ESG News from Leading Brands

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Creating Magical Memories for Children With Critical Illnesses

Oct 16, 2018 7:20 PM ET

Every year in the U.S., 27,000 children are diagnosed with critical illnesses. That’s 27,000 families whose lives are turned upside down. Play dates, soccer games, and sleepovers are replaced with doctor appointments, hospital stays and medical treatments.

But, when they arrive at Give Kids The World, families are transported to a storybook world straight from a child’s dreams. At this 84-acre, nonprofit resort in Central Florida, critically ill children and their families receive weeklong, cost-free vacations complete with accommodations, transportation, meals, donated attraction tickets and so much more.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Feeding America Expands Pilot Nationally to Help Truckers Rescue Food

Oct 16, 2018 6:00 PM ET

Today, on World Food Day, Feeding America announced the national expansion of a pilot program to rescue food, in partnership with manufacturers and their carriers on the road. Each year, 40 percent of food in the United States goes to waste. This program, known as MealConnect Logistics, has already facilitated the donation of more than 580,000 pounds of food to the Feeding America network of food banks in the pilot phase.

After partnering together for nearly four decades addressing hunger, Feeding America and General Mills joined forces last fall to get more meals to families in need. By recognizing there was food to be rescued within the delivery chain, the two organizations developed a smart solution to fight both food waste and hunger.

Energy

Going Beyond the Mills: Energy-Efficient Infrastructure at Sappi

Oct 16, 2018 5:50 PM ET

Our focus on energy and emissions extends beyond our mill gates. Since 2009, Sappi has participated in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay® Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between the EPA and companies that provide freight delivery services. In support of the partnership, we include the SmartWay specifi cation in our carrier bid contracts, and since 2013, approximately 95 percent of our cumulative domestic ton-miles have been shipped by SmartWay carriers.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Creating Waves of Impact with Simple Solutions for Hunger Relief

Oct 16, 2018 5:15 PM ET

Caring runs deep at Tyson Foods. For nearly 20 years, we’ve worked to provide hunger relief in the communities where we live and work. Grants and product donations to strategic food banks and nonprofit organizations are the bulk of this support.

Through growth and acquisitions, we have become neighbors to more and more people every year, and we’re adding to our neighborhood every day. This not only helps us grow our business, but also allows us to bring hunger relief to even more people.

Environment

Hear the Latest on Indoor Air Quality Certification

Oct 16, 2018 3:05 PM ET

Hear the latest about healthy indoor air quality. See how major manufacturing companies are meeting demands for low emitting products to contribute to LEED, WELL & other green building rating systems with SCS Indoor Advantage Certification.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Center for Resource Solutions Announces 2018 Green Power Leadership Award Winners

Oct 16, 2018 3:00 PM ET

The nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) presented the 18th annual Green Power Leadership Awards on Wednesday October 10, awarding eight organizations and one individual for their roles in promoting and expanding the use of clean, renewable energy. The awards were presented at the Renewable Energy Markets 2018 conference in Houston, TX in the categories of Green Power Market Development, International Green Power Market Development, Leadership in Green Power Education, and Green Power Leader of the Year.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Running a Clean Fleet

Oct 16, 2018 2:40 PM ET

Running a clean fleet means reducing our footprint. It requires a tremendous amount of technology, commitment and vision — all of which we have relied on to expand our fleet of clean-powered collection vehicles.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Innovation to Address Hunger: Less Waste, Better Use of Supply

Oct 16, 2018 2:00 PM ET

Tuesday is World Food Day, yet 1 in 11 households in Minnesota struggle with hunger. The issue is as pervasive as it is quiet, and many of our neighbors endure the challenge of putting enough food on the table. At the same time, 40 percent of food in the U.S. is wasted each year. Over the past year, General Mills and Feeding America partnered to create an innovative solution to connect surplus food in the delivery system with families in need.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Do More With Less: Tap Into Pro Bono Support

Oct 16, 2018 1:45 PM ET

Don’t put off your nonprofit’s next big project because of a tight budget! With support from passionate Taproot Foundation volunteers skilled in marketing, strategy, finance and more, you can make those plans happen while keeping costs low.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Booz Allen and LaunchCode: Fast-Tracking Veterans into Mission-Critical Careers

Oct 16, 2018 1:30 PM ET

Energy

Mobile Home Park Residents to Save Money, Energy in New Pilot Program

Oct 16, 2018 1:15 PM ET

The Greenbriar Mobile Home Park clubhouse was recently packed with residents like Patricia West, who lives with her disabled daughter, who came to learn about upcoming construction scheduled at their site. For the next two months, crews will be converting the mobile home park’s master electric and gas distribution systems to direct electricity and natural gas utility service. Once completed, residents will become first-time customers of Southern California Edison and their local gas utility.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Rescuing One Billion Pounds of Food

Oct 16, 2018 12:30 PM ET

One billion of anything is a lot.

One billion pounds of perfectly good food given to hungry people instead of landfills is life changing for those who face hunger. And according to Feeding America, that’s one in eight people in America.

