SOURCE:Arrow Electronics

DESCRIPTION:

Arrow Electronics selected Jan R. Carson’s textile artwork, “See as Bees See” as the winner of this year’s Cherry Creek Arts Festival’s Five Years Out Art Challenge.  

The juried international art contest inspires professional artists to explore the notion of innovation and express what Five Years Out looks like through their medium. For Arrow, Five Years Out is the tangible future of new technologies, new materials and new ideas that help customers, partners and employees merge what’s possible with what’s practical.

Carson’s work honors Arrow’s collaboration with the technology firm Semios to fight pests in fruit and nut crops with data-driven farming solutions that eliminate pesticides. Carson stitched together pieces of silk and paired them with LED lights to reveal colors only seen by bees. The piece was selected from 135 submissions, and Carson received an additional $10,000 prize and a jury-exempt invitation to exhibit at the 2019 Festival.  

“The challenge draws a talented field of artists who embrace innovation in their interpretations of Five Years Out,” said Leda Abrams, Arrow’s global events director and Cherry Arts board member. “Each of the finalists submitted forward-thinking work, but Carson’s piece creatively combined textiles and LED lights to demonstrate that innovation often requires seeing the world in a new way.”   

Arrow also awarded Carson and the following six finalists a $5,000 commission to create and showcase their piece at the 2018 Cherry Creek Arts Festival, July 6-8 in Denver, Colo., after which the art will become part of the Arrow collection and installed at its offices.

• Brice McCasland, “Into the Sunlight and Begin a New Day”
• Collin Parson, “TLP#1 (Traveling Light Project)”
• William Kidd, “Universal Smile”
• Keith Grace, “A Lie Can Travel Halfway Around the World While the Truth Is Putting on Its Shoes” 
• Signe and Genna Grushovenko, “Home of the Future”
• Kina Crow, “Riding the Wave of the Future”

Every year, Arrow engages in a number of cultural initiatives that inspire people to be more creative and productive in their own lives. Arrow has partnered with the Cherry Creek Arts Festival on the Five Years Out Art Challenge since 2013.

About the Cherry Creek Arts Festival
The Cherry Creek Arts Festival is a three-day, world-class and award-winning celebration of the visual, culinary, and performing arts and enjoys an annual attendance of 350,000 visitors. Special exhibits, art and culinary demonstrations, and interactive family activities on Activity Avenue complement the Festival experience. Since 1991, the CherryArts 501(c)(3) nonprofit mission provides access to arts experiences and supports art education via the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and statewide education programs. For more information, please visit www.CherryArts.org.

About Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics guides innovation forward for over 150,000 of the world’s leading manufacturers of technology used in homes, business and daily life. With 2017 sales of $26.6 billion, Arrow aggregates electronics and enterprise computing solutions for customers and suppliers in industrial and commercial markets. The company maintains a network of more than 345 locations serving over 80 countries. Learn more at FiveYearsOut.com.

Tweet me:.@ArrowGlobal selected Jan R. Carson’s textile artwork, “See as Bees See” as the winner of this year’s Cherry Creek Arts Festival’s #FiveYearsOut Art Challenge. http://bit.ly/2z4XUtF @CherryArts

KEYWORDS: Arrow Electronics, Five Years Out Art Challenge, 2018 Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Semios, bees, Jan R. Carson

SOURCE:Goldcorp

DESCRIPTION:

A significant milestone in development of Borden Gold, Canada’s first all-electric underground mine took place on June 6, 2018, with the signing of an Impacts and Benefits Agreement (IBA) between Goldcorp and three First Nation communities including Brunswick House First Nation (BHFN), Chapleau Cree First Nation (CCFN), and Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation (COFN).

The formal signing of the IBA follows successful negotiations with the three First Nations, and is a milestone marking the first time these three First Nation communities are involved with a mining project. The IBA is with respect to the development and operation of the Borden Gold project near the town of Chapleau in northern Ontario. Goldcorp now has collaborative agreements in place with 26 First Nations which assert Aboriginal and treaty rights in the vicinity of its operations in Canada.

Under the agreement, Goldcorp recognizes and respects the rights and interests these First Nations have around the Borden project site, and the three First Nation communities recognize and support Goldcorp’s rights and interests in the development and future operation of the mine. The agreement also reflects Goldcorp’s commitment to protecting the environment and supporting Aboriginal social and cultural practices in a spirit of continued collaboration.

