Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Two Families Adopt Group of Siblings, Vow to Keep Children Connected

Jul 10, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Keeping sibling groups together is at the core of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s mission. The Foundation works to dramatically increase the number of adoptions from foster care and our adoption recruiters focus on older children, sibling groups and children with special needs. Keeping brothers and sisters together is paramount to a sense of family.

Education

Minority Middle School Male Students Get a Jump Start through Verizon Innovative Learning

Jul 10, 2017 10:10 AM ET

This summer, thousands of minority middle school boys in 16 cities nationwide will head to college campuses to learn skills like mobile app development, 3D design, creating and flying drones, and developing virtual reality and augmented reality experiences as a part of Verizon Innovative Learning.

Environment

AkzoNobel Helping to Save the Brazilian Rainforest

Jul 10, 2017 10:05 AM ET

A large area of Brazilian rainforest located within one of AkzoNobel's sites is being planted with around 12,000 seedlings of species native to the region as part of an ongoing project to safeguard the fragile ecosystem.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Channel 2 WSB-TV and The Trust For Public Land Launch Atlanta’s 2017 Cox Conserves Heroes Awards Program

Jul 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

PNC's William S. Demchak on Embracing and Promoting Diversity

Jul 10, 2017 9:45 AM ET

PNC’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive workplace goes beyond race, age, sexual orientation and other demographic identifiers to include diversity of thought and experience. By intentionally working to build the best and most diverse teams, we foster more creative problem-solving and more innovation, which help us better serve our customers and the communities where we do business.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreasonable Impact | Improving Job and Food Security for 30 Million Farmers in India

Jul 10, 2017 9:35 AM ET

In eastern India, around 30 million farmers tend to an acre or less of land, where they can’t access most of the available renewable groundwater or reliable agriculture-grade electricity. In a country that will be the world’s most populous in a matter of years, the need is dire for increased agricultural productivity. Khethworks has developed a solar-powered irrigation system that allows these small-plot farmers to affordably cultivate year-round.

Environment

T5’s Food Trash Turns to Healthy Soils

Jul 10, 2017 9:35 AM ET

In 2016, our JFK T5 composting program put 100,000 pounds of food waste back to work. This saved roughly 38 tonnes of CO2e emissions.

Sustainable Development Goals

Mars Launches Farmer Income Lab to Tackle Issue of Smallholder Farmer Income

Jul 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Mars has today launched The Farmer Income Lab, a collaborative ‘think-do tank’ aimed at helping to increase farmers’ incomes. The Farmer Income Lab will invest in research and shape dialogue to produce practical insights which will be turned into action. The Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming, as well as Mars’ programs in cocoa, mint and rice, will provide a way of testing the insights and implementing the new models for dramatically improving farmer incomes.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Golfers Tee Off in De Beers Group Tournament

Jul 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Twenty-four professional and 14 amateur golfers from Namibia, South Africa and Zambia battled for the top honours at the Namdeb Sperrgebiet Open. It was played over 54 holes on three days (9-11 June) in Oranjemund.

Diversity & Inclusion

'Rosie the Riveter' is Still an Inspiration

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Innovation & Technology

A Better Normal: How X1 Leveled the Field for Two Blind Teens

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Comcast launched the X1 talking guide in 2014 as part of our commitment to making our technology and media accessible to the widest possible audience. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19 million U.S. households have at least one member with a disability and 8.1 million people have a visual disability. Providing richer, more inclusive entertainment experiences is just the right thing to do for our customers.

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Foundation and Partners Call for a Global Effort to Make Leprosy History

Jul 10, 2017 9:15 AM ET

The Novartis Foundation and its partners published two articles that call for a global effort to make leprosy history. The reviews have been published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, a leading journal in infectious diseases.The two articles set out an action-oriented strategy for achieving the global goal of zero leprosy transmission.

