Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Education

Sodexo Concludes the 2016-2017 Edition of the President to President Series with Downloadable Collection

Jun 23, 2017 4:00 PM ET

President to President marks 2016-2017 as its 11th year as a series and the first edition of which to be published by Sodexo. Each month a leader in higher education, notable for pioneering viewpoints and practices at their institution, authors a chapter of the series; Sodexo distributes, promotes and posts each chapter on president2president.com as a resource for other university leaders and higher education professionals.

Diversity & Inclusion

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) And Lightbox Announce Partnership to Foster Diversity in Documentary Filmmaking

Jun 23, 2017 4:00 PM ET

The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) and Lightbox, a multi-platform media company focused on creating high quality non-fiction programming for film, television and digital platforms, announced they will collaborate on a new initiative to foster diversity in the feature documentary arena. Selected films will be developed and produced by Lightbox and the newly formed ABFF Films division and executive produced by ABFF Ventures CEO Jeff Friday and Lightbox co-founders Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn. The first of the ABFF’s annual Feature Documentary Competition is being co-sponsored by National Geographic and 21st Century Fox, who will fully fund the development of the selected films.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Taproot Foundation Announces the Election of DoSomething.org's Matt Holford and Kroll Bond Rating Agency's Susan Levitt to the Board of Directors

Jun 23, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Matt Holford is Chief Technology Officer at DoSomething.org, a global nonprofit with the goal of motivating young people to make positive change through impactful campaigns. He oversees the development of new tech tools utilized by the organization.

Susan Levitt is currently a Managing Director and the Head of the Issuer Relations Group at Kroll Bond Rating, where she has developed and implemented long- and short-term sales strategies since the firm’s inception in 2011. Levitt built all aspects of the business development group, and her efforts contributed to the firm’s exponential growth and the establishment of Kroll’s leadership position in the sector.

Research, Reports & Publications

Brands & Social Activism: What Do You Stand Up For?

Jun 23, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Seventy percent of Americans believe companies have an obligation to take actions to improve issues that may not be relevant to everyday business operations, according to the 2017 Cone Communications CSR Study. That means addressing some of the hot-button issues in the news today, as 78 percent of Americans believe it’s important for companies to stand up for important social justice issues. To learn more about what Americans expect, click here download the full study.

Health & Healthcare

Safety + You = Zero Harm

Jun 23, 2017 2:45 PM ET

Brigette is responsible for leading the North American Safety Team to drive our Zero Harm culture and improve the Quality of Life of our employees, clients and customers by keeping them safe. As we begin our celebration for National Safety Month in June, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on creating a workplace where safety comes first.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep America Beautiful Brings Great American Cleanup to Hometown of Stamford, CT

Jun 23, 2017 2:35 PM ET

Keep America Beautiful, in collaboration with the East Side Partnership, lived up to its call-to-action to #cleanYOURblock by conducting a Great American Cleanup event on June 20 at a number of locations in Stamford, Connecticut, home of its national headquarters.

Health & Healthcare

Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center Receives Healthcare Grant from Freeport-McMoRan Investment Fund

Jun 23, 2017 1:45 PM ET

The Freeport-McMoRan Climax Area Community Investment Fund granted $41,500 to the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center Foundation for diabetes prevention. Lake County and St. Vincent Hospital in Chaffee County, Colorado, have partnered with the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center to implement the National Diabetes Prevention Program, which is a community-based program created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Arrow Electronics Sales Team Supports Ronald McDonald House in Toronto

Jun 23, 2017 12:25 PM ET

Earlier this month, members of the Arrow Electronics Toronto-based sales team donated their time to cook and serve dinner for more than 150 people at the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) location in downtown Toronto. The Arrow team arranged the event, purchased the provisions, and prepared and served a multicourse meal to families currently calling the facility home.

Research, Reports & Publications

Caterpillar Inc.: Building Better

Jun 23, 2017 12:00 PM ET

For more than 90 years, Caterpillar’s business has been about building better — better lives, better communities and, ultimately, a better world.

Events, Media & Communications

Republic Services of Huntington Beach Sponsors Surfing Circle of Honor, Setting Guinness World Record for Largest Paddle-Out

Jun 23, 2017 11:40 AM ET

Republic Services of Huntington Beach partnered with Surf City and the International Surfing Museum this week to set the Guinness World Record for the largest paddle-out at the Huntington Beach pier. More than 525 local surfers participated, including local elected officials, community leaders, businesses and residents of all ages.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Schneider Electric Partners with Habitat for Humanity for 17th Year

Jun 23, 2017 11:15 AM ET

Schneider Electric today announced a partnership renewal with Habitat for Humanity that will help more than 20 families secure an affordable place to call home. With a cash donation of more than $725,000, Schneider Electric’s commitment to Habitat exceeds $7.5 million in 17 years of partnership.