“Successful relationships are built on trust, mutual respect, meaningful engagement, and they require sincere commitment from all involved. I’m pleased with the work accomplished by the group and I feel very proud that Goldcorp is the first mining company to partner with the Brunswick House, Chapleau Cree and Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation communities. We recognize the importance of nurturing our partnerships and collaborating with our project neighbours to ensure the sustainability of the local communities surrounding Borden Gold,” said Marc Lauzier, Mine General Manager at Goldcorp’s Porcupine Gold Mines, responsible for the development of Borden.

After over two years of open, honest communications, the IBA outlines provisions for environmental and health protections that combine innovation and the use of modern technology to develop Borden Gold into Canada’s first “all electric” underground mine, eliminating the use of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. The agreement also includes provisions for employment and training, and business and contracting opportunities, along with a framework for regulatory permitting.

“On behalf of our council and our community members, I am pleased we have entered into the Impacts and Benefits Agreement with Goldcorp for the Borden Gold project. This is our first partnership in mining, and although our relationship is young and still evolving, we are hopeful for the future of the project and for the opportunities that it will create. We appreciate the efforts of Goldcorp and are thankful for them recognizing our connection to the land and for their commitment to protecting it while in their care,” said Chief Lisa VanBuskirk of Brunswick House First Nation.

Chief Keith Corston of Chapleau Cree First Nation commented, “The Chapleau Cree First Nation is pleased to have entered into this agreement with Goldcorp. This is an important milestone in our journey to form meaningful relationships with industry and to create a sustainable opportunity for our community. Open and trusting dialogue and engagement are the cornerstones of successful relationships and we trust in Goldcorp to uphold the highest standards of environmental protections so that our future generations of children and families can continue practicing a cultural and traditional way of life.”

Chief Anita Stephens of Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation remarked, “As the Chief of the Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation, I extend my esteemed congratulations on the Borden Gold development and the processes by which it has come to be. I would also like to convey that I am proud and excited about the future.  These years of negotiations, which included trust and relationship-building, unlock exciting possibilities and prospects regarding this project. It is with great respect and humility that we took part in and witnessed the commitments and responsibilities with Goldcorp’s involvement with the aboriginal communities.”

Goldcorp’s Borden project will be starting a bulk sample extraction of up to 30,000 tonnes shortly, with the first sample expected by the end of the summer. Commercial operation of the mine is anticipated to begin in 2019.

Tweet me:A significant milestone in the development of Borden Gold, Canada’s first all-electric underground mine took place on June 6, 2018, with the signing of an Impacts and Benefits Agreement between Goldcorp and three First Nation communities. Read more here: http://bit.ly/2zeGACC

KEYWORDS: NYSE:GG, Goldcorp

SOURCE:Scotiabank

DESCRIPTION:

As Scotiabank steps up its Nutrition for Learning (NFL) programme, targeting students in 38 primary level institutions, it recently hosted workshops for several school canteen cooks. The workshops, which have been conducted by master chef Jacqui Tyson, sought to equip canteen and administrative personnel in schools with the knowledge and skill to prepare nutritional and healthy meals for students.

Click here to continue reading

Tweet me:.@ScotiabankViews steps up its Nutrition for Learning (NFL) programme, targeting students in 38 primary level institutions, it recently hosted workshops for several school canteen cooks. http://bit.ly/2KR9IEe #Health #CSR

KEYWORDS: Nutrition for Learning (NFL) programme, Scotiabank, csr, Education, prepare nutritional and healthy meals, students

SOURCE:3BL Forum

DESCRIPTION:

THE BIG STORY 

Companies Take on Climate Change with "We Mean Business"

The We Mean Business coalition was formed to organize a critical mass of the business world to make progress on climate change. With its no-nonsense brand name, formidable numbers, and world-class leadership, the coalition is poised to be a dominant player in directing businesses toward taking stands on strategies and practices that define climate change as a business opportunity, not just an environmental disaster.

And quite a group it is, bringing together the memberships, networks, and missions of seven international nonprofit organizations, all major players in driving environmental policy through business activities: BSR, CDP, Ceres, The B Team, The Climate Group, The Prince of Wales Corporate Leadership Group, and WBCSD. The association’s mission statement sets a very ambitious goal: “...to ensure that the world economy is on track to avoid dangerous climate change by 2020 while delivering sustainable growth and prosperity for all.”

