SOURCE:Realized Worth

DESCRIPTION:

A barista calls the cops on two black men waiting for a friend and Starbucks responds with implicit bias training to help employees recognize subconscious racism. Is this response good enough? Information on its own does not change attitudes and behavior. So, what’s the answer? According to neuroscience, we need new neural pathways – and personal experiences are the only thing that can make it happen.

Learn more about why the Starbucks problem is also everybody's problem– on the Realized Worth blog.

Tweet me:Unraveling implicit bias requires literally creating new neural pathways in our brains. Will Starbucks' response to a recent incident with an employee be enough to mitigate and prevent prejudice at the company? Read more from @chrisjarvis_RWI https://bit.ly/2qV8uMc

KEYWORDS: csr, Volunteering, employee volunteering, Starbucks arrest, Realized Worth

SOURCE:General Motors

DESCRIPTION:

April 24, 2018 /3BL Media/ - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today unveiled the fourth installment of the “Better Buildings Challenge SWAP,” featuring General Motors and L’Oréal USA. In this online video series, the companies swap energy management teams to gain new insights, save money and improve the energy performance of their industrial facilities. The result is an informative, behind the scenes look at what it takes to improve manufacturing competitiveness through energy efficiency.

Through the Better Buildings Challenge SWAP, DOE is partnering with private-sector businesses and public-sector organizations to successfully explore and share new ways to reduce their energy use and improve their productivity. The webisodes are an engaging, behind the scenes look at leaders in action and demonstrate the value of sharing ideas and best practices.

“General Motors and L’Oréal USA are taking this unique challenge and paving the way for other industrial companies to improve their energy efficiency and save money,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency Kathleen Hogan. “This is a rare opportunity to see these energy leaders in action, learn how American products are manufactured and understand how to apply their energy management expertise to buildings and facilities nationwide.”

In North Little Rock, Arkansas, L’Oréal USA handed over the reins of its largest cosmetics plant to the General Motors team. They explored the manufacturing lines for powders, mascara, lip gloss, and nail polish, hunting for chances to improve efficiency through better monitoring of air leaks, optimizing heating and more. Along with their improvement opportunities, the General Motors team also walked away with new ideas for making energy efficiency more personal for employees, inspired by L’Oréal USA’s employee engagement initiatives, including the solar stanchions named for each of the more than 300 employees in the North Little Rock facility’s 1.2 MW solar array.

In Detroit, Michigan, The L’Oréal USA team took the keys to General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant where the Chevrolet Volt and Impala, Cadillac CT6, and Buick LaCrosse are made. The L’Oréal USA team uncovered opportunities to improve, like shutting down compressed air systems on the production line at the end of the day. After seeing General Motors in action, the L’Oréal USA team plans to adapt the automaker’s process for energy-efficiency treasure hunts, and looks forward to implementing similar tactics across its plants.

Both L’Oréal USA and General Motors are partners in the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program. To date, nearly 200 industrial and water utility partners have partnered with DOE in this effort. Partners represent roughly 12 percent of the U.S. manufacturing energy footprint, amounting to 2,900 facilities in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Better Plants partners have reported estimated cumulative energy cost savings of over $4.2 billion.

The Better Buildings Challenge SWAP launched in 2016 featuring Hilton Worldwide and Whole Foods Market, followed by the U.S. Air Force Academy facing off against the U.S. Naval Academy in SWAP 2. In 2017, SWAP 3 launched featuring the Cities of Boston and Atlanta swapping energy teams. To date, the webisodes have been viewed over 4.7 million times. To view the full Better Buildings Challenge SWAP web series and recommendations from this season or to learn more about the department's role in advancing energy efficiency in U.S. buildings, visit the Better Buildings Initiative.

Learn how partners are catalyzing change and investment in energy efficiency and discover their proven solutions in the Better Buildings Solution Center.

##

Contact:

Maria Vargas, Director, Department of Energy Better Buildings Challenge

(202) 586-7899

Tweet me:To achieve their vision of a world with zero emissions, @GM is always looking for ways to improve energy efficiency in their plants. Watch GM get swapped with @LOrealUSA in the @BetterBldgsDOE SWAP 4. https://bit.ly/2njSPTZ #SWAPPED18

KEYWORDS: Department of Energy, General Motors, NYSE:GM, Better Buildings Challenge SWAP

By: Emily Tillet / CBS News

SOURCE:Bloomberg

DESCRIPTION:

Former New York City Mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg says he has a responsibility to help the environment as the Trump administration has backed down from its role in the Paris climate agreement. He said on "Face the Nation" he will write a check for $4.5 million this year to fund that mission.

Click here to read the story and watch the interview on Face the Nation. 

Tweet me:Bloomberg gives $4.5 million to help U.S. keep Paris climate accord commitment @mikebloomberg @bloombergdotorg #wearestillin #americaspledge #parisagreement http://bit.ly/2HncVuF

KEYWORDS: Bloomberg, Paris Agreement, Face the Nation, CBS News

SOURCE:PYXERA Global

DESCRIPTION:

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 24, 2018 /3BL Media/ – PYXERA Global is pleased to announce our participation in the Taproot 2018 U.S. Pro Bono Summit hosted by the Taproot Foundation and BMW Foundation on April 18–19 in San Francisco, CA. The Taproot Foundation’s annual event brought together leaders in the practice of Global Pro Bono to share knowledge, challenges, and experiences in an effort to better facilitate pro bono work that drives social change. PYXERA Global joined other leaders in the practice to discuss Global Pro Bono projects as they relate to technology, leadership, and food access.

