When Oprah Winfrey wowed the world at the Golden Globes with her rousing call for greater opportunities for “little brown girls,” it signaled a turning point for HP’s Chief Diversity Office, Lesley Slaton Brown. “I watched it over and over and over,” she says. “I cried. I laughed. I rejoiced. I cried some more. I got inspired. I have goosebumps now, just talking about it. Literally, arms-to-legs goosebumps.”

Future growth hinges on the appropriate response to present conditions while strategically developing longer-term plans. For most industries, social, environmental, and political issues are having increasingly greater impact in reshaping the present and future business environment. In particular, the oil and gas (O&G) industry is challenged to reliably and economically deliver transportation fuels in the present day while working strategically to provide “cleaner” energy products in the future.

Barclays’ Reverse Mentoring Scheme turns hierarchies on their heads, with junior colleagues coaching their senior partners. One pair – Lucy Eyers and Martin Hyde – explain how their relationship has led to shared insights and new plans.

ECN Magazine highlighted the 2 megawatt, 24-acre solar photovoltaic array that is being constructed at the Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) site in Dugway, Utah. This new system will allow DPG’s existing electrical grid to produce 4 million kilowatt-hours of energy per year. Tetra Tech and joint venture partner TriEco are serving as the prime contractor for the design and build of the array. DPG is executing this project to optimize efficiency and conserve natural resources through on-site renewable energy generation and to support their objective of meeting renewable energy goals. This is the first of many prospective renewable energy projects to support to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) renewable energy goals.

In February, EarthEcho International, along with partner Love A Sea Turtle of Greenville, North Carolina, hosted a training for volunteers from Xylem’s Morrisville location. Nine Xylem employees worked with over 100 students, guiding them through the EarthEcho Water Challenge and helping them to learn about the local aquatic ecosystem. In addition, students were able to interact with the new STEAM Lab that Love A Sea Turtle and the City of Greenville opened at River Park North. This STEAM Lab includes the first permanent EarthEcho Water Challenge field testing station to engage members of the community in the program, and was officially unveiled on World Water Day this year.

Cone, a Porter Novelli public relations and marketing agency specializing in Purpose and CSR, will join the International Crisis Management Conference (ICMC), as a sponsor of the two-day event in Boston April 24-25. The conference will cover the characteristics of a crisis, a framework to manage the life cycle of a crisis and provide training for preparedness professionals.

El Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos abrió la convocatoria para que microempresas o pequeñas cooperativas dedicadas al cultivo de cacao puedan inscribirse en el concurso El Poder de Crecer, el cual premiará a los ganadores con acceso a asesoría por un capital de hasta $43,000 para promover una solución de negocios.

El Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos abrió la convocatoria para que microempresas o pequeñas cooperativas dedicadas al cultivo de cacao puedan inscribirse en el concurso El Poder de Crecer, el cual premiará a los ganadores con acceso a asesoría por un capital de hasta $43,000 para promover una solución de negocios.

San Antonio's annual Fiesta celebration, which began in 1891 and kicks off this year on April 19, is known for its tradition of artful medals commissioned by various organizations and businesses. For the second year, Whole Foods Market stores in San Antonio will sell unique medals designed by store graphic artists to celebrate Fiesta with sales benefiting Whole Kids Foundation.

GRI's April newsletter is all about engagement. You can find articles about how members of GRI's network engage internally for better reporting, and about new partnerships with which GRI promotes engagement on topics such as conflict minerals and the capital markets. You can also find opportunities to collaborate with GRI, most notably the review of GRI 306: Effluents and Waste, and our Standards in Practice series. Don't forget to check out the upcoming events.