ESG News from Leading Brands

Energy

Improving Lives in Sri Lanka’s Rural Communities

Aug 10, 2016 10:25 AM ET

Biomass Supplies, a Sri Lankansubsidiary of Biomass Group –the visionary renewable energy company – is developing Sri Lanka’s abundant sustainable energy resources through innovative partnerships with the country’s smallholder farmers. Biomass has joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to boost the incomes of 40,000 farmers – at least 70 percent of them women – by 2018 and improve their yields through training in sustainable agriculture practices.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Women Using Venture Capital to Change the World

Aug 10, 2016 10:10 AM ET

Good Ventures. Read about how Nancy Pfund, one of Silicon Valley's leading venture capitalists, is changing the world

Environment

Drought Prompts Need for Alternative Water Supplies, But Other Drivers Gaining Traction

Aug 10, 2016 10:00 AM ET

The importance of alternative water supplies, such as water reuse, brackish groundwater and desalination, continues to grow as organizations look to build diversified, resilient water supplies.

Health & Healthcare

Partnering with Diabetes At The Centre of the Universe

Aug 10, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Located on the hillside where Galileo Galilei was watching the stars, the Italian Barometer Diabetes Observatory Foundation breaks new ground in chronic disease management through a unique partnership model.

Education

CITGO and the Ocean Exploration Trust Partnership Brings Science to Life for Students and Educators

Aug 10, 2016 10:00 AM ET

For the third year, CITGO Petroleum Corporation and the Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) are providing teachers and students with unique educational opportunities in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Health & Healthcare

Is Health the New Carbon?

Aug 10, 2016 9:40 AM ET

Our built environment has a profound impact on our health, well-being, happiness and productivity. It can shape our habits and choices, regulate our sleep-wake cycle, drive us toward healthy and unhealthy choices, and passively influence our health through the quality of our surroundings.

Innovation & Technology

From Big Data to Smart Data: Gear Units Go Digital

Aug 10, 2016 9:05 AM ET

Siemens has developed a digital measurement technology that records stress in gear units during their operation. The data can then be used to optimize the design of a new gear unit for the same application. This enables overspecification to be avoided without running any risk of undersized units failing due to overloading. Procurement costs are thus reduced, and the data also provide information on how to optimally operate the unit. Flender Gearlog – the name of the measurement technology – incorporates various sensors and a specially developed computer including software for evaluating the data.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Rio 2016 Committee Supports Small Businesses to Boost Sustainability

Aug 10, 2016 9:00 AM ET

The Olympic Games Organizing Committee in Rio wants to create a record for holding the most sustainable Olympic Games ever. According to CEBDS, the Brazilian partner organization of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Games are helping to accelerate the spread of sustainable business processes in Brazil.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Elbow Grease: TMMWV Team Members Volunteer to Help Flood Victims Dig Out

Aug 10, 2016 9:00 AM ET

Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia (TMMWV) team member Tony Perry is known as “the Refrigerator." Perry, you see, has the strength and stomach to remove refrigerators and freezers from homes devastated by a record-breaking flood in Clendenin, W.Va., about 60 miles east of TMMWV.

Diversity & Inclusion

Darden for Life | Kim Basham of LongHorn Steakhouse

Aug 9, 2016 9:25 PM ET

I’ve been with Darden 25 years in June. For the last 17 of those years, I’ve been a bartender and server at the LongHorn Steakhouse on Eastgate North Drive in Cincinnati, OH. I was one of the first employees hired when the restaurant opened. My team members tease me by saying that the building was built around me

Innovation & Technology

Sodexo Establishes Tier III Data Center to Meet Global Demand

Aug 9, 2016 5:30 PM ET

Seeking infrastructure that is robust, resilient, secure, available and responsive, Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services, chose a Tier III data center partner to ensure the availability of Sodexo’s business critical applications and meet the business imperative that the user community have 24/7 access to their data.

