Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Energy

Duke Energy Plans North Carolina's Largest Battery Storage Projects as Part of Western Carolinas Modernization Plan

Sep 21, 2017 12:15 PM ET

As part of its continued commitment to building a smarter energy future, Duke Energy today announced plans to install North Carolina's two largest battery energy storage systems – a $30 million investment as part of the company's Western Carolinas Modernization Plan.

Innovation & Technology

High Tech and High Design, Cornell’s Roosevelt Island Campus Opens

Sep 21, 2017 12:05 PM ET

Roosevelt Island, the skinny, two-mile-long strip of land between Manhattan and Queens in the East River, has been home to a prison, a lunatic asylum, a smallpox hospital and a workhouse, among other institutions.

Education

T. Rowe Price: Parents of Only Boys Place Greater Priority on College Than Parents of Only Girls

Sep 21, 2017 12:00 PM ET

T. Rowe Price’s 2017 Parents, Kids & Money Survey, which sampled parents of 8 to 14 year olds nationally and their kids, looked at households with kids of only one gender and found that parents who have all boys are going to greater lengths to support their kids’ college education than parents of all girls.

Environment

Making the EPA Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule Work for You

Sep 21, 2017 11:40 AM ET

If you are a hazardous waste generator, how will the recent changes and technical corrections to the regulations under RCRA affect you?

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Bay Area Teen Aims to Rewrite the Story of Underprivileged Youth Through Literacy

Sep 21, 2017 11:30 AM ET

“The single biggest indicator for academic success is having books at home,” said Fatima Yousef, the 16-year-old founder of the nonprofit Stories for a Future. While it’s a statistic she knows by heart, she also knows that having books may not be a reality for many low-income youth.

Innovation & Technology

Tetra Pak Invests in State-of-the-art Technology in Denton Factory

Sep 21, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Tetra Pak's Packaging Material Converting Factory in Denton, TX is getting ready for new technology to support the growth of its business in the U.S. and Canada. The plant’s expanded capabilities are made possible through a sizeable €30-million investment in factory upgrades, including a new state-of-the-art laminator, that will ensure the facility is well positioned to meet the evolving needs of the U.S. and Canadian markets with a wider range of packaging formats.

Events, Media & Communications

Ingersoll Rand Underscores Importance of Energy Efficiency at Official Climate Week NYC 2017 Event

Sep 21, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Ingersoll Rand® (NYSE:IR), a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, joined international leaders from business, government and civil society at Climate Week NYC 2017 in New York City to discuss the momentum of global climate action.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Volkswagen Group of America Employees Give Back With Get Involved "Summer of Service"

Sep 21, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) recently concluded its inaugural Get Involved “Summer of Service” in which more than 450 employees around the country volunteered over 1400 hours with charitable organizations in the communities where they live and work. The Summer of Service featured more than 25 different employee volunteer projects organized by seven VWGoA locations across the United States.

Education

How to Engage on the Education SDGs

Sep 21, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Reduce inequality and close the gap between rich and poor. Provide quality education for every child and decent jobs for all. These are just some of the ambitions set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs), unanimously adopted at the United Nations General Assembly Summit in September 2015. Each goal is further broken out into specific targets, 169 between them, to reach by 2030.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

National Organization on Disability Announces Winners of 2017 Leading Disability Employer Seal

Sep 21, 2017 10:35 AM ET

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) today announced 45 organizations that have been selected to receive the 2017 NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal™. Now in its second year, the Seal recognizes companies that demonstrate exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Visa Launches Online Tool to Help Connect Families to Essential Supplies in Wake of Disasters

Sep 21, 2017 10:30 AM ET

At Visa, we are committed to doing our part to get those affected by disasters back on their feet as quickly as possible. That’s why we have created the Hurricane Area Store Locator to help those impacted identify open businesses in affected areas providing necessities such as groceries, gas, hardware or lodging.

Environment

Working for the Future of Forests

Sep 21, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Much of the world is under the misconception that paper is a wasteful, environmentally irresponsible product. But the opposite is true.

