Kao, the Japanese Consumer Goods manufacturer, was the first company to adopt a No Deforestation, No Peatland and No Exploitation policy.

Similarly, MUFG and ABN AMRO, which were found to providefunds to RGE, are signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking and have policies on financing sustainable palm oil.

These brands and banks must all suspend sourcing from, or joint-ventures and financing of, the Royal Golden Eagle group and all its subsidiaries and associated companies until the corporate group can prove its compliance with No Deforestation, No Peatland and No Exploitation benchmarks, said Gemma Tillack of RAN.

Palm oil is also detrimental to human health. As the world moves towards zero industrially produced transfat status in cooking mediums, palm oil has found favour because it is naturally saturated.

The adverse effects of palm oil are often contested, but a meta-analysis showed connection between palm oil consumption in 23 countries and mortality from ischaemic heart disease.

India is currently grappling with self-sufficiency in edible oil and has for long explored the possibility of plantations of palm oil. In 2019, the Andaman and Nicobar administration approached the Supreme Court to revoke a 16-year-old ban on monoculture plantations in the fragile ecosystem.

In 2014, Union minister and BJP leader Nitin Gadkari urged the authorities to consider oil palm because the hot and humid tropical climate of the island was suitable for its growth. But the idea was mooted again at the meeting on oil palm promotion policy held at the Prime Ministers Office on July 9, 2018.

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Read more from the original source:

Don't eat the rainforests: Top brands complicit in Indonesia's ecosystem destruction, probe alleges - Down To Earth Magazine