Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

KeyBank Arranges $18.2 Million in Total Financing to Preserve Affordable Housing in Troy, NY

Mar 27, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

America Just Got Its First Fair Trade Certified Farm

Mar 27, 2017 5:00 PM ET

With National Farmworker Awareness Week running March 24-31, ending on Cesar Chavez Day, we'd like to take a moment to recognize the many farmerworkers who feed us daily. And this year, Cesar Chavez Day and Farmworker Awareness Week arrive at an especially exciting time: Wholesum’s Amado farm is the first produce farm in America to become Fair Trade Certified™.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Celebrating Farmworkers Through Simple Purchases

Mar 27, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of our daily diet. They provide us with nutrients, reduce our risk of certain diseases, and they taste delicious!

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool Corporation EMEA Together with the Civil Protection Dept. Donate 10 “Laundry” Containers to Earthquake Stricken Families in Central Italy

Mar 27, 2017 4:45 PM ET

Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool Corporation Europe, Middle East & Africa have teamed up to support communities hit by the earthquake in central Italy.

Environment

Combating Pollution with Bioswales

Mar 27, 2017 4:15 PM ET

Last week, The Ray and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) installed five to ten acres of native grasses and pollinator plant seeds in the median and northbound lane gore area of Exit 6 on I-85 near LaGrange, Georgia

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Eastern Bank Joins Influential Sustainability Group to Help Advance Clean Energy Economy

Mar 27, 2017 3:20 PM ET

The nonprofit sustainability organization Ceres announced today that Eastern Bank has joined the Ceres Company Network. The Ceres board of directors approved the mutual bank’s membership in February 2017.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Good News about the Proposed PA State Budget for Intellectual Disability and Autism Services

Mar 27, 2017 3:10 PM ET

Pennsylvania's proposed budget includes critical funding for autism and intellectual disability services, affecting both people with disability and the people who support them.

Diversity & Inclusion

Northern Trust London Office Signs Women in Finance Charter

Mar 27, 2017 3:05 PM ET

Delighted to announce that our London office has officially signed the Women in Finance Charter run by HM Treasury, whose plan is to increase female representation in leadership positions and tackle gender inequality in financial services.

Environment

Videos: Nestle Waters' Nelson Switzer on World Water Day

Mar 27, 2017 3:00 PM ET

During the segments, Nestle Waters Chief Sustainability Officer Nelson Switzer discusses the company's focus on protecting national resources, as well as the importance of clean water access. He also discussed key water partnerships, including the company's work with Imagine H20, Project WET, and Keep America Beautiful.

Diversity & Inclusion

Driving Gender Equality by Advocating for Women Leaders

Mar 27, 2017 2:45 PM ET

Gender equality in the workplace isn’t just a women’s issue. Male leaders can drive gender equality in executive leadership roles by proactively advocating for female leaders in their organizations.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Timberland Addresses Future Sustainability Leaders at Patagonia’s Worn Wear College Tour

Mar 27, 2017 2:30 PM ET

Last week, global outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland joined a panel discussion as part of Patagonia’s Worn Wear College Tour, hosted at the University of New Hampshire in collaboration with the UNH Sustainability Institute.

Media & Communications

Arrow Electronics’ Carol Baroudi Honored for Top Blog

Mar 27, 2017 2:30 PM ET

Arrow Electronics’ sustainability and compliance expert Carol Baroudi was named a finalist in the Blog category at the 2017 PR News CSR Awards last week in Washington, D.C. Carol publishes timely and thought-provoking content on a dedicated blog for Arrow’s value recovery business.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Baltimore Utility Chief Emphasizes CSR Following Freddy Gray Death

Mar 27, 2017 1:15 PM ET

Freddy Gray’s death while in the custody of Baltimore police pushed the riot-torn city’s only African America big company CEO into action, emphasizing corporate social responsibility to heal the scab that had been ripped off the community”

Baltimore Gas & Electric chief Calvin G. Butler Jr. said the 2015 death and racial strife pushed the 200-year-old utility to use the power of procurement in partnership with service providers and nonprofits to hire and train more people from inner city neighborhoods.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Agribusiness and Food Companies Join Forces to Address Hunger and Nutrition Crisis in East Africa

Mar 27, 2017 12:25 PM ET

The companies will contribute a combined $525,000 to help the World Food Programme (WFP)—the world’s leading humanitarian agency fighting global hunger—reach tens of thousands of families in East Africa.

