ESG News from Leading Brands

Education

The Challenges for Young People in the Americas

Sep 21, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Young people represent our future – inventors, entrepreneurs, educators, engineers, community leaders, executives. If we truly want to have a positive impact on future generations, we need to work together to address the challenges they are facing today.

Diversity & Inclusion

Spotlight: The Bellagio CSR Council

Sep 21, 2017 3:00 PM ET

For 15 consecutive years, Bellagio has earned the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award for its superior service in every element of guest operations. That dedication to excellence extends behind the scenes as well, with a team wholly focused on supporting the company’s CSR platform.

Sustainable Development Goals

Cruise Lines Step up to Protect Environment: ‘It’s Right Thing to Do’

Sep 21, 2017 2:30 PM ET

In Italy, kids are eating delicious and nutritious meals that were once surplus food prepared onboard ships for cruise passengers. In Miami, families in need are sleeping in comfortable beds with frames donated by cruise lines. At sea, cruise ships are assisting with ocean research and implementing and supporting recycling practices.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

ESG Investing: Giving Up Greenhouse Gases, Not Performance

Sep 21, 2017 2:25 PM ET

Investors do not have to give up returns when hedging their portfolios against climate risks. Strategies to reduce investments in companies that produce carbon emissions or fossil fuels themselves, the culprit of climate change, can be optimized to avoid unintended risks and closely track benchmarks.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Walmart Foundation Announces $565,000 Towards Mexico Earthquake Relief and Recovery

Sep 21, 2017 2:15 PM ET

In response to the recent 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Mexico, the Walmart Foundation has committed $565,000 (10 million pesos) to help organizations providing immediate recovery and relief. This commitment builds upon to the $2.2 million (40 million pesos) commitment of cash and 300 tons of product donations made by Walmart de México y Centroamérica to assist those in need.

Sustainable Development Goals

Breakthrough Approaches for Sustainable Cities

Sep 21, 2017 2:05 PM ET

As more and more of the world’s population is moving to cities, how do we ensure a healthy and sustainable setting for city dwellers – and for the businesses supporting these local economies? Mark Wallace from UPS shares findings from a recent UPS/GreenBiz study on sustainable urban logistics.

Events, Media & Communications

Earth Equity Advisors Fall Speaker Series

Sep 21, 2017 2:00 PM ET

The Ray C. Anderson Foundation is proud to sponsor the Earth Equity Advisors Fall Speaker Series event on 10/3 featuring Katharine Wilkinson of Project Drawdown and John Sutter of CNN.

Innovation & Technology

A Baseline for Success: Creating Sustainable PPPs

Sep 21, 2017 1:10 PM ET

Green Infrastructure

The Ray in Georgia: Demanding More of Roadways

Sep 21, 2017 12:45 PM ET

Harriet AndersonLangford, president of The Ray recently had an article featured in the Washington Times. "At The Ray, we demand more and reject the status quo. We start our discussions with “what ifs”: What if the road itself could produce energy? What if highway and interstate shoulders could generate new revenue for state departments of transportation? What if we demanded more of our roadways? At The Ray, we are asking, and answering, those questions."

Energy

Duke Energy Plans North Carolina's Largest Battery Storage Projects as Part of Western Carolinas Modernization Plan

Sep 21, 2017 12:15 PM ET

As part of its continued commitment to building a smarter energy future, Duke Energy today announced plans to install North Carolina's two largest battery energy storage systems – a $30 million investment as part of the company's Western Carolinas Modernization Plan.

Innovation & Technology

High Tech and High Design, Cornell’s Roosevelt Island Campus Opens

Sep 21, 2017 12:05 PM ET

Roosevelt Island, the skinny, two-mile-long strip of land between Manhattan and Queens in the East River, has been home to a prison, a lunatic asylum, a smallpox hospital and a workhouse, among other institutions.

Education

T. Rowe Price: Parents of Only Boys Place Greater Priority on College Than Parents of Only Girls

Sep 21, 2017 12:00 PM ET

T. Rowe Price’s 2017 Parents, Kids & Money Survey, which sampled parents of 8 to 14 year olds nationally and their kids, looked at households with kids of only one gender and found that parents who have all boys are going to greater lengths to support their kids’ college education than parents of all girls.

Environment

Making the EPA Hazardous Waste Generator Improvements Rule Work for You

Sep 21, 2017 11:40 AM ET

If you are a hazardous waste generator, how will the recent changes and technical corrections to the regulations under RCRA affect you?

