ESG News from Leading Brands

Education

Eighth-Graders Take Hands-On Approach to Fighting Air Pollution

Jul 9, 2018 4:45 PM ET

Jamie Lei and Kenneth Nosaka, air quality measurement tools in hand, were surprised by the readings inside a local fast food restaurant during lunch hour. The numbers were even worse than those taken from a nearby freeway overpass. “I was not expecting that,” Nosaka said.

Health & Healthcare

Medtronic and the Red Cross of Mexico

Jul 9, 2018 4:25 PM ET

In Tijuana, where more than 1.6 million people live, the Red Cross fields 98 percent of the area’s 911 emergency calls. Approximately 3,000 of those calls, annually, are related to brain and heart disease. Medtronic has joined forces with Cruz Roja de Tijuana (Red Cross, Mexico) to address cardiovascular disease head on. With a new state-of-the-art cath lab the Tijuana branch of the Red Cross can deliver advanced, affordable cardiac treatment to more patients.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Costa 4GoodFood Project Wins the Seatrade Award for Corporate Social Responsibility

Jul 9, 2018 4:00 PM ET

The international jury of Seatrade has awarded the Costa 4GOODFOOD initiative with the prestigious Seatrade Award for the Corporate Social Responsibility category. This proves the international relevance of the programme designed to highlight the importance and the value of food and to minimize food waste through the direct engagement of guests and crew. For more than thirty years, the Seatrade Award honours results and innovations that lead the future of the cruise industry, recognizing the excellence of the international maritime industry.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Kansas City, Mo. Homeownership to Get Boost With $5.7 Million NeighborhoodLIFT Program

Jul 9, 2018 3:45 PM ET

Registration is open for the July 27-28 homebuyer event in Kansas City. Down payment assistance grants and homebuyer education are available for eligible homebuyers in three Missouri counties (Cass, Clay and Jackson), with special parameters for teachers, military, veterans and first responders.

Research, Reports & Publications

CA Technologies Releases Latest Sustainability Report

Jul 9, 2018 3:00 PM ET

CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) today announced the release of its latest Sustainability Report, as further evidence of the company’s long-term commitment to operational efficiency. The company has reduced its carbon footprint by approximately 50 percent since first taking part in the initiative in 2006.

Innovation & Technology

What Can Sustainability Reporting Learn From the Evolution of Digital Music?

Jul 9, 2018 2:30 PM ET

With the Digital Reporting Tool, GRI has taken its first step toward making sustainability data available and accessible in digital format. As we drive innovative formats in corporate sustainability reporting beyond PDFs, what can we learn from the path the music industry took as they evolved from vinyl to CDs to digital streaming?

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Smithfield Foods Earns National Honors for Sustainability Achievements

Jul 9, 2018 2:25 PM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

MetLife Named One of the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion

Jul 9, 2018 2:15 PM ET

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) today announced it has been named to the 2018 Disability Equality Index® “Best Places to Work” by the United States Business Leadership Network (USBLN) and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). This is the second time MetLife has been recognized for its efforts to ensure an inclusive workplace for people with disabilities.

Media & Communications

Taproot Foundation Launches New Website

Jul 9, 2018 1:10 PM ET

It is more imperative than ever to connect nonprofits and social change organizations with the resources they need to serve their communities. To ensure organizations can easily access this support through pro bono service, the Taproot Foundation has launched a brand new, easy-to-use website at https://www.taprootfoundation.org.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

WATCH | Las Vegas Sands Raises Critical Funds, Heightens Awareness and Inspires At-Risk Youth at Charity Concert Featuring Grammy Award-Winning Artist Jason Mraz

Jul 9, 2018 12:15 PM ET

The second annual INSPIRE charity concert brought in Jason Mraz fans and charity supporters from across the country to raise funds for Sands Cares Accelerator Program members: the Marty Hennessy Inspiring Children Foundation (ICF) and Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY).

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Infographic | Sustainability at UPS

Jul 9, 2018 11:25 AM ET

This infographic from the 2017 UPS Sustainability Progress Report shows how how UPS shapes their sustainability strategy.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

First Nations Oweesta Corporation and Wells Fargo Launch $500,000 Program for Native Americans

Jul 9, 2018 11:00 AM ET

First Nations Oweesta Corporation and Wells Fargo & Company today announced a $500,000 home down payment assistance program aimed at increasing U.S. homeownership opportunities for Native Americans.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Augmented Reality Brings History to Life

Jul 9, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Fourteen-year-old Abby Blunt hardly knows what the world was like before smartphones — but technology is helping her with that. During a recent trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., Abby roamed the “Tower of Faces” section of the main exhibition, smartphone in hand, eyes glued to her screen.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Expanding Access to Social Investing Opportunities

Jul 9, 2018 10:25 AM ET

BNY Mellon expands access to social investing strategies, which generate returns while addressing social and environmental concerns.

