Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

Bloomberg Benefits: Among the Most Generous Parental Leave Policies at Major U.S. News Organizations, According to Columbia Journalism Review

Feb 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Bloomberg has always aimed to provide world class benefits to employees: It’s been a business imperative that has helped propel the company to reach its 36th consecutive year of revenue growth in 2017.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Fair Trade Gifts for Valentine's Day

Feb 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

No matter what you end up doing this Valentine's Day, you can't go wrong with Fair Trade Certified flowers and chocolate. It's a gift that tells your loved ones you care not only about them, but also about the planet, the lives of workers, and the impact of your dollar. Here are our top picks for a Valentine's Day gift that'll keep loving all year long.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Strike That Brought Hope to Memphis Sanitation Workers

Feb 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

“I remember when I was hired by the Memphis Department of Public Works on April 15, 1967,” recalls Rev. Cleophus Smith. “This particular morning, it was cold. I’m talkin’ about cold, cold. We didn’t have sufficient gloves, clothes, nor did we have water to drink on the job.” Mid-January, 1968: Memphis, Tenn. The low on most days around this time of year was 19 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). The high, falling somewhere in the mid-20s. Hundreds of men – black workers for the Memphis Department of Public Works – went to work each day in the cold, sometimes having to brave freezing rain, sleet, or snow, too.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

After Hurricane Maria, Duty Called Him Home to Help

Feb 8, 2018 12:00 PM ET

When Armando Ortiz flew to Puerto Rico three weeks after Hurricane Maria slammed ashore, he wept to see his ravaged homeland. Now four months later, he is back, this time with other Duke Energy employees helping to restore power.

Events, Media & Communications

BCtA Series WEBINAR 3 | Women’s Empowerment: Measuring Inclusive Business Impact

Feb 8, 2018 11:15 AM ET

Gender inequality and the process of empowerment are both dynamic and complex; as are the market systems in which women work. Monitoring and evaluation systems must be consistently updated and adapted in line with the changing needs of women to effectively address the market constraints they face and the positive impact of their empowerment on business growth. This requires a carefully designed measurement system that captures data on women’s economic empowerment from multiple perspectives and sources.

Energy

Disrupting the Electricity Industry

Feb 8, 2018 10:55 AM ET

Where does the future lie for electricity? One UPS expert believes it is in the auto-consumption and peer-to-peer trade of electricity. It’s no secret that going green is challenging. Governments, businesses and individuals must consider several factors when making the shift to alternative energy, including availability, cost and storage. In the case of electric energy, rising demand means we have to start rethinking the way electricity is produced, transported and consumed.

Education

Barclays Partners With Northern Powerhouse to Address the Skills Attainment Gap

Feb 8, 2018 10:45 AM ET

A Barclays colleague, who had joined the organisation as an apprentice, took centre stage in promoting private sector efforts to close the education and skills gap between north and south this week.

Social Impact & Volunteering

A Cancer-Fighting Force to Be Reckoned With -- Sanofi's CancerConnect Employee Resource Group

Feb 8, 2018 9:15 AM ET

The CancerConnect employee resource group unites employees who have a passion for supporting cancer patients and survivors. The Swiftwater group rallies around several cancer-related causes in Northeast Pennsylvania with both financial contributions and employee engagement.

Events, Media & Communications

2018 Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance Summit to Be hosted in Oakland at VERGE 18

Feb 8, 2018 9:00 AM ET

The annual Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) Summit will return to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2018 — hosted in Oakland, October 14-16, ahead of GreenBiz Group’s VERGE 18 conference and expo. REBA is a coalition of leadership organizations with deep expertise in transforming energy markets: BSR’s Future of Internet Power, Rocky Mountain Institute’s Business Renewables Center, World Resources Institute’s Electricity Initiative and World Wildlife Fund’s Renewable Energy Buyers’ Principles (also supported by World Resources Institute).

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

A Global Events App for Cause

Feb 8, 2018 8:30 AM ET

Easily find millions of events and come together with others in support of humanitarian and environmental efforts. Simply access iCause from any mobile, tablet or desktop. Your location is automatically remembered upon log-in and a city change is easily done in the search bar.

“iCause is humanizing the marketing experience by offering features like rewards and free nonprofit tools within a global cause community.” Mike Lemire, CSO

Events, Media & Communications

Finalized Agenda for the Responsible Business Summit New York 2018 Is Released

Feb 8, 2018 8:25 AM ET

The sessions and timings have now been finalized for next month’s Responsible Business Summit New York (March 26-27), which will feature over 70 CEOs and senior executive speakers leading transformational change. To see the full event agenda you can click here http://events.ethicalcorp.com/rbs-ny/conference-agenda.php

Energy

Schneider Electric Announces an Agreement to Build a Microgrid With an Investment of $4.5 Million

Feb 8, 2018 8:15 AM ET

The recent wave of hurricanes in the US -- Harvey, Irma & Sandy -- have offered municipalities a reminder of the importance of installing assets that can provide resilient power in critical facilities. The need of the hour is to install advanced microgrids equipped with the latest technology that can perform on multiple levels during these extreme weather conditions and grid outages. Microgrids were chosen as one of the options to provide necessary resilience during inclement weather in the recent US Department of Energy’s 2017 Grid Reliability Study.

