Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Environment

Sustainability HP Reinvents Every Day to Make Earth a Better Place

Apr 21, 2017 10:15 AM ET

According to independent analyses conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2016 was the warmest year on record globally and represented the third record year in a row. The analyses noted that the rise in temperature is being driven primarily by increased carbon dioxide and other human-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Inspiring Learning and Discovery

Apr 21, 2017 10:05 AM ET

This is part three in a series highlighting the SAP Social Sabbatical for global engagement in Cape Town, South Africa, which focused on bridging the digital divide in the city’s most underserved communities. Stay tuned for part IV, out next week. Read part one and two here.

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Walking into the Cape Town Science Centre (CTSC) on a busy weekday morning can result in a bit of sensory overload as children of all ages run, skip, and hop around the massive warehouse located in the Observatory neighborhood of Cape Town.

A bottle rocket zooms on a zip line overhead, leaving a group of students giggling at their aeronautic success in its wake. A defiant announcement of “check” comes from the teenager dragging his Bishop with two hands across the giant life-sized chess board on the floor.

Sustainable Development Goals

Applying Human Centered Design to Solvable Problems

Apr 21, 2017 10:05 AM ET

The amount of post-harvest loss (PHL) in countries of the Global South is familiar to many by now. In Africa alone, 50 percent of fruits and vegetables, 40 percent of roots and tubers, and 20 percent of cereals—all of which are staple foods—are lost after harvest or during processing. Fortunately, solutions to PHL exist and with pilots underway attempting to introduce low-fidelity technologies into the equation, the future of reduced PHL looks promising. While PHL is a solvable problem, the timely diffusion of applicable technologies into the local context remains challenging. And the negative repercussions of insensitive approaches of noble intent should be identified and avoided early in the process.

Environment

Tide purclean Encourages Energy-saving Laundry Habits Through Its Sustainable Laundry Pledge and Donates $250,000 to World Wildlife Fund for Earth Day

Apr 21, 2017 9:50 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sands Bethlehem Starts Prom Dress Drive Benefitting Local YWCA

Apr 21, 2017 9:30 AM ET

This year, Sands Bethlehem embarked on a Prom Dress Drive, a new initiative to recycle prom dresses, allocating them to those less fortunate in the area.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Engaging Employers: Three Lessons from Impact Hiring

Apr 21, 2017 9:15 AM ET

How to create more inclusive economies by engaging employers in developing new ideas and solutions for employing and retaining entry-level talent.

Environment

GOJO Blog: Celebrating What Matters Most

Apr 21, 2017 9:05 AM ET

This coming Saturday, April 22nd, marks the 47th anniversary of Earth Day. At GOJO, we honor this day, and every day, by celebrating our commitment to understanding the needs of and creating Sustainable Value for all GOJO stakeholders.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Ingersoll Rand Ranks on Corporate Responsibility Magazine 100 Best Corporate Citizens List for Fourth Consecutive Year

Apr 21, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Ingersoll Rand (NYSE: IR), a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, is named to Corporate Responsibility (CR) Magazine’s annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List for the fourth consecutive year.

Environment

Consumers Energy Offers Appliance Recycling, Helping Michigan Residents Reduce Costs and Earn Rebates

Apr 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

As Michigan residents start their spring cleaning, Consumers Energy is encouraging people to turn old household items into cash through its appliance recycling program.

Innovation & Technology

Feeding America Launches MealConnect™ Technology Platform to Help Reduce Food Waste and End Hunger

Apr 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

For Earth Day 2017, Feeding America® is announcing the launch of MealConnectTM, an innovative technology platform that makes food donation as simple as a click. The new and free platform was developed to help reduce food waste, benefit the environment and put more food on the tables of families and individuals facing hunger in America.

Research, Reports & Publications

Walmart Highlights Progress in Creating Shared Value in Tenth Annual Global Responsibility Report

Apr 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Walmart today released its tenth annual Global Responsibility Report, which looks back at the company’s progress during fiscal year 2017 in advancing the key areas of opportunity, sustainability and local communities. The report also looks ahead at the retailer’s role in helping rewire whole social and environmental systems as it strives toward a new era of trust and transparency.

Environment

Sustainability Advocate Jason Mathers Demonstrates Sustainability is Good for Business

Apr 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

“At first folks thought that FedEx and EDF were an odd couple. Together, we’ve demonstrated that sustainability is good for business.”

As Director of Supply Chain at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Jason Mathers helps companies cut pollution, greenhouse gas emissions—and

Sustainable Development Goals

This Earth Day, the World is Investing in the Most Valuable Asset We Have

Apr 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Tamara Coger of Tetra Tech’s Environment and Natural Resources sector discusses the benefits of investing in sustainable natural resources management to people, societies, and economies around the world. All opinions expressed in this post are the author’s own.

