Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Education

City of Arlington Partners With Green Mountain Energy Sun Club to Create Sustainable Chapter for New Library Opening in June

Apr 5, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Bibliophiles and bookworms will soon be able to browse and check out sustainable features and materials at the George W. Hawkes Downtown Library in Arlington, thanks to a partnership between the City and Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. Due to open in June, the brand-new three-story facility will feature stacks of sustainably-minded projects funded by the Sun Club’s $400,000 donation, the organization’s 100th project and largest donation so far.

Education

Arrow Electronics Sponsors FIRST Robotics Regional Competition

Apr 5, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Arrow Electronics sponsored the FIRST Robotics Colorado Regional Competition March 23-24, continuing its commitment to cultivate the next generation of innovators. Held at the University of Denver, the competition drew 52 high school teams from Colorado and other western states, as well as one team from Turkey.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Purina's Giving Tops $28 Million in 2017 to Help Pets and People in Need

Apr 5, 2018 11:05 AM ET

With 2017 being among the most active hurricane seasons in history, countless people and pets were affected by natural disasters last year. Animals can be especially vulnerable during hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters, leaving pet owners, pet shelters and others faced with difficult decisions and added hardships.

Supporting disaster relief efforts is a key area of focus for Purina, a leading manufacturer of high-quality pet products. Purina answered the call for help from many organizations in 2017 - the company's charitable donations last year totaled more than $28 million and included product donations and monetary funding for organizations that bring people and pets together, keep people and pets together and help communities and the environment thrive.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

AgExport Hoy: Invitan A Mipymes Para Acelerar Su Innovación

Apr 5, 2018 11:00 AM ET

La Red de Innovación e Impacto, un proyecto financiado por el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos, lanzó El Poder de Crecer, un concurso que busca identificar y premiar a organizaciones que están empoderando micro emprendimientos en Centroamérica.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

AgExport Hoy: Inviting MSMEs to Accelerate Their Innovation

Apr 5, 2018 11:00 AM ET

La Red de Innovación e Impacto, un proyecto financiado por el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos, lanzó El Poder de Crecer, un concurso que busca identificar y premiar a organizaciones que están empoderando micro emprendimientos en Centroamérica.

Diversity & Inclusion

What’s Needed: How One Talented Tech Innovator — Turned Bank VP — Sees Female Founders Getting Ahead

Apr 5, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Aflac Recognized for Social Responsibility

Apr 5, 2018 10:50 AM ET

Aflac, the leader in voluntary insurance sales at U.S. worksites, announced today that it has been named winner of PR News' 2018 CSR Awards and Nonprofit PR Awards for its Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

Innovation & Technology

48 African Countries Meet in Nairobi to Explore Climate Change Technologies

Apr 5, 2018 10:40 AM ET

Climate experts from Africa will meet next week in Kenya to discuss collaboration and technology transfer. Representatives from government, private sector, finance and research institutions will gather in Nairobi, Kenya, 9–10 April 2018.

Diversity & Inclusion

Subaru of America Returns As the Title Sponsor of the 2018 Cherry Blossom Festival in Philadelphia

Apr 5, 2018 10:25 AM ET

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced its continued title sponsorship of the annual Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia. The celebration, which is produced by the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia (JASGP), commemorates the beautiful blossoms and invites people of all cultural backgrounds to experience spring’s beauty and foster a better understanding of Japan’s rich cultural heritage.

Sustainable Development Goals

World Trade Organization Says eBay Champions Small Businesses

Apr 5, 2018 9:25 AM ET

What if we tried to facilitate international selling for entrepreneurs in underserved areas on our platform? What impact could we have on these communities? What new and unique inventory could we source? And what would it take? eBay partnered with the International Trade Center (ITC) in an attempt to answer these questions.

Sustainable Development Goals

Delivering Sustainability Through Relentless Innovation: Cuestamoras Joins WBCSD

Apr 5, 2018 9:15 AM ET

Multi-business Costa Rican company Cuestamoras today joined almost 200 forward-thinking companies as the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Research, Reports & Publications

National Bank of Kuwait Takes Extensive Steps Towards Becoming a Middle East Corporate Sustainability Leader

Apr 5, 2018 9:00 AM ET

The National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) launched its second annual Sustainability Report today, the first ever to be in alignment with the guidelines from the Kuwait National Development Plan (KNDP), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG), and the Boursa Kuwait voluntary sustainability disclosure guide.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Measuring Natural Capital

Apr 5, 2018 7:05 AM ET

Companies appreciate that natural capital greatly benefits business, but what is required is quantifying and demonstrating the business value of natural capital.

