ESG News from Leading Brands

Social Impact & Volunteering

4 Reasons to Attend VM Summit 16

Aug 3, 2016 3:45 PM ET

The folks at VolunteerMatch have hosted an annual Summit — all about corporate volunteerism — for over a decade. Throughout most of the Summit’s lifespan, however, it was called the “VolunteerMatch Client Summit.” That meant attendance was reserved exclusively for clients of our volunteer management platform, YourMatch™. Although the conference name changed, many of the reasons to attend VM Summit 16 remain the same.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation Partners with No Kid Hungry to Create Youth Engagement Toolkit

Aug 3, 2016 3:45 PM ET

Environment

Mars Strives for Sustainability

Aug 3, 2016 3:05 PM ET

Mars recently released its annual Principles in Action Summary report in order to share and track the company’s progress in regards to its bold commitments. Mars has made adopting sustainable practices across the world and creating healthier products its priority, as it works to create a better future for generations to come.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Follow Wendy’s Franchise Owner as he Bikes Across America for Children in Foster Care

Aug 3, 2016 3:00 PM ET

Follow along as Ed Anderson pedals his way across the country to raise critical funds for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Ed and his wife will cover 4,000 miles by October 4 and their goal is to raise $1 million to help find permanent, loving homes for children waiting in foster care.

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

Source Intelligence Receives Company of the Year Award

Aug 3, 2016 1:20 PM ET

Responsible Production & Consumption

How Do We Feel About Antibiotics? For People And Animals…It’s Complicated

Aug 3, 2016 12:35 PM ET

Environment

Narrow Streets, Unlimited Innovation

Aug 3, 2016 12:30 PM ET

The world’s largest transportation and logistics company proposed replacing its large delivery vehicles with a smaller, city-friendly fleet in Hamburg. UPS drivers would pick up deliveries from a storage container of consolidated shipments in the center of the city. UPS drivers would then use alternative methods, including walkers, conventional tricycles and electrically assisted tricycles, to make deliveries throughout the city center and in pedestrian-only zones.

Responsible Production & Consumption

Drax Biomass Earns First Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) Certificates Issued by SCS Global Services

Aug 3, 2016 12:30 PM ET

The first Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) certificates issued by SCS Global Services (SCS),a leading global third-party certifier, were presented this week to industry leader, Drax Biomass Inc., for its Morehouse BioEnergy and Amite BioEnergy wood pellet manufacturing facilities. This certification follows on the heels of last month’s announcement that SBP had approved SCS as its newest certification body.

Social Impact & Volunteering

IBM Consultants Donate Time and Expertise in Service to Others

Aug 3, 2016 12:00 PM ET

Those new to IBM may be (pleasantly) surprised by IBM’s and IBMers’ commitment to service, but current and retired IBMers have engaged in skills-based volunteering through IBM’s On Demand Community for more than 10 years.

Green Infrastructure

Siemens Makes Skyscrapers Greener

Aug 3, 2016 11:35 AM ET

Siemens is making the world's second tallest office building even greener. Representatives of Taipei 101 and Siemens recently signed a memorandum of understanding that paves the way for the installation of Siemens Navigator, a cloud-based energy and sustainability management platform for buildings.

Responsible Business & Employee Engagement

Why Embracing Profitable Good—Not CSR—Will Help You Stay Ahead

Aug 3, 2016 11:30 AM ET

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

Carnival Ecstasy Donates Tableware to Five Charleston-Area Charities

Aug 3, 2016 11:30 AM ET

Continuing Carnival Cruise Line’s ongoing support of its homeport communities, the Charleston-based Carnival Ecstasy has donated tableware – plates, saucers, cups, silverware, etc. – to five local charities, including Habitat for Humanity Restore, Windwood Farm Home for Children, Connie Maxwell Children’s Home, The Neighborhood House of Our Lady of Mercy, and My Sister’s House.

Social Impact & Volunteering

GM Student Corps Members Learn, Earn and Lead

Aug 3, 2016 11:10 AM ET

Since 2013, more than 500 high school students have earned a paycheck while learning real-world work skills and giving back to their communities via the GM Student Corps. This year’s Student Corps includes 129 students from 13 high schools in metro Detroit, Flint and Pontiac

Environment

Taking a Look Behind the Scenes at Yosemite National Park

Aug 3, 2016 11:00 AM ET

Sunshine and shadows dappled the Merced River canyon on a cool morning as I drove to Yosemite last week. Hillsides were dressed in dusty browns and variegated greens. It’s another summer in the Sierra Nevada.

