ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

Earth Week Guest Post: Corporate Renewables Growth: The Sky is the Limit

Apr 22, 2016 3:15 PM ET

Fossil fuels make up two-thirds of the approximately 1,100 gigawatts of capacity in the U.S. bulk power fleet. However last year the United States retired 14 gigawatts of fossil-fueled generation and brought 16.4 gigawatts of carbon-free generation online, with wind energy leading the mix at 8.5 gigawatts of newly installed capacity, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Even with low natural gas prices, new natural gas projects brought 6 gigawatts online. This is an exciting sign of a changing tide.

Environment

Ontario Children Helping House Endangered Bats

Apr 22, 2016 2:55 PM ET

TransCanada and Earth Rangers partner to help protect Little Brown Bats.

Environment

VIDEO: With SunPower Every Day is Earth Day

Apr 22, 2016 2:40 PM ET

Our company exists to help change the way our world is powered and leave the planet better off for future generations. That’s our purpose. It’s why we’re here.

Environment

The Promise of a Connected Earth

Apr 22, 2016 2:20 PM ET

Right now, on this day, at this point in time, connections are being made like never before.

Environment

Happy Earth Day from Qualcomm!

Apr 22, 2016 2:00 PM ET

Happy Earth Day! This year, the theme of our celebration is “Global Goals, Local Action,” in recognition of the international climate agreement that was reached in December 2015 in Paris, and which we hope will be signed into force by world leaders in New York City today.

Environment

Etsy to Make Their Decentralized E-Commerce Model 100% Renewable by 2020

Apr 22, 2016 2:00 PM ET

Chelsea Mozen joined the inaugural class of Bard’s MBA in Sustainability program in the fall of 2012 because she wanted to help rewire the world with clean energy. Today, one year after graduation, Chelsea joined Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson and other team members at the company headquarters to announce a bold, near-term commitment to achieve “carbon neutrality.”

Environment

TD Forests Helps the Nature Conservancy of Canada Protect 167 Hectares of Critical Forest Habitat

Apr 22, 2016 2:00 PM ET

To celebrate Earth Day, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is announcing that it has acquired 167 hectares (412 acres) of cedar forest near the Pugwash River in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. TD Bank, through the TD Forests program, helped secure this property, which is one of the largest stands of cedar in the province and one of only a handful in northern Nova Scotia.

Education

Norfolk Southern Rolls Out New Safety Train and Website to Educate First Responders

Apr 22, 2016 2:00 PM ET

In keeping with a strong tradition of safety, Norfolk Southern today rolled out a new educational train and website to help first responders across its network respond to potential rail-related incidents.

Environment

Companies Address Energy Efficiency in Operations, Supply Chains & Product Offerings

Apr 22, 2016 1:30 PM ET

A new whitepaper, Accountability for Climate Action: How Corporations Are Tackling Climate Change, shows that businesses are a powerful force in addressing climate change, with a large majority making commitments to increase energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions or increase the use of renewables.

Social Impact & Volunteering

#GoingToBat Community Spotlight: Sam Fuld

Apr 22, 2016 1:30 PM ET

Sam Fuld doesn’t let anything stop him, especially Type 1 Diabetes. Diagnosed at age 10, Fuld learned to manage his disease so he could pursue his passion – baseball.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CSX Named in Top 50 Best Corporate Citizens

Apr 22, 2016 1:15 PM ET

Reflecting CSX’s ongoing commitment to being a good neighbor in the communities it serves, the company was recognized as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s Best Corporate Citizens for 2016, with a ranking of #47 in the company’s fourth appearance on the list. CSX was the only railroad included in the ranking.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Whirlpool Corporation Ranked As One Of Top 100 Corporate Citizens By CR Magazine

Apr 22, 2016 1:00 PM ET

Whirlpool Corporation announced today that the company has been named as one of CR Magazine's Top 100 Corporate Citizens of 2016. The announcement marks Whirlpool's fourteenth consecutive appearance on the list, which ranks companies based on seven categories including environment, climate change, human rights, employee relations, corporate governance, philanthropy and financial performance.

