Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Energy

Red Wing Shoe Company Embarks on 25-Year Solar Energy Partnership with NRG

Mar 27, 2017 12:15 PM ET

When complete, the NRG Community Solar projects Red Wing is subscribed to will ultimately prevent 66,218 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions from entering the environment — equivalent to eliminating 7.4 million consumed gallons of gasoline or 3,000 garbage trucks of landfill waste.

Diversity & Inclusion

Meet Erin Schneider, Economic Development Director

Mar 27, 2017 12:15 PM ET

We’re celebrating Women’s History Month this March by introducing you to 10 women who help power your life at Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas. They advance our company with their vision, talent, hard work and creativity. These trailblazing women – including a nuclear engineer, astrophysicist and lineman – reveal inspiring stories of persistence, pluck and achievement in largely male-dominated fields. A diverse workplace isn’t just a nice idea, it’s a competitive necessity. Today, meet Erin Schneider, a director of economic development based in Indiana.

Health & Healthcare

Creating a Blueprint for Eliminating Trachoma

Mar 27, 2017 12:00 PM ET

After more than six decades of fighting the spread of trachoma in Morocco, on November 14, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged that the Moroccan government eliminated the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness as a public health problem.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Vehicle Scrap finds NEW Life at Flint Training Center

Mar 27, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Leftover scrap sound-deadening material that insulates a variety of Chevrolet engines is now insulating the walls of the NEW Life Center, a jobs development and training facility in Flint, Michigan.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Habitat for Humanity and the New York Mets Slide into Home

Mar 27, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Coming “home” will have a different meaning for the New York Mets as they kick off the baseball season on April 3.

Education

CITGO Lemont Refinery Hosts STEM Workshop for Area Teachers and Students

Mar 27, 2017 10:30 AM ET

As a part of the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline Initiative, last month the Lemont Refinery partnered with The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project to host an all-day learning workshop for STEM teachers and their students at the Lemont Township Community Center. A total of 10 teachers and 29 middle and high school students attended the CITGO Energy Workshop – representing school districts from the towns of Crest Hill, Lemont and Romeoville.

Environment

First Steps for Corporate Zero Waste

Mar 27, 2017 10:25 AM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

#WomensHistoryMonth at Cox Enterprises: Get to Know Mary Robert

Mar 27, 2017 10:25 AM ET

In celebration of Women's History Month, female leaders from across Cox Enterprises are sharing insights from their experience throughout the month of March. Mary Robert is Cox Media Group’s vice president of human resources.

Health & Healthcare

Employee Wellness in the Open Office: How Layout Trends Affect the Spread of Germs

Mar 27, 2017 10:20 AM ET

While an open environment can boost morale and creativity, there are new challenges that come with open floor plans. Closer physical contact between office workers means more exposure to germs. If an open floor plan encourages the spread of ideas, the same can go for the spread of illnesses.

Innovation & Technology

It Takes Two (or Sometimes Three) to Make a Thing Go Right

Mar 27, 2017 10:10 AM ET

We also get asked this question A LOT: “How do you do it? How do you get companies, NGOs, and government agencies to work together?” So, we decided to stop simply talking about the power of partnership – now we are teaching it, too. With experience designing and implementing partnerships in more than 90 countries, working with more than 30 multinational corporations, and over 28,000 local businesses, NGOs, government agencies, and educational institutions, we’ve learned a thing or two about getting very different collaborators to agree on mutually beneficial goals.

Social Impact & Volunteering

CSX and Action for Healthy Kids Launch Applications for School Grants for Healthy Kids

Mar 27, 2017 10:00 AM ET

In 2013, CSX joined forces with Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK), a nationwide nonprofit mobilizing school professionals, families and communities to take steps towards sound nutrition and physical activity. Since then, CSX has helped more than 1,300 schools across the country implement health and wellness initiatives that get students – and teachers and parents – moving outdoors and indoors and eating healthfully.

Health & Healthcare

Building the Next Generation of Leaders

Mar 27, 2017 10:00 AM ET

The programme was launched in 2012 to ensure a consistent, high-quality approach to our global graduate recruitment and development. The three-year programme consolidated and replaced several existing schemes with varied approaches. It provides a breadth of potential
career pathways – from R&D and finance, to marketing and procurement – with the option to move between functions during several job rotations.

Environment

Podcast: Why Purpose is at the Heart of Nestlé Waters North America Strategy

Mar 27, 2017 9:45 AM ET

The podcast recording with Nelson Switzer, Chief Sustainability Officer at Nestlé Waters North America, addresses the following questions:

Social Impact & Volunteering

Barclays Pioneers: Helping People Move Forward

Mar 27, 2017 9:15 AM ET

As Community Banking Director for South London, looking after 44 branches, Paul Turpin knows first-hand about the challenges his customers face. From helping former prisoners open their first bank account to protecting the elderly from fraudsters, he explains why he is so passionate about helping his local community.

