ESG News from Leading Brands

Health & Healthcare

Diageo Serves Up a Healthy Portion of Thanksgiving Tips for the Responsible Host

Nov 14, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to toast good fortune and health – and many will do so with a cocktail or a glass of wine, beer or champagne. If you are hosting a Thanksgiving meal this year, it’s important to plan the drinks as well as the dinner. Providing a variety of beverage options for guests to celebrate responsibly will help everyone to enjoy the evening even more – and these simple tips can help:

Environment

As Seen on The Guardian: Tiny Houses and Other Little Matters Prove Less is More for the Environment

Nov 14, 2016 11:35 AM ET

To reduce your carbon footprint, try thinking smaller – whether it’s your home, your fuel consumption or amount of stuff you buy.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Venetian and The Palazzo Exterior Horticulture Department Wins Green Star Award

Nov 14, 2016 11:15 AM ET

The exterior horticulture department at The Venetian and The Palazzo received a Green Star Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS). The prestigious Green Star Award recognizes outstanding landscape design and construction.

Environment

How Do We Fill the Gap?

Nov 14, 2016 11:05 AM ET

There is also a strong sense of determination at COP22 in Marrakech by business and investors alike to move forward with fulfilling the commitments made. The question is not “will we enact change,” but how do we move forward with efficiency and speed.

Education

The Path to the Future is Paved in Multi-Colored Blocks

Nov 14, 2016 11:00 AM ET

LEGO®, those little barefoot hazards, are a powerful tool for shaping tomorrow’s engineers, scientists, programmers, and more. FIRST’s LEGO League (FLL) uses the iconic pieces of plastic to teach students in grades 4-8 how to design, build and program a robot to compete in a table-top playing field.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Trends in Health Philanthropy: A Conversation with Faith Mitchell, CEO of Grantmakers in Health

Nov 14, 2016 11:00 AM ET

Jamie Serino speaks with Faith Mitchell, President & CEO of Grantmakers In Health on the leading trends in health philanthropy and how they address health equity and impact measurement.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

TED@UPS: What If Data was Donated?

Nov 14, 2016 11:00 AM ET

Companies are constantly searching for new and innovative ways to solve the world’s most vexing problems. What many firms don’t realize, however, is that they already have a silver bullet at their disposal. It’s their data.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Ikea Converts Showroom into Refugee Home

Nov 14, 2016 10:15 AM ET

This October, Ikea swapped its sleek Scandinavian look to transform a showroom in its Norwegian flagship store into a Syrian refugee home.

Energy

As Seen on The Guardian: Energy Day Comes as Major Companies Lead the Fight Against Climate Change

Nov 14, 2016 10:05 AM ET

It’s been almost a year since the Paris agreement on climate goals, and 470 businesses and investors with more than $11tn in market capitalization are taking action through We Mean Business.

Events, Media & Communications

Creating a Community for Recovery on College Campuses

Nov 14, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Responsible alcohol consumption and prevention are often the focus of outreach and education programs on college campuses. Programs designed to reach students and young people in recovery are often overlooked.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Webinar Reflections | Key Strategies for Building Engagement in your Workplace Giving Program

Nov 14, 2016 10:00 AM ET

How do you get more people engaged in your workplace giving program? It’s an important question that gets asked a lot, so we compiled 6 strategies that work, based on data from our Fortune 1000 clients, and the Association of Corporate Contributions Professionals invited us to share our findings in a live webinar. The webinar sparked a really meaningful conversation with attendees around their challenges and opportunities, so here are some additional reflections and tips that might help as you look to grow and sustain engagement in your program year round.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Astellas USA Foundation Commits $1 Million to Help Project Lead The Way Expand STEM Education for Rural Illinois Students and Teachers

Nov 14, 2016 10:00 AM ET

As part of its Science WoRx STEM education platform, Astellas USA Foundation announced a $1 million grant to Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a national nonprofit organization that provides transformative educational experiences for K-12 students and teachers. The grant will provide PLTW’s computer science, engineering and biomedical science programs to middle schools and high schools in rural Illinois beginning with the 2017-18 school year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

National Adoption Day Brings Families Together for 17th Year

Nov 14, 2016 10:00 AM ET

National Adoption Day is a collective national effort to raise awareness of the more than 107,000 U.S. children in foster care waiting to be adopted.