With wasted food in landfills being one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas going into the atmosphere, every pound of food we can use to feed hungry people – rather than send to a landfill – really helps the environment.

Social Impact & Volunteering

JetBlue’s Newest Destination is... Good!

Oct 16, 2018 12:05 PM ET

JetBlue today announced that it is putting good on the map. Literally. To celebrate the airline’s nonstop commitment to giving back and good deeds, JetBlue is adding a new destination to its network this November — Destination Good. As part of JetBlue For Good Month, JetBlue is flying a plane full of winning do-gooders to Destination Good for a volunteer experience departing on Giving Tuesday, November 27. The twist? The actual location won’t be revealed until the morning the contest winners depart from New York’s JFK International Airport.

Health & Healthcare

Thousands of Louisville Residents Take Suicide Prevention Training

Oct 16, 2018 12:00 PM ET

During National Suicide Prevention Week (September 9-15), more than 2,200 Louisville residents were trained in Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), a nationally known suicide prevention technique.

Similar to CPR, QPR is designed to support an emergency response to someone in crisis and to save lives.

Responsible Production & Consumption

A Holistic Approach to Sustainability Through Handprinting

Oct 16, 2018 12:00 PM ET

When the commercial division of the world’s largest flooring manufacturer switches its focus from “footprinting” to “handprinting” — or leaving the world in better shape than when we found it — it is not a small endeavor or one taken lightly.

We at Mohawk Group quickly realized that if we truly intended to pursue sustainability, it would require a sea change in our way of doing business, our manufacturing processes, our attitude from plant floor to boardroom, and our products. It would require committed leadership and putting to work all the innovation we had come to be so well known for. And it would mean every day, in every Mohawk facility around the globe, reinvigorating our promise to Believe in Better.

Innovation & Technology

How Emerging Technologies are Driving Circularity, Electric Transportation and More

Oct 16, 2018 11:50 AM ET

When I was a kid, my dad told me that his favorite technological advancements were the automatic garage door and the automatic ice maker. I didn’t fully understand why at the time. But I get it now.

Environment

Resilience in the Face of Global Warming

Oct 16, 2018 11:30 AM ET

Education

In Depth With a Program Powerhouse: 12 Years of Amgen Scholars With Patty Phelps

Oct 16, 2018 11:20 AM ET

Over the past 12 years, Patty Phelps has mentored more than 250 students in her role as faculty advisor for the Amgen Scholars Program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Among those students is: a young woman who came from the University of Washington in bioengineering and is now pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego; a hard-working young man who returned to UCLA for graduate school in neuroscience; and the wonderful UCLA students who each year welcomed those from out-of-town and developed long-term friendships.

Environment

Report: While Health & Safety Leaders Say Top Execs Support Efforts, They May Not Fully Understand the Value

Oct 16, 2018 11:10 AM ET

Antea Group’s blog discusses the importance of leadership engagement in a company’s health and safety efforts and ways to emphasize their value.

Events, Media & Communications

Pro Bono Perspectives Podcast: Episode 5 - Harriet Harral, Leadership Fort Worth

Oct 16, 2018 11:05 AM ET

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Harriet Harral the Executive Director of Leadership Fort Worth (LFW) to Pro Bono Perspectives! LFW is a Texas-based nonprofit that is among the oldest community leadership-development programs in the nation. Harriet has acquired expertise in organizational effectiveness and leadership development through her experience working in not only the non-profit sector but also the public and corporate sectors. Talk about a cross-sector leader!

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Bloomberg and CSRHub Webinar – Solving the ESG Data Challenge

Oct 16, 2018 10:45 AM ET

With the increased demand for ESG (environment, social, governance) data and conflicting opinions on company performance by different data providers, investors are searching for ways to measure ESG, variance among different ESG ratings and correlations between leading datasets.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Ebook | The Biggest Threats to Your Corporate Philanthropy Initiatives

Oct 16, 2018 10:35 AM ET

How can bad things happen to programs that are all about doing good? It’s an unfortunate fact of doing CSR work in a changing and volatile world. It takes a nimble, agile approach to stay ahead of them.

Health & Healthcare

New Insight Research Study with Results on Hand Hygiene

Oct 16, 2018 10:30 AM ET

Clean hands can increase well-being of people around you. 8 in 10 say knowing that people around them wash their hands properly would have a positive impact on their state of mind.

Media & Communications

UN IPCC Warns Us: The Time to Act Is Now – The Window For Action on Global Warming is Fast Closing

Oct 16, 2018 10:15 AM ET

The buzz for the past few days has been about the report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that urged governments everywhere to “take rapid and far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” to avoid catastrophic events and conditions brought on by climate change.

Why? The planet temperature could reach the critical point – keep 1.5 degrees Celsius / 2.7 F above pre-industrial levels in mind. We must get measures in place to address the threats of floods, rising seas, food shortages, shrinking arable land, wildfires, rising seas…and more.

Education

Hallmark Enables Arts Education in the UK

Oct 16, 2018 9:40 AM ET

Hallmark Greetings’ United Kingdom (UK) business partnered with local colleges and universities to open the door for students toward a career in the arts, working with six di erent groups in the past year.