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Bay Area Teen Aims to Rewrite the Story of Underprivileged Youth Through Literacy

Sep 21, 2017 11:30 AM ET

“The single biggest indicator for academic success is having books at home,” said Fatima Yousef, the 16-year-old founder of the nonprofit Stories for a Future. While it’s a statistic she knows by heart, she also knows that having books may not be a reality for many low-income youth.

Innovation & Technology

Tetra Pak Invests in State-of-the-art Technology in Denton Factory

Sep 21, 2017 11:30 AM ET

Tetra Pak's Packaging Material Converting Factory in Denton, TX is getting ready for new technology to support the growth of its business in the U.S. and Canada. The plant’s expanded capabilities are made possible through a sizeable €30-million investment in factory upgrades, including a new state-of-the-art laminator, that will ensure the facility is well positioned to meet the evolving needs of the U.S. and Canadian markets with a wider range of packaging formats.

Events, Media & Communications

Ingersoll Rand Underscores Importance of Energy Efficiency at Official Climate Week NYC 2017 Event

Sep 21, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Ingersoll Rand® (NYSE:IR), a world leader in creating comfortable, sustainable and efficient environments, joined international leaders from business, government and civil society at Climate Week NYC 2017 in New York City to discuss the momentum of global climate action.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Volkswagen Group of America Employees Give Back With Get Involved "Summer of Service"

Sep 21, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) recently concluded its inaugural Get Involved “Summer of Service” in which more than 450 employees around the country volunteered over 1400 hours with charitable organizations in the communities where they live and work. The Summer of Service featured more than 25 different employee volunteer projects organized by seven VWGoA locations across the United States.

Education

How to Engage on the Education SDGs

Sep 21, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Reduce inequality and close the gap between rich and poor. Provide quality education for every child and decent jobs for all. These are just some of the ambitions set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs), unanimously adopted at the United Nations General Assembly Summit in September 2015. Each goal is further broken out into specific targets, 169 between them, to reach by 2030.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

National Organization on Disability Announces Winners of 2017 Leading Disability Employer Seal

Sep 21, 2017 10:35 AM ET

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) today announced 45 organizations that have been selected to receive the 2017 NOD Leading Disability Employer Seal™. Now in its second year, the Seal recognizes companies that demonstrate exemplary employment practices for people with disabilities.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Visa Launches Online Tool to Help Connect Families to Essential Supplies in Wake of Disasters

Sep 21, 2017 10:30 AM ET

At Visa, we are committed to doing our part to get those affected by disasters back on their feet as quickly as possible. That’s why we have created the Hurricane Area Store Locator to help those impacted identify open businesses in affected areas providing necessities such as groceries, gas, hardware or lodging.

Environment

Working for the Future of Forests

Sep 21, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Much of the world is under the misconception that paper is a wasteful, environmentally irresponsible product. But the opposite is true.

Sustainable Development Goals

Ground-Breaking Report is a First Step Towards a Unified Mechanism to Help Businesses Report on Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals

Sep 21, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Business reporting on the impacts and contributions to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is set to become less complex following the launch of a new report – Business Reporting on the SDGs: An Analysis of the Goals and Targets. Developed by GRI and the United Nations Global Compact, with the support of PwC, as part of a three-year initiative established to encourage and assist corporate reporting on the SDGs, the report aligns with companies’ regular reporting cycles as they work towards their SDG objectives.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

PepsiCo Provides Hurricane Harvey Relief - 1 Million Meals

Sep 21, 2017 10:00 AM ET

To provide continuing relief to victims of Hurricane Harvey, PepsiCo and Food for Good are working closely with affected communities and local partners like the Salvation Army to provide 1 million meals.

Research, Reports & Publications

Business Reporting on the SDGs: An Analysis of the Goals and Targets Launched

Sep 21, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Launched today, the Business Reporting on the SDGs: Analysis of Goals and Targets is a ground-breaking report, and a first step towards a unified mechanism to help businesses report on contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals. Developed by GRI and the United Nations Global Compact, with the support of PwC, as part of a three-year initiative established to encourage and assist corporate reporting on the SDGs, the report aligns with companies’ regular reporting cycles as they work towards their SDG objectives.

Environment

Integrated Approaches for Multifunctional Landscapes

Sep 21, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Opening the IUCN/ICRAF event ‘Integrated approaches for multifunctional landscapes: connecting LDN, biodiversity and climate change’ at the recent UNCCD summit, Ms Barbut laid out in stark terms the challenge of meeting the world’s growing demand for food.