Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Minivan Monday: Natural Product Helps Quiet the All-New Chrysler Pacifica

Aug 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Designers of the all-new minivan used a soy-based foam to keep noise from entering the passenger cabin of the Pacifica.

Environment

Xylem Watermark and Disaster Relief Impact

Aug 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Since 2008, Xylem Watermark has been committed to Disaster Relief and Risk Reduction and has worked with global nonprofit partner, Mercy Corps, to complete 28 water projects in 19 countries to deliver clean water and rebuild water infrastructure in the aftermath of water-related emergencies, as well as to secure water in vulnerable regions around the world through community engagement, disaster preparedness training, and water infrastructure monitoring and analysis.

Environment

Experts Learn How to Protect Trees AND Utility Lines

Aug 21, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Unfortunately, trees and other vegetation — if not planted in the right place — are not always compatible with our energy needs. The network that crisscrosses North America includes about 5 million miles of high-voltage distribution lines (the ones that run down our neighborhood streets), 450,000 miles of very high-voltage transmission lines largely running across the natural landscape, and 300,000 miles of underground liquid and gas pipelines. Trees growing near this enormous system can pose several problems. Kids climb trees and can be exposed to dangerous electrical lines. Tree care workers and homeowners might not know the danger that these lines pose to them as they do their daily work.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

FOX’s “Pitch” Caps a Year of Social Impact With $25,000 Equipment Donation to Local Youth Sports Program

Aug 21, 2017 8:15 AM ET

20th Century Fox Television has donated $25,000 worth of sports equipment to Sylmar Independent Baseball League, Inc. (SIBL), a nonprofit youth baseball and softball league serving communities in Los Angeles. The donation consists of gear used during the production of FOX’s drama series Pitch, which chronicled the fictional story of the first female player in the major leagues. 21st Century Fox worked with the series for nearly a year to create campaigns and forge partnerships that promote the achievements of female athletes and expand access to sports for women and girls across the country.

Research, Reports & Publications

Freeport-McMoRan Releases 2016 Working Toward Sustainable Development Report “Driven by Value”

Aug 21, 2017 5:00 AM ET

Freeport-McMoRan is a leading international mining company with headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The company’s mineral resources are the building blocks of infrastructure and critical elements of progress for the modern world. Freeport-McMoRan believes responsible management and strong partnerships create value and contribute to sustainable development.

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Story About the Rising Concern of Malaria That Resists Treatment

Aug 18, 2017 7:40 PM ET

In Kenya, about three-quarters of the population is at risk for malaria, and all four species of the malaria parasite that infect humans occur in the country. Although there has been substantial progress, malaria remains the leading cause of mortality in Kenya, killing an estimated 30,000 people every year, most of them children under 5 years old.

Diversity & Inclusion

North Face Pushes for Inclusivity in the Outdoors

Aug 18, 2017 7:10 PM ET

Over the past few years, industry-leader REI has sparked movements focused on getting people outside during Black Friday and advancing gender equality in the outdoors through campaigns like #OptOutside and Force of Nature. Now, another outdoor company is gearing up to add a new dimension to level nature’s playing field.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Discovery Communications Employees Shine on Impact Day and Beyond

Aug 18, 2017 5:15 PM ET

Discovery Communications held their annual Impact Day on June 16, 2017. Over 4,000 Discovery employees across 60 offices in 37 different countries completed nearly 200 service projects. In this post, Laurel Schepp, Manager, Corporate Relations at Discovery, discusses the planning that goes into Impact Day, how they align the day with business goals, and what makes their overall volunteer program shine.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sodexo Pledges $650,000 to Scholarship Assistance for Employees and Their Dependents

Aug 18, 2017 3:45 PM ET

Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services and the University’s partner in facilities management, has made a gift commitment to WKU to establish the Sodexo Scholarship Fund to support their employees, as well as their dependents, in the pursuit of higher education at any campus of WKU.

Events, Media & Communications

Living Future unConference Call for Proposals Closes Monday, August 21st

Aug 18, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

Promoting Alcohol Responsibility

Aug 18, 2017 2:30 PM ET

At Brown-Forman, alcohol responsibility starts with our marketing and continues through our sales process. We want our brands to be a positive influence, encouraging customers and consumers to have a positive experience with them.

