Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Environment

VIDEO: TD Bank Group Strengthens Green Bond Market to Support Low-Carbon Economy

Jan 15, 2018 8:00 AM ET

Green bonds are an example of innovation in financial services, allowing companies and investors to direct their capital to projects that are helping the transition to the low-carbon economy. Karen Clarke-Whistler, TD Bank Group's Chief Environment Officer and Amy West, Head of Socially Responsible Finance at TD Securities, talk about why green bonds are worth a second look for companies and investors alike.

Media & Communications

New CITGO CEO Arrives in Houston

Jan 12, 2018 7:25 PM ET

CITGO President and CEO Asdrúbal Chávez recently conducted his first corporate meeting with top senior executives and management to review the Company’s 2017 results, including the record-setting safety performance and operational achievements. Building on this momentum into 2018, CITGO will continue to emphasize excellence in all aspects of its operations, with major refineries located in Lake Charles, La., Corpus Christi, Texas and Lemont, Ill.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Fiji Water Uses Red Carpet Season to Support Women in Hollywood

Jan 12, 2018 6:35 PM ET

Over the past few months, women’s equality has gone viral. A conversation that began with the Women’s March has evolved into movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, taking Twitter by storm and illustrating the magnitude of the issue. Feminism was even named the 2017 word of the year by Merriam-Webster. With the groundswell of support, there is no denying that now is the time to bring women’s equality to the forefront. Recently, one brand chose a moment in time that was already positioned to shine a spotlight on the issue – the Golden Globes and the #WhyIWearBlack campaign – to lend its support to an industry where women’s achievements are still overlooked.

Media & Communications

Baseball Player Nick Rickles Launches Blog to Share His Journey With the Fans

Jan 12, 2018 4:25 PM ET

Getting to play baseball this long has been a blessing. Since the day I could walk, I had a baseball bat in one hand and a baseball in the other. To think 27 years later I'd still have a baseball bat in my hand and a baseball in the other is a dream come true, though the bat is a little bigger than the plastic one I had when I was little.

Social Impact & Volunteering

MENTOR: Summit Sponsor Spotlight — AT&T

Jan 12, 2018 4:15 PM ET

As part of its signature philanthropic initiative, AT&T Aspire, AT&T connects employees with students to provide mentoring and help students discover their potential. Since 2012, AT&T employees invested more than 1.6 million hours to impact students across the country.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

2018 Green Power Leadership Awards: A Review of Categories, Eligibility, Criteria, and the Application Process

Jan 12, 2018 4:00 PM ET

The 2018 Green Power Leadership Awards application period will open February 5 and will close on April 6. EPA co-sponsors the Awards in conjunction with the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS). The awards recognize leading organizations that have helped further the green power market through their green power procurement, innovation, overall green power strategy, and impact.

Education

Campus Dining for Spring Semester: RDs Share Tips on How to Navigate the Dining Hall

Jan 12, 2018 3:35 PM ET

For college students, meal plans eliminate the hassle of grocery shopping and mealtime preparation -- a real plus as assignments and tests pile up. With numerous options in campus dining, Aramark’s registered dietitians in colleges and universities share their best tips on how to maintain a balanced diet on a meal plan for a healthy start to the spring semester.

Innovation & Technology

UPS Longitudes | Top 5 Podcasts of 2017

Jan 12, 2018 2:25 PM ET

The UPS Longitudes thought leadership blog shares top five podcasts they aired in 2017 - come give a listen to topics from retail to blockchain, and find out what number 1 was!

Innovation & Technology

My Special Aflac Duck Takes Home Best of CES 2018 Award

Jan 12, 2018 1:25 PM ET

Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at the worksite in the United States, capped off a busy week at the Consumer Electronics Show® (CES) by accepting the Best of CES 2018 Award for Best Unexpected Product for My Special Aflac Duck, the company’s new social robot designed to help children coping with cancer. The smart companion was created by Sproutel, a research and development workshop focused on making health care playful, based on a year of child-centered research conducted by Sproutel at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the most prominent children’s cancer facilities in the nation, caring for more than 400 new childhood cancer patients each year.

Events, Media & Communications

Schneider Electric WEBINAR | Last Chance, Last Call: How to Align Corporate Environment Objectives With Climate Science

Jan 12, 2018 1:00 PM ET

Don’t miss this stimulating discussion about corporate climate action with WWF and HP!

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Republic Services General Manager Receives Mayor's Award in Daly City

Jan 12, 2018 12:10 PM ET

Events, Media & Communications

John Lanier to Keynote at Green Coast Council's Sustainability Summit

Jan 12, 2018 11:50 AM ET

John A. Lanier, executive director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation will be the keynote speaker on Friday, January 26 for the Green Coast Council's Sustainability Summit in Mobile, Alabama.