Renay Loper, Associate Director of Global Pro Bono programs, represented PYXERA Global at the event. She presented insights on the future of food access, highlighting a solvable problem within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals a key topic of discussion in PYXERA Global’s upcoming 2018 Global Engagement Forum: Live. In addition, Ms. Loper discussed the social and environmental changes that will affect food access in the future and how Global Pro Bono projects can help prepare organizations for those challenges.

“I am thrilled to be participating in the Taproot Foundation’s annual summit, which brings together leaders from a variety of industries and communities to discuss some of our most pressing issues,” commented Ms. Loper. “I glad to be sharing PYXERA Global’s challenges and successes in recent pro bono projects, while also learning from the experience of other summit attendees.”

PYXERA Global is dedicated to helping organizations navigate challenges and pinpointing opportunities for purposeful global engagement with its clients and partners.

About PYXERA Global

For nearly 30 years, PYXERA Global has facilitated mutually beneficial partnerships between the public, private, and social sectors worldwide to create social impact projects that enrich lives and livelihoods, inclusively and sustainably.

###

For media inquiries contact:

Roger Bain
PYXERA Global
rbain@pyxeraglobal.org
202.810.0140

Tweet me:.@PYXERAGlobal announces their participation in the Taproot 2018 U.S. Pro Bono Summit hosted by @Taprootfound and @bmwfoundation on April 18-19 in San Francisco, CA. Read: http://bit.ly/2K7lmrr #GlobalProBono #CSR

KEYWORDS: csr, GEFlive, Taproot Foundation, Pro Bono Summit, global pro bono, Partnership, PYXERA Global

Registration closes on Thursday, April 26

SOURCE:Shared Value Initiative

DESCRIPTION:

Inpsire. Innovate. Act. 

Time is running out to join business leaders committed to providing scalable solutions to society's greatest challenges at the 2018 Shared Value Leadership Summit on May 1-2 at the Conrad New York. Registration closes on Thursday, April 26 and 12:00pm Eastern Time.

Here's what you'll miss if you don't secure your seat today: 

• A keynote discussionbetween former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and President of FORTUNE, Alan Murray about today's socio-political environment and the need for business to take action to solve the world's most pressing issues.
   
• Rich plenary conversations that focus on topics that are top of mind for business leaders around the world including mobilizing capital for shared value, leveraging technology to accelerate shared value initiatives, developing the next generation of talent and more. 
   
• Seven Solutions Salons, a series of small group conversations with changemakers like PATH, Johnson & Johnson, Mars, Merck, Barclays and others who are leading shared value solutions to challenges such as climate resiliency, global health, financial inclusion and more. 
   
• Experiential labs hosted by leading practitioners such as PYXERA, The Design Gym, WeSpire, Leaders' Quest and others that are designed to give attendees practical tools and knowledge they can take back to the office and apply to their shared value work.
   
• Countless opportunities to learn from others, apply your expertise, and come away inspired to forge the partnerships you need to take action and answer the world's pressing social issues —not as problems, but as opportunities for growth.

Will you seize this chance to get the competitive advantage on creating both business and social value?

Secure your spot today! 

Follow #SVLeaders on Twitter.

Tweet me:Join global leaders at #SVLeaders 2018 where they'll be digging into how companies are using #sharedvalue to provide scalable solutions to the world's greatest challenges. bit.ly/2jrvfo7

KEYWORDS: creating shared value, Shared Value Initiative

By Tim Rondeau

SOURCE:National Grid

DESCRIPTION:

Camp Westwood is a branch of the Pawtucket YMCA tucked away off the beaten path in Coventry, RI.  The 60 acres of land is open from April to October each year for locals to camp, swim, kayak, or just enjoy the beautiful setting. And as our employees turned into the camp this Earth Day, we were greeted with a sign that read “Thank You National Grid Volunteers.” We hadn’t done anything to deserve the thanks yet, but we were about to earn it.

On April 18, more than 90 Rhode Island employees ventured out to the campgrounds for our annual Earth Day cleanup event.  Armed with rakes, leafblowers, paintbrushes, work gloves and other tools, we gathered around the Community Van in the unseasonably cold weather to get our assignments for the day.  After listening to welcome remarks from Bill Flaherty and Lori Spangler of the Community and Customer group, and some retreating to their cars and trucks to find some hats and gloves, our employees joined their team captains to get to work.

And work we did!  Over the course of the day, our volunteers:

• Dug and installed 30 fence posts;
• Painted 600’ of fence rail;
• Stained a dozen picnic tables;
• Installed 6 poles and created two rope courses for camper team building activities;
• Picked up storm debris;
• Painted the exterior of a cinderblock rest room building;
• Painted the interior of camper cabins;
• Raked and blew leaves.

Mike Norklun, executive director of the camp, expressed his deep gratitude for the quality of our work, noting that Camp Westwood is a non-profit that relies heavily on “in-kind” volunteer projects such as ours to maintain the camp.  In a note to the team, Community and Customer Manager Lori Spangler also praised the efforts, thanking everyone for their determined effort on such a cold day and most importantly “for supporting the communities in which we work and live.”

In true Earth Day tradition, we left Camp Westwood a lot greener, with dirty hands and a great sense of pride.

Tweet me:In honor of #EarthDay, 90 @NationalGridUS employees cleaned up 60 acres in 30 degree temperatures http://bit.ly/2KcOkXd

KEYWORDS: NYSE:NGG, National Grid, earth day, Camp Westwood, Pawtucket YMCA

SOURCE:Alliance Data

DESCRIPTION:

Since 2015, Alliance Data reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent metric tons. Check out how we fared in this short video. Our 2017 Corporate Responsibility report, which will be out in the coming weeks, will detail more of our efforts to nurture and protect our environment.

