ESG News from Leading Brands

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Carnival Corporation Environmental Partner Wins Top Travel Innovation Award

May 31, 2017 4:30 PM ET

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure travel company congratulated its partner, The Nature Conservancy, for receiving the Tourism for Tomorrow Innovation Award at the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC)'s annual Global Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

240 Miles for Charity

May 31, 2017 4:05 PM ET

Over the next two days, 15 bikers will ride 240 miles from Benton Harbor to Clyde, Ohio. The intention is to raise money for the two United Way organizations prevalent in each city. While some of the bikers work in Ohio and others work in Benton Harbor, they all come from the same home appliance maker.

Events, Media & Communications

Sustainable Brands Announces 2017 SB Innovation Open Winner

May 31, 2017 4:00 PM ET

Sustainable Brands® recently announced Detroit Ento as the winner of the Sustainable Brands Innovation Open (SBIO) startup competition, co-sponsored by Whirlpool and with technology provided by YouNoodle and awards provided by Rivanna Natural Designs. The competition, culminating at SB’17 Detroit, May 22-25, attracted world-changing entrepreneurial teams with unique ideas to solving some of the world’s pressing environmental and social concerns.

Green Infrastructure

The International WELL Building Institute™ Announces WELL Portfolio™

May 31, 2017 3:45 PM ET

The International WELL Building Institute™ (IWBI™) announced today that CBRE Group, Inc., Hines, and Lendlease are among leading global developers collaborating with IWBI to deliver WELL Portfolio™, a new cost-effective, existing building portfolio certification pathway within the WELL Building Standard™ (WELL). This new pathway will reward a commitment to ongoing enhancements to existing buildings, with specific focus on policies, programs, procurement guidelines, and plans that can be applied across a portfolio of buildings.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

T. Rowe Price Foundation Grants Loyola University Maryland $105,000 to support York Road Initiative

May 31, 2017 3:45 PM ET

Loyola University Maryland has received a $105,000 gift from the T. Rowe Price Foundation to support work with community residents, neighborhood organizations, and businesses in the development of a shared vision for strengthening the Greater Govans/York Road corridor communities in Baltimore City.

Research, Reports & Publications

Flash Report: 82% of the S&P 500 Companies Published Corporate Sustainability Reports in 2016

May 31, 2017 3:30 PM ET

In the sixth annual monitoring and analysis of S&P 500 Index® company sustainability reporting, just completed by theGovernance & Accountability Institute research team, the findings are that eighty-two percent (82%) of the companies included in this important investment benchmark published a sustainability or corporate responsibility report in the year 2016.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

How One Promise Is Worth $15 Million

May 31, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Inspired by PNC’s signature philanthropic program, Grow Up Great, Cincinnati employee Cheryl Rose helped to create a city-wide effort called the Preschool Promise. The approach will help children become kindergarten ready and is being studied nationally as a new collaborative model for early childhood education.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

A Sustainability Intrapraneurship Story at General Mills Canada: Jessica Kirshenblat-Gooderham

May 31, 2017 2:35 PM ET

When Jess started at General Mills as a sales rep almost a decade ago, there were no sustainability teams or green initiatives. Fast forward to today, Jess is the leader of a thriving employee-led team of sustainability minded professionals- a.k.a the General Mills Canada Sustainability Team.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

How to Help Employees Reach their Highest Potential Through Professional Development

May 31, 2017 2:25 PM ET

A strong company requires core values, exceptional leaders and dedicated employees, among other attributes. Unfortunately professional development for employees is often overlooked despite its highly beneficial impact on company performance. Industry leaders know that professional development is necessary to help employees achieve their full potential.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Business Opportunity and Social Good: Not a Zero Sum Game

May 31, 2017 2:05 PM ET

Creating Shared Value is not a donation strategy. It’s a fundamental guiding principle for how Nestlé does business and a strategy tool to deliver our purpose: enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. It’s based on the idea that how we operate every day can make a positive impact in the lives of individuals and families, our communities, and our planet, while achieving a positive bottom line. As the largest food and beverage company in the world, how we make our food, run our factories, and manage our supply chains can make a difference.

