Impact & Sustainability News From Leading Brands

Diversity & Inclusion

The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice Event Drills Down on Diversity

Mar 28, 2017 1:10 PM ET

On March 23, 2017, The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice event brought together more than 600 global leaders from business, politics, and civil society to discuss lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) diversity and inclusion. The global 24-hour conversation spanned events in Hong Kong, London, and New York—livestreamed to approximately 17 million people—and focused on the business costs and opportunities related to diversity.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Global Impact Investing Network Appoints Prudential's Mark B. Grier as New Board Chair

Mar 28, 2017 12:30 PM ET

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) announced the appointment of Mark Grier as its new Board Chair. Grier serves as Vice Chairman at Prudential Financial Inc. Grier’s appointment marks a milestone in the advancement of the GIIN, which will benefit from Prudential’s more than 40 years of institutional impact investing experience.

Diversity & Inclusion

Untapped Unicorns: Scaling Up Female Entrepreneurship

Mar 28, 2017 12:20 PM ET

The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) established The Female Founders Forum with Barclays in early 2016. The Forum brings together some of the UK’s most successful female entrepreneurs, to address a specific problem informed by academic evidence: why too few women-led businesses reach the same economic scale as that achieved by male-led companies.

Social Impact & Volunteering

8 Tips to Create a Good Deeds Day Project with Your Office

Mar 28, 2017 12:05 PM ET

Good Deeds Day 2017 can happen in any office, anywhere – all it needs is you! This year we are celebrating our 11th year doing good, and we’ve more than got you covered with ideas, tools, guides and resources to make your Good Deeds Day a golden one.

Diversity & Inclusion

New Report - Investing in Entry-Level Talent: Retention Strategies that Work

Mar 28, 2017 12:00 PM ET

4 evidence-based strategies for effective entry-level retention and advancement.

Energy

Four New Solar Plants to Deliver Clean, Cost-Effective Energy for Florida

Mar 28, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Black & Veatch has been selected to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services on four solar energy projects for Florida Power & Light (FPL).

Education

Last Chance To Register for G&A & CDP's Joint Webinar Thursday March 30 @ 11 AM: Why Getting Started With CDP is More Important Than Ever

Mar 28, 2017 10:50 AM ET

Put simply, environmental disclosure makes sound business sense and now more companies than ever are disclosing to CDP. Start the journey to managing the risks and opportunities presented by climate change, water management and deforestation.

Health & Healthcare

Clean Water Partnership: Business Connect Brings Kohler Clarity to More Than 40 Countries

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

Kohler Co., a global leader in the plumbing industry, and social enterprise Business Connect are joining forces to help children and families around the world obtain more affordable and accessible clean water. The partnership will bring the KOHLER Clarity™ water filter to Business Connect’s in-country distributors in 43 countries, providing a beautiful and highly effective option to local families in need of clean water.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Infographic: PNC's Value Chain

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

305M spent on minority and women-owned suppliers

Social Impact & Volunteering

CITGO Lemont Refinery Dives into Lake Michigan to Raise Support for Special Olympics Chicago

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

On Sunday, March 5, the CITGO Lemont Refinery joined over 5,000 participants at the 17th Annual Chicago Polar Plunge at North Avenue Beach. TeamCITGO volunteers dove into frigid Lake Michigan water – raising over $10,000 in support of Special Olympics Chicago athletes.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: A Walk on the Beach

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

I remember a deep feeling of sadness hitting me in that moment. It was a sudden and unexpected physical connection to a tragedy that had claimed 11 human lives and was wreaking extraordinary environmental damage.

Events, Media & Communications

Scotiabank Executive VP Retail Payments, Mike Henry, to Speak at the Gender Equality Forum 2017

Mar 28, 2017 10:25 AM ET

Mike Henry is Executive Vice President, Retail Payments, Deposits and Unsecured Lending. Mike and his team are responsible for designing and delivering financial solutions that drive growth through Scotiabank’s Canadian branch network, call centres and digital channels.

