Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Helping CSR Succeed in India

Mar 23, 2018 10:00 AM ET

A leading media company is using its storytelling expertise to change sanitation and hygiene behaviours of beneficiaries in Mumbai slums; a transport finance company is training men and women to become truck drivers, providing them with livelihoods opportunities; an Indian conglomerate is implementing systemic socio-economic empowerment programs in villages around its factories. These are just some examples of how companies are implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India today.

Diversity & Inclusion

Ailie MacAdam and the Biggest Construction Project in Europe

Mar 23, 2018 9:40 AM ET

Recently called Britain’s most successful female engineer by The Telegraph, as well as an inspiring role model by Construction News, MacAdam’s career includes major projects all over the globe, including Boston’s Central Artery highway and Sydney’s Metro City and Southwest Project.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Independent Bank: Making Employee Volunteer Incentives Work!

Mar 23, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Independent Bank didn’t formalize their volunteer program until mid-2013. Less than five years later, they’re enjoying high employee participation in the program. In this feature, we take a look at how they got here. Hint: one of their secrets to success is incentivizing volunteerism.

Education

Calling All K-12 Teachers: Voya Financial Offering $240,000 in Grants to Help Fund Innovative Programs

Mar 23, 2018 9:05 AM ET

In an era where teaching ideas are plentiful, but money is short, Voya Financial, Inc. wants K-12 educators across the country to know there is still time to apply for a Voya Unsung Heroes® grant for the 2018 calendar year. Any eligible educator with an innovative program idea is invited to apply by visiting the Unsung Heroes website at Voya.com/UnsungHeroes and submitting their information online by April 30, 2018.

Energy

Data is Key to New Utility Business Models

Mar 23, 2018 9:00 AM ET

As part of the Future of Energy APAC Summit 2017 hosted by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), CLP Group Chief Operating Officer Mr Derek Parkin shared his perspective on new utility business models in a panel discussion with Enel Green Power’s Head of Business Development in Asia Pacific Mr Gu-Yoon Chung and AutoGrid Systems’ Chief Executive Officer Dr Amit Narayan.

Innovation & Technology

Nat Geo Announces Winner of ‘CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation’ Challenge

Mar 23, 2018 8:45 AM ET

21st Century Fox’s National Geographic and Sprint have announced neurological physical therapist Asha Gummadi as the winner of the “CHASING GENIUS: Unlimited Innovation” challenge. Asha, who is based in Philadelphia, will receive $25,000 to pursue her vision of helping doctors to provide virtual physical therapy in developing countries. This is National Geographic’s second CHASING GENIUS digital initiative, which aims to bring together a community of active, aspirational, socially conscious consumers who want to make a positive difference in the world.

Events, Media & Communications

Renewable Energy Markets 2018 Call for Abstracts Extended Through April 5

Mar 22, 2018 9:00 PM ET

The REM 2018 Call for Abstracts has been extended two weeks—through Thursday, April 5th. Join REM 2018 as a speaker and share your ideas, insights, and predictions at the most important conference of the year for the clean energy market.

Environment

Days of Our Droplets: The Story of Water

Mar 22, 2018 8:45 PM ET

Happy World Water Day! Held annually on March 22, World Water Day is an international day centered around the importance of our freshwater resources, and brings awareness to how we manage those resources sustainably. Goldcorp’s Towards Zero Water Strategy (H2Zero) is our commitment to optimizing and reducing freshwater consumption at all our mine sites. A product of the 2016 Sustainability Summit, H2Zero is a multi-year water reduction strategy.

Education

National Geographic Unveils Free Science Education Programs Inspired by New Series “One Strange Rock”

Mar 22, 2018 8:00 PM ET

On the eve of the premiere of One Strange Rock, the thrilling 10-part documentary series exploring the conditions that create life on Earth, 21st Century Fox’s National Geographic has launched a suite of educational tools designed to bring to life some of the series’ key scientific lessons. The resources are available completely free for educators and include activities for students of all ages, including interactive online games and maps, photography, videos, slideshows, worksheets, articles, and a curriculum guide developed in collaboration with the nonprofit Journeys in Film. One Strange Rock premieres on Monday, March 26, at 10/9c on National Geographic.

Innovation & Technology

Microsoft Philanthropies Donates $1.8 million to Team Rubicon to Support Disaster Recovery

Mar 22, 2018 7:30 PM ET

Microsoft Philanthropies will provide $1.8 million in technology, services and training to power the Team Rubicon platform with a new level of data-driven intelligence and flexibility. The partnership deepens an existing relationship between Team Rubicon and Microsoft Philanthropies, which will also continue to support the organization through employee giving programs and disaster-specific grants.

Environment

Caterpillar Foundation Launches Value of Water Campaign Video for World Water Day

Mar 22, 2018 4:55 PM ET

The Caterpillar Foundation, together with its global partners, launched the Value of Water campaign to raise awareness of the value of water and the impact of the global water crisis on community health, education and economics.