Environment

First Tetra Top Carton Bottle with Bio-based Plastic Hits the Market with JUST Water

Apr 22, 2016 12:40 PM ET

Tetra Pak announces that a new version of its Tetra Top® package, more than 80% of which comes from plant-based materials, will make its global debut in the United States with JUST™ water.

The new generation carton bottle now comes with a cap and top made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) derived from sugarcane. Combined with the FSC™ certified paperboard used in the main sleeve of the carton, this pushes its renewable content up from 53% to 82%, with no impact to its recyclability. This unique bio-based bottle delivers another milestone in a long line of successful environmental innovations at Tetra Pak.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

UN Global Compact Calls on Companies to Set $100 Minimum Internal Price on Carbon

Apr 22, 2016 12:35 PM ET

UN Global Compact Executive Director Lise Kingo calls on companies to set an internal carbon price at a minimum of $100 per metric ton over time.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

CR Magazine Reveals 17th Annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List

Apr 22, 2016 12:30 PM ET

Corporate Responsibility Magazine announced today its 17th annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List, recognizing the standout performance of public companies across the United States.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

For 8th Consecutive Year, Diageo Canada Recognized as a Great Place to Work®

Apr 22, 2016 12:30 PM ET

Diageo Canada has been recognized as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Canada for the 8th year in a row. This year, the company moved up from #11 to earn 3rd place on the Best Large and Multinational Workplaces in Canada and moved up from 19th to earn 10th place on the list of 50 Best Workplaces in Canada for Women.

Environment

Kimberly-Clark: Why Sustainability Matters

Apr 22, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Environment

On Earth Day, Partner for a Purpose

Apr 22, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Environment

The Rise of On-Demand Problem Solving

Apr 22, 2016 12:00 PM ET

There is increasing awareness of issues such as growing populations and congestion in cities, as well as how these trends are impacting the planet. There is a growing urgency surrounding climate concerns and pollution. And there’s a movement to get ahead of the root causes of these issues.

Environment

Join the 2016 #CleanEnergyU Earth Day Dialogue

Apr 22, 2016 11:50 AM ET

Join the 2016 #CleanEnergyU virtual Twitter dialogue this Earth Day, April 22 from 12-4 ET, where students and national clean energy and White House leaders will engage directly in conversation with each one another. They will share creative ideas on delivering the Paris promise of a future “well below 2 degrees.”

Energy

What the Paris Climate Deal Means For the U.S. Utilities Industry

Apr 22, 2016 11:40 AM ET

There were a lot of remarkable things about the first Earth Day, but looking back from 2016, what’s most striking is how it brought people together when it felt like society was falling apart.

Environment

Earth Day is a Time to Reflect

Apr 22, 2016 11:30 AM ET

Related Reading:

http://www.mgmthink.com/CO-EarthDay-042116

http://www.mgmthink.com/CO032216WorldWaterDay

Education

Students in Southern California Learn To Protect Our Blue Planet™

Apr 22, 2016 11:15 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

GRI Urges Businesses to go Beyond Carbon as World Leaders Sign the Paris Climate Change Agreement in New York

Apr 22, 2016 11:00 AM ET

The Paris Climate Change Agreement opens for signatures today during a high-level ceremony convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York. All Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN FCCC) are invited to sign the agreement. GRI’s Chief Executive, Michael Meehan is attending, together with some 60 world leaders, among them, President Francois Hollande of France, and China’s President, Xi Jinping. The attendance by China is seen as a major step, with the country dubbed as the world’s manufacturing powerhouse and largest carbon emitter. Over 150 countries will be present at the event.

Events, Media & Communications

Sounds Like a Good Sustainability Strategy in the C-Suite / Board Room -- But What About On the Ground in Locations Thousands of Miles Away?

Apr 22, 2016 11:00 AM ET

Many businesses over the past three decades have reshaped themselves, becoming “multi-national enterprises” (MNEs in NGO-speak), thanks in great measure to the advances in information and other technologies, where everywhere is a keyboard click away for communication, and to the end of the Cold War in 1989-1990. Corporate organizations have also become “flatter,” with power and influence dispersed (more) to the far reaches of the operations or supply chain footprint.