Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Environment

Flipping the Ship: A New Life for Decommissioned Vessels

Oct 12, 2017 10:00 AM ET

The saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” rings true, particularly when it comes to old ships that have been abandoned or fallen into disuse. Around the world, out-of-service vessels are being repurposed and transformed into thriving restaurants, hotels, museums and other waterfront attractions.

Sure, saving aging ships from the scrap yard eliminates seaside eyesores, but it’s also good for the environment. Derelict, rusted-out hunks of steel floating in oceans can be hazardous, wreaking havoc on marine life and coastal habitats, ultimately disrupting the ecosystem and posing threats to natural resources.

Events, Media & Communications

5 Reasons Your Colleagues Attend the BSR Conference

Oct 12, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Year after year, participants join BSR for one of the most important global gatherings for sustainable business. Here’s why.

Health & Healthcare

Wellness at Whirlpool

Oct 12, 2017 9:55 AM ET

When Cynthia Small was hired to work at Whirlpool Corp. as a nurse practitioner, the idea of having a health professional on-site was a relatively new idea for the appliance maker.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Cycling the Crossroads of the World with Cycle for Survival

Oct 12, 2017 9:45 AM ET

Times Square – the heavily nicknamed Crossroads of the World, Center of the Universe, or Heart of the World (among others) – draws an estimated 50 million annual visitors; more than 300,000 pedestrians pass through daily. It is also home to a pair of towers where Viacom keeps offices.

This bustling pedestrian and entertainment center provides the perfect backdrop for an annual Times Square Takeover by Cycle for Survival, the movement to beat rare cancers that is led by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

Earlier this year, I joined the battle alongside 60 employees across 23 departments in Viacom’s New York, Hollywood, and Paramount Pictures offices by participating in Cycle for Survival’s 11th year of rides.

Innovation & Technology

Unreasonable Impact | How Agrivi Is Using Technology to Empower Farmers Across the Globe

Oct 12, 2017 9:40 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

De Beers Mine Sets up Business Incubator

Oct 12, 2017 9:25 AM ET

The programme, run by the specialist mentoring and training company TrioPlus, will provide support to 40 businesses or entrepreneurs – 20 each from Blouberg and Musina. It kicked off in August with two workshops targeting existing and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Englewood Square Celebrates 1st Year: 'We Are Growing Something Good'

Oct 12, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Whole Foods and Englewood Square marked its first anniversary in Englewood Monday with a big celebration featuring the mayor, aldermen and local entrepreneurs.

“It’s a good day for me,” said Ald. Toni Foulkes (16th). “I’ve been walking these streets since I was seven.”

“I know that JoAnn is watching,” Foulkes said about the late Ald. JoAnn Thompson (16th), who had the vision for Englewood Square.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact Bulletin (October 2017)

Oct 12, 2017 9:15 AM ET

The UN Global Compact Bulletin is designed to keep participants up to date on news, actions you can take, resources and events. Participants are encouraged to look to this monthly communication for important information. Please note that actions and events are intended for Global Compact stakeholders, unless otherwise indicated. The Bulletin is published in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.

Environment

Tetra Tech Participates in Imagine a Day Without Water Campaign to Raise Awareness about the Value of Water

Oct 12, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Tetra Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTEK) is participating in the third annual Imagine a Day Without Water, a day of education and advocacy sponsored by the Value of Water Campaign. Tetra Tech is among hundreds of organizations that are raising awareness about the importance of water in daily life and the crucial need for investment in water infrastructure to ensure that no community is left without safe and reliable water.

Environment

Koreatown Youth & Community Center and DoubleTree by Hilton Host Community Tree Planting in Celebration of NeighborWoods® Month

Oct 12, 2017 8:00 AM ET

Koreatown Youth & Community Center, a member of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Alliance for Community Trees program, is partnering with DoubleTree by Hilton, one of Hilton’s 14 world-class brands, to plant 45 trees to beautify the historic Pico Union neighborhood next to downtown Los Angeles. The event will help raise Pico Union’s tree canopy, which is more than 10 percent lower than the national average.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Winner of 21st Century Fox’s “Earth in Focus” Employee Photography Contest Takes Once in a Lifetime Nat Geo Trip to the Galápagos Islands

Oct 11, 2017 8:45 PM ET

To celebrate Earth Month this past April, 21st Century Fox invited colleagues to take part in a unique photography competition in partnership with 21CF’s National Geographic on their Your Shot platform. The contest, judged by a Nat Geo photo editor, enoucraged 21CF colleagues around the world to submit their best nature photography and shots of action against climate change for a chance to win a free National Geographic Expedition trip, well as runner-up prizes of GoPro and Canon PowerShot cameras.

Diversity & Inclusion

International Day of the Girl | 3 Dell Daughters Changing the World

Oct 11, 2017 5:25 PM ET

It’s International Day of the Girl, the official day to celebrate Girl Power! And I’m not just talking about blasting Beyoncé’s “Who Run the World” in the car on the way to work. This day is about acknowledging the challenges girls face globally as well as heroes empowering girls to greatness.

Environment

Bloomberg Announces $64 Million in New Funding to Move America Beyond Coal as Trump EPA Tries to Prop up Dead End Fuel Source

Oct 11, 2017 5:20 PM ET

One day after the Trump Administration formally announced its plans to rescind the Clean Power Plan, the Obama Administration’s climate change policy that has been held up in federal court, Michael R. Bloomberg announced a new commitment of $64 million to support the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign and other organizations working to advance the U.S. clean energy market at the state and local level. Pollution from coal-fired power plants is the largest source of carbon emissions and kills 7,500 Americans annually, down from 13,000 when the Beyond Coal campaign began expanding in 2011 through support from Bloomberg.