Responsible Production & Consumption

VIDEO | First Look: See How Mohawk Industries Champions Sustainable Flooring

Feb 8, 2018 8:05 AM ET

Mohawk Industries, a flooring manufacturer headquartered in Calhoun, Georgia, is committed to sustainability through better manufacturing and operations processes – providing products without negative impacts on our health and the planet’s health.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

A Taste of General Mills Podcast: Taste of the NFL

Feb 8, 2018 8:00 AM ET

The premiere party in the state that hosts “The Big Game” each year is Taste of the NFL, which donates a portion of its proceeds to food banks and hunger relief organizations in each of the 32 pro football cities.

Diversity & Inclusion

No Barriers Youth, Wells Fargo Select Winners of Global Impact Challenge

Feb 8, 2018 8:00 AM ET

No Barriers Youth and Wells Fargo announced the winners of their year-long Global Impact Challenge, a diversity and inclusion competition designed to spark ideas from high school and middle school students for building a world free of barriers, stereotypes and discrimination.

Events, Media & Communications

National Geographic Hosts ‘Evening of Exploration’ Gala in London, Highlighting Commitment to Exploration in Europe and Africa

Feb 7, 2018 7:00 PM ET

National Geographic recently hosted an “Evening of Exploration” at the Natural History Museum in London, the biggest event the organization has ever held in Europe. The gala was an opportunity to celebrate National Geographic’s 130 years of groundbreaking storytelling with National Geographic Explorers, National Geographic leaders, and luminaries from across Europe and Africa.

Innovation & Technology

Announcing Bloomberg’s Data Science Academic Engagement Programs

Feb 7, 2018 3:30 PM ET

At Bloomberg, we believe in contributing back to the community. In data science, we contribute back by sponsoring conferences, meetups, publishing our findings in conferences and journals, and contributing code to open source libraries. In addition to these efforts, we support academic research through meaningful engagement with university faculty and Ph.D. candidates.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Boeing’s “Dollars for Doers” Employee Match Program Takes Community Investments Higher

Feb 7, 2018 3:25 PM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Global Survey Applauds TransCanada’s Gender Equality Efforts

Feb 7, 2018 2:00 PM ET

TransCanada has earned global recognition for our efforts to create a gender equal work environment.

We are one of 104 companies from 10 sectors to be named in Bloomberg’s inaugural Gender-Equality Index (GEI), released January 22, 2018 – and one of only two energy companies to make the cut.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Serve, Lead, Learn: Corporations Pair Leadership Development With Pro Bono Service to Improve Health in Rwanda

Feb 7, 2018 1:15 PM ET

Four leading global companies have joined forces to place one of their most precious resources—their people—to work on strengthening health systems in Kigali, Rwanda. The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), SAP, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and WE Communications will each send top professionals into the field to work pro bono as Global Health Corporate Champions.

Sustainable Development Goals

GRI Podcast February Edition: Business and Human Rights

Feb 7, 2018 1:00 PM ET

In the first episode of 2018, GRI interviews Caroline Rees, President of Shift, the leading center of expertise on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. There's also a report from the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, where GRI’s Chief Executive Tim Mohin delivered an important message to world leaders. You will also find out how GRI's Regional Hub in South Asia is helping local businesses contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Employees’ Research Leads to Innovative Light Pole Pilot Program

Feb 7, 2018 12:05 PM ET

A group of employees at Southern California Edison recently found an innovative solution to help fix and replace light bulbs or fixtures high above the ground at its facilities. The spring-loaded metal pole they found online could help reduce injuries among workers. The SCE employees pitched the idea and it is now being used in a Light Pole Pilot Program at the utility’s Redlands Mountainview facility. Once the pilot is completed, the program could then be used company-wide.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Xylem Employees Volunteer More Than 35,800 Hours in 2017

Feb 7, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Employees from Xylem, a leading global water technology company that is dedicated to solving the world’s most challenging water issues, logged more than 35,800 volunteer hours in 2017, participating in activities aimed at providing and protecting safe water resources in communities and educating people about water issues. Xylem Watermark, the company’s corporate citizenship platform, launched a service-focused employee engagement program in 2016 in support of this mission with a goal of logging 100,000 volunteer hours by the end of 2018. This year’s achievement brings the total number of volunteer hours to nearly 57,000, more than halfway to that goal.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

LA Kings Join Forces With Enrich LA to Build Edible Garden at East Los Angeles YMCA

Feb 7, 2018 11:30 AM ET

AEG’s LA Kings and Enrich LA joined forces, with the help of Blue Shield of California, to build an edible and interactive garden at Weingart YMCA Wellness & Aquatic Center last week.

Energy

Washington Can’t Kill Solar Power: 6 Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Future of Solar

Feb 7, 2018 11:25 AM ET

The Trump administration recently announced that the U.S. will be implementing a steep tariff on solar panel imports. Taxing those solar panels up to 30 percent will destroy U.S. jobs, because far more Americans are involved in installing and maintaining panels than in manufacturing them. It will also raise Americans’ electric bills, by making the energy marketplace less competitive. And it will hurt our environment and public health, by slowing the transition away from heavily polluting, carbon-emitting fossil fuels.