ESG News from Leading Brands

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Big is Beautiful

Dec 3, 2015 9:15 AM ET

The big question about business sustainability has always been: Can it scale?

Energy

Solar Energy Making Ultra-Green Homes of the Future a Modern Day Reality

Dec 3, 2015 9:00 AM ET

Energy-efficient homes of the future have arrived and are growing in popularity. According to a report by McGraw Hill Construction, nearly one-third of new single-family homes in the U.S. will be green by 2016. They are energy and natural resource efficient, designed to reduce overall impact on human health and the environment. An increased number of consumers are going a step further and striving for net-zero energy homes that use renewable energy solutions, such as solar power systems, to offset all or most of their energy consumption. Across the country, the number of net-zero energy residential and commercial buildings doubled between 2012 and 2014 as cited by the New Buildings Institute.

Innovation & Technology

E-waste Is Hazardous to Your Health

Dec 3, 2015 8:20 AM ET

Short of a surgeon general’s warning on every piece of electronics, this report in Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) should serve as ample admonition about the growing health consequences associated with electronics at their end of life.

Environment

Ancient City, Young Again

Dec 3, 2015 8:15 AM ET

Environment

Cop Twenty What? – A “Dummies Guide” to the Paris Climate Talks

Dec 3, 2015 8:05 AM ET

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Bloomberg LP Partner SASB Announces New SASB Implementation Guide

Dec 3, 2015 8:00 AM ET

The SASB Implementation Guide is a reference document for issuers who are in the process of integrating SASB standards into their existing 10-K or 20-F disclosure processes. The Guide is intended to help companies achieve three objectives: 1) identify the industry-specific sustainability topics most likely to be material to an investor; 2) understand the current state of disclosure and performance on those topics, and 3) enhance existing reporting processes to more effectively disclose material information on sustainability topics. Download the guide at Using SASB, a microsite with resources for companies and investors.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Detroit Development Fund, JPMorgan Chase and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Announce First Loan Recipients of the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund

Dec 3, 2015 8:00 AM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Bloomberg Co-Hosts First Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Coaching Session in the UK

Dec 3, 2015 7:25 AM ET

Education

Meet Amgen Scholars Faculty Mentor Linda Griffith, Ph.D.

Dec 3, 2015 7:05 AM ET

Environment

Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Monona Terrace Convention Center Awarded LEED® Gold in Building Sustainability

Dec 3, 2015 7:00 AM ET

Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Monona Terrace Convention Center Awarded LEED® Gold in Building Sustainability

Environment

Water Action is at the Heart of Climate Action

Dec 3, 2015 6:00 AM ET

Today at COP21, the French and Peruvian government’s Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) will focus on resilience. Recognizing the close connection between water and climate change, the day will feature a dedicated water segment.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Twitter Chat Dec. 9th: How Companies can Lead #GivingEveryDay

Dec 2, 2015 7:00 PM ET

Join @Benevity, @Google, @GivingTues & @TriplePundit on 12/9 for a Twitter chat on #GivingEveryDay! benevity.com/givingeveryday

Environment

National Geographic's 'Breakthrough' Explores Alternative Energy and Water Conservation in Episodes Airing Dec. 6 and 13

Dec 2, 2015 7:00 PM ET

The acclaimed documentary series BREAKTHROUGH, airing on 21st Century Fox's National Geographic Channel, continues to bring to life the most exciting stories from the cutting edge of science. As the series approaches the end of its first season, its final episodes explore two of the most pressing issues in the fields of environmental science and sustainability: clean, renewable energy and increasing water scarcity. The episodes, directed by Academy Award winning writer Akiva Goldsman and Academy Award nominated actor Angela Bassett, air at 9/8c on National Geographic Channel on Sunday, Dec. 6, and Sunday, Dec. 13, respectively.

Events, Media & Communications

Put Your Finger on the Pulse of Employee Engagement Trends

Dec 2, 2015 6:00 PM ET

New research on the changing nature of workplace-centered philanthropy and employee engagement, including its role in attracting employees and engaging Millennials, will be released during the next 3BL Media “Best Practices” webinar, Dec. 10 at 11 a.m. ET.

Environment

Why Your Company Should Put a Price on Carbon

Dec 2, 2015 6:00 PM ET

Yesterday at a special event on the margins of COP21, Heads of State put the spotlight on carbon pricing as a necessary and effective measure to tackle the climate change challenge. Together with a global agreement, a sufficient price for carbon will help create the necessary rules and market signals to limit warming to 2°C.

Energy

French Climate Business Pledge

Dec 2, 2015 4:35 PM ET

Education

Next Generation of Architects Designing Zero Energy Housing Prototypes

Dec 2, 2015 4:00 PM ET

Every semester at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a new group of students participate in the Zero Energy Housing Studio to design, engineer and student-build a 4 to 10 unit Zero Energy Housing Prototype.

Environment

Boeing, Canadian Aviation Industry Launch Sustainable Aviation Biofuel Project

Dec 2, 2015 3:35 PM ET

Boeing (NYSE: BA), the University of British Columbia (UBC) and SkyNRG, with support from Canada's aviation industry and other stakeholders, are collaborating to turn leftover branches, sawdust and other forest-industry waste into sustainable aviation biofuel.

Education

Discovering Our Road

Dec 2, 2015 3:35 PM ET

Roadtrip Nation and its curriculum are all about engaging students with the future and helping them explore the various career pathways open to them. In support of that mission, 4 of us loaded into an RV and have been touring the country since early October, visiting high schools and putting on special assemblies to talk to students about how they want to live their lives.

Diversity & Inclusion

A Comeback Tale of Two Cities

Dec 2, 2015 3:30 PM ET

Heidi Magyar, GM director of community outreach programs for Southeast Michigan, discusses the impact of GM Student Corps, a program that provides high school students with paid internships and the opportunity to give back to their neighborhoods through community improvement projects they plan and complete themselves.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Caterpillar Named Finalist for Circular Economy Awards

Dec 2, 2015 3:25 PM ET

Caterpillar is one of six corporations in the running for the 2016 Circular Economy Award for Multinationals.

Education

Harlem First. Mapping the Health of a Community

Dec 2, 2015 3:00 PM ET

Save The Date!

Harlem First. Mapping the Health of a Community

Reception: January 21st, 6:00-8:00

SVA Gramercy Gallery

209 East 23rd

New York, NY

MFA Design for Social Innovation, The Arnhold Institute for Global Health, and the PopTech Institute are partnering to create a new way to understand and address the health needs of a community

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Creating an Independent Public Defense Authority in New York State

Dec 2, 2015 2:00 PM ET

Creating an Independent Public Defense Authority in New York State: Addressing the misperceptions, examining the structure, and finding the money for a statewide public defenders office

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

General Motors Joins UN Global Compact

Dec 2, 2015 2:00 PM ET

General Motors has become a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative. GM pledges to support and promote the compact’s 10 principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment and anti-corruption.

Research, Reports & Publications

Navigating a Career in EHS

Dec 2, 2015 2:00 PM ET

NAEM’s forthcoming research report EHS & Sustainability Career Profiles and Skills for Success, which includes both quantitative analysis and qualitative interviews with longtime Environmental, Health and Safety professionals, has revealed an overwhelming truth:

There is no such thing as a typical EHS career path.