Diversity & Inclusion

Bobby Dodd Institute Honors Pollo Tropical and Prosthetic Hope International

Mar 28, 2017 10:15 AM ET

On March 28, 2017, Bobby Dodd Institute (BDI) honored Pollo Tropical® restaurants and Prosthetic Hope International at its annual Breakfast with Champions for breaking down barriers to employment and community access for people with disabilities.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Four Steps to Successful Corporate Citizenship

Mar 28, 2017 10:10 AM ET

After nearly five years, a team of John Deere managers recently returned to three villages in rural Rajasthan, India, with great anticipation and a simple purpose: to see whether the Joint Initiative for Village Advancement (JIVA) was living up to its name.

JIVA, which means “life” and “livelihood” in the local Mewari dialect, is a joint project of the John Deere Foundation and PYXERA Global that is designed to empower smallholder farming communities to improve their lives through agricultural training, educational enrichment, and capacity-building. The John Deere team, which included Chairman and CEO Sam Allen, first recognized the project’s potential while volunteering in the same villages in 2011.

Health & Healthcare

Head Start Kids Partners with the Nutrilite Power of 5 Campaign in Southern Africa

Mar 28, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Head Start Kids is a foundation in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa that this year alone will reach more than 2,849 children under age 5. The program seeks to improve the educational environment by focusing on three specific areas – nutrition, movement, and enrichment education.

Innovation & Technology

Public Safety LTE Integration with Smart City Initiatives

Mar 28, 2017 10:00 AM ET

As the communication technologies leveraged by the public safety sector advance, the intersection with smart city initiatives becomes all the more inevitable. Technological advances afforded by broadband long-term evolution (LTE) networks have changed how first responders, city and county officials, public agencies and transportation fleets communicate and gather data to better serve their communities. Learn more in the Black & Veatch 2017 Strategic Directions: Smart City/Smart Utility Report.

Events, Media & Communications

Why Don’t We Redefine the Good Life?

Mar 28, 2017 9:50 AM ET

Environment

World Wildlife Fund: Taking Action for Our Planet

Mar 28, 2017 9:45 AM ET

Though some people may not realize it, healthy oceans are critical to a healthy planet. Yet we know our oceans are struggling. Overfishing and illegal fishing are both major culprits in aggravating the oceans’ distress. Eighty-five percent of the Earth’s fisheries are fished to capacity or overfished. And often, other species are caught with the fish, threatening the survival of dolphins, whales, seabirds, sharks, and turtles, among others.

Education

Initiative Will Train 20,000 Teachers to Introduce Computational Thinking in CS Education

Mar 28, 2017 9:40 AM ET

Environment

Salvaged Honduran Wood Repurposed as Fire Starter Earns Verification

Mar 28, 2017 9:30 AM ET

Education

TCS and Discovery Education Partner to Prepare One Million Students for 21st Century Careers

Mar 28, 2017 9:20 AM ET

Environment

Domtar, Procter & Gamble Create a Sustainable Supply Chain

Mar 28, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Sustainable Brands, a leading website for forward-thinking businesses, published a case study that examined the unique nature of the partnership between Domtar and Procter & Gamble. By focusing on the importance of relationships with landowners, the partnership offers several lessons to other corporations and agencies about the benefits of collaboration.

Innovation & Technology

Meet Post-doc Researcher Caitlin DeJong, HP Labs’ First Molecular Biologist

Mar 28, 2017 9:15 AM ET

Dr. Caitlin DeJong is the first molecular biologist to be hired at HP Labs. She joined the Life Sciences Research Group in HP’s Print Adjacencies and 3D Lab last May on a three year post-doctoral research position.

Research, Reports & Publications

Verizon (NYSE:VZ) Publishes Corporate Responsibility Report

Mar 28, 2017 9:00 AM ET

In its Corporate Responsibility Report, published in concert with its 2016 Annual Report, Verizon detailed the progress it has made over the past year toward reaching its corporate responsibility goals, and demonstrated how its technology can help people lead better lives, solve problems in new ways and create lasting value both for Verizon and for society.

Environment

Xylem Watermark | Bringing Clean Water to Communities Across Asia

Mar 28, 2017 9:00 AM ET

The world is facing unprecedented water challenges brought on by popular growth, urbanization, and shrinking fresh water supplies. Xylem employees helped address these challenges by helping to build innovative water towers and bring water education to schools and communities.