Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

Keeping the Dream Alive

Jan 15, 2018 3:30 PM ET

The essays run the gamut in terms of length. Most arrive handwritten, the style of printing shedding light on the writers’ age group and on their innocence. The works haven’t been scrubbed for spelling and grammatical errors either. They are simple and genuine reflections by young school children from throughout the United States who, in the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., each year voice their hopes and dreams to Hormel Foods.

The company’s African American Resource Group – known as HAARG – has sponsored and coordinated an annual essay contest for primary school children since 2011. It is designed to pay tribute to the fallen civil rights leader by asking children what he and his work mean to them. At the same time, it’s meant to show them they should believe change is possible.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Bakken Invitation Award Recipients Honored

Jan 15, 2018 2:30 PM ET

Backed by the Medtronic Foundation, the award program – inspired by MDT co-founder Earl Bakken – is in its fifth year of honoring people who have overcome health challenges with the help of medical technology and are giving back to their communities through charitable service and volunteerism.

This year’s recipients span 10 countries and represent six medical conditions. They each nominate a charity to receive a Medtronic Foundation grant (Learn more about all of the 2017 recipients).

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Waste Is Only Waste If We Define It That Way

Jan 15, 2018 2:15 PM ET

Look inside the Kohler Waste Lab, where we’re asking how industrial waste can be kept out of landfills and transformed into something of value. The Waste Lab’s sole purpose is to imagine and create new uses for clean manufacturing waste. Currently we’re working with foundry dust and sand, green cull, and enamel powder to make kitchen and bathroom tile. But that’s just the beginning. Explore the lab and see what we’re working on at wastelab.kohler.com.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Northern Trust Partnered with Hands on Manila and Planted 250 Mangroves in Calatagan Batangas

Jan 15, 2018 2:10 PM ET

We partnered with Hands on Manila and planted 250 mangroves in Calatagan Batangas! Volunteers ended the day appreciating the importance of a healthy marine ecosystem by snorkeling!

Environment

World Agroforestry Centre | Transformations Online

Jan 15, 2018 1:35 PM ET

In this issue: World Agroforestry Centre's scientists presented their research findings on the impact of agriculture on climate at COP23; Tony Bartlett discusses the effects agroforestry has had on Northwest Viet Nam; and ICRAF works with Indonesian farmers to cultivate sandalwood as part of the Indonesia Rural Economic Development project. Plus, upcoming events, new videos and publications, and more.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons, Target Form Sustainable Palm Oil Network

Jan 15, 2018 1:00 PM ET

A number of US retailers, including Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons and Target, have joined with global food manufacturers such as Kellogg and Kraft Heinz to form the North American Sustainable Palm Oil Network (NASPON). The aim of the group is to educate and assist North American companies in making and delivering on commitments to source sustainable palm oil.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar's Tucson Proving Ground Reduces Emissions Using New Cat® Microgrid Solution

Jan 15, 2018 12:00 PM ET

While remote, the Tucson Proving Ground has a high demand for power with employees working on projects ranging from machine tear downs and builds to welding to office and administrative tasks.

Environment

GRO1000 Impact Infographic

Jan 15, 2018 11:55 AM ET

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

UPS Longitudes | Our Top 5 Sustainability Articles of 2017

Jan 15, 2018 11:15 AM ET

See the top five sustainability stories about logisitics, smart cities, alternative power, and more from UPS's thought leadership blog, Longitudes.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Honoring MLK Day With Personal Commitments to Volunteering and Service

Jan 15, 2018 11:15 AM ET

MLK Day of Service is an opportunity to remember history and re-commit ourselves as citizens by volunteering in service to one another. It is also a time to consider how much work still remains to fulfill Dr. King’s dream. We at Common Impact believe service is a powerful tool for strengthening the communities in which we live and work.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Money Is Not Wealth: Cryptos v. Fiats!

Jan 15, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Most bankers, economists and investors after a couple of drinks, will admit that money is not wealth. Money is a metric, like inches and centimeters, for tracking real wealth: human ingenuity and technological productivity interacting with natural resources and biodiversity undergirding all human societies along with the daily free photons from our Sun, as described in "Valuing Today's Circular Services Information Economies".

Research, Reports & Publications

Improve the Quality of Your CSR Report: Introducing GRI’s New Disclosure Review Service

Jan 15, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Improving the quality of sustainability reporting is one of GRI's key focus areas. To this end, the organization has launched a new Disclosure Review Service, and is accepting applications as of today.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Bethlehem Recycles Art Pieces in Team Member Sale Benefitting Charity

Jan 15, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

This Big Data CEO Thinks There Is No Substitute for Personal Connections

Jan 15, 2018 9:55 AM ET

Working at Alliance Data has many perks, but one of the best ones might be having an approachable CEO who loves meeting with associates. Fortune Live's Susie Gharib sat down with our CEO Ed Heffernan recently to talk about our success and the company's growth.

