ESG News from Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Historic Hahne’s Department Store Building Reopens in Downtown Newark, N.J.

Mar 28, 2017 4:15 PM ET

Prudential Financial, Inc., L+M Development Partners, and The Goldman Sachs Group, in partnership with Citi Community Capital, joined Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to celebrate the grand opening of the historic Hahne & Company building in downtown Newark. The restored building features an arts and cultural center operated by Rutgers University-Newark and around 75,000 square feet of new retail space on Broad Street, including Newark’s first Whole Foods. The project was accomplished with support from local co-developers Hanini Group and Crawford Street Partners.

Energy

Trump Administration Climate Action Rollback Decision Is Misguided and Economically Damaging

Mar 28, 2017 3:50 PM ET

The Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the U.S. Climate Action Plan, including withdrawing support for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, “is completely misguided and ignores the irreversible clean energy economy that is already underway, creating good-paying jobs and economic vitality in communities across the country,” Ceres President Mindy Lubber said in a statement today. Lubber served as the EPA Administrator for the New England Region in 2000.

Education

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Oh My! Booz Allen and Girl Scouts Inspire Girls to Stay Involved in STEM

Mar 28, 2017 3:45 PM ET

Madison Merritt’s laughter was infectious as she flung around a stick covered with extracted strawberry DNA. “I want to continue doing science experiments because you never know what the answer is going to be,” said the fifth grader who recently attended Booz Allen Hamilton’s Make the Connection (MTC) mentor program in partnership with Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital (GSCNC).

Environment

Living ‘BioWall’ of Plants Could Clean Household Air, Lower Energy Bills

Mar 28, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Homes of the future could have cleaner air and lower energy bills due to a Purdue team’s BioWall innovation involving the use of a living wall of air-cleaning plants.

Environment

Sealed Air Innovates to Reduce Waste and Benefit Local Communities

Mar 28, 2017 3:30 PM ET

At Sealed Air we are innovating ways to reduce waste and benefit society. Through partnerships with our customers, we have developed shared value programs that create a circular solution for discarded products, giving them new life.

Energy

National Grid Proposes New Transmission Project: Would Provide Host Community Benefits, Help Secure New England's Clean Energy Future

Mar 28, 2017 3:20 PM ET

National Grid today announced a proposal to develop an innovative, new transmission project that would bring up to 1,200 megawatts of clean energy from Canada to the New England power grid.

Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

Maersk Line Partners with AkzoNobel to Drive Sustainability

Mar 28, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Innovation & Technology

Arrow Electronics’ SAM Car Ranked Top Car Innovation of 2016

Mar 28, 2017 2:30 PM ET

The Semi-autonomous Motorcar, or SAM Car, that Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW) built for a former racecar driver paralyzed from the neck down, was named the best car innovation of 2016 by Business Insider.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Timberland Creates Social Value through an Innovative Partnership with Thread

Mar 28, 2017 1:30 PM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

New CEO Guide to the Sustainable Development Goals Highlights Competitive Advantage for Sustainable Businesses

Mar 28, 2017 1:20 PM ET

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today launched the CEO Guide to the SDGs - a new resource aimed at galvanizing engagement from global business leaders in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Diversity & Inclusion

The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice Event Drills Down on Diversity

Mar 28, 2017 1:10 PM ET

On March 23, 2017, The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice event brought together more than 600 global leaders from business, politics, and civil society to discuss lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) diversity and inclusion. The global 24-hour conversation spanned events in Hong Kong, London, and New York—livestreamed to approximately 17 million people—and focused on the business costs and opportunities related to diversity.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Global Impact Investing Network Appoints Prudential's Mark B. Grier as New Board Chair

Mar 28, 2017 12:30 PM ET

The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) announced the appointment of Mark Grier as its new Board Chair. Grier serves as Vice Chairman at Prudential Financial Inc. Grier’s appointment marks a milestone in the advancement of the GIIN, which will benefit from Prudential’s more than 40 years of institutional impact investing experience.

Diversity & Inclusion

Untapped Unicorns: Scaling Up Female Entrepreneurship

Mar 28, 2017 12:20 PM ET

The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) established The Female Founders Forum with Barclays in early 2016. The Forum brings together some of the UK’s most successful female entrepreneurs, to address a specific problem informed by academic evidence: why too few women-led businesses reach the same economic scale as that achieved by male-led companies.