Sustainable Development Goals

Clean Water for All Starts with Technology

Mar 22, 2018 4:45 PM ET

Water is tied to every aspect of our lives. Clean water and sanitation is a critical part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development agenda, and it’s uniquely tied to all 17 of its overarching goals. It drives economic growth, supports food and energy production, and is key to biodiversity, health, and social development.

Education

Simple Strategies to Transform Transdisciplinary Learning with Computational Thinking

Mar 22, 2018 4:40 PM ET

For better or worse, technology is pervasive in the workplace, school and home. All industries depend on computers to maintain our quality of life, and many tech companies continue to experiment and invest in new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) at an accelerated rate. The projected growth of unfilled STEM careers is old news to employers and educators alike as we face the facts of the future - today.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Arrow Electronics CEO Serves As Grand Marshal for National Jewish Health's Beaux Arts Bollywood Ball

Mar 22, 2018 4:30 PM ET

With support from Arrow Electronics, National Jewish Health has set a new fundraising record to support its innovative treatments for respiratory disease. Sponsored by Arrow, the hospital’s recent Beaux Arts Ball drew more than 1,200 attendees and raised $2.4 million.

Events, Media & Communications

Final Days to Save on #USCCFcircular Summit Registration!

Mar 22, 2018 4:00 PM ET

We're in the FINAL days of Early Bird pricing to attend the fourth annual Sustainability and Circular Economy Summit May 9—10 in Washington, D.C.! Register before March 30 to get the lowest rates.

Innovation & Technology

Canadian Pacific Chooses Thermo King’s New SLXi-DRC Refrigeration Unit

Mar 22, 2018 4:00 PM ET

Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP) has selected Thermo King's, a manufacturer of transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, SLXi-DRC units to fulfill its largest, single domestic reefer container (DRC) order in Canadian history. CP is the first Thermo King customer to purchase the SLXi-DRC unit in North America.

Education

March Is National Reading Month - Join RIF so All Children Have the Ability to Read and Succeed

Mar 22, 2018 4:00 PM ET

It’s a startling fact that 25 million children in the U.S. cannot read proficiently and by the fourth grade, 65% of children are reading below grade level. Literacy is an essential life skill that provides the foundation for a lifetime of opportunity. The literacy crisis is real, the impact is staggering, and the need is growing.

Environment

Barclays Analysis: Rising to the Water Challenge

Mar 22, 2018 3:50 PM ET

Innovation & Technology

How AI Is Helping Control Malaria

Mar 22, 2018 3:40 PM ET

Machine intelligence is being used to explore more effective malaria policy interventions, and to find the most cost effective ways to prevent transmission.

Diversity & Inclusion

Donor Data Shows Companies Can (and Should!) Do More to Prioritize Women's Causes

Mar 22, 2018 3:15 PM ET

Many companies brought gender equality issues to the forefront this International Women’s Day. But what’s even more interesting is that charitable giving also increased—though not in the way that you might imagine. According to Benevity data from millions of Fortune 1000 employees, there was a notable spike in donation activity on March 8, 2018, with triple the total amount donated last year. Continue reading to find out which surprising set of causes were supported.

Environment

FCA Celebrates World Water Day

Mar 22, 2018 2:00 PM ET

The 2018 World Water Day, with its theme “Nature for Water,” seeks its inspiration from Nature and explores what we can learn from it. FCA has worked to conserve this natural resource for many years, progressively reducing the water footprint of our plants, supporting projects for the recovery and protection of biodiversity, and involving our employees so that this commitment also translates into individual, concrete and daily actions.

Diversity & Inclusion

Employees Enjoy a Unique Black History Month Celebration

Mar 22, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Employees in Legg Mason’s Baltimore headquarters recently enjoyed a unique educational and cultural celebration of Black History Month featuring a performance by local artists.

Environment

USISPF Announces Launch of CEO Water Alliance on World Water Day

Mar 22, 2018 2:00 PM ET

The US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), along with Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, today launched their CEO Water Alliance (CEWA) Initiative in New Delhi, which aims to bring together CEOs and other stakeholders to address the water crisis in India and create proactive measures that will promote sustainable usage of water.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Relationships Are Power for Impact

Mar 22, 2018 2:00 PM ET

In our daily lives, it isn’t easy to remove ourselves from individual routines to truly understand what life is like elsewhere – in neighboring cities or in distant villages on the other side of the globe, like Kanari. The nonprofit buildOn’s Trek program was created to give students, donors, and volunteers a first-hand cultural experience in underserved communities abroad, and an opportunity to ‘walk in the shoes’ of a stranger.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Transparency as a Tool to End Modern Slavery

Mar 22, 2018 2:00 PM ET

For companies, identifying and preventing modern slavery is important not only for reputational risks, but also to prevent supply chain disruptions and legal consequences. GRI believes that corporate transparency can help businesses improve their methods to detect human rights abuses in their value chains, and take steps to remedy them. Read more about GRI's Corporate Leadership Group on Modern Slavery, and help us contribute to the solution.