Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

How Data Science Can Be Applied to Solve Public Interest Problems Without Losing Its Soul

Jan 30, 2018 11:10 AM ET

Data science has had a tremendous impact in the private sector and is increasingly being applied in the public sector. The Data for Good Exchange (D4GX) is an annual conference centered on these novel problems and applications. This article describes the history of the conference and introduces a selection of the best papers from the 2017 conference that focus on human services.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VIDEO: Feeding Better Futures Seeks Young Innovators

Jan 30, 2018 11:00 AM ET

The global population is rising, and our current food system simply isn't equipped to handle it. We're solving the food accessibility problems of today and tomorrow with help and ideas from amazing young people — like you.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Guest Post: Timberland Shares Best Practices and Lessons Learned at Corporate Service Council Meeting in Atlanta

Jan 30, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend and participate in the 2018 Points of Light Corporate Service Council (CSC) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Those of us who arrived on Sunday January 14th were invited to the Annual Martin Luther King Sunday Supper, which encourages corporate and civic leaders to break bread and barriers by having open conversations about topics currently affecting their community.

Green Infrastructure

From Davos to Hong Kong: Sustainable Transportation Systems Around the World

Jan 30, 2018 10:45 AM ET

As business leaders and heads of state congregate at Davos for the 2018 World Economic Forum to explore solutions to the world’s biggest challenges, they will come across an innovative new way to get around town—public bus transportation.

The TOSA bus, developed by ABB, a Swiss technology company, isn’t just any bus; it’s an electric bus that can recharge its batteries in as little as 20 seconds by linking up to overhead flash-charging points as it makes stops along its route.

The TOSA bus is the latest in new public transportation initiatives in several cities worldwide that are incorporating sustainable technologies to deal with rapid population growth, climate change, and aging infrastructure.

Environment

New Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals Expected by July 2018

Jan 30, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Read Antea Group’s summary of the EPA’s proposed final rule for hazardous waste pharmaceuticals in July 2018 and find out how we can assist you.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The Trap of #Workfomo

Jan 30, 2018 10:10 AM ET

One thing I spend a lot of time thinking about is the future. That’s one big part of my job, and I default to it because it’s the part that I like the most. I’ve also found success in that space. The details of how it all gets done are important. I can wade through them when forced, but ask anyone who knows me and they can probably mimic a face I’d make when you start talking about details. However, this year I was especially keen on seeing us really dig deeper into the details. Somewhere between late November and early January, I landed on what was going to be my “stand” for 2018, double down.

Health & Healthcare

The Soul of Sustainability and the Opioid Epidemic

Jan 30, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Where to find the soul of sustainability and why it is critical to being empathetic and compassionate in your work. The opioid epidemic requires all hands on deck regardless of your race, income, or profession.

Social Impact & Volunteering

KeyBank Offers Free Tax Preparation Services at Nine Super Refund Saturday Events on February 3

Jan 30, 2018 10:00 AM ET

KeyBank will host its annual Super Refund Saturday event on February 3, 2018, partnering with organizations in nine communities to provide free tax season and post-tax season support. For 13 years on Super Refund Saturday, KeyBank employees have worked alongside volunteers from community organizations to provide free tax preparation services to those who need it most, helping low- to moderate-income individuals and families determine their eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Media & Communications

AT&T HELLO LAB Mentorship Program Premieres 5 Short Films on DIRECTV NOW

Jan 30, 2018 9:30 AM ET

January is National Mentoring Month, a month dedicated to promoting and encouraging youth mentoring across the country. We know that when mentors connect to young people, both are changed for the better. In fact, more than one in three students at risk of not graduating from high school grow up without an adult mentor in their life.

Environment

As Environmentalists Warn About Water Scarcity, Pepsico Is Saving Water and Money

Jan 30, 2018 9:00 AM ET

PepsiCo produces many types of beverages — including Gatorade — as well as several kinds of chips like Cheetos, Ruffles and Tostitos. At a massive Gatorade facility in the city of Tolleson, Arizona, which is just outside of Phoenix, bottling lines fill up 600 containers per minute. “We’re doing grape, we’re doing fruit punch, we’re doing lemon-lime,” says Tim Carey, who directs sustainability programs for PepsiCo Beverages in North America. Carey says the company started investing in water efficiency four years ago in water-scarce Arizona. Since then, they’ve seen a 24 percent improvement at the facility.

Education

Investing in Young People: A Winning Idea: Promoting Financial Literacy

Jan 30, 2018 8:35 AM ET

Environment

De Beers' Group's Senior Ecology Manager Piet Oosthuizen Explains Why He Has the Best Job in the World

Jan 30, 2018 8:30 AM ET

Since I started in 1989, I was involved with the mine’s wildlife clubs, where I developed a good sense for something that very soon became a passion.