Media & Communications

VIDEO | A Unique Lens on Water Quality

Apr 4, 2018 5:50 PM ET

Over the last year The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation partnered with Andy Mann, a world-renowned National Geographic photographer and adventurer, to document the problem of nutrient pollution in America’s lakes and watersheds. In this video Andy reflects, “I’ve traveled the world sharing the heartbreaking stories of our planet’s water issues, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Innovation & Technology

Protecting Refugees Starts with the Individual

Apr 4, 2018 3:55 PM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Sustainability Ratings Agency: "CSR Requires Commitment and Accountability"

Apr 4, 2018 2:30 PM ET

Collecting and analyzing information on companies’ ESG risks, opportunities, and performance are essential to ensure market efficiency, optimal allocation of capital and reduction of information asymmetry. We spoke to Vigeo Eiris, an independent ESG rating agency, about the trends driving investor interest in ESG, and the critical nature of transparency in building trust among investors. ​

Environment

Lisa Song: Mississippi Levee Wars

Apr 4, 2018 1:45 PM ET

Sometimes we lose sight of what Audrey Hepburn called “that old-fashioned idea that others come first and you come second.” This week on Sea Change Radio, we hear from ProPublica reporter Lisa Song who has done some recent reporting on a little known problem that could have very big effects: the impact of illegal overbuilding of levee systems in the Midwestern flood-prone regions of the Mississippi River.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Lessons Learned From My Trip to Africa

Apr 4, 2018 1:30 PM ET

Never did I imagine that a brief trip to Africa could have such a profound impact. In the course of just a few days, I learned how the work of Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) is improving the food value chain across Africa and how that work is also improving livelihoods in the most surprising ways. While my time in Africa opened my eyes to levels of material need I’d not seen before, it also filled my heart with awe at the power of human resilience.

Environment

I’m Suing Scott Pruitt’s Broken EPA - Here’s How to Fix It

Apr 4, 2018 1:00 PM ET

In 2017, just a few days after Donald Trump was sworn in as president, a freshman GOP lawmaker with only a few days on the job of his own, proposed House Resolution 861. Its language was ominous: “The Environmental Protection Agency shall terminate on December 31, 2018.”

Social Impact & Volunteering

Celebrating Our Employees Living a Life of Service

Apr 4, 2018 12:45 PM ET

During April, National Volunteer Month, we’re celebrating our employees who go above and beyond to make a positive impact on their community. Throughout the month, employees across the country will be participating in marquee volunteer events with City Year Care Force.

This year, we’re also celebrating 4,386 employees who have received the President’s Volunteer Service Award for volunteering more than 100 hours during 2017. The efforts of these incredible volunteers serve as an inspiration to us both in and outside of AT&T, and we’re proud to highlight a few of their amazing stories.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Scotiabank Announces Eighth Cohort of Scotia Vision Achiever Programme

Apr 4, 2018 12:35 PM ET

Scotiabank Jamaica announced the eighth cohort of small business owners in the 2018 edition of the Scotia Vision Achiever Programme last Wednesday. The intensive 17-week course led by renowned business coach Marcia Woon Choy begins in April...

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Smithfield Foods and the Global Good Fund Announce Custom Leadership Development Program for Veteran Entrepreneurs

Apr 4, 2018 12:20 PM ET

The Smithfield Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Smithfield Foods, Inc., and The Global Good Fund, are pleased to announce their partnership to launch the Veterans Leadership Program. The Global Good Fund, a leadership development enterprise built by and for social entrepreneurs, will identify six veteran entrepreneurs to take part in an eight-month program focused on creating sustainable jobs and supporting job search and placement for underemployed and unemployed veterans.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Are You Uniquely Better?

Apr 4, 2018 12:00 PM ET

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of joining Stephanie Meeks, the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in a “fire side” chat at the Participate Social Capital 2018 Conference in Alexandria, Virginia. After our talk, which focused on the long-standing partnership between American Express and the National Trust, we listened to the Cause Keynote, which was delivered by Gary Haugen, the CEO and Founder of International Justice Mission, an organization focused on the eradication of modern day slavery.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Putting Shared Value Into Practice: A Conversation With Justin Bakule, Executive Director of Shared Value Initiative

Apr 4, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Rachel Hutchisson of Blackbaud talks with Justin Bakule of the Shared Value Initiative about how shared value strategies can create long term economic value for companies on this episode of the Champions for Social Good podcast.

Health & Healthcare

Investigating Groundbreaking Treatments for Rare Disease

Apr 4, 2018 12:00 PM ET

Gene therapy has the potential to transform how we manage rare genetic diseases like hemophilia, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and others by addressing their root cause – genetic mutations.