ESG News from Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Venture Atlanta and Techstars Atlanta Partner to Connect Investors with Innovative Startups

Sep 15, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Venture Atlanta announced today that Techstars Atlanta, presented in partnership with Cox Enterprises, will be a headline sponsor of its 2016 conference and will provide added value for investors attending the event.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Headline Cases Bring Opportunities to Partner with Customers for Safer Water Systems

Sep 15, 2016 10:00 AM ET

High-profile events impacting water supply and distribution networks in the U.S. have dramatically raised the awareness of operational challenges. At the same time, these events demonstrate an opportunity to change decades-long funding trends that have left many water systems struggling to adequately finance upgrades and repairs.

Environment

Sappi’s Commitment to Sustainable Forestry is Bar None

Sep 15, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Responsible manufacturing begins with responsible procure­ment. For the wood products industry, it is paramount that our natural resources are used sustainably.

Social Impact & Volunteering

From Hungry to Feeding the Hungry

Sep 15, 2016 9:45 AM ET

Shaneka Jimerson of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is on a mission to teach children how to cook to survive. She was once hungry and now feeds thousands through the Darden Foundation Community Kitchen.

Education

Bechtel Delivers the First® Lego® League Challenge Kit to Students at the Santiago Apóstol School

Sep 15, 2016 9:45 AM ET

Bechtel officially delivered the First® Lego® League Challenge Kit to students at the Santiago Apóstol school. This will be the third consecutive year that Bechtel Chile sponsors the school. We wish the students the best of luck as they take part in the FLL tournament!

Environment

Vietnam Must Tackle Rhino Horn Trade or Face Sanctions Under Wildlife Trade Treaty

Sep 15, 2016 9:45 AM ET

With the rhino poaching crisis showing no signs of abating, Vietnam must crack down on its rampant illegal rhino horn trade or face sanctions, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said ahead of a critically important wildlife trade conference next week in South Africa.

Environment

Statement from Mike Bloomberg on U.S. and China Ratification of the Paris Agreement

Sep 15, 2016 9:35 AM ET

By ratifying the Paris climate agreement today, the U.S. and China are demonstrating that the world's two largest economies

Innovation & Technology

The Second Lives of Lithium-ion Batteries

Sep 15, 2016 9:15 AM ET

Lithium-ion batteries are the untiring driving force behind electric mobility. They deliver their full output on board vehicles for at least ten years.

Events, Media & Communications

Cheers! Friday the 16th ​i​s Global Beer Responsibility Day

Sep 15, 2016 9:00 AM ET

Friday evenings are traditionally a​ time​ when in alcohol-friendly cultures people get together with their workmates for a beer or two (well, maybe more than that…). For that reason, it’s also a good ​moment​ to promote responsible drinking. United around that common goal, globally famous brewers Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg and Heineken have joined hands with a range of stakeholders to promote responsible drinking to help advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to prevent alcohol-related harm.

Health & Healthcare

Novartis Foundation Showcases Progress In Leprosy Elimination Programs

Sep 15, 2016 2:15 AM ET

The Novartis Foundation and its partners will highlight progress in efforts toward accelerating the elimination of leprosy at the 19th International Leprosy Congress (ILC) held in Beijing, China from September 18 – 21, 2016. Updates in 11 abstracts on four Novartis Foundation-supported leprosy initiatives in low- and middle-income countries will be showcased in scientific sessions.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

The Science of Change: A Formula to Build the Case for Workplace Giving

Sep 14, 2016 5:30 PM ET

When your company has bold plans to evolve its workplace giving program, it’s easy to get excited about making a bigger and more authentic impact on your people, your business and your community. You might have a clear vision for how to take your program to the next level — big ideas for embedding an authentic culture of Goodness into your people’s day-to-day work experience, and a desire to fundamentally refocus giving and volunteering as key drivers of employee recruitment, retention and engagement. Who wouldn’t want to get behind an evolution like that?