Sustainable Development Goals

Implementing Carbon Pricing at AkzoNobel

Jun 23, 2017 11:00 AM ET

At the Paris Climate Conference in 2015 (COP 21), most countries agreed to reach net zero greenhouse emissions by the second half of this century. It is an ambitious, but achievable target. It also represents an opportunity for businesses to prepare for a low carbon future with simple determination, and by leveraging their innovation and expertise.

Diversity & Inclusion

Why Inclusion and Diversity is Good for Business

Jun 23, 2017 10:55 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Medtronic Leader Among Ireland's 25 Most Powerful Women

Jun 23, 2017 10:45 AM ET

For the third year in a row, Medtronic Vice President Bronwyn Brophy has been named among Ireland’s 25 Most Powerful Women by Ireland’s Women’s Executive Network (WXN). Brophy leads her company’s Early Technologies division for Europe, Middle East and Africa. In Ireland, the WXN is the largest network of female senior executives, managers and entrepreneurs, with over 2,500 members. Brophy was interviewed after being notified of the recognition, and asked to share more about her role and what the award means to her.

Education

Consumers Energy Foundation Sponsors Agri-Learning

Jun 23, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Don’t Miss Out on the Best Rates for the BSR Conference 2017

Jun 23, 2017 10:00 AM ET

There's only one week left to save on the leading event for collaboration and action on sustainable business. Rates for the BSR Conference 2017 go up June 30.

Social Impact & Volunteering

AEG and BET Team Up to Give Back to Los Angeles Community

Jun 23, 2017 10:00 AM ET

AEG and BET teamed up with TreePeople, an environmental non-profit organization, to provide tree care throughout Griffith Park in Los Angeles for an annual joint community service day leading up the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE and the BET Awards on Sunday, June 25 at Microsoft Theater.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact Bulletin (June 2017)

Jun 23, 2017 9:55 AM ET

The UN Global Compact Bulletin is designed to keep participants up to date on news, actions you can take, resources and events.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Civic 50: AT&T No. 1 Community-Minded Communications Company

Jun 23, 2017 9:35 AM ET

Environment

Newsletter Shines a Light on De Beers’ Conservation Projects

Jun 23, 2017 9:30 AM ET

The online Diamond Route newsletter carries a host of stories that illustrate how the company’s specialists are conserving the areas around its mines and the animals that live there.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Growing Beyond Europe, Korona Candles Lights Up U.S.

Jun 23, 2017 9:20 AM ET

Today, a new chapter is being written in Dublin, Virginia, at the company’s first production facility in the States. Back in Poland, the company started the manual production of candles with a team of about 20 workers and several basic machines. It was very labor intensive, Agnieszka Fafara, the company’s president and CEO, explained. Ignited by the desire to manufacture top-quality candles, the company invested in automation and attracted more skilled employees in the process. Korona experienced tremendous growth in its hometown, building up to 900 employees.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Going All In for the Bees in France

Jun 23, 2017 9:15 AM ET

While we’ve had a long-standing connection to the Xerces Society in the U.S., the General Mills partnership with the French Observatory of Apidology (OFA) in Southern France has taken flight over the last couple years, with more than $200,000 in grants to the organization to help it make an impact across Europe.

Sustainable Development Goals

The Circular Economy and a Low-Carbon Future

Jun 23, 2017 9:15 AM ET

All the latest World Business Council on Sustainable Development news for June 2017.

Diversity & Inclusion

Lessons for Funders Supporting LGBTQ Communities

Jun 23, 2017 9:15 AM ET

FSG’s Efrain Gutierrez recently presented in front of more than 200 grantmakers committed to LGBTQ issues in Seattle, WA, as a part of the Pacific Northwest Plenary for Funding Forward 2017, a conference organized by Funders for LGBTQ Issues (FSG is a proud member). While the session focused on supporting LGBTQ communities in the Pacific Northwest, funders in the U.S. and abroad can apply the lessons from our discussion to support LGBTQ communities more intentionally.

Environment

Florida County Successfully Tests Direct Potable Reuse

Jun 23, 2017 9:15 AM ET

In July 2016, Xylem collaborated with Tetra Tech, the WateReuse Association, and GE to design, build, and operate a pilot purification process for direct potable reuse. The process would treat reclaimed effluent wastewater to comply with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards.