ESG News from Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Qualcomm Wireless Reach Announces Expansion of the 4G Mobile Learning Program across Tainan City, Taiwan

Oct 4, 2017 2:30 PM ET

On October 2, Qualcomm® Wireless Reach™, the Tainan City Government, Far EasTone Telecommunications Co., Ltd (FET), the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and ASUS announced the expansion of Tainan’s “CloudPlay for Education” (CloudPlay) program to continue helping the government achieve its 4G Smart City objectives for mobile learning (mLearning) and outdoor education. The event took place at the local government city hall and was attended by approximately 150 guests, including officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), the Tainan City Government, ITRI, FET, ASUS, university officials and professors, local school officials, teachers and students. 28 media attended the event, including Apple Daily, Commercial Times, Economic Daily News and Taipei Times.

Events, Media & Communications

Driving Sustainability: GM’s Collaboration to Use Natural Rubber Tires an Industry-First Topic at COMMIT!Forum

Oct 4, 2017 2:30 PM ET

A General Motors partnership with suppliers to use sustainably sourced natural rubber tires is transforming the landscape of the automotive industry in ways that will reduce deforestation and human and labor rights violations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

JetBlue's Ninth Annual ‘Swing for Good' Golf Classic to Raise Funds for Three Youth-Focused Charitable Partners

Oct 4, 2017 2:00 PM ET

JetBlue, known for its mission of inspiring humanity, today launched its ninth annual Swing for Good Golf Classic fundraising campaign at Bethpage State Golf Course in Bethpage, N.Y. Since 2008, JetBlue's marquee fundraising initiative has raised more than $4.8 million for its charitable partners focused on youth and education. This year’s non-profit partners include KaBOOM!, Together We Rise and The JetBlue Foundation.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Cargill VIDEO | 5 Goals for Sustainable Cocoa

Oct 4, 2017 1:45 PM ET

In its new Cocoa Promise Report, Cargill is laying out a clear pathway to a sustainable cocoa supply chain. In the five years since the Cocoa Promise, the company’s overarching sustainability commitment for the sector, was launched, Cargill and its farmer partners have made significant progress.

Education

AT&T Helps Aspiring Young People Skill-Up for Career Opportunities in the Digital Age

Oct 4, 2017 1:35 PM ET

There’s a culture shift going on at AT&T as our business grows in technology, media, and telecommunications. It’s a culture of continuous learning to acquire new skills, so that we can create the talent needed to drive innovation across our company. We are investing in education and training to create a diverse and skilled workforce that will help power our company for the future.

Energy

ENGIE North America Announces Largest Utility-Scale Energy Storage Installation in Massachusetts

Oct 4, 2017 1:30 PM ET

ENGIE NA and Holyoke Gas & Electric (HG&E) today announced plans for the largest utility-scale energy storage installation in Massachusetts. Green Charge, an ENGIE NA subsidiary, will operate the three-megawatt energy storage system at Mt. Tom Solar, which began operation in January of this year adjacent to the former Mt. Tom Power Station. The system will be used to optimize intermittent solar energy and reduce utility capacity costs for HG&E, the system’s customer, while reducing stress on the HG&E distribution system. This project will contribute to rate stabilization for HG&E customers over the next 20 years.

Media & Communications

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Experts in the News - Can Hollywood Movies About Climate Change Make a Difference?

Oct 4, 2017 1:10 PM ET

Erb Professor and author of How Culture Shapes the Climate Change Debate, Andy Hoffman, was quoted today in a New York Times piece, “Can Hollywood Movies About Climate Change Make a Difference?” The piece discusses recent movies like Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!,” that seek to affect climate change through depicting it on screen for mass audiences.

Green Infrastructure

Can One Highway Drive the Future?

Oct 4, 2017 12:30 PM ET

Harriet Langford, president of The Ray, and Allie Kelly, executive director of The Ray recently spoke at #VERGE17, a @GreenBiz Conference. They introduced The Ray in their VERGE Talk.

Education

Helping Campus Partners Demonstrate the Value of Exceptional College Experiences

Oct 4, 2017 12:30 PM ET

From the kitchen table to the political stage, the ever-increasing cost to attend college has become a hot topic of discussion. As costs have risen, students have taken on more and more student loan debt and other forms of financial liability to finance their education. Adding to the apprehension, many of these students face an uncertain job market after graduation, making it difficult to manage living expenses and student loan payments.

Energy

CMS Energy Announces Purchase of Lansing-Area Solar Project, Providing Clean Energy to Power 3,300 Homes

Oct 4, 2017 12:00 PM ET

CMS Energy announced today that its subsidiary, CMS Enterprises, is purchasing Delta Solar, a 24-megawatt, two-part solar power project under construction that will provide enough energy to the Lansing Board of Water & Light to power 3,300 homes through a power purchase agreement.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Duke Energy Customer Service Week: Sean Tucker Embraces Teamwork at Work and on the Court

Oct 4, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Q&A With GRI Chief Executive Tim Mohin

Oct 4, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Celebrating 20 years of founding and shaping sustainability reporting, GRI's Chief Executive Tim Mohin talks about GRI's accomplishments over two decades, and how GRI will continue pioneering in the future.

Environment

Michael Bloomberg: Let's Take Climate Change Into Our Own Hands

Oct 4, 2017 11:55 AM ET

Mike Bloomberg appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss his co-authored book with Carl Pope, "Climate of Hope" (plus see a blast from his past).

Environment

A Father's Sustainability Legacy

Oct 4, 2017 11:45 AM ET

In September 2011, one month after Ray C. Anderson died, his two daughters—Mary Anne Lanier, now 60, and Harriet Langford, 57—were summoned to his lawyer’s Atlanta office. Anderson had founded Interface, the world’s largest commercial carpet-tile manufacturer, and he left his daughters a $50 million philanthropic trust.

Education

Edison Scholars 2018: Makers of Tomorrow

Oct 4, 2017 11:30 AM ET

As a nanoengineering senior at the University of California, San Diego, she deals with researching and creating things on a nanoscale. A width of human hair is about 40,000 nanometers long.

Innovation & Technology

Pentair Celebrates Energy Efficiency Day

Oct 4, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Environment

General Motors Sustainability Newsletter - September/October 2017

Oct 4, 2017 10:30 AM ET

GM announced how it is executing on a major element of its vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, recently announced by GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. In the next 18 months, GM will introduce two new all-electric vehicles based off learnings from the Chevrolet Bolt EV. They will be the first of at least 20 new all-electric vehicles that will launch by 2023.

Green Infrastructure

Sustainability on the Move

Oct 4, 2017 10:20 AM ET

Advancements in sustainability require advancements in how we move people and products. In the near future, there will be even more opportunity for sustainability as transportation infrastructure —whether for air, rail, road, or sea—undergoes radical transformation through technological advances. Exciting developments can be seen for land, sea, and long-haul air travel.

Research, Reports & Publications

USCIB-GAN-CITI Rountable on Apprenticeships Report

Oct 4, 2017 10:15 AM ET

​Apprenticeships play a crucial role in supporting the development of business-ready skills for youth and in realizing goals of inclusive economic growth and an equitable transition to a more sustainable world. As U.S. policy makers’ attention increasingly turns to apprenticeships as an important tool in addressing the challenges of matching skills with jobs, many companies are already exploring initiatives to create apprenticeship programs to support the development of business-ready skills for youth.

Research, Reports & Publications

Driving Innovation in Gender-Lens Investing

Oct 4, 2017 10:10 AM ET

In a research report developed by BNY Mellon and the UN Foundation called “Return on Equality: Investment Opportunities to Help Close the Global Gender Gap,” we highlight a $300 billion market opportunity in taking a products-and-services approach to gender parity.

Environment

An Entrepreneurial Model to Protect America's Private Forests

Oct 4, 2017 10:05 AM ET

There is a frequently-held misconception in our society that protecting the environment and having a robust, growing economy are fundamentally at odds with one another. Nothing could be further from the truth, as evidenced by the role that responsibly managed forests play in sustaining local economies, protecting our climate and serving as a source of forest-based products like paper, packaging and timber for construction.

Sustainable Development Goals

New Report Provides Blueprints for Global Business to Navigate SDG Risks and Opportunities

Oct 4, 2017 10:05 AM ET

The Earth Security Group launched today the Earth Security Report 2017, providing valuable insight for global business on how to align long-term growth to the specific demands for social inclusion and environmental security that are prevalent in the countries in which they operate, while navigating the risks and opportunities encapsulated within the wider Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) agenda.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

INFOGRAPHIC: How Sustainability Can Be Tracked by Results

Oct 4, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Schneider Electric is proud to be #3 on Corporate Knights CarbonClean 200! Discover why, in our Sustainability Report.

Research, Reports & Publications

Distributed Generation Still Part of the Plan as Technology Adoption Matures

Oct 4, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Distributed energy resources (DER) continue to drive change within the electric industry as both energy consumers and electric service providers are diversifying how electricity is generated and delivered. Spawned by the public embrace of clean energy, falling prices, and regulatory subsidies, solar photovoltaics, battery energy storage, and microgrids are being deployed in more places across the electric system.

Events, Media & Communications

Six Ways to Invest in Personal Sustainability at BSR17

Oct 4, 2017 10:00 AM ET

The countdown begins—it’s less than three weeks until the BSR Conference 2017! This year will feature a wide variety of valuable networking and self-development opportunities. These are some of the activities that we are most excited about.