Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Best Practice - Winter 2015

Dec 24, 2015 9:30 AM ET

The Winter 2015 issue of Best Practice includes CSR and sustainability case studies from thought leaders across several industries

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Avista Supports Communities Through Seasonal Donations

Dec 24, 2015 8:00 AM ET

Avista Corp. and the Avista Foundation announced 2015 seasonal giving totaling $505,000 to non-profit organizations in the company’s service territories in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and Alaska. The funds will help support programs, including food banks, energy assistance, shelter and clothing, and holiday meals. The total value of Avista’s grants and donations for 2015 is more than $2.7 million from both corporate and foundation sources.

Education

Bloomberg Philanthopies: Using Data and Innovation in Los Angeles

Dec 23, 2015 7:05 PM ET

Innovation teams (i-teams) are in-house innovation consultants who use the tested Innovation Delivery approach to help mayors and other partners solve cities’ biggest challenges. We have invested in more than a dozen i-teams around the world, and recently caught up with the Los Angeles i-team to share their story. They are rethinking neighborhood revitalization and testing ways to make neighborhoods inclusive even as they change.

Events, Media & Communications

Millennials are Embracing Corporate Social Responsibility Campaigns

Dec 23, 2015 5:00 PM ET

They may be the "selfie generation," but millennials are also focused on creating social change. Their eagerness to make an impact on the world is a hallmark of youth, but millennials are expressing their values in a new way -- by choosing to support brands with strong corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Education

Saudi Arabian Women Finally Have the Right to Vote and to Be Elected to Office

Dec 23, 2015 4:00 PM ET

At least 17 women were elected to public office in Saudi Arabia on 12 December 2015, making these elections truly historic, because it marked the first time women in the country were allowed to vote and to run for office.

Social Impact & Volunteering

How to Create Board-level Volunteering Opportunities

Dec 23, 2015 3:30 PM ET

There is a lot of wall painting and tree planting going on in employer supported volunteering. This is good for team building, for immediate (and visual!) impact. It is not so good if a lasting effect, or dare we say sustainability, is the aim. Plus, there are only so many walls to paint and so many trees to plant.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

China Fuels Global Advances in Financial Access

Dec 23, 2015 1:25 PM ET

A new World Bank study underscores China’s role as a key driver for improved financial access worldwide, especially among low-income and rural populations.

Events, Media & Communications

#NotMyType Recap: Exploring How We Talk about Diabetes with Novo Nordisk

Dec 23, 2015 12:30 PM ET

On December 9th, the Novo Nordisk team and bloggers, Kelly Close and Phyllisa Deroze, joined us to discuss how we talk about diabetes. As the chat kicked off, our panelists and audience dove right into the conversation – sharing their own stories and experiences and pointing out commonalities.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Inventory for Good: Timberland Sample Sales Benefit Local Community

Dec 23, 2015 12:00 PM ET

Periodically, Timberland sells sample products to employees to help clear inventory from the past season. While any leftover product is always donated to a good cause, the sales provide double the benefit: product used, and a way to raise funds for non-profit organizations.

Social Impact & Volunteering

CSX’S Santa Train Delivers Early Christmas Gifts and Safety Tips Across Three States

Dec 23, 2015 11:15 AM ET

Christmas came early for thousands of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia residents when volunteers aboard the 73rd annual Santa Train distributed thousands of gift bags to children on November 21.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Native Species for an Indigenous City

Dec 23, 2015 10:15 AM ET

Arc of Greater New Orleans has evolved much since its inception in 1953. Today, the organization is a culmination of decades of work by devoted individuals whose ultimate goal is to integrate people with intellectual disabilities into their communities. Arc serves some 900 children, adults and their families in Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany Parishes by providing various services such as child care, family service coordination, and supported living assistance.

Environment

Holiday Recycling Tips!

Dec 23, 2015 10:00 AM ET

You can make a personal difference this holiday by taking small actions in your everyday life that can reduce waste – and your carbon footprint.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Timberland’s Giving Tree Brightens New Hampshire’s Holiday Season

Dec 23, 2015 10:00 AM ET

On November 5, Timberland had their second annual “Craftstock” event, where twenty-five Timberland employees used their service hours to make no-sew pillows and blankets to donate to those in need.

Environment

Republic Services Holiday Recycling

Dec 23, 2015 9:00 AM ET

Republic Services encourages families to make recycling a part of their holiday tradition. It’s a simple way to make a positive difference in the local environment by diverting items that can be recycled. It can also potentially save your family money by identifying items that can be reused in creative ways.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CBRE Hong Kong Charity in Motion 2015

Dec 23, 2015 8:15 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Norfolk Southern Helps Capital Region Toys for Tots

Dec 23, 2015 8:05 AM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

Sodexo’s “Vermont First” Commitments Bearing Fruit as Local Product Purchases See a Significant Increase

Dec 23, 2015 7:30 AM ET

Just over a year ago, Sodexo, a leader in delivering sustainable, integrated facilities management and food service operations with a significant presence in Vermont, announced a major initiative to help grow Vermont’s local food economy by committing to buy local food first via a comprehensive program called “Vermont First”.

Innovation & Technology

Philippine Nonprofits Hit the Ground Running Following Implementation Pilot

Dec 23, 2015 4:00 AM ET

When it comes to nonprofit capacity building, the needs of nonprofit organizations are as varied as the issue areas in which they work. For NetSuite.org, the Corporate Citizenship arm of NetSuite, our commitment to strengthen nonprofit performance and impact is done by leveraging our core resources – our talented, passionate employees and our award winning technology.

Education

Hope in Hazelwood

Dec 22, 2015 5:00 PM ET

Students from Carnegie Mellon's School of Architecture are working with the Hazelwood community to create a case study for a radical new kind of development.

Environment

We'll Always Have Paris: Vivienne Walt on COP21

Dec 22, 2015 4:30 PM ET

Victor Hugo said of Paris that nothing was more fantastic, more tragic, or more sublime. Will the same ever be said of the COP 21 climate agreement brokered this month in the iconic city? This week on Sea Change Radio, we re-cap the Climate Summit with prominent freelance journalist Vivienne Walt.

Innovation & Technology

Five Pathways for Integrative Business: SustainAbility’s New Report

Dec 22, 2015 4:00 PM ET

Many companies believe that sustainability is integral to their business, but in reality only a few of them have fully embedded sustainability into their business models.

Environment

The National Park Foundation is Powered by Nature Lovers

Dec 22, 2015 2:00 PM ET

Subaru is a champion of conservation. Since teaming with NPF in 2013 through the Share the Love Event, Subaru has underwritten programs and projects in more than 90 parks.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Five CSR Trends to Watch for in 2016

Dec 22, 2015 12:30 PM ET

Companies worldwide will have to navigate through new CSR requirements.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Diageo North America Spreads Cheer Across the U.S. and Canada

Dec 22, 2015 12:30 PM ET

Employees from Diageo North America are giving back this holiday season by participating in a variety of volunteer programs and fundraising efforts across a number of the company’s locations. Initiatives span communities in Connecticut (home to Diageo’s North American headquarters), Kentucky, Illinois, New York and Canada, and include donating gifts, supplies and funds to families in need, volunteering to provide sober rides to holiday partygoers, and hosting festivities for local families. Together, these employees have partnered with more than 16 different charitable organizations in their local communities to spread some cheer this holiday season.

Innovation & Technology

Bechtel and Petrofac Partnered to Support INJAZ UAE on Innovation Day Camp

Dec 22, 2015 12:05 PM ET