That mission is a measure of two conclusions. One, that governments are failing in their historic role as policy makers. Two, that only through increased prosperity can the public will be generated to pursue a global economy based on progressive practices that consider the environment.

The coalition’s bold stand has attracted a €40 million grant from the IKEA Foundation, a strong gesture of support from a company that has positioned itself as a pioneer in renewable energy and GHG-emissions reduction.

The June update from We Mean Business highlights a number of initiatives, the most significant of which is the Declaration of Ambition. In this statement, more than 20 countries—including the UK, Canada, Germany, and Sweden—outline a challenge to all the signatories of the Paris Agreement to “raise the ambition” of their national climate plans. The goal is to inspire others to step up their commitments in the face of the inertia, if not the outright hostility (c.f. the current US administration) of government.

That’s the thing about coalitions, they’re contagious—they can inspire action through collaboration that would be much more difficult when taken by individual actors.

As noted in a previous BTS Newsletter, climate change is now at the top of the agenda for S&P 500 companies. We may not need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing, but We Mean Business is a good guide for companies in navigating today’s stormy socio-political seas toward profits as well as the collective good.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Millennial Entrepreneurs Favor Social Enterprises

“What Works Next,” the latest in Politico’s journalistic series of city-based articles about the next generation of “problem solvers,” surveys new, purpose-driven businesses in Columbus, Ohio. According to the report, “Columbus has a reputation for spawning successful businesses. Millennials there are focused on enterprises that succeed by helping others.” The series “identifies communities that are attracting the most millennials and asks: How is a new generation solving problems in a new way?” Previous editions have focused on Seattle, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City, St. Paul, and Durham. For July, Politico is covering the D.C. area, “...looking for D.C. millennials who are working to bridge the gap between civilians and the military. Nominate someone who is solving issues that affect veterans—jobs, addiction and mental health, for example—and we may feature them.”

American Express Takes on Plastic Pollution

American Express has partnered with Parley, an organization addressing marine plastic pollution, in a commitment to reduce single-use plastics in its operations. The company will be introducing the first-ever American Express Card made from recovered plastic pollution recycled from oceans and coasts. In addition, Amex is committing to reducing the use of single-use plastic within its operations globally, including phasing out plastic straws and coffee stirrers for all of its major offices and Centurion airport lounges. An estimated eight-million metric tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year. The Amex move comes against a background of controversy over recent policy disputes about bans and/or fees on plastic straws by municipalities and states, regulations that are getting some pushback from trade associations. Three states have considered bans this year; California and New York bills are pending, Hawaii’s proposed legislation died in committee. Seattle, Miami Beach, and Oakland are cities with either bans or opt-in rules. Bon Appetit is among food chains that have banned plastic straws, while in the UK, McDonald’s is phasing in paper straws after a countrywide ban. Watch for more back and forth on the plastic issue—especially on straws—between companies who propose progressive solutions like Amex, trade associations and special interests that object to any change, and government entities trying to craft new policies that satisfy both environmentalists and business.

Walmart to Provide Educational Benefits to Employees

Walmart will support subsidized college tuition for its 1.4 million workers in the US, joining a growing list of companies that are helping employees pay for higher education. The retailer will pay tuition for its employees to enroll in college classes either online or on campus to earn degrees in business or supply chain management. As the labor market tightens up, major companies are beginning to offer perks that attract talent, and specifically ones that enhance job performance. Helping would-be employees deal with the high cost of college education is perceived as a major benefit for both employees and the company. “We feel like this is another step forward in investing in our associates,” Julie Murphy, executive vice president of people in Walmart’s US operation, told the NY Times. Walmart joins Amazon and Starbucks in providing tuition support.

C-SUITE COMMENTS

“Social entrepreneurship is the new norm. Millennials are putting their dollars towards companies that are sustainable and give back. Quite frankly, businesses that aren't giving back will go out of business in due time.”

—Claire Coder, CEO, AuntFlow

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Bryan Corkal has joined Anuvia Plant Nutrients as chief financial officer. The company’s mission is to help large-scale farming fulfill its promise to achieve high yields while dramatically reducing the environmental impact of conventional farming.

Want to receive this newsletter by email? Sign up here.

Continue the important conversations on corporate responsibility long after 3BL Forum with the Brands Taking Stands newsletter. Written by veteran journalist, John Howell, this newsletter is published every Wednesday morning.