Health & Healthcare

The Snowball Effect of Healthy Offices

May 31, 2017 1:05 PM ET

Everyone has experienced them – those days at the office that never seem to end and when you just can’t seems to get any work done. But imagine if we all worked in an environment that fully supported our health and wellbeing; would that make us healthier? And would it make us perform better? The answer is ‘Yes’.

Research, Reports & Publications

SEPA and Black & Veatch Release New Case Study on Distributed Energy Resources Planning

May 31, 2017 12:45 PM ET

Consumers could outspend utilities in the adoption of solar, storage, electric vehicles and other distributed energy resources (DERs), making it essential for utilities to track and integrate these DERs into their planning processes to benefit their customers and the grid. That is one of the key findings of a new case study from Black & Veatch and SEPA, which details the efforts of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to create such an integrated DER planning process.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Bullying Victim Finds Confidence Through Volunteerism

May 31, 2017 12:40 PM ET

Fourteen-year-old Lucas Smith clearly remembers one of the first times he was bullied. He recalls being just four or five years old when some kids picked on him, taking off his glasses and throwing them in a sandpit. Lucas felt down after being bullied, but he soon found an outlet to channel his emotions into something positive.

Education

She Preaches and Teaches Reading and Writing

May 31, 2017 12:15 PM ET

If Deanna Cureton’s students at Charlotte Engineering Early College ever feel overwhelmed by the challenge of becoming the first in their families to graduate from college, they know their teacher can empathize.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Fighting the Cycle of Poverty in New York City: A Conversation with Matt Klein of New York City Center for Economic Opportunity

May 31, 2017 12:00 PM ET

In this episode of the Champions for Social Good Podcast, Jamie Serino speaks with Matt Klein, Executive Director of the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity, an organization that fights the cycle of poverty in New York City through innovative programs that build human capital and improve financial security.

Health & Healthcare

Providing a Home-Away-From-Home for Families of Loved Ones Treated at the NIH Clinical Center

May 31, 2017 11:15 AM ET

Paul and Julie Gattini came to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center, the nation's premier clinical research hospital in Bethesda, MD, when Paul needed his second kidney removed.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Pioneering Corporate Social Responsibility

May 31, 2017 11:10 AM ET

“Doing well by doing good” isn’t exactly a new concept for businesses, but cultivating a socially responsible company mindset and succeeding financially can seem like a risky, and overwhelming, proposition.

Environment

The Trump Effect

May 31, 2017 11:05 AM ET

Much has been written about America’s President, Donald Trump, and the effects his tenure will have on the world. We at CSRHub recently had an interesting opportunity to examine the relationship between President Trump’s businesses and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Helping Us Find Forever

May 31, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Foster Care Month is coming to an end, but in our line of work, every month is Foster Care Month!

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Citi Community Development and National Council of La Raza Support Expansion of Housing Counseling Programs in Puerto Rico

May 31, 2017 11:00 AM ET

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and Citi Community Development kicked off an initiative today to provide training and technical assistance for four leading local housing counseling agencies and expand access to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) -certified counseling and foreclosure prevention services for low- and moderate-income families across Puerto Rico. The initiative aims to increase the number of families who can avoid foreclosures and preserve assets as well as help local families develop financial management skills to save and build credit.

Education

Elder High School to Introduce Innovative Text Communication Platform

May 31, 2017 10:50 AM ET

Elder High School, an all-male college-preparatory high school in the Price Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, will roll out a new text messaging application in August 2017 to enable easy, efficient communication between members of the school community and the on-site dining team.

Events, Media & Communications

Attend Circular Economy Business Model Workshop June 26 at #USCCFcircular

May 31, 2017 10:30 AM ET

How can companies like yours turn business challenges into circular economy-based, value-generating opportunities? Join me in Washington DC on Monday, June 26, to learn how the Circulab innovation tool, developed by the design agency Wiithaa, can help.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Take a New Look at CSR - Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility

May 31, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Watch and Learn - "Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility: CSR Redefined” - All Video issue (May 17) of ‘GreenMoney’ is now online featuring a variety of videos

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sanofi Pasteur Donates $50K to Pocono Alliance

May 31, 2017 9:40 AM ET

Pocono Alliance received a $50,000 contribution from Sanofi Pasteur

Innovation & Technology

Rise: The View From Cape Town

May 31, 2017 9:35 AM ET