About Alliance Data
Alliance Data (NYSE: ADS) is a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions serving large, consumer-based industries. The Company creates and deploys customized solutions, enhancing the critical customer marketing experience; the result is measurably changing consumer behavior while driving business growth and profitability for some of today's most recognizable brands. Alliance Data helps its clients create and increase customer loyalty through solutions that engage millions of customers each day across multiple touch points using traditional, digital, mobile and emerging technologies. An S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company headquartered in Plano, Texas, Alliance Data consists of three businesses that together employ approximately 20,000 associates at more than 100 locations worldwide.

Alliance Data's card services business is a leading provider of marketing-driven branded credit card programs. Epsilon is a leading provider of multichannel, data-driven technologies and marketing services, and also includes Conversant, a leader in personalized digital marketing. LoyaltyOne owns and operates the AIR MILES Reward Program, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, and Netherlands-based BrandLoyalty, a global provider of tailor-made loyalty programs for grocers.

Investor information about Alliance Data's businesses may be found here.

Follow Alliance Data on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Tweet me:.@AllianceData has reduced #GHG #emissions by 21% in 2 years http://bit.ly/2HnRHN3 #EarthMonth

KEYWORDS: GHG emissions, Alliance Data, earth month

SOURCE:Smithfield Foods

DESCRIPTION:

Dennis Pittman, who serves as Smithfield Foods’ senior director of hunger relief, last week received the Frank Timberlake “Innovation in Action” Award from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, a Feeding America Food Bank based in Charlotte, N.C.

Each year, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina hosts an awards luncheon for partners in the community who have gone above and beyond to support their mission to end hunger in the 19 counties they serve throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. Dennis has been recognized for his leadership of Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes^® initiative and his years of work to support the fight against hunger.

Smithfield Foods is proud to have provided more than 100 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs across the country since the inception of its Helping Hungry Homes® initiative in 2008.

Tweet me:.@SmithfieldFoods’ Senior Director of Hunger Relief, Dennis Pittman, honored with “Innovation in Action” Award for his leadership with #HelpingHungryHomes and his work to support #HungerRelief http://bit.ly/2Hp6UNJ

KEYWORDS: Smithfield Foods, Dennis Pittman, Feeding America, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Helping Hungry Homes

With many of Avery Dennison’s solutions made from paper, maintaining a sustainable paper supply is vital to our business success and achieving our long-term sustainability goals.

SOURCE:Avery Dennison

DESCRIPTION:

"I’m very proud that our company and Foundation are part of this truly unique collaboration with WWF and the Forest Owners Sustainable Development Association of Thua Thien Hue Province in Vietnam."

Tweet me:Avery Dennison Makes CSR Investment in Southeast Asia | @AveryDennison https://shar.es/1LP9cy

KEYWORDS: NYSE:AVY, Avery Dennison

Republic’s Best-in-Class Driver Training Program Continues to Yield Better Drivers and Safer Communities

SOURCE:Republic Services

DESCRIPTION:

LAS VEGAS, April 24, 2018, /3BL Media/ – Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG) is pleased to announce that collection drivers Toribio Gonzalez and Chuck Thorpe are the recipients of the National Waste & Recycling Association’s (NWRA) prestigious Driver of the Year awards in the large industrial and large residential truck categories, respectively. Each year, NWRA celebrates the industry’s best drivers with the distinguished recognition based upon exemplary safety records and customer service. The drivers were honored in Las Vegas today at the 2018 WasteExpo, North America’s largest annual waste industry tradeshow.

“We unequivocally prioritize safety above all else,” said Jon Vander Ark, chief operating officer. “It’s the foundation of our business and the cornerstone upon which our initiatives and programs are built. It’s why we have established a best-in-class driver training program that enables our drivers across the country to continually improve. It’s also fundamental to our commitment to our customers and how we make a positive impact each day in the communities we serve. On behalf of Republic and our 35,000 employees, I congratulate Toribio, Chuck and their families on this extraordinary recognition.”

2018 Driver of the Year: Toribio Gonzalez, Large Industrial Truck Category
As part of Republic’s Huntington Beach, Calif. division, Toribio Gonzalez has devoted more than three decades of service to the industry, starting out as a residential driver, promoted to a commercial driver and currently as an industrial truck driver. Over the past 30 years, Toribio has maintained a perfect safety record with zero incidents or injuries, and has never taken an unscheduled day off.

Toribio has received Republic’s Dedicated to Excellence and Dedicated to Safety awards in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Averaging 310 miles and collecting 180 tons of waste each week, he is considered a leader and role model for fellow drivers, and serves as a mentor for new drivers, inspiring team members to approach the day with a positive attitude and a willingness to always go above and beyond for customers.

2018 Driver of the Year: Charles Thorpe, Large Residential Truck Category
Chuck Thorpe is part of Republic’s Northeast Area based in Telford, Pa. Averaging 3,200 residential stops or pickups a week, he has earned and maintained an impeccable safety record with over 20 years incident and injury free. Chuck drives an average of 500 miles per week, collecting 60 tons of waste.

Chuck has established a reputation as a leader and selfless team member. He takes great pride in the community he serves, but is also willing to go above and beyond for the Company. Chuck  is part of Republic’s SOS program, which consists of drivers from across the country who are deployed to service routes in the aftermath of natural disasters. He flew to Texas and Massachusetts last year to help local teams impacted by the storms.

Republic’s Commitment to Safety
For over 25 years, the NWRA Driver of the Year program has honored drivers who have upheld the field of recycling and waste collections as an honorable occupation, and have conducted themselves and the vehicles they operate in a safe and responsible manner. Republic drivers have won 75 percent of the Driver of the Year awards in the large truck category since 2009.