Education

University Leaders Explore New Ways to Instill a Sense of Community among Students

Nov 14, 2016 9:45 AM ET

In the latest chapter of the President to President series, published today, E. Gordon Gee, Ph.D., president of West Virginia University in Morgantown, W. Va. explores ways in which colleges and universities can instill a sense of community in students while also supporting resiliency in the face of adversity throughout the region.

Education

New ‘Ten to Watch’ List Highlights Top Amgen Scholars Poised to Impact the Future of Science and Medicine

Nov 14, 2016 9:45 AM ET

In recognition of the Amgen Scholars Program’s 10th anniversary, the Amgen Foundation announced the Ten To Watch, a list highlighting the best and brightest up-and-comers in science and medicine. Selected from more than 3,000 Amgen Scholars alumni, who represent 700 colleges and universities across 42 countries, the Ten To Watch is a diverse group of students that has the potential to help define the future of science.

Environment

Ray C. Anderson Foundation Commits $500,000 to Project Drawdown

Nov 14, 2016 9:30 AM ET

The Ray C. Anderson Foundation has awarded a $500,000 challenge grant to Project Drawdown, a global initiative based on meticulous research and subsequent traditional and online publications that analyzes how and when we can reverse global warming. As Project Drawdown is proving, the key is to amplify existing, widely practiced, commonly available, and scientifically proven solutions.

Diversity & Inclusion

Say Hello to the Antea Group Valhalla Office!

Nov 14, 2016 9:30 AM ET

The Antea Group Valhalla office, located in the New York City metro area, specializes in environmental liability management and health and safety. With deep expertise in oil and gas, we do a lot of work with retail petroleum, including liability management and remediation. Within the health and safety practice, Valhalla has worked on projects for major, longstanding chemical and healthcare clients. We also have experience partnering with insurance clients, helping to provide claims oversight and expert knowledge on environmental issues.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

GSK Celebrates 20 Years of a Healthy and Happy Philadelphia

Nov 14, 2016 9:30 AM ET

Ten nonprofits will receive $40,000 to support youth sports, safety, housing, and other pressing community health needs

Events, Media & Communications

Experts Gather to Discuss Financial Benefits of Sustainability at New Metrics ‘16

Nov 14, 2016 9:00 AM ET

Members of the Sustainable Brands® community gather in Boston, MA to kick off the 5th annual New Metrics conference. Nearly 300 global senior executives across diverse sectors are convening today through Nov 16th to unveil cutting-edge corporate practices that measure and quantify environmental and social impacts and tie them to financial and business value.

Events, Media & Communications

Scotiabank was Proud to Host CONNECT 2016

Nov 14, 2016 9:00 AM ET

Scotiabank was proud to host CONNECT 2016 – a conference run in partnership with WilsonHCG where human resources professionals came together to learn about the importance of an agile approach to talent acquisition.

Innovation & Technology

Techstars Atlanta Concludes Inaugural Program with Demo Day

Nov 14, 2016 8:30 AM ET

Techstars Atlanta, in partnership with Cox Enterprises, concluded its inaugural program with Demo Day at the Tabernacle. More than 800 investors and supporters attended the event to hear presentations from each of the class participants.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Vietnam Big Build 2016 Final Report

Nov 14, 2016 8:25 AM ET

Over five days, Oct. 3 to 7, 2016, Habitat for Humanity Vietnam and its local partners built decent homes and sanitation facilities with 20 low-income families in Phu Tho province with the help of 194 international volunteers and 10 local volunteers.

Health & Healthcare

The Diet Disconnect: How Kids’ Eating & Activity Behaviors Stack Up

Nov 14, 2016 8:15 AM ET

When you’re rushing through daily life, it’s hard to find time to check in on the ‘big things.’ How do we know if our families have healthy behaviors? Luckily, a new publication could help shed some light on how infants and children are doing.

Green Infrastructure

SGA Design Group: Combining Sustainable Design with Sustainable Practices

Nov 14, 2016 8:05 AM ET

Energy

Keeping Planes in the Air with Compressed Air on the Ground

Nov 14, 2016 8:05 AM ET

The manufacture, maintenance and repair of today’s jet aircraft involves a global network of suppliers applying some of the world’s most advanced technologies to keep commercial airliners, business jets and military aircraft flying. A recognized leader in the field is Aviation Technical Services, Inc., (ATS) of Everett, Washington.
ATS is one of the largest third-party aircraft maintenance and repair stations in North America.