Social Impact & Volunteering

8 Tips to Create a Good Deeds Day Project with Your Office

Mar 28, 2017 12:05 PM ET

Good Deeds Day 2017 can happen in any office, anywhere – all it needs is you! This year we are celebrating our 11th year doing good, and we’ve more than got you covered with ideas, tools, guides and resources to make your Good Deeds Day a golden one.

Diversity & Inclusion

New Report - Investing in Entry-Level Talent: Retention Strategies that Work

Mar 28, 2017 12:00 PM ET

4 evidence-based strategies for effective entry-level retention and advancement.

Energy

Four New Solar Plants to Deliver Clean, Cost-Effective Energy for Florida

Mar 28, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Black & Veatch has been selected to provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services on four solar energy projects for Florida Power & Light (FPL).

Education

Last Chance To Register for G&A & CDP's Joint Webinar Thursday March 30 @ 11 AM: Why Getting Started With CDP is More Important Than Ever

Mar 28, 2017 10:50 AM ET

Put simply, environmental disclosure makes sound business sense and now more companies than ever are disclosing to CDP. Start the journey to managing the risks and opportunities presented by climate change, water management and deforestation.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: A Walk on the Beach

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

I remember a deep feeling of sadness hitting me in that moment. It was a sudden and unexpected physical connection to a tragedy that had claimed 11 human lives and was wreaking extraordinary environmental damage.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Infographic: PNC's Value Chain

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

305M spent on minority and women-owned suppliers

Social Impact & Volunteering

CITGO Lemont Refinery Dives into Lake Michigan to Raise Support for Special Olympics Chicago

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

On Sunday, March 5, the CITGO Lemont Refinery joined over 5,000 participants at the 17th Annual Chicago Polar Plunge at North Avenue Beach. TeamCITGO volunteers dove into frigid Lake Michigan water – raising over $10,000 in support of Special Olympics Chicago athletes.

Health & Healthcare

Clean Water Partnership: Business Connect Brings Kohler Clarity to More Than 40 Countries

Mar 28, 2017 10:30 AM ET

Kohler Co., a global leader in the plumbing industry, and social enterprise Business Connect are joining forces to help children and families around the world obtain more affordable and accessible clean water. The partnership will bring the KOHLER Clarity™ water filter to Business Connect’s in-country distributors in 43 countries, providing a beautiful and highly effective option to local families in need of clean water.

Events, Media & Communications

Scotiabank Executive VP Retail Payments, Mike Henry, to Speak at the Gender Equality Forum 2017

Mar 28, 2017 10:25 AM ET

Mike Henry is Executive Vice President, Retail Payments, Deposits and Unsecured Lending. Mike and his team are responsible for designing and delivering financial solutions that drive growth through Scotiabank’s Canadian branch network, call centres and digital channels.

Diversity & Inclusion

Bobby Dodd Institute Honors Pollo Tropical and Prosthetic Hope International

Mar 28, 2017 10:15 AM ET

On March 28, 2017, Bobby Dodd Institute (BDI) honored Pollo Tropical® restaurants and Prosthetic Hope International at its annual Breakfast with Champions for breaking down barriers to employment and community access for people with disabilities.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Four Steps to Successful Corporate Citizenship

Mar 28, 2017 10:10 AM ET

After nearly five years, a team of John Deere managers recently returned to three villages in rural Rajasthan, India, with great anticipation and a simple purpose: to see whether the Joint Initiative for Village Advancement (JIVA) was living up to its name.

JIVA, which means “life” and “livelihood” in the local Mewari dialect, is a joint project of the John Deere Foundation and PYXERA Global that is designed to empower smallholder farming communities to improve their lives through agricultural training, educational enrichment, and capacity-building. The John Deere team, which included Chairman and CEO Sam Allen, first recognized the project’s potential while volunteering in the same villages in 2011.

Health & Healthcare

Head Start Kids Partners with the Nutrilite Power of 5 Campaign in Southern Africa

Mar 28, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Head Start Kids is a foundation in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa that this year alone will reach more than 2,849 children under age 5. The program seeks to improve the educational environment by focusing on three specific areas – nutrition, movement, and enrichment education.