Research, Reports & Publications

CECP Joins NACD in Call to Board of Directors to Elevate Dialogue on Corporate Culture

Oct 11, 2017 5:15 PM ET

“Leadership is about establishing a long-term vision and setting a course to achieve it,” said CECP CEO Daryl Brewster, who also served on The NACD 2017 Blue Ribbon Commission that issued the report. “We have read the headlines about companies whose culture is driving business performance and those whose culture is destroying value. The insights in this report make it clear that today’s Directors must understand and engage in a company’s culture.”

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

2017 Canadian Business Excellence Award Winner to Link Design Thinking to Corporate Impact in Community (November 2-3, 2017)

Oct 11, 2017 5:00 PM ET

Brock Hart, Founder & CEO of Overlap Associates, and a 2017 Canadian Business Excellence award recipient, will speak to "The Possibilities of Human-Centered Design" at the upcoming Toronto conference Inside Out: A Transformative Approach to Community Investment.

Innovation & Technology

Boeing, Liquid Robotics Build Solar-Powered, Autonomous Marine Glider

Oct 11, 2017 4:45 PM ET

An autonomous ocean vehicle manufactured in Australia and powered by the sun and waves is helping oceanographers monitor the Great Barrier Reef.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

JetBlue Partners with Three Budding New York Companies for Third Installment of Its BlueBud Business Mentoring Program

Oct 11, 2017 4:15 PM ET

JetBlue, New York’s Hometown Airline®, recently announced the winners selected to participate in its third annual BlueBud (buddies + budding new companies) business mentoring program. In celebration of the third round of the BlueBud program, JetBlue has selected three food and beverage brands from New York.

This year’s winners merge food and beverage with social impact. Toast Ale is a Bronx-based brewery that is reducing food waste by using surplus bread to make craft beer. Barber Farm Distillery is family owned, making craft vodka from potatoes grown on their farm. Luv Michael is a non-profit that produces nut-free gluten free granola made by workers on the autism spectrum.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

State Farm and Habitat Mark 10 Years of Partnership

Oct 11, 2017 4:00 PM ET

State Farm is kicking off several employee builds during the month of October to celebrate 10 years of partnering with Habitat for Humanity.

More than 400 State Farm employees in the company's hub locations of Dallas, Phoenix and Atlanta will build alongside four families in need of affordable housing. The employee volunteers will contribute to the revitalization of a historic neighborhood and help complete a Habitat town home community.

Social Impact & Volunteering

A South Bronx Sodexo Summer

Oct 11, 2017 3:10 PM ET

Now that I’m well into back-to-school mode and looking towards the future, I can’t help but reflect on our amazing South Bronx Sodexo Summer. A summer when twenty children from the largest stretch of public housing in the poorest congressional district in America chose to come together to:

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Houston Resident Uses Volunteer Coordination Experience, Tech Skills to Help After Hurricane Harvey

Oct 11, 2017 3:00 PM ET

When Ronnie Devries realized how many Houston residents were in need following the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, he knew he could help. With experience as the volunteer coordinator for TXRX Labs, a local nonprofit “hackerspace,” Ronnie helped create a makeshift command center at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center – which quickly became a shelter for thousands of residents displaced by the storm. Working overnight, he helped set up a system for volunteer coordination to ensure volunteers were matched with all aspects of shelter operations.

Diversity & Inclusion

[Video] Scotiabank’s Colpatria Celebrates International Day of the Girl! CEO Takeover Through Plan International’s “Girls Belong Here” Campaign

Oct 11, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Young people are our future leaders and it is crucial to provide them with the skills and resources they need to succeed. In honour of the International Day of the Girl today on October 11th and in partnership with Plan International’s “Girls Belong Here” campaign, Scotiabank’s Colombian subsidiary, Banco Colpartria welcomed Sindy Mosquera as “CEO” for the day on October 2nd.

Responsible Production & Consumption

On Track to Sustainably Source Oats

Oct 11, 2017 2:45 PM ET

Our beloved Cheerios were named Cheeri-Oats when they launched in 1941. So you know that oats have been at the core of our business for a long time. Dating back to 1928, in fact.

Today, nearly four years into our commitment to sustainably source our ingredients, we are well on our way – particularly with oats.

As a global food company, our business depends on quality ingredients being grown and available to us every year. We see the ingredients we buy as a way to be transparent about where and how crops for General Mills foods are grown. So, in 2013, we set out to sustainably source 100 percent of our ten priority ingredients by 2020.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

New CITGO Program Will Help Rebuild Following Devastating Hurricane Season

Oct 11, 2017 2:15 PM ET

CITGO Petroleum Corporation announced its Fueling Good. Rebuilding Lives. initiative today, which will contribute a percentage of CITGO gas station purchases at the pump to long-term recovery in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. For the next three months, 1 cent from every gallon of CITGO fuel purchased - up to $8 million - will be donated to qualified organizations that are helping local communities rebuild after the devastating impact of these natural disasters.

Events, Media & Communications

What Are Employee Donors Really Interested In? Oct. 24th Webinar to Unveil New Research!

Oct 11, 2017 2:05 PM ET

We spoke to more than 1,500 employee donors to find out what they expect from their employers, the charities they support, and from workplace giving programs in general. Join America's Charities’ free webinar on October 24th at 2 PM EST as we unveil our groundbreaking new research, Snapshot 2017: What Employees Think about Workplace Giving, Volunteering, and CSR.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Republic Services Beyond the Blue | And the Award goes to...

Oct 11, 2017 2:00 PM ET

We get that what we do — collecting waste, hauling and disposing of rubbish and sorting through recyclables is not glamorous work. We do not expect to see it portrayed on the big screen. But, it’s something we excel at — we’re increasingly recognized for doing it with pride and differentiation. We’re not just talking trash. We’re living our values every day.