ESG News from Leading Brands

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Sacramento Homeownership to Get $6 Million Boost

May 1, 2019 4:30 PM ET

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), NeighborWorks® America and its local network member, NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center Sacramento Region, today announced an additional $6 million donation by Wells Fargo to boost homeownership through the NeighborhoodLIFT® program for Sacramento County and the city of West Sacramento. This effort to create approximately 225 local homeowners follows the success of the 2012 NeighborhoodLIFT program for Sacramento that included a $7 million philanthropic investment by Wells Fargo and created 329 homeowners.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Bloomberg Expands Eligibility for 2020 Gender-Equality Index to Include Nearly 6,000 Companies Across 84 Countries

May 1, 2019 4:20 PM ET

The submission period for the 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI) opened today to more public companies around the world than ever before. Now in its third year, the GEI recognizes companies that are committed to transparency in gender reporting and offer best-in-class policies and practices in support of women in the workforce.

Education

FIRST® and Strategic Partners Team Up to Introduce Robotics to Underserved Students

May 1, 2019 1:50 PM ET

Companies like Bechtel have their own challenges with creating diverse teams, and that’s why working as a collective ecosystem is so important in reaching students and building the workforce of the future. Our focus is to expand our reach and partner with sponsors like Bechtel, Apple, Arconic Foundation, Qualcomm Incorporated, Bosch, Caterpillar, Cisco, Cognizant, The Dow Chemical Company, GitHub, John Deere, USA Toyota Foundation, and others keenly focused on introducing K-12 students to STEM fields.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sappi North America Opens 2019 ‘Ideas That Matter' Call for Entries

May 1, 2019 1:25 PM ET

Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper and packaging products, today announced the call for entries for its 2019 Ideas that Matter grant program, inviting designers to show the world how print can play an important role in changing lives for the better. This year, the company celebrates the 20th anniversary of the program, which Sappi established to support designers who apply their creative talents to benefit causes that address significant issues facing our society.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Los Angeles Convention Center Unveils Largest Public Art & Civic Project in the United States by Portraits of Hope

May 1, 2019 1:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by AEG Facilities, recently revealed a massive, hand-painted mural created by Portraits of Hope, titled Shaping LA. The mural, spanning the length of four football fields, and accompanying artwork will be displayed for approximately six months on the LACC’s South Hall facing the 110 freeway and on the ground level of the facility in and around the West Hall parking garage and walkway facing STAPLES Center.

Research, Reports & Publications

Study: White Oak Pastures Beef Reduces Atmospheric Carbon

May 1, 2019 1:00 PM ET

Will Harris is many things to many people. To chefs and foodies, he is a legendary farmer producing some of the world’s best pasture-raised meats infused with the terroir of South Georgia. To athletes, body-hackers, and health-conscious consumers, he is the owner of White Oak Pastures, which ships humanely-raised, non-GMO, grassfed proteins to their doorsteps. To the communities surrounding Bluffton, Georgia, he is one of the last good ole’ boys and the largest private employer in the county. To his colleagues in agriculture, he’s a renegade and an inspiration. But Will Harris’ legacy might turn out to be something else entirely. He may be remembered as the cattleman who figured out how to enlist cows in future generations’ struggle to reverse climate change.

Events, Media & Communications

Cybersecurity Grand Challenges – Setting the Stage for a Secure Future

May 1, 2019 12:20 PM ET

n coordination with the Joint Services Academy, Booz Allen sponsored workshops in February and April 2019, with the collective ingenuity of the cybersecurity community. The workshops, which included experts from industry, government, and academia, focused on identifying, scoping and setting a path forward regarding the “Grand Challenges” that are anticipated to impact cybersecurity over the next 10 years. Insights from these working sessions served as a precursor to the Joint Services Academy Cybersecurity Summit, held at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado, April 17-18, 2019.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Nearly 18,000 Bloomberg Customers Are Using ESG Data

May 1, 2019 12:20 PM ET

Financial markets are demanding greater transparency around ESG issues. Bloomberg empowers financial decision-makers by providing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data on 11,500+ companies.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Why Employee Volunteer Recognition is Important

May 1, 2019 12:10 PM ET

If your employee volunteer program is perceived as important, it goes a long way to making the employee feel important. Employee volunteering can have far-reaching individual, workplace, and community impact – it can do a lot. It’s also asking a lot. So, it’s important that companies see this, and recognize it appropriately. The big question is – how?

Education

Here’s What Lockheed Martin Is Doing to Bring in More Young Engineers

May 1, 2019 12:00 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Record Number of Dresses Collected for Comerica Bank’s Detroit Prom Dress Drive

May 1, 2019 12:00 PM ET

With more than 2,000 dresses collected, Comerica Bank’s Detroit Prom Dress Drive distributed a record total to Hope Closet. To further support Hope Closet and its community outreach, Comerica presented a $5,000 donation to Hope Closet President Whitney Drake.