Sustainable Development Goals

Ground-Breaking Report is a First Step Towards a Unified Mechanism to Help Businesses Report on Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals

Sep 21, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Business reporting on the impacts and contributions to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is set to become less complex following the launch of a new report – Business Reporting on the SDGs: An Analysis of the Goals and Targets. Developed by GRI and the United Nations Global Compact, with the support of PwC, as part of a three-year initiative established to encourage and assist corporate reporting on the SDGs, the report aligns with companies’ regular reporting cycles as they work towards their SDG objectives.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

PepsiCo Provides Hurricane Harvey Relief - 1 Million Meals

Sep 21, 2017 10:00 AM ET

To provide continuing relief to victims of Hurricane Harvey, PepsiCo and Food for Good are working closely with affected communities and local partners like the Salvation Army to provide 1 million meals.

Research, Reports & Publications

Business Reporting on the SDGs: An Analysis of the Goals and Targets Launched

Sep 21, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Launched today, the Business Reporting on the SDGs: Analysis of Goals and Targets is a ground-breaking report, and a first step towards a unified mechanism to help businesses report on contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. Developed by GRI and the United Nations Global Compact, with the support of PwC, as part of a three-year initiative established to encourage and assist corporate reporting on the SDGs, the report aligns with companies’ regular reporting cycles as they work towards their SDG objectives.

Environment

Integrated Approaches for Multifunctional Landscapes

Sep 21, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Opening the IUCN/ICRAF event ‘Integrated approaches for multifunctional landscapes: connecting LDN, biodiversity and climate change’ at the recent UNCCD summit, Ms Barbut laid out in stark terms the challenge of meeting the world’s growing demand for food.

Diversity & Inclusion

Scotiabank is Proud of its Involvement with the LGBT+ Community

Sep 21, 2017 9:45 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

In the World: The Mentor Helping Girls Reach Their Potential

Sep 21, 2017 9:35 AM ET

Rachel Scandling, Strategy and Optimisation Lead, left a career in the Royal Navy to join Barclays two years ago. She tells us about volunteering as a mentor to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds – and why she’s passionate about helping people achieve “incredible transformations”.

Education

Education Bridging the Digital Divide for Refugees in Malawi

Sep 21, 2017 9:25 AM ET

One way to empower refugees to break the cycle of poverty is by bridging the digital divide through education—and that’s where HP and Microsoft come in.

Environment

‘Worldwide 25% of Emissions Come from Transportation’

Sep 21, 2017 9:20 AM ET

“Worldwide 25 per cent of emissions come from transportation”,, said Maria Mendiluce, Managing Director - Natural Capital, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), during the ‘3rd Business and Climate Summit 2017’.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Humana Ranks No. 3 Among America’s Healthiest 100 Workplaces

Sep 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Humana has been ranked No. 3 on the list of the “Healthiest 100 Workplaces in America,” compiled by Healthiest Employers to honor companies that proactively contribute to the health of employees through the most effective and innovative cultures of well-being. It’s the second such award in a week for Humana. The company earned Gold status in the American Heart Association’s Workplace Health Achievement Index, placing the company’s comprehensive workplace health efforts among the best in the nation.

Environment

Keeping Yosemite Green: The Zero Landfill Initiative

Sep 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Over four million visitors come to Yosemite National Park every year. Between visitors and park staff we end up with nearly 2,200 tons of garbage annually. This is not the legacy anyone intends to leave behind.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Award-Winning Actress Viola Davis Continues To Join Forces With The Albertsons Companies Foundation And The Entertainment Industry Foundation To Provide Five Million More Breakfasts This Year To Children In Need

Sep 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

National Geographic Announces Winners of ‘Chasing Genius’, a Global Call for Transformational Ideas to Improve the Well-Being of Our People and Planet

Sep 21, 2017 8:35 AM ET

21st Century Fox’s National Geographic recently announced the winners of Chasing Genius, a digital community launched in June with GSK Consumer Healthcare. Nat Geo and GSK crowdsourced ideas from their audiences and chose three critical areas where transformational ideas could mobilize change and help advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals: making our planet more sustainable, improving global health, and kickstarting our ability to feed 9 billion people in the world. Nat Geo’s Emmy-nominated show, “Genius”, was a catalyst for the project’s creation—directed by Academy Award winners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, the show chronicles Albert Einstein’s life through stories about his friends, lovers, enemies, and fellow scientific luminaries.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Gildan Partners With the Word on the Street Literary Festival

Sep 20, 2017 10:00 PM ET

For the sixth year, Gildan partners with The Word On The Street, Canada's largest open-air book and magazine festival, promoting Canadian literature and the fight against illiteracy. Gildan is pleased to be a sponsor of the festival, which will be held in Toronto on September 24.