Health & Healthcare

It’s Not the Pollen Count That’s Making You Miserable

Sep 14, 2016 5:20 PM ET

Do you blame the pollen count for your coughing, sneezing and stuffy nose? Do you track the pollen count and stay indoors on heavy pollen days? I hate to tell you, but the quality of air inside of buildings, where people spend about 90 percent of their time, is even more important to your health. Ironically, according to the EPA, indoor air can be two to five times more polluted—and in some cases up to 100 times more polluted—than outdoor air. This is a significant issue in schools, where exposure to allergens, such as dust mites, pests and molds can trigger asthma symptoms.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Major Leaguers Join Area Action Team Captains for Fall Clean-Up in Philadelphia

Sep 14, 2016 5:00 PM ET

Players and high school volunteers to help refurbish and spruce up outside areas and host games and activities for residents of Volunteers of America’s Integrated Services Supporting Independence (ISSI) Program in Philadelphia, PA.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Off the Beaten Path: My National Geographic Student Expedition Journey Across Peru

Sep 14, 2016 4:50 PM ET

My name is Ethan Smyth, and this summer I embarked on what could only be described as a trip of a lifetime to Peru, courtesy of Nat Geo Mundo and AT&T. Over the course of nearly a month, I explored the capital city, hiked across ancient Incan sites including the fortress of Ollantaytambo and swam in the hot springs of Santa Teresa. We experimented with local cuisine, including delicious ceviche – raw fish cooked in lime juice – and cuy, also known as fried guinea pig! All of this led up to a highlight of the trip: hiking Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

Energy

GM Commits to 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2050

Sep 14, 2016 4:15 PM ET

General Motors plans to generate or source all electrical power for its 350 operations in 59 countries with 100 percent renewable energy — such as wind, sun and landfill gas — by 2050.

Energy

Georgia Public Service Commission Approves Innovative Right-of-Way Solar Project Along The Ray in Troup County

Sep 14, 2016 4:00 PM ET

The Georgia Public Service Commission (GPSC) approved the installation of one megawatt of solar generation in the right-of-way along Interstate 85 in Troup County, Ga., during a hearing on the Georgia Power Company’s 2016 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The motion was proposed by Commissioner Tim Echols of the GPSC and passed at two separate administrative sessions on July 28th and September 8th. Votes were 4-1 and 3-2 respectively.

Education

In the Company of Makers

Sep 14, 2016 4:00 PM ET

The increasing need in the U.S. to have more people prepared for STEM careers is alarming. The economy is producing more high skilled jobs than there are high skilled workers available to fill them. In fact, there could be as many as 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs in the United States by 2018.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Independence Blue Cross Launches 'Give For A Better Community' Campaign For United Way

Sep 14, 2016 4:00 PM ET

Independence Blue Cross (Independence) today launched its 2016 campaign for the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ). Independence's campaign -- Give for a Better Community -- is a celebration of the unique history of our city and Independence's leadership in making our community a better place to live and work.

Environment

Colorado Plant Begins Chemical Weapons Destruction

Sep 14, 2016 3:50 PM ET

Bechtel has congratulated the workforce at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant on achieving a significant milestone—the initial processing of chemical weapons, bringing the U.S. a step closer to meeting treaty obligations to destroy its remaining chemical weapons stockpile. The milestone marks the first time that the Bechtel-led plant has handled mustard agent.

Education

CSR Management Certificate Program: Five-Day Program Offered By Boston College Center For Corporate Citizenship

Sep 14, 2016 3:25 PM ET

Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship is offering a certificate program in corporate citizenship management October 17-21, 2016 in Boston, MA. “Corporate Citizenship Management Intensive” provides CSR management professionals the tools required to advance corporate citizenship performance throughout organizations.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

5 Underdogs Who Turned A Small Loan Into Something Huge

Sep 14, 2016 3:00 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

VSP Global® and U.S. Conference of Mayors Pass Half-Way Point of Yearlong Partnership

Sep 14, 2016 3:00 PM ET

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and VSP Global announced today that more than 6,000 adults and children across the country have received free eye care and eyewear if needed during the first half of their yearlong partnership to help people who need it most.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CSX Receives Award of Excellence for “CSX Rail Respond” Emergency Response Tool

Sep 14, 2016 2:25 PM ET

The National Alliance for Public Safety GIS (NAPSG) Foundation has granted an Award of Excellence in Public Safety to CSX for its “CSX Rail Respond” mobile-computing application, which provides firefighters, police officers and other emergency responders with easy mobile access to critical information about the commodities traveling on CSX rails in near-real time.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The CEO of a Company with 40,000 Employees Shares His Top 4 Leadership Lessons

Sep 14, 2016 2:15 PM ET

Environment

Sacramento Trash Artists

Sep 14, 2016 2:00 PM ET

In late August, a team of Republic Services of Sacramento employees and some of their family members competed in a contest called “Junk 2 Genius.” This is where teams in the competition are given a pile of garbage items, a theme, and two days to make a sculpture. There were 10 tens who competed this year.