SWC’s Fast Five
You can help those helping Ukraine. The Fed looks to rein in inflation while avoiding an economic slowdown. Mass transit is back in favor, regaining passenger traffic lost in the pandemic. Starbucks wants you to fill ‘er up and not just your coffee cup. Supply chain gets an innovation – accordion-style collapsible containers.
So, here’s this week’s Fast Five:
1 How you can support Ukraine
As the Ukraine invasion continues, the humanitarian toll is also mounting. People around the world are seeking ways to help the Ukrainian people. A number of nonprofits have stepped up to deliver funds and humanitarian aid in the region. Here is a list of organizations aiding Ukraine.
2 More transit riders ‘dump the pump’
A growing number of commuters in major metros have decided to “dump the pump” as they transition back to in-office work as the omicron variant subsides, bringing a needed boost to public transit that lost ridership throughout the pandemic.
3 Foldable shipping containers could ease supply chain woes
Most standard shipping containers return home empty, so if cargo ships can fit more of them on a return journey by collapsing them, it could help ease today’s notorious supply chain woes. A company called Staxxon is planning to sell a newfangled shipping container that’s “designed to fold in an accordion-style fashion and shrink to a fifth the size of a regular container.
4 Starbucks wants to become the gas station of the future for EVs
By 2030, there could be 26 million electric cars in the U.S., which means we’ll need more than 10 times as many EV chargers. Starbucks, with its 15,000 locations across the country, thinks that it could help fill part of the gap.
5 Fed walks a tightrope: inflation v recession
With the Fed’s goals of price stability and maximum employment, the coronavirus, Russia’s war, supply-chain disruptions and soaring prices threaten to upset its delicate balance.