Tweet me:The latest #BrandsTakingStands #newsletter takes a look at defining #climatechange as a business opportunity http://bit.ly/2lUlyzx @WMBtweets @3BLMedia #SDGs #ESG

KEYWORDS: Brands Taking Stands, 3bl Media, 3BL Forum, We Mean Business

The investments UPS has made in 2017 are leading to a major transformation

SOURCE:UPS

DESCRIPTION:

David Abney | UPS Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

In 2017, UPS embarked on a major transformation that will result in the most significant upgrade of our operations in decades. We are exploring real-time data, mobile connectivity, robotics, blockchain, and other cutting-edge technologies to seamlessly integrate our digital and physical networks, modernize our facilities and fleet, and better manage our operations.

This transformation will increase capacity so we can deliver more freight and parcels, improve network flexibility to shift volume to alternative transportation modes and UPS processing locations in response to weather or other contingencies, and enhance service dependability by reducing the chance of human error. Further, these technologies will generate significantly improved facility and fleet operating efficiency by capitalizing on innovations that advance our sustainability goals, which include using more renewable electricity and alternative fuels, and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions in absolute terms.

In 2017, we continued expanding our “rolling laboratory” — UPS’s fleet of approximately 9,100 alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. As part of our recent $90 million investment in natural gas infrastructure, we added nearly 1,200 vehicles and powered this specialized fleet with more than 115 million gallons of lower-carbon fuels. 

UPS has a long history with electric vehicles, having introduced them into our fleet in the 1930s. We accelerated our efforts in 2017 with our pre-order for 125 of the Tesla fully electric Semi trucks when they begin production in 2019. We’re also collaborating with another supplier, Workhorse Group, to deploy electric delivery vehicles that are comparable in acquisition cost to conventional gasoline- or diesel-powered trucks — an industry first that removes a key barrier to large-scale adoption. These new vehicles will need recharging, so in 2017 we joined a consortium in the United Kingdom to deploy smart-grid technology that enables simultaneous recharging of an entire fleet of electric vehicles. If feasible, this technology will eliminate the need for expensive upgrades to the power grid.

This electrification strategy is part of broad-based collaborations with city partners to develop new package delivery solutions that limit congestion, smog, and noise — critical issues in dense urban areas. In 2017, we launched a “depot-to-door” pilot in London that uses an electrically assisted trailer to deliver packages from a central location. In Dublin, we introduced an “eco package hub,” a mini distribution center from which UPS drivers make deliveries by foot or eBike. With more than 1,000 electric or hybrid electric vehicles in operation around the world, we expect to continue leading the charge on fleet electrification and innovative urban logistics solutions. 

The new technologies we’re testing — and deploying — provide benefits that extend far beyond operational efficiencies and environmental improvements. They also help UPSers around the world work safer and smarter. In 2017, we invested more than $209 million in safety training, including virtual reality technology that helps employees practice defensive driving techniques in real-world simulations.

In addition, we expanded the use of collision mitigation systems on our vehicles to help keep drivers and the public safe on the road. Today, more than 60 percent of our tractor-trailer trucks are now equipped with this technology. With these investments bolstering our health and safety programs, we expect to continue to lead the industry with low accident and injury rates.

UPS’s proud legacy of innovation also extends to our community partners around the world. For decades, we have helped humanitarian relief organizations use innovative logistics technologies to respond to disasters more efficiently and effectively. In 2017, we worked with American Red Cross and drone manufacturer CyPhy Works to test drones for assessing damage in the wake of disasters. We also expanded our groundbreaking drone delivery partnership with Zipline and with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — doubling the number of facilities that receive urgent medical supplies in remote areas of Rwanda. 

I am proud of the progress we have made and proud of the ingenuity of UPSers to develop innovative business and sustainability solutions. However, 2017 was not without its challenges. E-commerce growth continued to drive unprecedented package volume, and, in our business, more package volume means more miles and emissions. While we did not progress as fast as planned to reach all of our environmental targets in 2017, I am confident that the investments we are making today will accelerate progress toward our 2020 and 2025 goals. We will continue to explore and develop new solutions to make the industry’s most efficient network even more sustainable.

Tweet me:.@UPS #CEO explains how investments in technology are leading to a major transformation in the company's efficiency and sustainability http://bit.ly/2ISMA3u

KEYWORDS: UPS, united parcel service, David Abney, NYSE:UPS

SOURCE:Booz Allen Hamilton

DESCRIPTION:

With organizations like The Vinetta Project and DC Fem Tech, Washington, DC has become a top city for female entrepreneurs to launch their startups and raise capital. Outside the nation’s capital, these founders might not find the same opportunities; in 2017, women received only 2 percent of all venture funding.