Energy

Red Wing Shoe Company Embarks on 25-Year Solar Energy Partnership with NRG

Mar 27, 2017 12:15 PM ET

When complete, the NRG Community Solar projects Red Wing is subscribed to will ultimately prevent 66,218 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the environment — equivalent to eliminating 7.4 million consumed gallons of gasoline or 3,000 garbage trucks of landfill waste.

Diversity & Inclusion

Meet Erin Schneider, Economic Development Director

Mar 27, 2017 12:15 PM ET

We’re celebrating Women’s History Month this March by introducing you to 10 women who help power your life at Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas. They advance our company with their vision, talent, hard work and creativity. These trailblazing women – including a nuclear engineer, astrophysicist and lineman – reveal inspiring stories of persistence, pluck and achievement in largely male-dominated fields. A diverse workplace isn’t just a nice idea, it’s a competitive necessity. Today, meet Erin Schneider, a director of economic development based in Indiana.

Health & Healthcare

Creating a Blueprint for Eliminating Trachoma

Mar 27, 2017 12:00 PM ET

After more than six decades of fighting the spread of trachoma in Morocco, on November 14, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged that the Moroccan government eliminated the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness as a public health problem.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Vehicle Scrap finds NEW Life at Flint Training Center

Mar 27, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Leftover scrap sound-deadening material that insulates a variety of Chevrolet engines is now insulating the walls of the NEW Life Center, a jobs development and training facility in Flint, Michigan.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Habitat for Humanity and the New York Mets Slide into Home

Mar 27, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Coming “home” will have a different meaning for the New York Mets as they kick off the baseball season on April 3.

Education

CITGO Lemont Refinery Hosts STEM Workshop for Area Teachers and Students

Mar 27, 2017 10:30 AM ET

As a part of the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline Initiative, last month the Lemont Refinery partnered with The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project to host an all-day learning workshop for STEM teachers and their students at the Lemont Township Community Center. A total of 10 teachers and 29 middle and high school students attended the CITGO Energy Workshop – representing school districts from the towns of Crest Hill, Lemont and Romeoville.

Environment

First Steps for Corporate Zero Waste

Mar 27, 2017 10:25 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

#WomensHistoryMonth at Cox Enterprises: Get to Know Mary Robert

Mar 27, 2017 10:25 AM ET

In celebration of Women's History Month, female leaders from across Cox Enterprises are sharing insights from their experience throughout the month of March. Mary Robert is Cox Media Group’s vice president of human resources.

Health & Healthcare

Employee Wellness in the Open Office: How Layout Trends Affect the Spread of Germs

Mar 27, 2017 10:20 AM ET

While an open environment can boost morale and creativity, there are new challenges that come with open floor plans. Closer physical contact between office workers means more exposure to germs. If an open floor plan encourages the spread of ideas, the same can go for the spread of illnesses.

Innovation & Technology

It Takes Two (or Sometimes Three) to Make a Thing Go Right

Mar 27, 2017 10:10 AM ET

We also get asked this question A LOT: “How do you do it? How do you get companies, NGOs, and government agencies to work together?” So, we decided to stop simply talking about the power of partnership – now we are teaching it, too. With experience designing and implementing partnerships in more than 90 countries, working with more than 30 multinational corporations, and over 28,000 local businesses, NGOs, government agencies, and educational institutions, we’ve learned a thing or two about getting very different collaborators to agree on mutually beneficial goals.

Social Impact & Volunteering

CSX and Action for Healthy Kids Launch Applications for School Grants for Healthy Kids

Mar 27, 2017 10:00 AM ET

In 2013, CSX joined forces with Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), a nationwide nonprofit mobilizing school professionals, families and communities to take steps towards sound nutrition and physical activity. Since then, CSX has helped more than 1,300 schools across the country implement health and wellness initiatives that get students – and teachers and parents – moving outdoors and indoors and eating healthfully.