Corporate Responsibility

Beyond family, there are many other avenues to explore for the practical and also an understanding of the spiritual and emotional roles that money can play to create a fuller life. Money and wealth is indeed a domain to master – both for the pleasure and experiences and for the richer and deeper meanings found in self–expression and relationship with others and the world.

As an impact investor, a financial change agent and entrepreneur, my money story centers around aligning assets with values. At Nia Impact Advisors, we move investment dollars into the companies that matter—those working to create the world in which we want to live. I come by this work having grown up immersed in the belly of our financial markets.

Peatlands around the world have long been recognized as the source of valuable resources supporting commercial needs ranging from energy generation to agricultural applications. Simultaneously, peatlands perform vital eco-services, supporting a wide range of biodiversity, sequestering a large percentage of the earth’s terrestrial carbon, and serving as a natural source of fresh drinking water. It is not surprising, therefore, that the use of peatland resources has come under scrutiny. What is clear is that not all peatland management systems have been created equal. As manager of SCS’ Responsibly Managed Peatlands certification program for horticultural peat moss, I have taken a deep dive to understand what responsible management means. Here I'll share what I have learned.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of America Recycles Day, national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI,) today are hosting the 2017 “State of Recycling” Forum in Washington D.C., presented in partnership with Keurig Green Mountain. The topic for this year’s “State of Recycling” Forum is: Plastics: Improving Quality. Driving Demand.

Today, Nov. 15, 2017, is the 20th anniversary of America Recycles Day, a Keep America Beautiful national initiative to raise awareness about the value of recycling.

Professor Andy Hoffman faculty at the University of Michigan's Erb Institute for Sustainability in Business, shares his research on "Profit, Regs, and Rep: Why Companies Reduce Their Footprint." This research is especially relevant today in the midst of COP23 where U.S. businesses are operating in the absence of federal regulation mandating compliance in carbon reductions. So, why are businesses reducing their carbon footprint? The business case!

Regularly, you work to prepare a comprehensive supply chain assessment. Hours are spent building a robust questionnaire for your tier 1 suppliers. The goal is a 100% response rate, so that you have valuable intelligence to manage and improve your supply chain. Maybe the focus of your assessment is traceability and mapping, or perhaps calculating GHG emissions. You send the questions and it takes the suppliers about two hours to complete. Two hours of work isn’t too much to ask, right? Or is it?

In the largest, most robust, industry-leading and internationally-recognized research of corporate social engagement, CECP: The CEO Force for Good, in association with The Conference Board, found in their annual Giving in Numbers report that IBM is a leader in corporate social responsibility programs.

Arrow Electronics presented “Courage in Sports” on CBS over the weekend. The documentary-style U.S. television program features inspiring stories of athletes who have overcome adversity. This year, “Courage in Sports” showcased the Arrow Quintum—five paralympians with a common purpose to push their own limits and inspire the next generation.

In a few weeks, people around the world will celebrate Computer Science Education Week. Millions of kids and others will participate in an Hour of Code, a global call to action to spend an hour learning the basics of coding. Today, it’s my privilege to announce that Microsoft has released a new Minecraft tutorial for Hour of Code, called Hero’s Journey, that will be used in classrooms, at after-school programs, community centers and homes everywhere.