This summer, The Vinetta Project—a national organization dedicated to helping women-led businesses break into the funding ecosystem—hosted a Venture Challenge Showcase at its Innovation Partner Booz Allen Hamilton’s DC Innovation Center. Four high-potential founders were chosen from 90 applicants; they pitched their businesses to an esteemed panel of experts and hundreds of community supporters for a chance to generate customer awareness, and get access to investors and capital.

"The presenters hit it out of the park, pitching impressive growing businesses in Agtech, artificial intelligence, transportation and Edtech," said event emcee Amelia Friedman, co-founder and COO of Hatch Apps, which allows users to build apps without writing code. "I can only imagine how tough it was for our fabulous panelists Meghan Buck [CEO at VEDA Data], Roselle Safran [Entrepreneur in Residence at Lytical Ventures], Steve Taylor [General Manager at Lyft], and Peggy Styer [Partner at Razor's Edge Ventures] to select finalists for the $20,000 prize."

Read about the four startups from the June Showcase:

• Go Together | Making school transportation easier

According to Kimberly Moore, CEO and co-founder of Go Together, schools and parents face a growing infrastructure challenge. Budgets for buses are increasing, and at the same time more parents are driving their kids to school—putting a strain on traffic in and out of campuses. Moore developed CarpooltoSchool, to solve this daily issue through technology. It’s a platform sold to schools to safely collaborate with parents on student carpooling. Every user is vetted and has a profile that’s matched to riders based on intelligent mapping that factors in location and schedule. Moore emphasized that they’re facilitating a “trust exchange” so parents can feel at ease and the power of community can make everyone’s life easier.

• HiveLend | Connecting farmers and bees

Society depend on bees for more than one might expect—specifically, 35 percent of our food supply according to Dawn Musil, founder of HiveLend. But every year it’s becoming more difficult for farmers to access bees for pollination, which has a negative impact on the crops they can yield. HiveLend aspires to open new economic pathways by connecting farmers with beekeeping hobbyists—an untapped 65% of the hive market. Musil’s startup offers comprehensive services beyond making a connection through their digital platform: insurance, supply chain, and transportation for the bees. They just released a beta model in January and are working with 26 farmers today and counting.

• Sorcero | Helping employees work smarter

The biggest problem with workplace training? Employees forget what they learned in training by the time they actually need it, says Dipanwita Das, Founder and CEO of Sorcero. While “we can’t do anything about the human brain,” her company believes there’s a better way to make knowledge more readily available at the right times. Sorcero has developed a new model for knowledge management using artificial intelligence (AI) to pull all training content (a huge investment for companies) into a stack that allows employees to ask questions and receive answers along with recommended materials and trainings. The platform not only helps employees access information to do their work better, but it can also surface key gaps in training if the bot can’t answer the question, as well as determine what training formats users prefer depending on the context.

• Localized | Creating job opportunities in emerging markets

In emerging economies, students can be the top of their class but they may not have access to career services, alumni networks, and relationships to local employers. Ronit Avni, Founder and CEO of Localized, says her company is solving this problem which she calls a “broken pipeline.” Localized provides students in emerging markets with a virtual platform that offers career counseling services, networks, and roles models—along with access to global employers. It uses a B2B model where schools subscribe for an amount less than hiring a career counselor in the local market. Her company is currently operating in Jordan and plans to expand into India next year. Top companies like Expedia and Dell are signing on to save time and money when it comes to recruitment in emerging markets, a $17 billion industry.

The guest panelists followed up the pitches with questions related to the business strategy, mission, and revenue model, and offered guidance to the founders on a variety of topics: being a female founder in male-dominated spaces like AI; how to think about acquisitions; understanding your buyer; adding even more punch to your pitch. Meghan Buck gave one founder some advice based on personal experience: “When you have a male co-founder, put your own bio first.”

What’s next for the startup community

“This is one of the most powerful rooms that I’ve been in,” said Duane Rollins, National Director of Products and Impact at Seed Spot—an accelerator for social entrepreneurs. Rollins announced a partnership between Seed Spot and The Vinetta Project to support impact-driven women entrepreneurs at one of their 2-day Launch Camps later this year, also to be hosted at Booz Allen. Participants there will be able to go from having an idea, to articulating the business opportunity and benefiting from an early-stage community to help activate it.

