Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Environment

Walmart, SunPower Announce 23-Megawatt Solar Agreement

Oct 23, 2018 3:05 PM ET

Today, Walmart announced that it has reached an agreement with SunPower to have the commercial energy provider install solar systems at 19 stores and two distribution centers in Illinois.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Brown-Forman Recognized With Awards in Employee Engagement, Talent Acquisition, and Human Capital Management

Oct 23, 2018 3:00 PM ET

Brown-Forman was recently recognized with five awards from Korn Ferry, Talent Board, and Brandon Hall Group in the areas of employee engagement, talent acquisition, and human capital management.

Korn Ferry named Brown-Forman an Employee Engagement Award winner, one of only 52 companies in 47 countries to be recognized. These companies, in the second annual awards program, are chosen based on the largest percentage of positive responses to employee engagement questions in an employee opinion survey administered Korn Ferry. Award recipients are considered “best in class” in employee engagement.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Keep America Beautiful Selects 2018–2019 National Youth Advisory Council

Oct 23, 2018 2:35 PM ET

Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s iconic community improvement nonprofit organization, has selected 11 high school students from across the country to serve on its seventh national Youth Advisory Council. Keep America Beautiful’s National Youth Advisory Council provides a unique opportunity for high school students to participate in a service-learning and leadership development program focusing on environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

5 1/2 Things Americans Are Saying About The Arts

Oct 23, 2018 2:15 PM ET

One of the nonprofit organizations I support and volunteer with is Americans for the Arts, a national advocacy and membership organization. AFTA has recently published its latest public opinion survey on the arts entitled Americans Speak Out about the Arts. The report is based on a nationally representative sample of over 3,000 adults, and it updates a similar study that was conducted two years ago.

Education

Scholarship America, Wells Fargo Invite Students to Apply for Disability Scholarships

Oct 23, 2018 1:40 PM ET

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and Scholarship America announce the People with Disabilities Scholarship Program call for applications. In 2016, Wells Fargo committed $1 million over four years to Scholarship America to develop and implement the program. 2018 marks the third year of the program.

Environment

Rising Insurance Costs May Convince Americans That Climate Change Risks Are Real – Andy Hoffman in the Conversation

Oct 23, 2018 12:45 PM ET

Environment

Harnessing the Power of Wind Energy

Oct 23, 2018 12:15 PM ET

Climate change is a shared, global challenge and every individual and company must pitch in to be a part of the solution. At General Mills, our goal is to reduce our energy emission levels by 28 percent by 2025. One way that we are getting closer to reaching our greenhouse gas emission reduction goals is by signing a virtual power purchase agreement last June with Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, through their 148-megawatt Cactus Flats Wind Facility in Concho County, Texas.

Energy

LG Celebrates “ENERGY STAR Day” with Energy Efficient Upgrades for Local Non-Profit

Oct 23, 2018 11:30 AM ET

LG is committed to supporting local communities and helping others pursue a more environmentally sustainable future. In honor of “ENERGY STAR® Day” 2018, LG has partnered with Bergen Family Center in Englewood, N.J., to bring much-needed energy efficient kitchen and TV upgrades to support their high quality service to thousands of local children, seniors and families. We look forward to working with Bergen Family Center on their sustainability journey!

Innovation & Technology

Sodexo Seniors, in Partnership With Connected Living, Introduces New “Smart Living” Program for Senior Living Residents Using Alexa in the US

Oct 23, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Sodexo, a food services and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, is now offering a new “Smart Living” program for senior living residents to easily engage within their community and in the community at large by simply using their voices. The “Smart Living” program integrates Sodexo menus with Connected Living content management systems to allow residents to simply ask Alexa for community information and much more.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Cisco Employees Donate Their Skills and Their Time

Oct 23, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Pro Bono is a fancy term for donating your unique skill set — as an engineer, program manager, salesperson, and more — to partner with nonprofit organizations and help take their impact to the next level. It’s an opportunity to sharpen leadership skills while also making a meaningful impact in your community or around the world. Over the past year, employees from Cisco Global Virtual Sales and Customer Success answered the call to “donate your skills, not just your time.”

Environment

Before You Sign on the Dotted Line, Ask Your EHS&S Consultant These 10 Questions

Oct 23, 2018 11:15 AM ET

Antea Group shares the questions you should be asking your prospective EHS&S consultant to help you make a well-informed decision.

Green Infrastructure

Don't Risk Resilience: 5 Threats & 5 Opportunities

Oct 23, 2018 11:10 AM ET

Organizations need resilience in the face of an increasingly broad and unpredictable risk landscape. This is especially true when it comes to energy and sustainability.

Investors and customers alike recognize the effects of climate change and other factors that increase volatility. And the pressure these and other groups are applying to drive change can no longer be ignored.

Events, Media & Communications

Pro Bono Perspectives Podcast: Episode 6 - Rachel Hutchisson, Blackbaud

Oct 23, 2018 11:05 AM ET

We are thrilled to welcome Rachel Hutchisson, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy at Blackbaud to Pro Bono Perspectives. In her day to day role, Rachel is responsible for global corporate social responsibility, leading the company’s 3,300 associates in efforts to serve and give professionally and personally. She is committed to the core philosophy that “good is for everyone,” championing positive change and inspiring individuals to integrate service into their development.