Environment

This Earth Day, Don’t Forget to Think Small

Apr 20, 2017 8:45 PM ET

Climate change. It’s certainly one of the biggest issues facing the planet and us, the 7 billion people who share it. Yet it’s become clearer than ever that we can’t rely on governments alone to do something about it. It’s imperative that the private sector step up as a force for Good — and we’re encouraged to see that it is. Read this article to see how companies like Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Expedia, Agrium, and EarthShare encourage employees to take small, everyday actions to make a big environmental impact.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Points of Light Celebrates National Volunteer Week with a Focus on How Service Brings People Together

Apr 20, 2017 5:20 PM ET

ATLANTA (April 20, 2017) — Points of Light, in partnership with the PepsiCo Foundation and Got Your 6, celebrates National Volunteer Week, April 23-29, 2017, through volunteer recognition and service events across the country. This annual public awareness campaign celebrates the impact of volunteerism, and the power of service to bring people together to tackle tough challenges, create change, and build stronger, more vibrant communities.

Environment

The Disney Conservation Fund Names the Recipients of its 2016-2017 Grants

Apr 20, 2017 5:15 PM ET

More than $7 million in grants have been awarded to leading nonprofit organizations, including the Jane Goodall Institute, National Wildlife Federation and Panthera, working across the globe to protect wildlife and provide experiences that will help inspire a lifelong love for nature in young people.

Research, Reports & Publications

Walmart Highlights Progress in Creating Shared Value in Tenth Annual Global Responsibility Report

Apr 20, 2017 5:15 PM ET

Walmart today released its tenth annual Global Responsibility Report, which looks back at the company’s progress during fiscal year 2017 in advancing the key areas of opportunity, sustainability and local communities. The report also looks ahead at the retailer’s role in helping rewire whole social and environmental systems as it strives toward a new era of trust and transparency.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Comcast NBCUniversal Celebrates Year-Round Commitment to Volunteerism During Annual Cares Day

Apr 20, 2017 5:10 PM ET

On Saturday, April 22nd, more than 100,000 Comcast NBCUniversal employees, and their families and friends, and community partners will participate in the 16th annual Comcast Cares Day, the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort and a culmination of the company’s year-round commitment to community service. At nearly 1,000 projects across the nation and in approximately 20 countries around the world, volunteers will be revitalizing neglected neighborhoods and parks, teaching digital literacy skills, painting murals, cleaning up beaches, installing computer labs, stocking community food banks, and much more.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Earth Week Guest Post: Reflections for New Business Leaders: Opportunity and Responsibility

Apr 20, 2017 5:00 PM ET

In our second Earth Week guest post, a 2016 graduate of the University of Michigan's Erb Institute reflects on the essential impact her classmates will need to make as they reenter the workplace to ensure a sustainable future for their businesses and our planet.

Social Impact & Volunteering

This Florida Teen is a Rising Star

Apr 20, 2017 4:30 PM ET

This Action Team Ambassador combines passions for baseball and helping others.


Action Team Ambassador Juan Salinas-Bentley didn’t derive nearly as much satisfaction from his baseball team’s 19-1 win over neighboring Palm Beach Lakes in February as he did from raising funds to help the financially stressed school pay the $1,485 for umpires it needed to complete this season.

Research, Reports & Publications

Aetna Releases 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

Apr 20, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Aetna, one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, today released its 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility report. This year’s report provides an in-depth look into Aetna’s commitment to building a healthier world, community by community.

Education

New Infrastructure Promotes Education in Sinaloa, Mexico

Apr 20, 2017 3:00 PM ET

For years, children in the northern region of Mexico’s Sinaloa state had no real place to learn. Teachers would move from one house to another, or cram their young students into a tiny room measuring 6m x 4m – with no furniture, no power, no running water and no washrooms.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies Speak Out About Gender Violence Through Partnership with PCADV

Apr 20, 2017 2:05 PM ET

The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) has attained remarkable achievements in promoting safety and justice for victims of domestic violence in Pennsylvania and across the country in its 33 year history.

Responsible Production & Consumption

How Urbanization is Driving Changes to the Global Food System

Apr 20, 2017 2:05 PM ET

Dr. Phil Pardey, professor of agricultural economics at the University of Minnesota and director of the International Science and Technology Practice and Policy Center, discusses the implications of today's shifting population trends for the global food system.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Food and Conservation Groups Invest in Soil to Sustain Food Production

Apr 20, 2017 2:00 PM ET

A national effort to enhance farm sustainability through soil health has additional backing from a major consumer foods manufacturer. Leaders from General Mills, The Nature Conservancy, the Soil Health Institute and the Soil Health Partnership announce a collaborative effort to advance soil health on America’s farms and ranches, paving the way for measurable economic and environmental gains for farmers, businesses and communities for generations to come.