Republic’s relentless commitment to safety has led to the formation of comprehensive, industry-leading safety programs that rely on continual training to reduce incident frequency. Last year, more than 13,500 employees earned Republic’s Dedicated to Safety Award and roughly 4,700 employees received the Dedicated to Excellence recognition. Over the past 10 years, Republic’s safety performance, based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data, has been 41 percent better than the industry average. The Company’s Think. Choose. Live. slogan encapsulates their number one safety message to employees: Think about what you are doing, Choose the safe answer, and Live to go home to your family.

Republic’s drivers begin their employment with week-long equipment training that focuses on skill set verification at one of 22 driver training safety centers nationwide. This initial training is followed by weeks of in-cab instruction and evaluation. Throughout their tenure, Republic drivers participate in monthly supervisor-led training focused on eliminating incidents.

About Republic Services
Republic Services, Inc. is an industry leader in U.S. recycling and non-hazardous solid waste disposal. Through its subsidiaries, Republic’s collection companies, recycling centers, transfer stations and landfills focus on providing effective solutions to make proper waste disposal effortless for its 14 million customers. We’ll handle it from here.®, the brand’s promise, lets customers know they can count on Republic to provide a superior experience while fostering a sustainable Blue Planet® for future generations to enjoy a cleaner, safer and healthier world.

For more information, visit the Republic Services website at RepublicServices.com.

Media
Jennifer Eldridge
Media@RepublicServices.com
(480) 718-0119

Tweet me:.@RepublicService drivers honored with Driver of the Year awards for exemplary safety records and customer service @Waste_Expo http://bit.ly/2HpPiNI

KEYWORDS: waste expo, Republic Services, National Waste & Recycling Association’s

Company moves up on National Top 100 List

SOURCE:SC Johnson

DESCRIPTION:

RACINE, Wis., April 25, 2018 /3BL Media/ - SC Johnson announced today that it is ranked No. 71 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Top 100 List of the largest green power users from the Green Power Partnership. SC Johnson is using nearly 117 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which represents almost 63 percent of its total power needs.

“Through our efforts to eliminate and reduce waste at our global facilities, to finding ways to recycle our Ziploc® brand bags, we have consistently worked to improve the environment,” said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President – Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability at SC Johnson. “SC Johnson is committed to making life better for future generations, and reducing our emissions footprint through the use of green power is just one of the ways we are meeting that commitment. We are proud to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for being a leader in the green power market.”

SC Johnson has three sites globally that run exclusively on wind energy, including its Bay City, Michigan, plant, the facility that manufactures Ziploc® brand bags, which purchases 100 percent of its wind energy from nearby wind farms. The company’s sites in Mijdrecht, Netherlands, and Gorzow, Poland, also run completely on wind energy.

SC Johnson was recently recognized with a Climate Leadership Award for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (GHG) Goal Setting. The award was presented by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry (TCR). In 2016, the EPA also honored SC Johnson with a Green Power Leadership Award for Excellence in Green Power Use. In 2011, the EPA honored SC Johnson with a Green Power Leadership Award for On-Site Generation.

SC Johnson also ranks No. 18 on the Top 30 On-site Generation list. SC Johnson’s choice to use green power helps advance the voluntary market for green power and development of those sources. In 2012, the company installed two 415-foot wind turbines at Waxdale, the company’s largest global manufacturing facility located in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. The two turbines generate about 8 million kWh of electricity each year, enough to power 770 homes a year. They eliminate about 6,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

“This list of the largest users of green power across the nation is proof that good business practices can also benefit the environment,” said James Critchfield, Program Manager of EPA's Green Power Partnership. “EPA applauds the leading organizations in the Green Power Partnership’s Top Partner Rankings for their notable commitment to expanding their use of green power and protecting the environment.”

According to the U.S. EPA, SC Johnson’s green power use of nearly 117 million kWh is equivalent to the annual electricity use of nearly 11,000 average American homes.

Learn more about SC Johnson’s environmental efforts in its Sustainability Report, which can be viewed online at www.scjohnson.com/report.

The National Top 100 list represents the largest green power users within the Green Power Partnership. The full list can be found here.

###

Contact:
SC Johnson Global Public Affairs
USPublicAffairs@scj.com
262-260-2440

About SC Johnson
SC Johnson is a family company dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care, as well as professional products. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMA®, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR MUSCLE® and RIDSECT®. The 132-year-old company, which generates $10 billion in sales, employs approximately 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com

Tweet me:.@EPA Recognizes @scjohnson as Top User of Green Power http://bit.ly/2Fdk2zG

KEYWORDS: SC Johnson, Green Energy, green power, Green Power Partnership, wind power, on-site generation system, climate leadership award

SOURCE:Sea Change Radio

DESCRIPTION:

If you ask most people what they think of blockchain applications or cryptocurrency, the response is usually a blank stare of utter bafflement. Well, this week on Sea Change Radio, we are going to try to make some sense of this arcane concept because our guest today, Paul Gambill, has devised a carbon dioxide removal marketplace which incorporates blockchain applications. Gambill explains how his new startup, Nori, uses blockchain applications, how it plans to ramp up into a vibrant marketplace of buyers and sellers, and why he believes this could actually help reverse the effects of climate change.

Tweet me:This wk's @SeaChangeRadio - "Crypto-Carbon: Nori’s Paul Gambill." A great explanation of how #blockchain technology works and how @noridoteco hopes to apply it to fight #climate change. http://www.cchange.net/2018/04/24/nori/

KEYWORDS: Energy, blockchain, sea change radio, Paul Gambill, Nori

SOURCE:Essity (Formerly SCA)

DESCRIPTION:

How much of a challenge is long-term care in our society? The numbers speak for themselves: half of all people turning 65 now will need long-term care (LTC) in their lifetimes. That translates to 15 million people by 2050, more than twice the current number.