Innovation & Technology

Comcast Announces Six Time Olympic Medal Winner Jackie Joyner-Kersee To Serve As National Spokeswoman For Internet Essentials

Aug 9, 2016 5:00 PM ET

Comcast Corporation today announced Jackie Joyner-Kersee will serve as a national spokeswoman for Internet Essentials, the largest and most successful broadband adoption program in the country. Soon to kick off its sixth annual back-to-school season, Internet Essentials has helped close the digital divide for more than 600,000 families, benefitting 2.4 million low-income Americans.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Is Forced Labor Being Over Looked in Your Supply Chain?

Aug 9, 2016 4:15 PM ET

As the increase in demand from around the world for quality goods increases, so does the amount of help needed to supply those goods. With big box retailers continuing to source their products from offshore suppliers, staying ahead of compliance initiatives is a must. The risk of running into issues with compliance regulations becomes greater when creating business relationships in other countries.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Designing Better Disaster Relief

Aug 9, 2016 2:25 PM ET

Social Impact & Volunteering

Baseball Dreams Come True for New England Veterans

Aug 9, 2016 2:05 PM ET

CVS Health and the Boston Red Sox saluted veterans from across New England by inviting them to Fenway Park to participate in a CVS Health Baseball Camp — an opportunity to work with Boston Red Sox hitting coaches on their batting skills and enjoy a day of activities that allowed them to get up close and personal with America’s most beloved ballpark.

Environment

Mars’ Global Factories Send Zero Waste to Landfill

Aug 9, 2016 2:05 PM ET

Research, Reports & Publications

Marking Milestones at Both Ends of a Caterpillar Career

Aug 9, 2016 2:00 PM ET

Caterpillar is proud to employee individuals from a variety of backgrounds at different stages in their career

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

What's a Company's Social Responsibility After the Sale?

Aug 9, 2016 1:30 PM ET

When considering corporate social responsibility, many companies tend to look at it with a front-end perspective. The attitude in large is that, “I’ve done everything up to X point, and now it’s hands off for me.” Companies, who take on such a view aren’t necessarily in the wrong. The fact that they are considering sustainability puts them above a large number of businesses.

Social Impact & Volunteering

Time-tested Tactics for Making Employee Volunteerism Matter

Aug 9, 2016 1:15 PM ET

This past February, I presented a case study of a company’s relationship with a nonprofit around employee volunteer engagement.

Health & Healthcare

Hospitals Look Outside Their Four Walls to Improve Community Health

Aug 9, 2016 1:15 PM ET

There’s a transformation occurring in how care is being delivered across communities. Acting as an anchor, hospitals and health systems are expanding beyond their physical campus by establishing partnerships with government agencies, non-profits and other organizations in their community to proactively and more fundamentally advance community health.

Education

Unique Camp Teaches Girls Robotics, Engineering

Aug 9, 2016 1:05 PM ET

SAN DIEGO -- While most kids spend their summer break playing outdoors, a group of sixth-graders are building robots.
It's part of Qualcomm's STEM camp...

Energy

Massachusetts Energy Efficiency Efforts Providing Unprecedented Savings to Customers

Aug 9, 2016 12:30 PM ET

Massachusetts utilities and energy efficiency service providers have filed their 2013-2015 Term Reports with the Department of Public Utilities, showing unprecedented energy savings and dollar benefits statewide over the three-year period. For each of the three years, Massachusetts was also ranked number one on the American Council for An Energy Efficient Economy’s State Energy Efficiency Scorecard.

Innovation & Technology

Five Tips to Keep your Sustainability Software Selection on Track

Aug 9, 2016 12:05 PM ET

Software is a key tool for those managing corporate EHS and Sustainability programs and communicating on that performance externally. NAEM's latest report, "Strategies for a Successful Software Selection" helps you optimize your software selection with advice drawn directly from experts and corporate peers. Download this infographic to get a snapshot of some key takeaways or download the full report to learn more.

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity and Inclusion the Hershey Way: What Does It Mean to You?

Aug 9, 2016 12:05 PM ET

It’s easy for an organization to say they want a more diverse and inclusive workplace, but what does that actually mean and why does it matter? Now more than ever, companies are taking a long, hard look at the role diversity and inclusion plays in helping them achieve success.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

The Business Case for Sustainability

Aug 9, 2016 11:45 AM ET

Myth: You can’t afford to be sustainable unless you’re a big company. Fact: It’s good business to be sustainable – for companies big and small.