Environment

The Potential of Agroforestry to Enhance Land Degradation Neutrality: Case Study From Tanzania

Oct 23, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Judith Nzyoka of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and colleagues explain in a chapter of a new book — A better world: actions and commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals: life on land — how agroforestry can support countries achieve LDN using a case study from Tanzania.

Sustainable Development Goals

Verizon Innovative Learning School Named One of America’s Best Urban Schools

Oct 23, 2018 11:00 AM ET

School is a lot different today than it was two years ago at P.S. 171, Patrick Henry Preparatory Academy in Harlem, NY. In 2016, when teachers wanted students to use computers in class, they rolled in the computer cart. Students lined up, took the laptops from the cart and brought them back to their seats. At the end of class, students lined up again to put the laptops back in the cart so they could be rolled over to the next classroom.

Research, Reports & Publications

New Resource: Pro Bono As a People Strategy

Oct 23, 2018 10:45 AM ET

Taproot has long made the case that a strong corporate pro bono program is a triple win—nonprofits receive the support they need, companies build deeper relationships with their communities, and employees have the opportunity to apply their skills in new and meaningful ways. While a good deal of evidence supports pro bono as a powerful social impact strategy, practitioners often struggle to articulate the business case for pro bono.

Innovation & Technology

Students Invited to Take a Peek into the Future of Mobility

Oct 23, 2018 10:45 AM ET

Rather than take a bus on a field trip, this October, Toyota and Discovery Education will bring the latest in automotive technology to students in their classrooms.

Energy

NRG's 2017 Carbon Emissions Performance

Oct 23, 2018 10:40 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

P&G Wins Top Honor for Innovation

Oct 23, 2018 10:40 AM ET

“We are incredibly honored to have our packaging recognized this way,” said Kathy Fish, P&G’s chief research, development and innovation officer. “I am so proud of our organization for their passion and commitment to not only creating superior packaging experiences that make a difference for our consumers, but for embracing and developing sustainable packaging solutions.”

Environment

How Future Tech is Helping Elephants

Oct 23, 2018 10:35 AM ET

There’s no arguing with the majesty of elephants. These intelligent, complex and emotional beasts have come to symbolize wildlife conservation efforts around the globe. Across the African continent, they are under threat from encroaching human settlements and continued poaching — in the summer of 2018, an aerial survey in Botswana found 87 elephants had been killed and their tusks cut off for their ivory, the biggest slaughter in recent years. But elephants are part of a complex ecosystem and scientists and conservationists know protecting them isn’t just crucial to the species itself, but for other African animals, birds and plants.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Pulse Centers: Powering Her Potential with Whole Planet Foundation

Oct 23, 2018 10:20 AM ET

Whole Planet Foundation is proud to partner with Pulse Centers, the Gold Sponsor of its Annual Benefit & Auction taking place on October 25, 2018. This party with a purpose celebrates the foundation’s global impact in 74 countries and aims to motivate more advocates to join its mission.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Harvard Business Review Best-Performing CEOs Ranking With CSRHub ESG Metrics

Oct 23, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Harvard Business Review (HBR) has published its annual global ranking of the 100 best-performing CEOs, with Pablo Isla of the Spanish fashion retail giant Inditex topping the list for the second year in a row. Following behind Isla in the #2 and #3 spots are Jensen Huang of NVIDIA and Bernard Arnault of LVMH. They’re joined by newcomers to the top 5 this year, François-Henri Pinault of Kering (#4) and Elmar Degenhart of the German automaker Continental (#5). Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has climbed to the #6 spot, up from #12 in 2017.

Environment

La Red de Innovación e Impacto celebrará su nueva clase de miembros en El Evento Anual en Antigua, del 29 al 30 de octubre

Oct 23, 2018 9:45 AM ET

El Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos, el World Environment Center (WEC), Le Groupe-conseil baastel Itée (Baastel) y RioSlum Studio se enorgullecen en anunciar a los nuevos miembros de La Red de Innovación e Impacto (La Red), una red internacional de organizaciones innovadoras que apoyan micro, pequeñas y medianas empresas (MiPyMEs) con el fin de fomentar el crecimiento económico sostenible y la prosperidad en América Latina. Estos nuevos miembros fueron seleccionados a través del concurso internacional: El Poder de Crecer.

Environment

La Red de Innovación e Impacto to Celebrate Its New Class of Members at Annual Summit in Antigua, October 29-30

Oct 23, 2018 9:45 AM ET

The U.S. Department of State, the World Environment Center (WEC), Le Groupe-conseil baastel Itée (Baastel), and RioSlum Studio are proud to announce the newest members of La Red de Innovación e Impacto (La Red), an international network of innovative organizations supporting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to drive sustainable economic growth and prosperity across Latin America. These new members were selected through the international Power to Grow Innovation Challenge.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

The Future of “Clean” Energy

Oct 23, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts that two-thirds of the world’s power will be generated by renewable resources by 2050. This projection is based on the continuing growth of new renewable power generation projects, primarily wind and solar. Conditions have certainly changed since New Alternatives Fund entered the investment world in 1982. Our Fund’s approach has always been to consider the broad sector of energy and related environmental areas like clean water, clean air, and naturally grown and organic food. Energy is not just the production of electric power we also see conservation and efficiency playing major roles.