In any challenge, of course, lies opportunity for diligent, creative and committed participants. Long-term care providers are increasingly looking to how both they and their residents can enjoy the most successful outcomes possible in the future. Recent research indicates that the wisest will concentrate in three arenas:

1. Cleanliness
2. Cost-Containment
3. Caring Culture

One: Cleanliness Counts

The image of LTC is, as the name suggests, one of caring for long-term illnesses. But the prevention and containment of short-term sickness, particularly infections, is also a critical determinant of both quality of life and cost of operation in long-term care facilities. Fortunately, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that one-third of all such infections are thoroughly preventable.

Two: Cost-containment Pays

The CDC also notes that each and every infection in an LTC or other health care facility costs on average $30,000. Or, flipping that fact, preventing each infection is a potential savings of tens of thousands of dollars. While the potential cost-savings are enormous, many prevention efforts are fairly easy and low-cost. Hand-cleanliness, for staff and residents, is a good example, given the ready availability and affordability of hand-sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and touch-free hand-towel dispensers.

To continue reading, click here

Tweet me:.@Essity_US shares how to create long-term success in #LongTermCare through a culture of caring. #TorkUSA http://bit.ly/2GTuZsE

KEYWORDS: Essity, tork, long-term care, #TorkUSA, OTC:ESSYY

SOURCE:GRI

DESCRIPTION:

Munich Airport has an ambitious target to become the first carbon neutral airport in Germany. We spoke to Bernd Schönhofer, Strategic Sustainability Manager at Munich Airport, who told us about the company’s progressive emissions reduction program as well as other initiatives like empowering women in the workplace.

Bernd Schönhofer: Any company that is concerned about sustainability has to take the negative external impacts of their business model into account. For Munich Airport, this process starts with identifying material topics, which are incorporated into the annual strategic planning process. Those material topics are transparently shared with our stakeholders through our integrated report.
 
Munich Airport adopted a new climate strategy last year. Can you tell us about your work to reduce emissions?
 
Munich Airport aims to be the first German airport to have carbon-neutral operations, and we should succeed by the year 2030. The new climate protection strategy relates to Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which we can influence directly. By 2030, Munich Airport wants to reduce 60 percent of its emissions, as compared to 2016, by using technical innovation. We will then compensate the remaining 40 percent by suitable offsetting projects, preferably within the region. 

Although Munich Airport cannot directly influence scope 3 emissions, we aim to reduce those as well, in a joint effort with our aviation partners. The introduction of new pre-conditioned air systems (PCA systems) is a good example of such a co-operation. Aircrafts are supplied with pre-conditioned air while they are parked. As a result, aircrafts no longer need to run their auxiliary power units, causing noise, CO2 emissions, and other air pollutants. In the future, PCA systems will help to save up to 20,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Finally, emissions-based landing charges will also help to reduce CO2 emissions. 

You have a program in place to train women to take up management positions. Can you tell us about this program and why gender balance is an important sustainability issue for Munich Airport?

The promotion of women in leadership positions is important to us, and the proportion of women in management roles in management levels 1 and 2 has increased to 20 percent in recent years. As an example, women are supported in their leadership roles through a cross-mentoring program, which supports female executives in their professional and personal development. Over a one-year period, each participant will get a mentor from another company, and participate in network meetings or seminars. Mentors from Munich Airport equally support women from other companies in their leadership roles.
 
As an internationally oriented company, Munich Airport benefits from employee diversity. We respect the cultural heritage of all our employees, taking into account their diverse interests and needs. 21 percent of our employees come from more than 50 different countries. This fosters cultural exchange and increases the wealth of expertise within the group. Munich Airport actively ensures equal opportunities and career development at all levels. To anchor this attitude among executives, “diversity as an opportunity" is part of the company's Leadership Excellence program.
 
Munich Airport publishes an integrated report instead of a standalone sustainability reporting. Can you talk a bit about how you use the GRI framework as part of your integrated reporting and the benefits of reporting this way?

With its standards, GRI has presented a holistic, content-based concept that represents economic, ecological and social disclosures in one document. GRI forms a good "content guide" for presenting financial and non-financial topics on an equal footing. Sustainability is a core element in Munich Airport’s corporate strategy, which is why it makes sense to follow a holistic concept in reporting. With the GRI Standards, we have a reporting standard that offers comparability with other companies, and a good basis for and independent review sustainability indicators. We have also decided to include IIRC approaches in our integrated report, such as the Capital Model. In order to describe the qualitative and quantitative interactions of Munich business model, the main resources of FMG were allocated to the six capital types of the IIRC.

During the last years, Munich Airport has also gradually managed to reduce “silo thinking”: integrating financial and sustainability information helped to foster a cross-departmental collaboration process. Many years of reporting, reviewing key figures and approaching our management brought about new processes that are being continuously optimized. 
 
In addition to improving internal cooperation, the product itself has also become better. The report transparently conveys knowledge – internally and externally – and serves as a basis for dialogue with our stakeholders. The materiality survey specifically helps in integrating internal and external stakeholders into the process and allows new trends and developments to enter our corporate strategy.
 
This and other Q&As about the benefits of sustainability reporting can be found in the GRI Impact Story Hub. For more updates from GRI, click here to subscribe to the monthly newsletter. 

Tweet me:Munich Airport aims to become the first carbon neutral airport in Germany. In this @GRI_Secretariat Q&A, @MUC_Airport tells about the company’s ambitious #sustainability programs, and how #sustyreporting has helped them remove silos in the organization. http://bit.ly/2qXZUfW

KEYWORDS: GRI, global reporting initiative, GRI Standards, GRI 20, GOLD Community, impact story, Munich Airport

SOURCE:VolunteerMatch

DESCRIPTION:

SAN FRANCISCO, April 25, 2018 /3BL Media/ - VolunteerMatch, the web’s largest volunteer engagement network, reached an exciting milestone today: 20 years of connecting good people with good causes. April 25, 2018 marks 20 years since the release of VolunteerMatch 1.0.