Energy

The Idea That Transformed the Carolinas

Jan 12, 2018 11:30 AM ET

The Carolinas we know today are shaped from Dr. Gill Wylie’s simple idea more than 100 years ago. He wanted to turn water into electricity.
And with engineer William States Lee Sr. and millionaire industrialist James B. Duke, they started building a series of dams along the Catawba River to provide hydroelectric power for textile mills. This investment drove growth and helped the Carolinas transform from an agricultural economy to emerge as an economic force with manufacturing, retail and financial services.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness Award Winners Honored by King Salman in Saudi Arabia

Jan 12, 2018 11:15 AM ET

The winners of the 2017 King Khalid Responsible Competitiveness (RC) Award were honored in the prestigious annual Award Gala that took place in December 2017 in Riyadh. King Salman recognized and acclaimed winning companies for their excellent sustainability and responsible competitiveness leadership, outstanding management practices and innovative social and environmental initiatives.

Social Impact & Volunteering

The Gift of Time: Why Volunteering Can Be a Four-Way Win

Jan 12, 2018 11:15 AM ET

In honor of MLK Day on Monday, we are spotlighting an inspiring story from Steve Neff, one of Common Impact's board members and Head of Technology and Global Services at Fidelity Investments. Steve's commitment to service and dedication to volunteerism provides our team with the motivation to continue to fulfill our mission of strengthening the local communities in which we live and work on a daily basis.

Green Infrastructure

The Ray: 18-mile Stretch of Road Is a Testbed for a "Regenerative Highway Ecosystem"

Jan 12, 2018 11:15 AM ET

What will the highways of the near future look like? This road project aims to create "a corridor that reconnects and restores us."

Education

The Bigger Picture: Is the Issue the Quality of STEM Education, or the Lack of Access to It?

Jan 12, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Today, there are students in America who lack access to computers, the Internet and the basic tech-ed tools to help them develop the skills they will need to thrive in a digitally focused society.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Consumers Energy Provides $10 Million To Help Michigan Families Stay Safe and Warm

Jan 12, 2018 10:10 AM ET

Consumers Energy announced today that it’s donating $10 million that will go directly to helping people in need with their energy bills – assistance that will help thousands of families to stay safe and warm through this cold Michigan winter.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Dive Into the World of Sustainability Reporting With GRI's January Newsletter

Jan 12, 2018 10:00 AM ET

First newsletter of the year from GRI includes information about their new Disclosure Review service, practical guidance for companies to engage with SDG 1: no poverty, and an article about collaboration between reporting frameworks. Don't forget to check out the latest CSR events around the world.

Social Impact & Volunteering

What a Difference a Day Makes: Third Annual Global Day of Service Delivers Impact Around the Globe

Jan 12, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Volunteering for a non-profit organization, donating your time and talents for a cause, is incredibly rewarding and makes you feel good. Volunteering also brings people together. Since its launch in 2015, Shire's Global Day of Service has brought thousands of employees together each year from many parts of the organization and all around the globe. This special day, which fosters camaraderie and teamwork and builds on Shire's longstanding tradition of giving back to communities where employees live and work, is a cornerstone of our Responsibility commitment and an integral component of our employee and community engagement program.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Cause Coin Creates a New Global Currency and Sustainable Economy for Nonprofit Engagement

Jan 12, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Cause coins will be a powerful currency for nonprofits impacting social good and the importance of this impact to society. Within this new “cause currency” economy, nonprofits will thrive and be sustainable in a way that has never been achieved before.

Environment

The Arbor Day Foundation in Partnership With Neat Streets Miami, the Miami-dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department, Fedex and Verizon Gift Free Trees to Residents Affected by Hurricane Irma

Jan 12, 2018 10:00 AM ET

The Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with Neat Streets Miami, the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department, FedEx and Verizon will be gifting trees to area residents affected by Hurricane Irma. The distribution event will take place during Florida’s Arbor Day weekend on Saturday, January 20, 2018, at the North Park Trail, 780 NW 127 Avenue, Miami, FL, 33182, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Miami-Dade County residents will be able to select from a three-gallon fruit or other native trees, while supplies last.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Family Grows by ONE on National Adoption Day

Jan 12, 2018 10:00 AM ET

It was 615 long days for William. That’s how long he spent in foster care. Unsure of when he’d have a permanent home. Nearly two years of moving, two years of uncertainty, two years of never feeling settled. That all change this past November when he was finally adopted by the McIntosh family.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Sands Academy, Elevate Series: Business Acumen and Strategic Decision Making

Jan 12, 2018 9:35 AM ET

During another installment of the Elevate Series presented by Sands Academy, Team Members in management positions took part in the course on the ‘Business Acumen & Strategic Decision Making.’ This class reminded them of universal terms in the industry to better understand the company’s state of business including revenue per available room (REVPAR), cost per occupied suite (CPOS), average daily rate (ADR), etc. The bigger picture, however, was the connection between all departments, positions, and situational outcomes.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Scotiabank Donates $15,000 to WL Minor Hockey Association

Jan 12, 2018 9:05 AM ET

A $15,000 donation to the Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association during the Rogers Hometown Hockey weekend in the lakecity has its president speechless.

Scotiabank and Williams Lake branch manager Aaron Mannella made the presentation to WLMHA president Todd Isnardy Saturday, who was overwhelmed by the support.