ESG News from Leading Brands

Innovation & Technology

Retiring Doesn’t Equal Disconnecting

Jun 9, 2017 1:40 PM ET

After so many years of living my life by the clock and my Outlook calendar, I sometimes wonder what it must be like for the residents we serve when they first retire. The majority juggled demanding personal and business schedules. Did they feel a sense of relief when they no longer had to check a personal device to stay on top of their day – or was there a void?

Environment

From Paris to Drawdown: Get Serious About Climate

Jun 9, 2017 1:00 PM ET

Like other unconscionable and unfathomable acts of the early 21st century—a period of historic great change already—Trump’s pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement has sent me searching for the deeper meaning of it all, while the pundits flail away.

Diversity & Inclusion

FCA US and FIAT Brand Continue Support for Motor City Pride Parade and Festival

Jun 9, 2017 1:00 PM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Viacom Once Again Joins Everytown for Gun Safety to Wear Orange and Fight Violence

Jun 9, 2017 12:40 PM ET

Viacom unleashed the power of multiple brands to support the initiative across a variety of on-air and outdoor platforms. The company’s headquarters, a tower heaving from the center of Times Square, served as the epicenter of this support, with the building lit orange along the New York City skyline and a public service announcement – created in conjunction with Everytown and HUGE – playing on the enormous video screens hanging off the building’s eastern facade.

Education

Third Annual FCA US ‘Big Bike and Book Giveaway Day’ Rolls Out New Bikes to 150 Detroit Students

Jun 9, 2017 12:30 PM ET

Students chosen to receive a new bicycle, helmet and books were selected by Communities In Schools of Metropolitan Detroit, which provides education and community resources to help students successfully learn, stay in school and continue the path to graduation. FCA US provided the bikes, helmets, books and 50 employees through its Motor Citizens volunteer program. Detroit Eastside Community Collaborative, which has helped establish miles of new bike lanes throughout the city, provided safety instruction to the new riders.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Champion Athleticwear Celebrates 20-Year Sponsorship with Special Olympics USA National Team

Jun 9, 2017 12:15 PM ET

HanesBrands’ Champion athleticwear is celebrating its 20th year of supporting the Special Olympics USA National Team. Champion outfitted the team’s winter athletes this year in Austria and will support the team’s athletes in the 2019 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Sustainable Development Goals

Water's New Normal

Jun 9, 2017 12:10 PM ET

Cindy Wallis-Lage, President of Black & Veatch’s water business, discusses the importance of industry collaboration for more sustainable water systems.

Health & Healthcare

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas to Launch $10-Million Statewide Initiative To Help Fight Chronic Diabetic Kidney Disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Jun 9, 2017 12:00 PM ET

RICHARDSON, Texas, June 9, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) announced today a new $10-million community investment Initiative to help raise awareness around the prevention and early detection of Chronic Diabetic Kidney Disease (CKD)1and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)2– two conditions greatly impacting the life span, productivity and quality of life of Texans.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Water Resources Fund Provides $5 Million for Waterways

Jun 9, 2017 12:00 PM ET

Healthy waterways are vital to the communities Duke Energy serves. But we can’t do it alone. Over the past two years, Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund has helped fund 59 projects by organizations across the Carolinas and Virginia, providing support for the good work done by others.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

AkzoNobel and Starbucks Partnering up to Create 'Show Your Flavor' Murals

Jun 9, 2017 11:00 AM ET

Local talents and artists showcased their creativity in mural art at selected Starbucks stores in Malaysia this week, celebrating the newly launched campaign "Show Your Flavor", which focuses on self-expression through color this summer. Artists created their masterpieces on Starbucks' store walls using colorful paints provided by AkzoNobel.

Diversity & Inclusion

LA Galaxy Invest $1 Million to Enhance Girls’ Academy Training Fields at StubHub Center

Jun 9, 2017 11:00 AM ET

AEG’s LA Galaxy announced that the club has invested $1 million to renovate Field 7 at StubHub Center, which will be used as the official training fields for AEG’s LA Galaxy Girls’ Academy.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Making Sure No Young Woman Faces Breast Cancer Alone

Jun 9, 2017 10:45 AM ET

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women ages 15–39 living in the U.S., with more than 12,000 new cases each year. Although breast cancer in young women is rare, there are more than 250,000 women living in the United States today who were diagnosed under age 40. In addition to differences in the disease itself, young women also face unique psychosocial challenges as a result of cancer and its treatment, including issues around mental health, career, fertility, parenting and more.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Unreasonable Impact | From Forgotten WWII Tunnels To Urban Farm: Q&A with Growing Underground

Jun 9, 2017 10:35 AM ET

Education

CITGO Provides Elementary Schools with Student Engineering Projects

Jun 9, 2017 10:30 AM ET

As part of the CITGO STEM Talent Pipeline Program, CITGO has partnered with the Calcasieu Parish School Board (CPSB) and McNeese State University to bring Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education to young minds through a hands-on learning experience called Engineering is Elementary (EiE).