Inspired by the growing potential of the internet to connect people, VolunteerMatch launched in 1998 as a website for potential volunteers and nonprofits to easily find one another. To date, the service has helped the social sector engage over $12 billion worth of volunteer service.

“In 1998, there were plenty of critics who thought people would never go online to find local volunteer opportunities. But we ignored the skeptics and since then have welcomed over 100 million people looking to make a difference in their community," says VolunteerMatch president Greg Baldwin, who has been with the organization since the beginning.

"We are able to reach this milestone thanks to the dedication of passionate staff and a network of extraordinary supporters who have made the service what it is today,” adds Greg.

Over the decades, VolunteerMatch has consistently expanded both the reach and size of its network of volunteer opportunities. Over 120,000 nonprofits across 29 cause areas currently use the site to find the volunteers they need to carry out their missions.

For nearly two decades, VolunteerMatch has been a #1 search result on Google and an active partner with the dominant platforms shaping the web. These partnerships span from AOL, to Yahoo, to a current partnership with LinkedIn for Good that makes VolunteerMatch’s network of skills-based volunteer opportunities available to LinkedIn’s 450 million members.

VolunteerMatch.org isn’t the organization’s only focus. In 1999, VolunteerMatch expanded its services to include a SaaS (software as a service) platform for companies to formalize their corporate volunteering efforts. The organization also currently works with corporate giving platform vendors to integrate VolunteerMatch’s network of opportunities to make it easier for every company to put the time and talent of their employees to good work in the community.

VolunteerMatch is seen as a thought leader in volunteer engagement, and offers free informational resources for nonprofits including a blog and an ongoing webinar series. In 2015, the organization published a book entitled “Volunteer Engagement 2.0: Ideas and Insights Changing the World.”

“Over the years, we've seen nonprofits learn to be smarter and more creative about asking for the help that they need and that has made volunteering opportunities more varied, unexpected and engaging,” says Greg Baldwin. “And that’s incredible. In the end, our vision is to use the power of the web to help every good cause find the volunteers it needs to make a difference.”

In the coming years, VolunteerMatch will continue to focus on improving its user experience, increasing its number of volunteer opportunities, and extending the reach of its network.

In honor of the anniversary, VolunteerMatch temporarily updated its homepage to reflect 20 years of service, and launched a social media campaign entitled “Volunteering Never Goes Out of Style.” Join in the celebration by finding a cause today that lights you up on VolunteerMatch.org. Nonprofits seeking volunteers can register as a VolunteerMatch Member at Volunteermatch.org/nonprofits. And share your volunteer stories using the hashtag #VolunteerInStyle.

About VolunteerMatch

VolunteerMatch believes everyone should have the chance to make a difference. As the web's largest volunteer engagement network, serving over 120,000 participating nonprofits, 150 network partners, and 13 million annual visitors, VolunteerMatch offers unique, award-winning solutions for individuals, nonprofits and companies to make this vision a reality. Since its launch in 1998, VolunteerMatch has helped the social sector attract more than $12 billion worth of volunteer services. Learn more about VolunteerMatch at VolunteerMatch.org, and follow @VolunteerMatch.

Tweet me:.@VolunteerMatch, the web's largest volunteer engagement network, celebrates two decades of connecting good people with good causes. Learn how they got here, and where they're headed: http://bit.ly/2qZITBP

Contact Info:

Basil Sadiq
VolunteerMatch
news@volunteermatch.org

KEYWORDS: volunteer, VolunteerMatch, Nonprofits, Partnership

SOURCE:Bloomberg

DESCRIPTION:

Innovations in sustainability are at the heart of Bloomberg’s office designs, from engineering to construction to building operations. But our new European headquarters in London is our greatest achievement in sustainability yet — in fact, it’s the world’s most sustainable office building. It scored a 98.5 percent BREEAM sustainability rating, the highest design-stage score of any major office development.

This project was a great opportunity to build an office that will maximize the well-being of our employees while minimizing the company’s environmental footprint. Where sustainable technologies didn’t exist, we invented them – collaborating with experts around the world to source, test, and manufacture new materials and designs.

Click here to learn more about five of our favorite eco-friendly features at our new European headquarters.

Read more about our company-wide sustainability efforts in our 2017 Impact Report.

Tweet me:5 Eco-Friendly Features at Bloomberg’s Sustainable New European Headquarters @bloomberg #sustainabledesign http://bit.ly/2HO7v8B

KEYWORDS: Bloomberg, sustainability, Bloomberg London, 2017 Impact

2018 Top Design Firm list highlights global leadership in power, water and telecom infrastructure services

SOURCE:Black & Veatch

DESCRIPTION:

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas, April 25, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Fueled by growth across its networked infrastructure, smart city applications, and grid modernization services, Black & Veatch has retained the top global telecommunications ranking among U.S.-based engineering companies – the eighth time in the past nine years the company has held that distinction in the Engineering News-Record’s “Top 500 Design Firms” report. Global demand for infrastructure services also drove the company’s performance in ENR’s power and water rankings, reflecting the diversified company’s leadership status among global engineering, construction and consulting companies.

Black & Veatch leaped five places to 10th overall on the Top 500 list while placing  11th in the Top 50 Designers in International Markets list, up two spots from last year. The company remained No. 2 in power, rose one place to fourth in water and improved four spots to fourth in sewer/wastewater.