Research, Reports & Publications

Harnessing Grit, Passion and the Power of Technology to Make a Difference

Aug 3, 2016 10:55 AM ET

Those of us GRI-trained reporting-types know that when putting together a sustainability report, we can find ourselves lost in the details – aggregating pages of data, writing countless stories, holding hundreds of meetings with colleagues, and securing approvals for every detail of a final report. This year, it was no different for my team as we put together AT&T’s sustainability report, which we call our “Annual Sustainability Update.” But, throughout the reporting process, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture associated with what we’re doing: How our more than 250,000 employees have come together – harnessing grit, passion and the power of technology – to make a positive difference for our communities, our planet, and our company.

Environment

Nature Inspired Home Gardening System Wins Student Living Product Prize in Biomimicry Global Design Challenge

Aug 3, 2016 10:30 AM ET

The Biomimicry Global Design Challenge teamed up with the Living Future Institute to issue a prize for products that function as elegantly as the natural world.

Environment

Dr Pepper Snapple Group and Keep America Beautiful Bring Recycling to More Public Parks

Aug 3, 2016 10:30 AM ET

STAMFORD, Conn. (Aug. 3) – Americans should expect to see cleaner public parks this fall thanks to a significant grant made possible by Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) in collaboration with Keep America Beautiful. The Dr Pepper Snapple Group/Keep America Beautiful Park Recycling Bin Grant Program provides funding for 900 new recycling bins in public parks across the country in 2016, making recycling more accessible for Americans enjoying the outdoors.

Environment

Andrew Winston on the North American Clean Economy Agreement

Aug 3, 2016 10:15 AM ET

Awards, Ratings & Rankings

YUM! China Receives the 2016 CSR Excellence Award

Aug 3, 2016 10:10 AM ET

Energy

Black & Veatch Takes on Innovative South African Waste-to-Energy Project

Aug 3, 2016 10:00 AM ET

Black & Veatch was selected by MBHE African Power (PTY) Ltd, a local renewable energy developer, to provide technical assistance for the country’s first waste-to-energy (WTE) plant.

Events, Media & Communications

National Geographic Channel's Summer 2016 TCA Announcements: Climate Change, Gender Fluidity, Ivory Trade VR Documentary, More

Aug 3, 2016 10:00 AM ET

National Geographic Channel made a number of big announcements during its summer 2016 Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour Saturday, signaling the realization of the transformational vision to become the world's leading destination for premium science, adventure and exploration programming announced last year.

Philanthropy & Cause Initiatives

CITGO and Charlie’s Place Recovery Center Partner for “A Night in Vegas” Fundraiser Benefitting Patients Battling Addiction

Aug 3, 2016 10:00 AM ET

For more than 50 years, Charlie’s Place Recovery Center, one of Texas’s largest nonprofit, residential drug and alcohol treatment centers, has helped thousands of people suffering from drug and alcohol addiction rebuild their lives. To further the center’s work helping patients overcome addiction, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is again sponsoring the Charlie’s Place “A Night in Vegas” fundraiser. Funds raised from this year’s event, which will be held August 20 at the American Bank Center, will go toward patient care.

Research, Reports & Publications

Las Vegas Sands | Excellence Around the World

Aug 3, 2016 9:30 AM ET

We believe creating excellence in the hospitality industry is not only good for our business, but for the health of our local communities and the industry as a whole.

Research, Reports & Publications

From Connecting Classrooms to Making Smarter Cities, AT&T’s Tech is Driving Change

Aug 3, 2016 9:00 AM ET

AT&T has released its annual sustainability update, which highlights the company’s successes, progress and opportunities for the future.

Our world has never been more connected than it is today. From smartphones and smartwatches to smart homes and cities, connectivity is changing virtually everything about how we live, work and solve problems. And AT&T is proud to be in the center of it all. Everything the company does is designed to harness the power of connectivity to change the world.

Energy

Lost in Translation -- Making Sense of Three Critical Renewable Energy Strategies: Power Purchase Agreements, Virtual PPAs and Renewable Energy Certificates

Aug 3, 2016 9:00 AM ET

An increasing number of enterprises are focused on going 100% renewable, driven in large part by the recent push to established science-based carbon reduction goals. Three of the supporting energy strategy trends to help enterprises achieve these goals are Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), Virtual PPAs, and Renewable Energy Certificates. None of these is probably a term that comes tripping off the tongue of the average businessperson.