Social Impact & Volunteering

How Creating a Volunteer Culture Can Help Your Business

Jun 9, 2017 10:15 AM ET

Employers and employees may be missing opportunities when it comes to reaping all of the benefits of volunteering in the workplace. Deloitte’s “2017 Volunteerism Survey” of working Americans found that creating a culture of volunteerism may boost morale, workplace atmosphere and brand perception. However, surveyed employees do not view volunteerism as a way to advance their career or develop new skills.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Walmart Rates HP #1 on Sustainability Scorecard

Jun 9, 2017 10:05 AM ET

Media & Communications

The Past 10 Years Have Brought Much Progress in Corporate Sustainability Efforts -- What Does The Future Hold?

Jun 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

We have made tremendous progress over the last 10 years in such areas as the embrace of corporate sustainability, corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, and related approaches by the global corporate sector...and in the continuing adoption of sustainable investment policies and approaches by a widening universe of institutional and individual investors.

What do you think the next 10 years will bring?

Environment

Bloomberg 35: Continuing a Legacy of Connecting With and Protecting Nature Around the World

Jun 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Environment

PepsiCo's Progress in Reducing GHG Emissions

Jun 9, 2017 10:00 AM ET

Last year, PepsiCo announced an ambitious set of goals as it redoubled its commitment to Performance with Purpose—the fundamental belief that business success is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world we share. One key element of this agenda is the company’s goal to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 20 percent across its value chain by 2030.

Events, Media & Communications

Arrow Electronics Establishes Innovation Prize At Collegiate Inventors Competition

Jun 9, 2017 9:45 AM ET

This summer, a panel of judges from Arrow will select a student team participating in the competition to be awarded the Arrow Innovation Prize. This exclusive prize advances the selected team to the final round of judging at the November competition held at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) headquarters in Alexandria, Va. The Arrow Innovation Prize includes an all-expenses-paid trip and private networking opportunity for the student team with a group of innovators from Arrow.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Coming Together as a Community at GLIDE

Jun 9, 2017 9:30 AM ET

I went with a group of about 40 of my colleagues, led by our CEO Devin Wenig, to volunteer at GLIDE, an organization that has been serving San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents in the Tenderloin since the 1960s. GLIDE is known as one of the biggest social services providers in San Francisco, helping Tenderloin residents break the barriers of poverty and marginalization by simply giving them access to basic human needs — think food, shelter, clothing — and believing that everyone deserves a second chance.

Education

Minneapolis Public Schools, AchieveMpls and Cargill Partner to Boost Local Career and College Readiness By 2020

Jun 9, 2017 9:25 AM ET

As the school year wraps up, local partners are looking ahead with a focus on practical solutions to help close the achievement gap and prepare the future workforce. Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) and AchieveMpls, in partnership with the Cargill Foundation, today announced a major three-year investment of $4 million for MPS Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID); Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs; and AchieveMpls Career & College Centers in MPS high schools. The grant will provide critical support for student academic success and career and college readiness through 2020.

Environment

From Urban Centers to Suburban Developments, Community Gardens Are on the Rise

Jun 9, 2017 9:05 AM ET

Be it a yard, a nearby park or a terrace, outdoor space is a much desired amenity for house hunters everywhere. Combine that with an increased awareness and interest in where our food is coming from, and you’ve got a fertile environment for community gardens.

And while such spots are unquestionably great for growing vegetables, builders and developers are finding that they might also be good for growing sales.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Whole Planet Foundation | Dispatch from the Field

Jun 9, 2017 9:05 AM ET

In February, we visited our microfinance partner Fonkoze in Haiti. The team visited the southwestern peninsula – the area hardest hit by Hurricane Matthew. Having visited the area three months after the hurricane, we were able to see operations beginning to normalize at the community level and branch level. Most of the clients we met were not able to resume activities until after they were able to recapitalize their existing loan. We see this as yet another good example of where Whole Planet Foundation’s funding can have an invaluable impact and support long term reconstruction after natural disasters.

Media & Communications

Heads of Michigan’s Major Utilities React to Paris Climate Withdrawal, Discuss Energy Landscape

Jun 9, 2017 9:00 AM ET