The company’s top ranking in telecommunications aligns with dramatic growth within the industry: rapidly expanding deployment of 5G technology, upgrades to aging assets through grid modernization, and the growing role of Big Data to help smart cities and businesses become more efficient. For instance, Black & Veatch’s recent 2018 Strategic Directions: Smart Cities & Utilities Report found that nearly three-quarters of electric utilities either have a grid modernization plan in place, or are currently developing one, while nearly 77 percent of utilities plan to adopt a managed charging approach to balance increased load on the grid related to EV charging.

“Our position as the leading provider of solutions to the telecom sector has been driven by a team of highly talented professionals working together to deliver innovative, scalable processes that create unparalleled value for our clients,” said Steve Edwards, Black & Veatch’s Chairman and CEO.  “With 5G, the quest for more bandwidth and cities adopting smart technologies, we are extremely confident in the growth of the telecom business.”

Black & Veatch’s growth in 2017 stretched well beyond telecommunications, including the increasing buildout of digital infrastructure to support EVs and autonomous vehicles and significant projects burnishing the company’s reputation as a trusted, efficient provider of critical human infrastructure across diverse markets and geographies:

• Power Delivery: When American Electric Power – with 5.4 million customers, among the biggest U.S. electric utilities – needed to enhance its aging western Texas power system prone to disruptions, it turned to Black & Veatch to design and ultimately build the new Cassava substation.  The project also included installing 13 miles of new overhead transmission line that doubled capacity of the previous line.
• Desalination: In Escondida, Chile, Black & Veatch completed a 57-million-gallons-per-day desalination plant and related infrastructure. The plant, among the biggest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, provides water for a copper mine and was named the industrial desalination plant of the year at last year’s Global Water Summit. Black & Veatch also was awarded an expansion project there to boost water production and conveyance capacity.
• Power Generation: Near Pittsburgh, Black & Veatch is providing engineering, procurement and construction services for a planned 925-megawatt power plant. The natural gas combined cycle plant called the Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station will produce enough electricity to power 925,000 homes in Pennsylvania and a dozen other northeastern states.
• Flood Resilience: The first phase of a Black & Veatch-designed McCook Reservoir near Chicago was wrapped up last year as a key component of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago’s effort to capture billions of potential gallons of flood water or sewage overflows. Black & Veatch has provided planning, design, engineering and construction support on various aspects of the district’s Tunnel and Reservoir Plan since 2001.
• Microgrids: Black & Veatch, along with Schneider Electric, last year began designing and building an energy security microgrid at the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar in San Diego, California. Once completed, the microgrid will provide resiliency, incorporate renewable energy and allow operations at mission-critical sites to continue if the utility power grid is compromised or damaged.
• Water Sustainability: Black & Veatch’s work on a $1.3-billion expansion of a Koch Industries subsidiary’s fertilizer plant in Oklahoma last year was honored the Oklahoma Water Resources Board’s inaugural “Water for 2060 Excellence Award,” a sustainability recognition. Black & Veatch designed the new water-treatment system that enables Koch Fertilizer to switch the majority of its water supply from potable water to reclaimed city water. The Koch Fertilizer project team also won Koch’s internal “Project of the Year” award.
• Liquefied Natural Gas: Looking to develop the rapidly proliferating gas market in India, a Swan Energy subsidiary last year hired Black & Veatch to deliver critical elements of India’s first liquefied natural gas terminal involving on a floating storage and regasification unit. That project in Jafrabad will have the production capacity of 5 million metric tons of natural gas per year.
• Waste Management: A consultancy team led by Black & Veatch provided professional owner’s engineering services for an integrated waste-to-energy site in Singapore. The facility will be designed with an incineration capacity of 5,800 tons per day, making it among the world’s biggest such sites.
• Meter Protection: In Maryland, Black & Veatch’s Management Consulting developed for Baltimore Gas Electric a program to identify, relocate, and protect gas meters exposed to vehicular traffic within their service territory.  That work included developing a construction game plan and customer outreach processes for the effort. Last year, the project team won a BGE Customer Service Award the recognized the customer outreach.
• Water Reuse: In California’s Orange County, Black & Veatch was chosen to design the final expansion of the groundwater replenishment system that already was the world’s largest indirect potable reuse scheme. The buildout will boost the site’s capacity to 130 million gallons per day.

Editor’s Notes:

• The demand for Black & Veatch’s services is being met by more than 11,000 professionals who are delivering engineering, construction, procurement, consulting and technology solutions.
• Engineering News-Record is a 101-year-old industry publication of BNP Media. ENR provides news, analysis, commentary and data that construction industry professionals use to do their jobs more effectively.
• The Top 500 Rankings are based on revenues within the individual business lines.
   

About Black & Veatch 
Black & Veatch is an employee-owned, global leader in building critical human infrastructure in Energy, Water, Telecommunications and Government Services. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries through consulting, engineering, construction, operations and program management. Our revenues in 2017 were US$3.4 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and in social media.

Black & Veatch Media Contact Information:

JIM SUHR | +1 913-458-6995 P | +1 314-422-6927 M | SuhrJ@bv.com
24-HOUR MEDIA HOTLINE | +1 866-496-9149

Tweet me:Just announced: Black & Veatch named in the TOP 10 of @ENRnews 2018 Top 500 Design Firms and #1 in #Telecom! Click to see the entire #ENRTop500 list: http://bit.ly/2HXqfmh

KEYWORDS: Telecommunications, Black & Veatch

SOURCE:SiMPACT Strategy Group

DESCRIPTION:

CALGARY, Canada, April 25, 2018 /3BL Media/ - June 5th, 2018 in Calgary, join LBG Canada companies for a full day discussion on how community investment can enable companies to achieve their vision for diversity and inclusion.

