Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a common agenda for the public, private, and social sectors in Latin America, and while partnership is recognized as a critical component toward this end, there has been no obvious pathway for cross-sector engagement and collaboration. Nevertheless, the will to take the necessary steps exists, and companies in the region are expressing interest in engaging with nonprofits and governments for social progress. PYXERA Global, in collaboration with the members of the Global Pro Bono Network, is promoting Global Pro Bono as a gateway to purposeful engagement. In late March, the two organizations teamed up to host the first Global Pro Bono Network Summit for Latin America in Mexico City.
In my more than two decades at Koch Industries, I have witnessed—and been part of—remarkable transformations inside the company and the business areas in which we operate. Working at Koch is probably unlike working for most other companies. Spend a few hours at one of our manufacturing facilities or offices across the country, and you might notice the difference, too. It was a privilege to share a slice of that at The Atlantic’s recent Power of Purpose Summit in New York. At Koch, we think about the role of business in society a little differently than others might.
At the maximum-security El Dorado Correctional Facility (EDCF) in rural El Dorado, Kansas, the prison is experimenting with a unique educational curriculum aimed at doing just that. It’s called Youth Entrepreneurs (YE), a program supported in part by Koch Industries that helps high school students discover their strengths and pursue their dreams. And now it’s poised to do the same for incarcerated adults.
Last year’s landmark criminal justice reform happened because people from all walks of life united for a common purpose: to lift up people seeking to improve their lives and communities. This year, there are “more and more opportunities” for even more reforms in states across the country, Koch Industries Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mark Holden said during a panel at the 14th annual John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America. Moderated by The Marshall Project editor Bill Keller, the panel also featured Justice Action Network Executive Director Holly Harris and Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof.
Merck has been recognized by Military Times as a 2019 “Best for Vets” employer for the fifth consecutive year. In its tenth year, the Best for Vets: Employers rankings evaluate companies’ culture, veteran recruiting, veteran policies, and accommodations for members of the National Guard and reserves. This year, a total of 132 employers made the list, comprising 113 for-profit companies, as well as 19 government and non-profit organizations.
In 2012, General Mills set a 10-year goal to improve energy efficiency in the company’s 26 largest U.S.-based plants by 20 percent (from FY12-FY22). Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that General Mills achieved its goal four years ahead of plan, with a total efficiency improvement of 20.4 percent since fiscal year 2012.
Today, World Bee Day, Whole Kids Foundation launched the Give Bees a Chance campaign to showcase the vital role that bees play in our food system, winning support from some of the nation’s most celebrated chefs. The monthlong fundraising effort to support the organization’s Bee Grant Program, which provides educational beehives to schools and nonprofits, will take place during June’s National Pollinator Month. The Give Bees a Chance campaign goal is to raise $100,000 to fund 50 new educational beehives for schools across the nation.
MilliporeSigma, which manufactures chemicals and other lab supplies, lets customers return plastic foam coolers and chemical containers. MilliporeSigma has also worked to repurpose the more difficult-to-recycle plastic products used in science. After being sterilized, the plastics are turned into plastic lumber that can be used in decking, speed bumps, and park benches.
Twelve rare juvenile Blanding’s Turtles hatched from incubated eggs were released today back into a turtle-friendly habitat created for them near Saginaw by Consumers Energy employees.
The eggs, two adults and a juvenile Blanding’s Turtle were rescued in 2018 from along the path of Consumers Energy’s Saginaw Trail Pipeline. The adults were moved to a safe location, where they laid 12 eggs that were incubated, hatched and raised by the company’s contract herpetologist over the winter. The juveniles are now large enough to be released.
The eggs, two adults and a juvenile Blanding’s Turtle were rescued in 2018 from along the path of Consumers Energy’s Saginaw Trail Pipeline. The adults were moved to a safe location, where they laid 12 eggs that were incubated, hatched and raised by the company’s contract herpetologist over the winter. The juveniles are now large enough to be released.