Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Responsible Production & Consumption

U.N. Calls For Transparency in Tianjin Explosion Investigation

Aug 26, 2015 7:00 AM ET

An international investigation has been underway following the devastating aftermath of the Tianjin explosion in China that left more than 100 people dead. The United Nations have had an ongoing presence in the oversight of the inquiry into the Chinese government.

Events, Media & Communications

Achieving Impact Through Cross-Sector Collaboration

Aug 25, 2015 6:40 PM ET

Organizations are looking for new, innovative approaches to maximize community impact. Increasingly, working collaboratively across sectors allows individual actors to amplify their efforts and tackle society’s toughest problems.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Kaiser Permanente and Points of Light Honor Exceptional Disaster Relief Volunteers With Award Created by President George H. W. Bush

Aug 25, 2015 5:45 PM ET

Kaiser Permanente and Points of Light today announced that volunteers from across the country who served along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina are being honored with the Daily Point of Light Award. One honoree left in the middle of the night to get to Biloxi, Mississippi, to help coordinate evacuation. Another used the Internet to coordinate volunteers and resources. All honorees responded with exceptional efforts and left a lasting impact.

Education

Prize Offered for Data Insights That Help Increase High School Graduation Rates

Aug 25, 2015 5:05 PM ET

Everyone benefits from a better-educated nation. How can we achieve it? If you’re a data expert, we’re challenging you: Experiment with public data sets and demonstrate insights that will help boost graduation rates.

“Data for Diplomas” is a DevPost contest that kicks off today with $40,000 in prizes and the support of AT&T as part of AT&T Aspire and GradNation. Individuals and groups are encouraged to produce a data driven app or data visualization that is creative, original and will positively impact high school graduation rates.

Environment

Islamic Climate Declaration Asks Muslims to Take Action On Climate Change

Aug 25, 2015 5:00 PM ET

Islamic leaders have issued an Islamic Climate Declaration, calling 1.6 billion Muslims around the world to work towards phasing out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and towards a 100 percent renewable energy strategy.

Environment

Empowering San Francisco Residents to Restore the Balance

Aug 25, 2015 4:15 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2015: Californians know first-hand how devastating climate change can be. Extended drought and extreme weather events have taken their toll on the San Francisco Bay Area and TerraPass has a solution: Bay Area Balance. Bay Area Balance combines carbon offsets and renewable energy credits (RECs) to balance your carbon footprint and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) Water Restoration Certificates (BEF WRCs®) to balance your water footprint. This versatile solution is the first of its kind, tailored to the average emissions of Bay Area residents to make taking action easy and impactful.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

JetBlue Book Vending Machines Dispense Free Kids’ Books in D.C. Neighborhood

Aug 25, 2015 3:35 PM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

A New Path for Social Enterprises Through the “Valley of Death”

Aug 25, 2015 3:25 PM ET

People have been talking for years about the “valley of death” between seed money and growth capital that confronts and sometimes swallows up social enterprises. Now we’re finally starting to see a critical mass of funders willing to fill the gap with capital combinations designed for enterprises that maximize social and environmental value.

Research, Reports & Publications

Poised for Growth – Corporate Responsibility at Symantec

Aug 25, 2015 2:45 PM ET

Corporate responsibility is about more, not less: more value creation, more collaboration, more diversity and more passion. This belief in continuous growth and improvement is central to our approach to corporate responsibility here at Symantec.

Health & Healthcare

What Makes a Donor Heart Available for Transplant Was Almost a ‘Deal Breaker’ for Pastor Who Needed One to Save His Life

Aug 25, 2015 2:00 PM ET

A Massachusetts pastor supported by the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart for four months vows to live a life worthy of the person whose heart donation gave him a second chance at life.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Talkback Submission Call: “Corporate Governance and Business Ethics”

Aug 25, 2015 1:30 PM ET

At a recent CSR Investing Summit sponsored by S-Network Global Indexes, there was a strong focus on the “G” pillar of ESG—(environmental, social, and governance)—issues. Keynote Speaker Kevin Parker, CEO of Sustainable Insight Capital Management, said that his investment decision-making begins with governance. He looks for “good” governance by boards, management, and related stakeholders as the bottom line for what makes a “good” company. He and other speakers and panelists described ethics—fair practices—as key to defining “good” governance. Simply put, a good company is one that has good governance—and that’s a good investment opportunity.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Clean Cargo Working Group Progress Report 2015

Aug 25, 2015 1:00 PM ET

BSR's Clean Cargo Working Group shares its progress over the past year, including a reduction in carbon emissions by more than eight percent among group members.

Environment

Republic Services Partnered with the University of Nevada Las Vegas for the First Annual Recyclathon

Aug 25, 2015 12:15 PM ET

Republic Services partnered with the University of Nevada Las Vegas for the first annual Recyclathon, a campus wide initiative and contest encouraging faculty and staff from each college and the student body to recycle each semester. Recyclathon was established to celebrate and honor the 20 anniversary of the on-campus Rebel Recycling Program. As of 2015 the University, in collaboration with Republic Services, collects more than three tons of material every day on UNLV’s main campus, its residence halls, athletics facilities and satellite campuses.

