ESG News from Leading Brands

Social Impact & Volunteering

Duke Energy Florida Employees Host 62 Community Activities in May 2018

Jul 5, 2018 3:00 PM ET

May is Duke Energy in Action volunteer month. In 2018, Duke Energy Florida introduced its “31x31: Championing 62 Causes in May” program. Our employees hosted 62 community employee engagement activities during the 31 days in the month of May. Employees participated in a wide variety of events while partnering with local non-profit or community organizations.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Is Cryptocurrency the Last, Best Hope for African Youth Entrepreneurs?

Jul 5, 2018 2:55 PM ET

AKoin cryptocurrency is the foundation of the AKoin Ecosystem, a ground-breaking platform that seeks to unlock the potential of the world's largest emerging economy through the creation of a stable currency and tools that power the efforts of the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Diversity & Inclusion

DC Is a Growth Center for Women Entrepreneurs: Here are Four Startups to Watch

Jul 5, 2018 2:25 PM ET

With organizations like The Vinetta Project and DC Fem Tech, Washington, DC has become a top city for female entrepreneurs to launch their startups and raise capital. Outside the nation’s capital, these founders might not find the same opportunities; in 2017, women received only 2 percent of all venture funding.

Innovation & Technology

Investing for a More Sustainable Future

Jul 5, 2018 2:20 PM ET

In this letter from UPS CEO David Abney from the 2017 UPS Sustainability Progress Report, he discusses the importance of the investments that the logistics company is making in technology and innovation for efficiency and sustainability.

Sustainable Development Goals

Brands Taking Stands | Defining Climate Change as a Business Opportunity

Jul 5, 2018 1:40 PM ET

The We Mean Business coalition was formed to organize a critical mass of the business world to make progress on climate change. With its no-nonsense brand name, formidable numbers, and world-class leadership, the coalition is poised to be a dominant player in directing businesses toward taking stands on strategies and practices that define climate change as a business opportunity, not just an environmental disaster.

Health & Healthcare

Recipes For Learning -- Scotiabank Trains Canteen Cooks

Jul 5, 2018 12:05 PM ET

As Scotiabank steps up its Nutrition for Learning (NFL) programme, targeting students in 38 primary level institutions, it recently hosted workshops for several school canteen cooks. The workshops, which have been conducted by master chef Jacqui Tyson, sought to equip canteen and administrative personnel in schools with the knowledge and skill to prepare nutritional and healthy meals for students.

Innovation & Technology

Arrow Electronics Names Winner of Cherry Creek Arts Festival Five Years Out Art Challenge

Jul 5, 2018 11:05 AM ET

Arrow Electronics selected Jan R. Carson’s textile artwork, “See as Bees See” as the winner of this year’s Cherry Creek Arts Festival’s Five Years Out Art Challenge.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Respecting the Rights and Interests of First Nations at Borden

Jul 5, 2018 11:05 AM ET

A significant milestone in development of Borden Gold, Canada’s first all-electric underground mine took place on June 6, 2018, with the signing of an Impacts and Benefits Agreement (IBA) between Goldcorp and three First Nation communities including Brunswick House First Nation (BHFN), Chapleau Cree First Nation (CCFN), and Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation (COFN).

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Foster Care Is Somewhere You’ve Been, Not Something You Are

Jul 5, 2018 11:00 AM ET

We first learned about our daughter, Fatima, in the autumn of 2015. We had been in the search process for more than a year and we were becoming very discouraged. We often heard we lived too far away for family visits and/or caseworker visits. When we received Fatima’s profile, we learned that there was more to her situation than the profile could convey and that she was considered a case that required “special consideration.”

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

It’s Imperative That All Children Have Access to Tech Education, Says Winner of the Prestigious ISTE Making IT Happen Award

Jul 5, 2018 11:00 AM ET

The Making IT Happen Award from the International Society for Technology in Education, which honors extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students, recognizes Verizon’s work to provide free technology, access and innovative curricula to under-resourced schools across America. Program director Justina Nixon-Saintil shares some insight into the initiative that was honored with the award.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

AEG Hosts Second Annual Arroyo Seco Weekend Youth Program

Jul 5, 2018 11:00 AM ET

In the days leading up to Goldenvoice’s Arroyo Seco Weekend in Pasadena, Calif., AEG welcomed more than 30 students from Pasadena Unified School District and Pasadena area high schools for the second annual Arroyo Seco Weekend Youth Program at the Rose Bowl.

Sustainable Development Goals

Ways Farmers Support Biodiversity on the Farm

Jul 5, 2018 10:55 AM ET

Farmers realize the importance of biodiversity. Thanks to the combined efforts of many groups in agriculture, farmers today have access to a variety of tools and practices that help them grow crops in a sustainable way that protects biodiversity.