Panelists include leaders influencing corporate thinking on abilities, LGBTQ inclusion, Action 92 and Indigenous inclusion, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

"Community investment has a key role within a diversity and inclusion strategy," says Stephanie Robertson, Founder & CEO SiMPACT Strategy Group and Facilitator of LBG Canada. "We look forward to the rich and important conversation that panelists and participants will enable."

While organized by SiMPACT Strategy Group on behalf of LBG Canada, the generous sponsorship of Imperial Oil is an invitation for all interested corporate practitioners to participate. 

To register for the LBG Canada Western Conference, please visit: https://www.lbg-canada.ca/regional-meetings-contact-form/. 

Full agenda to be released shortly.

-30-

About LBG Canada

LBG Canada is a network of corporate community investment professionals from many of Canada's leading companies, who work together to apply, develop and enhance the use of the LBG Model and measurement framework in Canada. Participation in LBG Canada encourages companies to focus on strategy, measurement and reporting to demonstrate the business value achieved through investment in community. LBG Canada is facilitated by SiMPACT Strategy Group. For more information, please visit: https://www.lbg-canada.ca

Tweet me:Companies to discuss #communityinvestment as key to achieving inclusion at the #LBGCanada Western Conference this June! For more info & to register: http://bit.ly/2Hs0vSd #CIMatters

KEYWORDS: LBG Canada, conference, Calgary, Community Investment, Corporate Social Responsibility, diversity, inclusion, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, Simpact strategy group

SOURCE:Booz Allen Hamilton

DESCRIPTION:

A new survey by Booz Allen Hamilton confirms what IT leaders have long suspected: many organizations do not have the cybersecurity staff in place to fully protect themselves from evolving threats.

Fifty-seven percent of the 250 senior IT decision makers surveyed believe that hiring top cyber talent will only become more difficult over the next five years causing organizations to make short-term staffing fixes to protect their business, often making the problem worse. Amid a recent barrage of cyber-attacks, most (83 percent) respondents report that they have open cybersecurity positions to fill at their company, with 72 percent saying it is particularly challenging to identify and hire new, high-quality cyber defenders – like advanced threat hunters and malware reverse engineers.

“These findings are rooted in what Booz Allen has understood for quite some time – products alone won’t make organizations secure, tools are only effective when a skilled workforce is in place to use them,” said Booz Allen’s U.S. Commercial Lead, Bill Phelps. “The cyber talent gap has become an existential threat. Organizations will only find success through sustained investments in people like robust training and finding more effective ways to leverage scarce talent.”

Booz Allen offers five best practices to effectively and sustainably address the cyber talent gap:

1. Take a multi-dimensional approach: Develop both cyber natives and novices, and establish well-defined career paths that allow employees to learn in new contexts.
    
2. Move the organization—and talent—out of reactive mode: Use automation tools to address routine cyber tasks so talent can prioritize more challenging cyber problems like advanced threat hunting.
    
3. Reframe training approaches: Offering competitive compensation and benefits are table stakes. All employees must have time for diverse and experiential training like capture the flag games, purple teaming and other “live fire” type exercises.
    
4. Look beyond certifications: Ensure recruiters are looking for soft skills to augment the traditional abilities of cyber defenders. Organizations should validate expertise through skills-based assessments.
    
5. Use sourcing and industry partnerships strategically: Traditionally in IT, sourcing was used to reduce costs by contracting third parties to perform commoditized tasks. Security companies must use sourcing and partnerships to secure access to scarce premium skills. Outsourcing should be more about securing advanced capabilities than about reducing costs.

For more detailed survey findings, click here.

Booz Allen is committed to preserving the safety of your world. Learn more here.

Tweet me:3 in 4 IT leaders agree: investors are holding senior executives accountable for cyber incidents. Read more from @BoozAllen’s findings, here: http://bit.ly/2FhIL5L

KEYWORDS: Booz Allen Hamilton, Booz Allen, cyber, cybersecurity, cyber talent, Bill Phelps, NYSE:BAH

SOURCE:ReportAlert

DESCRIPTION:

At BAE Systems we are proud of what we do and how we do it – from developing innovative products and services and investing in our people and future workforce, to giving our customers the best possible service. We report on our Corporate Responsibility (CR) performance in our Annual Report with more detail in our CR Summary.

In these resources, we demonstrate the progress the Company is making in its CR agenda. They focus on our strategy and performance in key areas of safety, our people, community investment, business conduct, environmental performance and suppliers.

Our 2017 highlights include:

• Our recordable accident rate was reduced by 3%
• Progress in developing our people with a diverse and inclusive strategy to drive innovation and enhance the performance of our employees
• Engaging with our communities by supporting projects and employee volunteering
• Continued progress in engaging employees and developing the Company’s Business Conduct programme
• Our total greenhouse gas emissions continued to fall
• Our engagement with suppliers to support our businesses and the roll out of the Supplier Principles

For more information on the 2017 Annual Report click here.

For more information on the 2017 CR Summary click here.

For more information on Corporate Responsibility click here.

At BAE Systems, our advanced defence technology protects people and national security, and keeps critical information and infrastructure secure. We search for new ways to provide our customers with a competitive edge across the air, maritime, land and cyber domains. We employ a skilled workforce of 83,200 people in over 40 countries, and work closely with local partners to support economic development by transferring knowledge, skills and technology.

For further information contact corporate.responsibility@baesystems.com

Read the Report

Tweet me:.@BAESystemsplc releases their 2017 #CorporateResponsibility Summary with a focus on five key areas. Learn about what they do and how they do it: http://bit.ly/2FfZWF4 via @ReportAlert

KEYWORDS: BAE Systems, ReportAlert, Corporate Responsibility