Research, Reports & Publications

Bombardier Transportation Releases Its Corporate Responsibility Report 2014: Moving Minds

Aug 25, 2015 12:00 PM ET

With the publication of Moving Minds, its fifth biennial Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report, the company has showcased its achievements as a responsible corporate citizen in the years 2013 and 2014.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CITGO Fuels Mobile Literacy Program ‘Bess the Book Bus’ National Tour

Aug 25, 2015 11:30 AM ET

Continuing efforts to bring free books and a love of reading to children in underserved communities, CITGO Petroleum Corporation joined mobile literacy program Bess the Book Bus in kicking off the next leg of its 2015 national tour on August 24 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Since January, Bess the Book Bus has distributed more than 29,000 free books to 21,000 children – and is well on the way to reaching its goal of distributing 100,000 books to 25,000 children across more than 30 states this year alone.

Environment

Taking a Stance on Sustainability? Start Here.

Aug 25, 2015 11:30 AM ET

As COP21 approaches, countries continue to debate policies that foster a sustainable future. Should companies wait to align their climate targets with international goals? Or, should they take a stance now to drastically reduce their impact on the environment? Where is the path to becoming more sustainable, and how can organizations keep their employees motivated to meet their goals?

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Ten Years After Katrina

Aug 25, 2015 11:30 AM ET

At the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, CECP looks back at how disaster relief response has changed among companies. We found that overall, the data show that aggregate giving from corporations for disaster relief has declined over the last five years. A deeper look into the data and additional resources shows that it’s a complex story.

Environment

Walgreens, Unilever Campaign Aims to Bring Clean Water to Kenya

Aug 25, 2015 11:00 AM ET

Innovation & Technology

Freeport-McMoRan Invests in Women’s Economic Empowerment Programs

Aug 25, 2015 10:50 AM ET

Freeport-McMoRan has advanced investments in women’s economic empowerment programs, such as “Dreambuilder-Women’s Business Creator,” an online entrepreneurship skills training program that has reached more than 3,600 women in Latin America with more than half from communities in Chile and Peru near Freeport-McMoRan operations.

Events, Media & Communications

Ecolab and Trucost Expand Water Risk Monetizer to Include Revenue-at-Risk Assessment

Aug 25, 2015 10:45 AM ET

The Water Risk Monetizer, industry’s first publicly available financial modeling tool that enables businesses to factor current and future water risks into decision making, now provides users with insights into how water scarcity impacts revenue. The tool’s new assessment helps water-dependent businesses better understand the full value of water to their operations and identify revenue at risk based on current and projected water scarcity.

Responsible Production & Consumption

BJ’s Wholesale Club Appears on WTVR-CBS Richmond for Farm to Club Segment

Aug 25, 2015 10:35 AM ET

David Hicks, general manager of the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Richmond, Virginia, recently appeared on WTVR-CBS to prepare a healthy salmon with cucumber salsa dish. Hicks incorporated fresh vegetables from BJ’s Farm to Club program and shared details about the local growers in Virginia.

Events, Media & Communications

What Does it Take to Become a Quality of Life Change Maker?

Aug 25, 2015 10:10 AM ET

I recently had the opportunity to hear a true agent of change share a compelling case for the need to redefine what it means to be successful in today’s world. Arianna Huffington, Chair, President and Editor-in-Chief, The Huffington Post Media Group, shared a detailed roadmap for positive lifestyle change during her keynote speech at the inaugural Quality of Life Conference. She had just come from the funeral of Sheryl Sandberg’s husband, Dave Goldberg, and she posed the question: “Why is it that our eulogies are so different from our resumes?” People’s resumes often bear little resemblance to their eulogies. We are not spending our days aligned with the values people will remember us for.

Education

Guest Post by Sam Gary: Attending the 2015 U.S. Amgen Scholar Symposium

Aug 25, 2015 9:20 AM ET

It’s the homestretch, but instead of cars racing to the finish line, there are over 200 young scientists scrambling to collect significant data worthy of publication.

Rewind to a week ago and these same Amgen Scholars were basking in the California sun on UCLA’s campus, enjoying a tremendous weekend of lectures, graduate/medical school admissions advice, and networking at the Amgen Scholars Summer Symposium.

Diversity & Inclusion

Five Easy Questions That Unlock Employee Engagement

Aug 25, 2015 9:00 AM ET

It’s heard from every corner of the earth, but what exactly is employee engagement? Employee happiness, motivation, compatibility with the company’s mission — engagement involves all of these complex ideas. But many organizations are adverse to employee engagement because they see it as an enigma that’s impossible to tackle.

Events, Media & Communications

STAR India Will Air 'Girl Rising' Documentary on Girls' Empowerment with Help of Bollywood Stars

Aug 25, 2015 8:00 AM ET

On Saturday, August 29, STAR India's flagship channel Star Plus will air Girl Rising, an acclaimed documentary from Academy Award nominee Richard E. Robbins that raises awareness of gender inequality and advocates for women's empowerment. The film is the centerpiece of the Girl Rising campaign, which promotes women's rights around the world, and this broadcast will be the first time the film has been shown in India.