Events, Media & Communications

Disaster Resiliency: Learn How IBM and Bechtel Partnered in Puerto Rico

Jul 5, 2018 10:45 AM ET

Join 3BL Media for “Responding to Disaster: IBM and Bechtel Partner to Address Resiliency,” July 11 at 2 p.m. ET. This free webcast is aimed at corporate responsibility practitioners, policy makers, NGOs, and others engaged in disaster preparedness.

Environment

World Agroforestry Centre: Regreening Africa!

Jul 5, 2018 10:35 AM ET

The United Nations General Assembly declared 17 June the World Day to Combat Desertification to promote public awareness on land degradation, desertification and drought. The theme for 2018 was “Land has true value. Invest in it”. The European Union has taken the slogan seriously and invested in an ambitious five-year project aimed at reversing land degradation and improving food and nutritional security in some of the most vulnerable regions in Africa.

Green Infrastructure

Right of Way (ROW) Owners Allow the Bees to Tell Their Stories

Jul 5, 2018 10:30 AM ET

There are so many utilities and other right-of-way owners out there that are providing a commendable contribution to the environment and conservation, but the sustainability focus always seems to be on the "bigger" concerns, such as emissions or larger animals that people can relate to like a sweet manatee or a cute cougar cub. All of the good things that happen with right-of-way vegetation management remain unnoticed.

Education

Eureka! Girls Inc. Helps Girls Find Their Passion in STEM Fields

Jul 5, 2018 10:05 AM ET

Girls Inc. of Metro Denver is working to close the STEM gender gap, one girl at a time. In 2016, with support from Comcast NBCUniversal, the nonprofit became one of the newest affiliates of the national Girls Inc. organization to launch a program geared specifically to underserved middle and high school girls at that pivotal point in their educational development.

Named Eureka!, the five-year program begins with a STEM-focused four-week summer course for 30 girls preparing to enter eighth grade.

Events, Media & Communications

Best Rates for the BSR Conference 2018 Extended

Jul 5, 2018 10:00 AM ET

Register by Friday, July 13 to save up to $250 on BSR18, the business sustainability event that has been defining the field and identifying solutions to our most complex global challenges since 1992.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Schneider Electric Named 2018 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year

Jul 5, 2018 9:55 AM ET

We are excited to announce that Schneider Electric was recognized as a 2018 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year. This designation is largely the result of our efforts to improve clients’ energy efficiency and sustainability in commercial, manufacturing and public-sector buildings.

Diversity & Inclusion

CASE STUDY | Cyber Security is Tapping Into Non-Traditional Talent

Jul 5, 2018 9:40 AM ET

To address the shortage of cyber security talent, Symantec first launched its Cyber Career Connection (Symantec C3) in 2014. It partnered with workforce development nonprofits to prepare nontraditional candidates — including women and people of color — for careers in cyber security.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

The Venetian Macao Achieves Platinum-Level Macao Green Hotel Award

Jul 5, 2018 9:25 AM ET

The Venetian® Macao was awarded a Macao Green Hotel Platinum Award, the first and only hotel in Macao to earn the top recognition.

Sustainable Development Goals

One of the World’s Largest Advertisers Is Asking Brands to Help Endangered Animals

Jul 5, 2018 9:00 AM ET

Mars, one of the world’s largest advertisers, is asking other major brands to help animals at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. The company is a founding partner—along with production company Finch and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)—of a new fund, The Lion’s Share, that will help with wildlife conservation and animal welfare.

Energy

Pueblo Viejo Power Plant to Convert to Natural Gas

Jul 4, 2018 11:00 AM ET

Pueblo Viejo, Goldcorp’s joint venture gold mine in the Dominican Republic, has just taken a huge step towards becoming a more sustainable mine. One of the world’s largest gold mines, Pueblo Vieja, operated by Pueblo Viejo Dominicana Corporation (PVDC), a joint venture between Barrick Gold Corporation (60%) and Goldcorp (40%), announced that it has signed a 10-year natural gas supply contract, generating key cost-savings at the operation.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Seeking Sustainable Growth: GRI to Help Build Standards-based Approach for EU’s Sustainable Finance policy

Jul 4, 2018 10:00 AM ET

The Global Reporting Initiative is appointed to EU's Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance to help build standards-based approach for EU’s Sustainable Finance policy.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Fox Pride Celebrates and Raises Awareness During Pride Month

Jul 3, 2018 8:45 PM ET

Sustainable Development Goals

Operational Excellence, Sustainable Value: Goldcorp’s 2017 Sustainability Report

Jul 3, 2018 5:00 PM ET

Our 2017 Sustainability Report, Operational Excellence. Sustainable Value., detailing our economic, environmental and social performance for the year has been published.