Environment

Ecocentricity Blog: Revisiting Maria

May 1, 2019 11:00 AM ET

Though the storm blew over a year and a half ago, Maria has not left the island. I’m not sure she ever will.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

SC Johnson Turkey Named Best Workplace for Third Consecutive Year

May 1, 2019 11:00 AM ET

SC Johnson Turkey has been recognized as one of the Best Workplaces in Turkey by Great Place to Work® for the third consecutive year. The Turkey organization earned the No. 3 spot among mid-sized companies on the annual Best Workplace list of companies in Turkey with 50-250 employees.

Environment

Duke Energy Reaches $10 Million Commitment to Support Waterways in the Carolinas

May 1, 2019 10:30 AM ET

Twelve organizations spanning 43 counties in North Carolina and South Carolina will receive $940,000 in new grants from Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund to support environmental and wildlife programs.

Education

SMART Student Health Center Shows Impressive Results After Just Six Months

May 1, 2019 10:00 AM ET

Just six months after the opening of the SMART Student Health and Wellness Centers in Pickens County, Alabama, chronic absenteeism at one school dropped 55 percent.

Research, Reports & Publications

FedEx Multiplies Opportunities Around the World: 2019 Global Citizenship Report

May 1, 2019 9:00 AM ET

FedEx multiplies opportunities using our vast network, which reaches more than 99 percent of the world’s GDP. The 2019 Global Citizenship Report showcases how our networks connect people and possibilities, creating growth for customers, good for our community, potential for our p

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Verizon Honored With Arbor Day Foundation’s Friend of the Forest Award

May 1, 2019 9:00 AM ET

The Arbor Day Foundation has announced today that Verizon has been awarded the Friend of the Forest award, which recognizes a corporation and its leaders for their commitment to using trees and forests to achieve corporate sustainability goals and targets. The award will be presented on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at a tree planting event on Verizon’s corporate campus in Southlake, Texas.

Research, Reports & Publications

eBay Publishes Annual Impact Progress Update, Including Renewable Energy Milestone and New Carbon Target

May 1, 2019 9:00 AM ET

eBay released its 2018 Impact Progress Update, an annual report on the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework, policies and programs. The Progress Update shows not only how eBay manages its own impacts, but also the positive impact that emerges when people use eBay’s technology and resources. Anchoring the Progress Update are details on eBay’s environmental footprint and progress against each of eBay’s five existing impact goals. This year, we also announced a sixth goal within our Progress Update, aimed at reducing the company’s carbon emissions.

Environment

Time for Trash Talk: GRI Waste Standard Out for Public Comment

May 1, 2019 9:00 AM ET

In the face of a growing global waste crisis, new corporate reporting disclosures are being developed by GRI to help organizations better understand and communicate their waste impacts.

Sustainable Development Goals

UN Global Compact Welcomes the Belt and Road Leaders’ Endorsement of the Ten Principles

Apr 30, 2019 8:15 PM ET

Lise Kingo, CEO & Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact, welcomed the joint communiqué from the Leaders' Roundtable of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, calling it a significant endorsement of the role of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact in helping business make their critical contribution to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Environment

Ceres Applauds U.S. House Leaders for Bill to Keep U.S. in the Paris Agreement

Apr 30, 2019 7:10 PM ET

The sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for bringing to a vote a new bill aimed at keeping the U.S. as a participant in the historic Paris Agreement on climate change. This will be the first climate bill to be voted on in the U.S. House in the last 10 years.

Education

Talent is Universal – Opportunity is Not

Apr 30, 2019 7:00 PM ET

We need to discover and develop and harness talent, wherever it may be. And this is not happening, not in the world of chess, and not in the world of science. John Gardner aptly stated the potential when he wrote about the release of human possibilities in his wisdom-filled book On Leadership:

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Law Day 2019: Celebrating Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society

Apr 30, 2019 6:15 PM ET

Taking place on May 1st each year, Law Day is a national day established by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958 to mark the nation's commitment to the rule of law. Law Day provides an opportunity to understand how law and the legal process protect our liberty, strive to achieve justice, and contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share.

Diversity & Inclusion

Discovery Education, USC Shoah Foundation and DC Web Fest Kick Off First-Ever Excellence in Social Impact Category to Inspire Youth to Fight Against Hate and Discrimination

Apr 30, 2019 6:00 PM ET

Discovery Education, USC Shoah Foundation and the DC Web Fest have collaborated, for the first time ever, to uplift USC Shoah Foundation’s Teaching with Testimony Stronger Than Hate Challenge. During, D.C. Web Fest’s 7th Annual Festival hosted this April, film makers engaged in a meaningful dialogue about leveraging the power of testimony and film to fight against discrimination, hate and injustice.

Education

Partners in Purpose: Consumers Energy Supports the Robotics Revolution

Apr 30, 2019 6:00 PM ET

This past weekend, Consumers Energy sponsored the FIRST Championship for high school robotics teams across the world. The competition was held in Michigan, with 90 local teams participating - more than any other state! By supporting events like the FIRST Championship, Consumers Energy hopes to advance the development of skills employers in the area need, from manufacturing and engineering to marketing and communications.