Education

Big Impact in Bio: Identifying Biosignals to Improve Women’s Health

Jul 9, 2018 10:20 AM ET

From an early age, Suzanne Rohrback had a unique insight into the need for science to bridge gaps in medical care. Her big brother is autistic and growing up, Rohrback remembers thinking there were no good options for him – unmedicated, he could be unpredictably violent and medicated, he would be zombie-like. “But we don’t understand enough about what goes wrong in this condition to have created a better solution,” she says.

Environment

Companies Take on Climate Change with "We Mean Business"

Jul 9, 2018 10:15 AM ET

The We Mean Business coalition was formed to organize a critical mass of the business world to make progress on climate change. With its no-nonsense brand name, formidable numbers, and world-class leadership, the coalition is poised to be a dominant player in directing businesses toward taking stands on strategies and practices that define climate change as a business opportunity, not just an environmental disaster.

Innovation & Technology

“Feed a Fever” Takes on New Meaning for Tech-Inspired Students of Color

Jul 9, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Green Infrastructure

A Second Act for the Parking Garage

Jul 9, 2018 10:05 AM ET

If ride-sharing and driverless taxis reduce individual commuting, parking facilities could be repurposed as office space, apartments, gyms and more.

Sustainable Development Goals

We Can’t Afford Simplistic, Binary Thinking When It Comes to Food Production

Jul 9, 2018 10:00 AM ET

As head of R&D for a major vegetable seed company, I get to travel around the world to meet with farmers and many other veggie-loving stakeholders from across the food chain. Thanks to events hosted by our seed brands, De Ruiter and Seminis, I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with vegetable suppliers, grocery retailers, restaurateurs, renowned chefs, food writers/bloggers, and other stakeholders. I have also had wonderful opportunities to speak at many culinary or “foodie” events.

Events, Media & Communications

Join 3BL Media for “Responding to Disaster: IBM and Bechtel Partner to Address Resiliency,” July 11 at 2 p.m. ET.

Jul 9, 2018 9:55 AM ET

Join 3BL Media for “Responding to Disaster: IBM and Bechtel Partner to Address Resiliency,” July 11 at 2 p.m. ET. This free webcast is aimed at corporate responsibility practitioners, policy makers, NGOs, and others engaged in disaster preparedness.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Consumers Energy Named ‘Most Trusted Brand’ Among Midwest Utilities for Business Customers

Jul 9, 2018 9:45 AM ET

An independent national survey has named Consumers Energy as a “Most Trusted Brand,” ranking it as a top utility in the Midwest and in the top 15 in the nation among providers of electricity and natural gas according to business customers.

Environment

Restoring Degraded Tropical Dryland in Extreme Conditions: The Case of Sumba Island

Jul 9, 2018 9:40 AM ET

Restoring degraded land is a major global challenge made more urgent by a changing climate, warming world, increasing shortage of arable land and an exploding human population. The tropical regions of Earth have been historically among the wettest and most fertile, producing the familiar images of lush landscapes of thickly forested hills and valleys of rice fields. Yet large areas of the tropics are dry, deforested, degraded and unproductive. The island of Sumba in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Nusa Tenggara Timur is one such case.

Energy

Making the Case for Connecting Efficiency and Sustainability Teams

Jul 9, 2018 9:35 AM ET

Many companies face internal barriers such as siloed departments or expertise that prevent them from reaching their energy and sustainability potential. To clear these hurdles, organizations are starting to integrate how they buy and use energy with sustainability initiatives, an approach that maximizes investments, delivers greater returns and builds more robust, viable operations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Tetra Tech’s Engineers Without Borders Tranquilla Norte Water Supply Project

Jul 9, 2018 9:00 AM ET

With support from Tetra Tech’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Grant Program, the EWB Sacramento Valley Professional Chapter is developing a sustainable water distribution system for the 3,000-person community of Tranquilla Norte, Panama. The community’s existing system, which was installed by the government in the 1980s to serve 150 homes, does not provide adequate supply for the current 950 connections. The system’s flow is limited during peak hours, and households furthest from the four springs that serve as the community’s water source often receive poor-quality water, or none at all. These water supply challenges lead residents to purchase bottled water or travel to homes at higher elevations that have more reliable access.

Research, Reports & Publications

Naturgy, the New Brand for Gas Natural Fenosa

Jul 9, 2018 9:00 AM ET

The new company, simple, agile and dynamic committed to sustainability, publishes its corporate responsibility report and focuses on its most vulnerable clients.

Naturgy is a multinational group and a leader in the energy sector, a pioneer in integrating gas and electricity with a balanced mix of businesses which supply gas and electricity to almost 18 million clients and operations in more than 30 countries.