Responsible Production & Consumption

UN Recognition for British American Tobacco’s Programme to Inspire a New Generation of Farmers in Brazil

Jan 30, 2018 8:25 AM ET

BAT’s Novos Rurais programme in Brazil, which is run by the company’s Souza Cruz Institute, provides entrepreneurial training and opportunities for young people to receive financial support for setting up new agricultural businesses.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

National Recognition for Boeing's Environmental Leadership in South Carolina

Jan 30, 2018 8:00 AM ET

A transformative wildlife protection initiative in South Carolina, spearheaded by Boeing in partnership with government and private sector agencies, has earned the highest level of conservation certification from the U.S. Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) and is leading the way for similar efforts from other corporations in the state.

Education

Tiger Woods Foundation and Discovery Education Promote Student Exploration of Innovative Careers in Tech

Jan 30, 2018 8:00 AM ET

The Tiger Woods Foundation (TWF) and Discovery Education – the leading provider of digital education content and professional development for K-12 classrooms – have collaborated to captivate students, empower teachers and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CITGO Raises More Than $65,000 for Local Community Programs with 2017 Spirit Pump Initiative

Jan 30, 2018 8:00 AM ET

CITGO Petroleum Corporation, along with its Marketers and Retailers, raised more than $65,000 in 2017 through the installation of “Spirit Pumps” at participating CITGO stations across 29 states.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CITGO and Rebuilding Together Houston Partnership Targets Hurricane Harvey Recovery

Jan 30, 2018 6:00 AM ET

CITGO Petroleum Corporation is donating up to $6 Million to Rebuilding Together Houston with an immediate goal of repairing up to 300 homes in Houston.

Sustainable Development Goals

Activating the SDGs Into Business Operations

Jan 30, 2018 4:30 AM ET

If the Sustainable Development Goals are to be met, business will have to play a major role. But how can companies go about integrating the SDGs into their own business operations?

Education

Major League Baseball Players Team With Medicines for Humanity to Distribute Toys in the Dominican Republic

Jan 29, 2018 6:55 PM ET

All-stars Robinson Cano, of the Seattle Mariners, and Miguel Sano, of the Minnesota Twins, recently visited 16 impoverished Dominican Republic communities where they distributed thousands of toys to children. It was the fourth straight season that Cano, along with his RC22 Foundation, has collaborated on a tour with Medicines for Humanity, a non-profit organization that partners with the Players Trust to provide critically needed health services to at risk children and pregnant women in “batey” communities, which are remote villages that developed around now largely abandoned sugar plantations and have never had adequate infrastructure or health services.

Events, Media & Communications

Final Week to Save 20% on Registration for IWD 2018!

Jan 29, 2018 6:15 PM ET

Join more than 300 private and public stakeholders March 6—7 in Washington, D.C. to discuss how together, through combining resources, skills, and expertise, we can achieve greater sustainability and impact. Gender equality is in reach, but it can only be realized through collaboration.

Energy

Green Charge Is Now ENGIE Storage

Jan 29, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Green Charge is proud to announce our name change to ENGIE Storage. While our name is changing, our mission to power the world efficiently and sustainably with energy storage is the same, and we think better accomplished as a part of ENGIE.

Environment

Insights From Indonesia: Protecting Our Coral Reefs

Jan 29, 2018 3:55 PM ET

Our oceans program, like all of our work at Bloomberg Philanthropies, aims to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. So it’s good news that the United Nations International Coral Reef Initiative has declared 2018 the International Year of the Reef. Coral reefs are home to one in every four fish in the ocean, and are a critical backbone of ocean ecosystems. Unfortunately, climate change threatens to destroy 90 percent of reefs in the next three decades.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Catalyzing Supplier Climate Action in the IT Industry

Jan 29, 2018 3:30 PM ET

Companies leading on climate action are driving impact beyond their own business operations by leveraging their purchasing power to drive low-carbon strategies and engagement throughout the supply chain. To recognize these global leaders, CDP, the non-profit environmental disclosure platform, has this week released the second annual Supplier Engagement leaderboard.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Healthy Pigs Improve Pork Sustainability

Jan 29, 2018 2:35 PM ET

In 1989 – just 30 years ago – the U.S. had to import pork in order to meet the growing demand from American consumers. Today, not only are hog farmers producing enough to meet domestic demand, nearly 26 percent of the pork produced in the U.S. is exported to more than 100 countries.

Responsible Production & Consumption

After the Gold: Decommissioning and the Cyanide Code

Jan 29, 2018 1:00 PM ET

In 2017, Goldcorp’s Marlin gold mine in Guatemala became the second gold mining operation audited to verify that cyanide facilities had been decommissioned and that the International Cyanide Management Code (Cyanide Code) no longer applies to the operation. The first, Goldcorp’s El Sauzal mine in Mexico, was decommissioned in 2015.