Events, Media & Communications

Corporate Responsibility Association and CR Magazine Announce Commit!Forum 2017 Theme; ‘Brands Taking Stands’ to Drive Discussion, Oct. 11-12 in Washington’s National Harbor

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The Corporate Responsibility Association (CRA) and CR Magazine announced today the 2017 edition of COMMIT!Forum will focus on “Brands Taking Stands, the role of the corporate responsibility practitioner as companies make their voices heard.

Education

Point Foundation Creates Scholarship to Help LGBTQ Community College Students Transfer to Four-Year Degree Programs

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Letter from Weatherford's Sustainability Committee

Jul 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Weatherford is a global company that helps to provide energy to the world for today and tomorrow while ensuring benefits for all of our stakeholders through responsible operations, sustainable performance, world-class people, and global citizenship. We are guided by our operational principles and Code of Conduct and will operate our business of providing services to the upstream oil and gas industry in an ethical, safe, and profitable manner.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Demystifying Outcomes Measurement: A Glossary for Funders

Jul 10, 2017 7:00 AM ET

There are so many terms floating around that it’s making outcomes measurement seem overwhelming for organizations and individual change-makers who want to get started. If we can demystify the terminology around outcomes measurement and impact storytelling, could that lower the barrier to entry?

Social Impact & Volunteering

All Star Bryce Harper is Going to Bat for Kids with Cancer

Jul 7, 2017 8:55 PM ET

Environment

Companies Raise Awareness and Attendance for National Parks

Jul 7, 2017 7:00 PM ET

As summer heats up, many Americans take this time to enjoy the glories of nature by visiting our nation’s vast National Parks system. Yet, those same national treasures are in peril due to proposed National Parks Service budget cuts. As discussions on the topic heat up, many companies are showing their support for the outdoors through campaigns raising money, awareness and attendance at America’s National Parks.

Environment

Whirlpool Corporation Announces the Launch of Our 2016 Sustainability Report

Jul 7, 2017 5:45 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation has launched its 2016 Sustainability Report, which presents a broader view of the company's global sustainability achievements in 2016 in its operations and products, and with its employees and communities.

Environment

Final Recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

Jul 7, 2017 3:25 PM ET

Last week the FSB Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), chaired by Mike Bloomberg, released its final Recommendations report, which outlines a voluntary framework for companies to disclose their climate-related risks and opportunities in their financial filings.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Liberty International Underwriters Volunteer at Ellis Island

Jul 7, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Members of Keep America Beautiful’s headquarters’ staff joined volunteers from Liberty International Underwriters (LIU) and the National Park Service to beautify the north end of Ellis Island in New York Harbor.

Health & Healthcare

Three Quality of Lifehacks for Safe Summer Grilling

Jul 7, 2017 2:25 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

TeamCITGO Celebrates 30 Years of Volunteering in SWLA

Jul 7, 2017 1:10 PM ET

TeamCITGO volunteers and their families, local elected officials, agencies that TeamCITGO serves, and local business leaders recently gathered at the West Cal Events Center to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the employee-led volunteer group. TeamCITGO is the volunteer organization of the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery and was the first established employee-led industrial volunteer group in the area, donating thousands of community service hours to local charitable organizations throughout the last three decades.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

VMware’s Culture Is Built on EPIC2 Values

Jul 7, 2017 1:05 PM ET

VMware has been recognized by Fortune magazine on its list of Best Workplaces for Millennials. This follows similar recognition for the company’s outstanding culture and working environment from outlets such as Forbes and Computerworld. So, what’s the company’s secret?

Media & Communications

Film with Impact: Stoking the Transformative Power of Story

Jul 7, 2017 12:45 PM ET

In partnership with the American Film Institute’s annual AFI DOCS film festival, we’re helping documentary filmmakers gain new skills and resources to maximize the social impact of their projects. This support is part of our broader efforts to promote innovation through media, which we believe is one of the most powerful avenues for driving positive change on a global scale.