Energy

Uncovering Opportunities: Changing How We Think About Energy

Jan 15, 2018 8:55 AM ET

If someone asked you to name the top challenge presented by urbanization and our escalating world population, what would you say? One answer could be: the ever-increasing need for energy – which is one of the most basic dilemmas of modern life. But with the right approach, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sanofi Pasteur Community Engagement Team Building Benefits Local Head Start Students

Jan 15, 2018 8:10 AM ET

On January 11, 2018, members of Sanofi Pasteur’s Global Influenza Franchise Team delivered four outdoor cabinets to Pocono Services for Families and Children (PSFC), which oversees Monroe County (Pa.) Head Start. In total, more than 30 Sanofi Pasteur employees built and hand crafted the cabinets, which will be used to store various toys and supplies for outdoor play.

Environment

VIDEO: TD Bank Group Strengthens Green Bond Market to Support Low-Carbon Economy

Jan 15, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Green bonds are an example of innovation in financial services, allowing companies and investors to direct their capital to projects that are helping the transition to the low-carbon economy. Karen Clarke-Whistler, TD Bank Group's Chief Environment Officer and Amy West, Head of Socially Responsible Finance at TD Securities, talk about why green bonds are worth a second look for companies and investors alike.

Media & Communications

New CITGO CEO Arrives in Houston

Jan 12, 2018 7:25 PM ET

CITGO President and CEO Asdrúbal Chávez recently conducted his first corporate meeting with top senior executives and management to review the Company’s 2017 results, including the record-setting safety performance and operational achievements. Building on this momentum into 2018, CITGO will continue to emphasize excellence in all aspects of its operations, with major refineries located in Lake Charles, La., Corpus Christi, Texas and Lemont, Ill.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Fiji Water Uses Red Carpet Season to Support Women in Hollywood

Jan 12, 2018 6:35 PM ET

Over the past few months, women’s equality has gone viral. A conversation that began with the Women’s March has evolved into movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, taking Twitter by storm and illustrating the magnitude of the issue. Feminism was even named the 2017 word of the year by Merriam-Webster. With the groundswell of support, there is no denying that now is the time to bring women’s equality to the forefront. Recently, one brand chose a moment in time that was already positioned to shine a spotlight on the issue – the Golden Globes and the #WhyIWearBlack campaign – to lend its support to an industry where women’s achievements are still overlooked.

Media & Communications

Baseball Player Nick Rickles Launches Blog to Share His Journey With the Fans

Jan 12, 2018 4:25 PM ET

Getting to play baseball this long has been a blessing. Since the day I could walk, I had a baseball bat in one hand and a baseball in the other. To think 27 years later I'd still have a baseball bat in my hand and a baseball in the other is a dream come true, though the bat is a little bigger than the plastic one I had when I was little.

Social Impact & Volunteering

MENTOR: Summit Sponsor Spotlight — AT&T

Jan 12, 2018 4:15 PM ET

As part of its signature philanthropic initiative, AT&T Aspire, AT&T connects employees with students to provide mentoring and help students discover their potential. Since 2012, AT&T employees invested more than 1.6 million hours to impact students across the country.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

2018 Green Power Leadership Awards: A Review of Categories, Eligibility, Criteria, and the Application Process

Jan 12, 2018 4:00 PM ET

The 2018 Green Power Leadership Awards application period will open February 5 and will close on April 6. EPA co-sponsors the Awards in conjunction with the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). The awards recognize leading organizations that have helped further the green power market through their green power procurement, innovation, overall green power strategy, and impact.

Education

Campus Dining for Spring Semester: RDs Share Tips on How to Navigate the Dining Hall

Jan 12, 2018 3:35 PM ET

For college students, meal plans eliminate the hassle of grocery shopping and mealtime preparation -- a real plus as assignments and tests pile up. With numerous options in campus dining, Aramark’s registered dietitians in colleges and universities share their best tips on how to maintain a balanced diet on a meal plan for a healthy start to the spring semester.

Innovation & Technology

UPS Longitudes | Top 5 Podcasts of 2017

Jan 12, 2018 2:25 PM ET

The UPS Longitudes thought leadership blog shares top five podcasts they aired in 2017 - come give a listen to topics from retail to blockchain, and find out what number 1 was!

Innovation & Technology

My Special Aflac Duck Takes Home Best of CES 2018 Award

Jan 12, 2018 1:25 PM ET

Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the United States, capped off a busy week at the Consumer Electronics Show® (CES) by accepting the Best of CES 2018 Award for Best Unexpected Product for My Special Aflac Duck, the company’s new social robot designed to help children coping with cancer. The smart companion was created by Sproutel, a research and development workshop focused on making health care playful, based on a year of child-centered research conducted by Sproutel at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the most prominent children’s cancer facilities in the nation, caring for more than 400 new childhood cancer patients each year.