After the event, the two semi-finalists selected to move on to the final Venture Challenge Showcase in September were Localized and Sorcero. Booz Allen will be hosting the final showcase along with two additional workshops with the Small Business Association (SBA) to provide insights for female founders on how to gain access to the federal government, the world’s largest customer. 

Dee Dee Helfenstein, Senior Vice President at Booz Allen, serves on the Vinetta DC Advisory Council and explained why this ongoing alliance is so important to her company. “Getting women entrepreneurs access to mentors, partners, capital, and council—it’s something we’re all passionate about and it’s why we love this partnership with The Vinetta Project.”

Read more about how Booz Allen and the Vinetta Project are empowering women entrepreneurs, here.

Tweet me:DC is a growth center for women entrepreneurs, here are four startups to watch http://bit.ly/2za9DqA via @BoozAllen

KEYWORDS: Booz Allen, Vinetta Project, Dee Dee Helfenstein, Dipanwita Das, Ronit Avni

SOURCE:ICO Impact Group

DESCRIPTION:

As every successful entrepreneur can attest, nothing helps transform a great idea into a real product or service faster than access to adequate resources -- especially capital.

Yet, over 80% of African entrepreneurs still struggle today to get their businesses properly funded. Too many innovative ideas are strangled before they even get started. Grammy-nominated artist and philanthropist, Akon, hopes to solve this problem with AKoin, his new cryptocurrency.

AKoin cryptocurrency is the foundation of the AKoin Ecosystem, a ground-breaking platform that seeks to unlock the potential of the world's largest emerging economy through the creation of a stable currency and tools that power the efforts of the next generation of entrepreneurs. The ecosystem will engender innovative, revenue-generating opportunities that stimulate and support youth entrepreneurship, economic stability, and growth across Africa and the developing world.

This global project offers an abundance of digital and in-real-life experiences that create opportunity and inclusion for youth entrepreneurs. Consumers will be able to buy, hold, and spend cryptocurrency right from their smartphones through a suite of blockchain-powered apps. The exclusive suite of apps seeks to offer revenue-generating opportunities to stimulate micro-exchanges and financial stability, dramatically improving business opportunities for African youth entrepreneurs – and ultimately, the world -- by giving economic power back to the people.

Local currency instability, inflation, and a lack of banking services are at the heart of the African entrepreneur's dilemma. Ventures Africa reported that financing remains the biggest challenge new businesses face, ranked number one by 34% of African entrepreneurs in a 2015 study. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates that up to 84% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa are either unserved or underserved, leaving a value gap in credit financing of $140 billion to $170 billion USD.

According to Reuters, most African countries rely on U.S. dollar debts to finance their economies because governments have not done enough to develop their capital markets. As local currencies drop lower and lower in value, their debt drastically increases. It is estimated that Africa’s external debt jumped to $443 billion USD by 2013, and since then, the dramatic devaluations in currencies have raised the cost of the servicing this ever-growing liability.

ICO Impact Group, a founding and strategic partner in AKoin, sees great potential for cryptocurrencies as tools to help protect people from government corruption and failing local currencies. When young people are given access to new technologies and tools to start and run their own businesses, local and regional economies improve -- not only in Africa, but, in the future, in other countries around the world facing similar development challenges.

“This new decentralized ecosystem is how businesses will get funded in developing countries,” said Ryan Scott, Chairman of ICO Impact Group. “This is how the next generation of innovators will connect with customers. This is how they will buy and sell goods and connect with services they desperately need. Ultimately, this is how they will pull themselves out of poverty and escape the corruption of their governments and financial institutions.”

In announcing the AKoin Ecosystem on June 18, 2018 from the stage at the Cannes Lions Festival, Akon opined, “I think that blockchain and crypto could be the savior for Africa in many ways because it brings the power back to the people and brings the security back into the currency system.”

This approach to individual and community wealth creation may indeed be one of the last, best hopes left to the young entrepreneur faced with impossible circumstances seeking to grow a business. That’s a notion not lost on the young innovators themselves, as evidenced by their adoption of interactive online marketplaces and alternative currencies, including cryptocurrencies, and their adoption continues to rapidly outpace other regions, including North America and Europe.

