ESG News from Leading Brands

Environment

King County Makes a Bold Commitment to Living Buildings

Dec 3, 2015 2:20 PM ET

As part of a bold initiative to counter the effects of climate change, the King County Council recently voted unanimously to approve its new Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP), laying out a blueprint for concrete, actionable work in the realm of sustainability.

Education

Restorative Justice Gains Momentum on College Campuses

Dec 3, 2015 2:10 PM ET

As the practice of restorative justice gains momentum within higher education, 35 representatives of colleges and universities from across the country gathered at Skidmore College to take a closer look at this growing movement.

Innovation & Technology

Keystone Human Services International and The Hans Foundation Collaborate to Create the Keystone Institute India to Improve the Lives of People with Disabilities

Dec 3, 2015 1:40 PM ET

Keystone Human Services International, Harrisburg, PA, has begun a collaborative partnership with The Hans Foundation to strengthen the inclusion of people with disabilities in community life in India. This partnership establishes the Keystone Institute India, An Educational Institute on Disability, Community and Innovation. This national institute will provide training and consultation related to the creation of responsive community supports for men, women and children living in India with a disability. It will also focus on supporting individualized alternatives to congregate care and institutionalization. The development of the Keystone Institute India will be a step toward creating a society where people with disabilities are included, valued, and have access to full, meaningful lives.

Environment

National Grid Makes Climate Pledge to White House, Signs American Business Act

Dec 3, 2015 1:15 PM ET

Environment

Keep it in the Ground: One Newspaper’s Campaign to Highlight Climate Change

Dec 3, 2015 1:00 PM ET

With the word’s hopes on Paris this week and the start of the 21st annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP21), we spoke to Nabeelah Shabbir, Journalist at the Guardian, to find out about their award-winning campaign (accolades include the British Journalism Award for Cmpaign of the Year 2015) which brings climate change into firm focus.

Events, Media & Communications

Being Thankful in the Consciousness Revolution

Dec 3, 2015 12:30 PM ET

Most revolutions involve chaos, confusion, even pain and violence. Those on the side of positive change must push back against the powerful opposition, those who benefit from the status quo and who exploit others for their gain. If we are committed to peace, prosperity, and a sustainable future for our children, this kind of turmoil can seem counterintuitive. How can chaos and conflict lead to peace, harmony, and justice?

Environment

TED@UPS: Taking Trash Talk to a Whole New Level

Dec 3, 2015 12:00 PM ET

Peter Harris from UPS talks about circular economy: taking raw materials that become waste and finding ways for the waste to become a resource.

Environment

Supporting Leadership in Climate Change Reduction

Dec 3, 2015 11:45 AM ET

As the 2015 Paris Climate Conference kicks off two weeks of talks between world leaders, climate experts and members of civil society on action to curb GHG emissions, we want to take this opportunity to affirm our support for the Canadian government’s effort to tackle climate change.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

BJ's Kicks Off Community Kids' Toy Drive

Dec 3, 2015 11:30 AM ET

BJ's Wholesale Club is once again running its Community Kids’ Toy Drive, an annual initiative to collect toys in its 211 Clubs, distribution centers and home office. Through Sunday, December 13, each BJ's location partners with a local nonprofit organization that will receive and redistribute toys to children in the surrounding community.

Energy

Bloomberg and EDP Renewables Announce Largest Corporate Renewable Energy Purchase on Record in the State of New York

Dec 3, 2015 11:15 AM ET

EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR), a global leader in the renewable energy sector and the world’s fourth-largest wind energy producer, today announced that it has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, for 20MW of clean energy that will be used to offset the energy use of their New York Offices.

Research, Reports & Publications

CSRHub Named First Partner of SASB’s New Research & Insight Partnership Program

Dec 3, 2015 11:10 AM ET

Today The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board™ (SASB)™ announced that CSRHub® is the first partner of their newly launched Research & Insight Partnership Program, in which commercial and academic partners use SASB intellectual property (IP) to surface market trends and set benchmarks. SASB is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides sustainability accounting standards for use by publicly listed corporations in the U.S. CSRHub is a B Corporation that has built the world’s largest database of sustainability information.

Health & Healthcare

Patient Focus: Novo Nordisk’s Way of Going From Talk to Walk

Dec 3, 2015 11:00 AM ET

Today, Novo Nordisk published a new issue of the company’s sustainability magazine, TBL Quarterly. The new issue – Patient focus: A snapshot of why we are in business – shows the value of dialogue and including the voice of people with diabetes and other chronic conditions in business decisions.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Spread the Holiday Cheer with Employee Volunteer Programs

Dec 3, 2015 11:00 AM ET

Ready to take holiday giving in the workplace to the next step?

Environment

Everything You Need to Know About UN Climate Conference: Bloomberg Brief

Dec 3, 2015 10:30 AM ET

From November 30 through December 11, Bloomberg is providing dedicated coverage of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) conference under our Sustainable Finance Brief newsletter.

Environment

Hershey Expands Sustainable Sourcing Efforts with New Deforestation Commitments

Dec 3, 2015 10:30 AM ET

The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY) today made new commitments to help prevent deforestation in its supply chain by launching a comprehensive Pulp and Paper Policy and announcing an update on its efforts to trace its global palm oil supply chain.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

How NOT To Go Broke This Holiday Season

Dec 3, 2015 10:30 AM ET

According to a recent study by T. Rowe Price on family holiday spending most parents will overspend on holiday gifts.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

2016: A Pivotal Moment for Responsible Investing

Dec 3, 2015 10:15 AM ET

Find out why the Sustainable, Responsible Impact Investing (SRI) industry is at a unique moment in our history.

Energy

Sustainable Georgia: Driving with the Sun

Dec 3, 2015 10:00 AM ET

I was thrilled to see one of my great sci-fi dreams come true in West Point when Georgia unveiled its first solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station. We’ve been rewarded by the convergence of public, private, local and global efforts.

Environment

Bloomberg Philanthropies with Olafur Eliasson to Launch Major Public Artwork at UN Climate Summit in Paris

Dec 3, 2015 9:55 AM ET

With support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, glacier ice installation Ice Watch aims to encourage public action against climate change at COP21.

Environment

Apparel Company CEOs Call for Strong Climate Deal

Dec 3, 2015 9:30 AM ET

Citing droughts, temperature shifts and other impacts that will make apparel production “more difficult and costly,” the CEOs of seven top global apparel companies today issued a statement calling on government leaders to reach a strong climate change agreement here that will stop the growth of greenhouse gas pollution that is causing damaging global warming.

Environment

BSR COP21 Daily Dispatch: Day 4

Dec 3, 2015 9:30 AM ET

The BSR COP21 Daily Dispatch highlights news and insights on the policy negotiations and their implications for business and a sustainable future for our climate.

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