ESG News from Leading Brands

Social Impact & Volunteering

Living Life to the Fullest Thanks to Adoption

Aug 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Chris was in and out of foster care before being referred to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy's Wonderful Kids program. This program finds loving, permanent homes for children who have been waiting in foster care the longest.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Are You Prepared for Eco-tourists?

Aug 10, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Not long ago, the term “eco-tourist” may have conjured images of backpackers in Birkenstocks trekking to remote destinations in numbers too minuscule to be considered mainstream. Well, that was then — this is a whole new now. Now, as in The International Year of Sustainable Tourism. Now, in the era where major recommendation resources like TripAdvisor single out Green Leaders for special attention. Now, when nearly two-thirds of travelers factor in environmental considerations when choosing hotels, transportation and meals.

Education

SEED SPOT, Booz Allen Hamilton Award Local Social Good Entrepreneurs

Aug 10, 2017 9:45 AM ET

When kids love to read, you want to make sure they have access to books they’ll love. But recommending the right books is a complex and time consuming process, and even when the best books are identified, many families and schools can’t afford to buy them. Enter Mia Learning, which uses machine learning to match kids with books, strengthening self-directed reading skills while building kids’ personal libraries. Booz Allen Hamilton awarded Mia Learning with the Most Promising Innovation Award last month at SEED SPOT Demo Day.

Environment

Four Reasons to Go See Al Gore’s Hopeful, Compelling An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

Aug 10, 2017 9:45 AM ET

Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, Al Gore’s sequel to his Oscar-winning 2006 An Inconvenient Truth hits just two months after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 195-nation Paris climate agreement. While the timing of the film’s release is coincidental, An Inconvenient Sequel acts as an emphatic counterpoint to the climate-denying, march-with-fingers-in-our-ears-saying-la-la-la-as-the-planet-catastrophically-warms crowd.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

New Analysis Shows Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards Enhance Auto Industry Financial Prospects

Aug 10, 2017 9:30 AM ET

As disruption from new technologies, mobility models and global trends threaten financial prospects for legacy automakers, national fuel economy and emissions standards can help increase the viability and international competitiveness of domestic automakers and suppliers, according to a new analysis prepared by an independent automotive industry analyst and commissioned by the sustainability nonprofit organization Ceres.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Supporting Our Heroes by Reuniting Best Friends

Aug 10, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Wells Fargo Stories of Better: Homeless Atlanta Resident Becomes Homeowner.

Aug 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

A new community ad spotlights Lavonna McKoy, an Atlanta, Georgia, resident who went from being homeless to becoming a homeowner thanks to Wells Fargo. (2 minutes)

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Visa’s “Everyone, Everywhere” Report Details Progress on Corporate Responsibility to Help People Thrive

Aug 10, 2017 9:00 AM ET

Visa published its 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report titled “Everyone, Everywhere,” which demonstrates how one of the largest payment networks in the world is operating as a responsible, ethical and sustainable company while fulfilling its mission: to connect the world through its innovative, reliable and secure digital payment network and help enable individuals, businesses and economies to thrive.

Health & Healthcare

Half of US Parents Skip Back-to-School Eye Exams for Their Children, Survey Says

Aug 10, 2017 6:35 AM ET

As much as 80 percent of learning a child does is visual, with children spending most of the school day reading, looking at a blackboard, and using laptops and tablets. However, come back-to-school season, parents overlook one of the most critical learning tools – their child’s eyes. Half (50.1 percent) of US parents do not bring their school-age children for a back-to-school eye exam, according to a VSP Vision Care and YouGov survey, “How Parents ‘See’ Eye Health.”

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Safeway Foundation Awards $650K to Beneficiaries of Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Campaign

Aug 10, 2017 6:00 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

New Video Ads Celebrate the ‘Grit and Determination of Remarkable People’

Aug 9, 2017 6:30 PM ET

Events, Media & Communications

Major League Baseball Players to Put Their Passion & Personalities on Display During Players Weekend

Aug 9, 2017 6:30 PM ET

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

To Create Leaders, Challenge Employees to Volunteer

Aug 9, 2017 4:45 PM ET

As one international corporation has discovered, corporate leadership engagement is often critical to ensuring a vibrant and successful CSR strategy.

Alexander Mann Solutions, which was founded by Rosaleen Blair in 1996, is considered a global leader in talent acquisition and management. Today, it’s also known as a company that demonstrates CSR values by showcasing its own – clear to the top of its corporate leadership.

Sustainable Development Goals

Surrounded by Water with Nothing to Drink

Aug 9, 2017 4:25 PM ET

Diversity & Inclusion

Annual Ideagen UN Empowering Women and Girls 2030 Summit

Aug 9, 2017 3:40 PM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Voya Financial Releases 2016/2017 Corporate Responsibility Annual Report

Aug 9, 2017 3:30 PM ET

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it has published its 2016/2017 Corporate Responsibility Annual Report, which details ways in which the company’s corporate responsibility (CR) pillars have been integrated with its day-to-day business strategy and operations.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Happy Birthday Canada! - Connecting Your Community Investment to the National Celebration

Aug 9, 2017 3:30 PM ET

There is still half a year left of Canada's 150th birthday party. It's not too late to harness the power of your employees and leverage your community investment to generate a positive impact in your communities - something truly worth celebrating.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

The Next 25 Years – Big Picture Thinking by Amy Domini, CFA

Aug 9, 2017 3:15 PM ET

Responsible investing momentum is strong. For me, and for many of my generation, the future is clear: we are well on our way towards the installation of a vitally important system-level force for good, one that will protect future generations, indeed the planet itself. But we know that universal human dignity and ecological sustainability are not guaranteed - how can investments make a difference?

Research, Reports & Publications

New USA Whitepaper on Why Business Backs Climate Action

Aug 9, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Ethical Corporation released its latest whitepaper on the benefits of business to back the Paris climate agreement.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Morgan Stanley Survey Finds Interest in Sustainable Investing Stronger than Ever

Aug 9, 2017 3:00 PM ET

Environment

Michael Carolan: “No One Eats Alone”

Aug 9, 2017 2:35 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

At Michigan Retirement Community, Volunteer Records Memories to Last

Aug 9, 2017 2:15 PM ET

As Gwen Joseph revisited hours and hours of family memories – Christmas Eves spent with her extended family celebrating their Swedish traditions with performances, a family choir and food – the familiar sounds of joy brought her back to those moments, captured by her grandfather, who would hit record on the tape player at the start of the night and let the tape roll.

Events, Media & Communications

Scotiabank Video: 16 Youth Soccer Teams to Travel to Mexico for the Scotiabank CONCACAF Under-13 Champions League Tournament

Aug 9, 2017 1:45 PM ET

Two teams of young Canadian soccer players will have the unique opportunity of traveling to Toluca, Mexico to participate in the Scotiabank CONCACAF Under-13 Champions League tournament, August 5 to 12.

Innovation & Technology

Qualcomm's Sustainability Priorities

Aug 9, 2017 1:30 PM ET

We prioritize the sustainability issues that are most important to our business and key stakeholders, which include communities, nonprofit organizations, employees, governments, investors, suppliers and customers. We focus our resources, programs and reporting on these six topic areas.

Events, Media & Communications

Registration Now Open for Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship's Leadership Academy

Aug 9, 2017 1:00 PM ET

Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship is pleased to open the registration period for its Leadership Academy, an engaging and action-oriented corporate citizenship program.