Research, Reports & Publications

The Rezidor Hotel Group Sustainability Report Shows Forward Thinking in Responsible Business

Mar 27, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Green leader and hotel chain The Rezidor Hotel Group publishes its Responsible Business Report. Included since 2010 in Ethisphere’s World’s Most Ethical Companies List, Rezidor is committed to being an innovative and responsible hotel company with leading sustainable hotel brands such as Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson.

Green Infrastructure

Forests in the Sky: How One Italian Architect Is Reshaping Urban Greenery

Mar 27, 2017 8:55 AM ET

“You know when you have an idea, it’s assembled from memories, experiences, books—it’s always very complex the way an idea is born. For a long time I was trying to study how it could be possible to put together a natural city in a different way; how to move forests inside the city, to increase the number of trees, to create more parks, to imagine how plants could grow on a building. It was an obsession for me.”

Environment

HP's New Greenhouse Gas Goal Aligns with Climate Science

Mar 27, 2017 8:50 AM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Umicore Publishes Integrated Report 2016: Elements for Success

Mar 27, 2017 5:00 AM ET

Umicore - the materials technology and recycling group – has published its 2016 Annual report. The report provides an integrated view of Umicore’s progress towards its Horizon 2020 goals of becoming a leader in clean mobility materials and recycling, doubling its earnings, bringing greater balance and focus to its portfolio and turning its sustainability credentials into a greater competitive edge.

Environment

Three Companies Leveraging World Water Day to Amplify Water Commitments

Mar 24, 2017 6:00 PM ET

World Water Day took place on Wednesday March 22 and aimed to bring awareness to the global water crisis. Based on the multitude of campaigns, it’s clear that companies are taking note and are motivated to make a difference in the global fight to protect our most precious natural resource.

Education

Michael Weiner Scholarship Recipient Susannah Maltz Sees Critical Need to Protect Workers’ Rights

Mar 24, 2017 6:00 PM ET

Maltz believes the Players Association’s record of accomplishment over 50-plus years serves the greater labor movement as a visible example of the gains workers can achieve when they stick together and form cohesive unions.

Social Impact & Volunteering

First-Ever National Geographic Teen Service Award Honors Young People Fighting Illiteracy and Climate Change in Their Communities

Mar 24, 2017 4:00 PM ET

21st Century Fox’s National Geographic has selected three high school students as the recipients of the National Geographic Student Expeditions Inaugural Teen Service Award, a new program recognizing young people who have demonstrated a commitment to making a difference in their communities. Alexa Grabelle, Delaney Reynolds, and Kaimana Idica will each receive $500 college scholarships, and Grabelle, as the grand prize winner, will embark on a National Geographic Community Service Expedition to Fiji this summer. The awards program is one of the many ways National Geographic continues to empower the next generation of global citizens and explorers.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Supports Keep Maryland Beautiful's Affiliation with Keep America Beautiful

Mar 24, 2017 3:35 PM ET

Members of the Maryland Housing and Community Development Neighborhood Revitalization team joined Deputy Secretary Tony Reed and Keep America Beautiful's Senior Vice President/Recycling Brenda Pulley in Baltimore's Waverly neighborhood on March 20 for the launch of Keep Maryland Beautiful, coinciding with the launch of Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Consumers Energy Foundation Contributes $150,000 to Provide Access for Free Tax Assistance, Support 2-1-1

Mar 24, 2017 3:15 PM ET

The Consumers Energy Foundation announced today that it has contributed $150,000 to support free tax preparation services and Michigan’s 2-1-1 network– resources that help families and individuals statewide as they receive their final heating bills from this winter.

Events, Media & Communications

Free Webinar on Safety and Security

Mar 24, 2017 2:45 PM ET

According to the FBI’s most recent data, there were almost 8 million property crime offenses in the United States in 2015. And, according to Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) estimates, roughly 2 million employees per year are affected by some form of workplace violence.

Energy

Prepay Energy as a Gateway for Customer Engagement

Mar 24, 2017 2:00 PM ET

The concept of prepay in the utility space has historically been viewed as utility-centric, complex and cumbersome. Today, the bar has been raised, as customers expect more options, flexibility and visibility regarding the services they receive. What was once a service focused on addressing the needs of the utility has shifted over time to offer a balanced set of benefits that address the needs of both the utility and the customer.