Health & Healthcare

Malaria Fighter Rides Bicycle into Battle with Disease, Story from Novartis

Aug 18, 2017 1:50 PM ET

Healthcare worker Dismus Mwalukwanda is on the front line of the battle against malaria. Saving lives is his priority

Dismus Mwalukwanda works on the front line of the battle against malaria, one of the world’s deadliest diseases. He’s a community healthcare worker responsible for testing and treating patients in a remote part of rural Zambia, as well as teaching people how to combat the illness.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Arrow Electronics’ Innovation Paces Para-Athlete Ride at Colorado Classic

Aug 18, 2017 12:15 PM ET

Environment

How to Stay the Course Toward A Low Carbon Future: Three Effective Corporate Strategies

Aug 18, 2017 12:15 PM ET

Despite contemporary obstacles on the road to climate action, companies, non-profits and cities recognize addressing climate change is important and are continuing their work to achieve climate success. Holly Emerson, Ingersoll Rand senior sustainability analyst, shares 3 strategies to help businesses achieve a low-carbon future. She recommends establishing a long-term climate commitment, empowering customers to reduce their carbon footprints and encouraging authentic employee engagement.

Events, Media & Communications

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Best Practices

Aug 18, 2017 12:00 PM ET

PNC has invested $350 million in Grow Up Great, a multi-year, bilingual initiative that provides leadership, advocacy, funding, tools and volunteers to help parents, caregivers and communities prepare young children for success in school and life.

Environment

Texas Trees Foundation Announces New Dallas Urban Heat Island Effect Report and Findings, Sponsored by Alliance Data and Wells Fargo

Aug 18, 2017 11:45 AM ET

Texas Trees Foundation (“Texas Trees”) announced findings from the 2017 Dallas Urban Heat Island Effect report, a year-long study of the impacts and implications of air temperatures at the neighborhood level. Most notable among them: Dallas is heating up faster than every city in the country except for Phoenix.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Twenty Years Of The Global Reporting Initiative: Interview With CEO Tim Mohin

Aug 18, 2017 11:00 AM ET

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an independent body that has pioneered sustainability reporting from a niche practice to one now adopted by organizations around the world. Read what GRI's Chief Executive Tim Mohin has to say about the growth of sustainability reporting, the importance of transparency, competition between reporting methods and his hopes for his own legacy.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Carrier Donates More Than 500 Air Conditioning and Heating Systems to Habitat for Humanity

Aug 18, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Carrier has teamed up with pro football legend and longtime Habitat supporter, Warrick Dunn, in Atlanta to celebrate the donation. For 20 years, Dunn’s Home for the Holidays program has provided single mothers working toward their first home purchase with financial assistance. He began the program in honor of his late mother, a Louisiana police officer killed in the line of duty.

Energy

Green Mountain Energy Rewind: Celebrating 20 Years

Aug 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Health & Healthcare

VIDEO: AT&T and Aira Explorer Help Visually Impaired Experience Solar Eclipse

Aug 18, 2017 10:00 AM ET

On Aug. 21, people across the U.S. will step outside and experience one of nature’s most visual phenomenons – a total solar eclipse.

The start-up Aira came to the Connected Health AT&T Foundry to improve wireless connectivity for their groundbreaking platform.

Health & Healthcare

Top 5 Takeaways from the Mind #WELLography

Aug 18, 2017 9:50 AM ET

Technology may be advancing every day, but nothing compares to the high-speed power of the human brain. We are a long way from creating a single piece of technology that can control your breath and heartbeat 24/7, keep your body humming along while you are deep in sleep, allow you to simultaneously answer email while watching Netflix, help you stay balanced during yoga class, navigate the NYC subway without ever pulling out a map, and experience the pure joy of a beautiful summer day. That’s an impressive to-do list, not to mention it just barely skims the surface of our brain’s capabilities. Well done, brain.

Sustainable Development Goals

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals Drive Focus and Purpose

Aug 18, 2017 9:30 AM ET

On September 25th 2015, 193 countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved by 2030. For the goals to be achieved, everyone from government, the private sector, and civil society need to do their part.

Social Impact & Volunteering

In the World: Supporting Survivors of the Japanese Earthquake

Aug 18, 2017 9:05 AM ET

I joined Barclays in 2010 on their graduate scheme and now work in the Tokyo office as an Analyst. My job is to support our sales team who mainly deal with structured Barclays products. I first started volunteering after the Tohoku disaster in 2011, when my colleagues and I organised a trip to Otsuchi town to help with the relief effort. Although there were many people who wanted to assist, at the time there was not a lot of organised support.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Towards a Circular Economy to #MoveTheDate

Aug 18, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Across the globe, about 50 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are tied to materials. The United Nations, for example, estimates that in 41.8 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste there is 16 Mt of iron, 1.9 Mt of copper and 300 tonnes of gold, plus other precious metals such as palladium, with a combined value of $52 billion. Therefore, the transition to a circular economy not only contributes to climate action, but can have significant economic benefits as well.

Environment

VIDEO | Sands ECO360: Las Vegas Sands' Global Sustainability Program

Aug 18, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Las Vegas Sands’ responsibility to the planet is as important to us as our commitment to the comfort and well-being of our guests and Team Members. The Sands ECO360 Global Sustainability strategy is designed to help minimize our environmental impact, and it reflects our vision to lead the way in sustainable building development and resort operations.