Tweet me:Is @Akon's #Akoin #cryptocurrency the last, best hope for #AfricanYouth #entrepreneurs? http://bit.ly/2KNuPnW via @ryan_scott #SDGs #socinn

KEYWORDS: Ryan Scott, ICO Impact Group, AKON, AKOIN, cryptocurrency, africa, AKoin Ecosystem, Cannes Lions Festival

SOURCE:Duke Energy

DESCRIPTION:

May is Duke Energy in Action volunteer month. In 2018, Duke Energy Florida introduced its “31x31: Championing 62 Causes in May” program. Our employees hosted 62 community employee engagement activities during the 31 days in the month of May. Employees participated in a wide variety of events while partnering with local non-profit or community organizations.

Tweet me:WATCH: From #landscaping to clean-ups to #donation drives, @DukeEnergy #volunteers in Florida hosted 62 #community activities in May http://bit.ly/2z9xp62

KEYWORDS: Duke Energy, Duke Energy In Action

SOURCE:Whole Foods Market Foundations

DESCRIPTION:

by Zoe So, Whole Planet Foundation Eastern/Southern Africa Regional Director 

One of the core assumptions of microfinance is that the ability to reach a large number of borrowers helps bring efficiencies, sustainability, and impact. Many microfinance organizations often talk about their success in terms of scale and big picture numbers: how many borrowers do they reach? How big has the loan portfolio grown?

But MFIs need to answer a different set of questions to develop a more granular understanding of their impact on a household level: What do their clients’ lives look like? What are their various sources of income? What do they spend money on, and how do they make those decisions? How do they handle paying for emergencies? What strategies do they use to manage their finances and to save? A fuller picture of a family’s financial circumstances can help MFIs improve the design and delivery of their financial services.

How Financial Diaries Can Help

MFIs are increasingly using detailed case studies to get at such questions by applying a research methodology called financial diaries. Researchers visit the same families regularly over a period of time to collect detailed information about each household’s financial activities, coupled with questions about financial behavior. Financial diaries were pioneered and popularized by the book Portfolios of the Poor (required reading for all WPF staff!). The methodology used in this study serves as a blueprint for other financial diary studies, though each research project’s approach is usually tweaked to fit the particular context.

Since then this approach has gained traction as a tool to better understand financial insecurity and decision-making in households throughout the world, including in the US. “The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty,” a book released earlier this year, reveals findings from an in-depth study tracking one year of financial transactions of 235 low to moderate income families, from four different communities in America. The researchers found that many families faced income volatility throughout the year, making financial planning difficult and creating situations where families sometimes had to borrow money at an expensive rate, potentially leading to indebtedness.

Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF), our partner in South Africa, recently completed their own financial diaries study which looked at how 41 clients used their micro-loans by tracking their financial income and expenditures. SEF, whose clients are all low income women, states that the goal of this study was to “shed light on the positive aspects of client impact as well as guide us on how to better improve ways to achieve our social mission.”

From June 2015 to December 2015, SEF researchers visited the selected households once every two weeks. The key findings from their study are:

• Business income universally added to household income
• However, clients had varying ability to use a loan from SEF to support income generating activities
• Clients who already had an established business before taking the loan tended to be more successful than those who did not.
• For the loan takers who were less successful in converting a loan to an income generating business, some of the challenges included:
  • Difficulty generating business ideas
  • Challenge with local market cash flows (for example, selling on credit followed by inability to recuperate owed payments.)

Financial diaries yield rich household level information; yet there are some caveats to the approach. For example, the sample size is generally small and the households selected may not be representative of the wider population. The repeated visits can come with a high demand on the time of participating households, and participants may drop out. The goal of this approach is to apply rigorous analysis to uncover deep, rather than broad, insights.

For Small Enterprise Foundation, the financial diaries may help inform several initiatives under development. They are updating and refining a questionnaire, administered at each loan, to better understand the level of poverty of client relative to the local context. They’re also looking at improving ways to deliver business skills training to clients.

Learn more about Financial Diaries:

CGAP – http://www.cgap.org/blog/why-financial-diaries-understand-needs-smallholders
CGAP Financial Diaries with smallholder farmers: http://www.cgap.org/publications/financial-diaries-smallholder-families

Tweet me:Financial diaries provide rich household information that can help #MFIs improve the design and delivery of their #financialservices. http://bit.ly/2KPtekw @WholePlanet Foundation #microcredit

KEYWORDS: whole planet foundation, microcredit, Sub-Saharan Africa

SOURCE:Cisco Systems Inc.

DESCRIPTION:

Together with our nonprofit partners, we are harnessing the power of technology to create new and better opportunities for people. We are pioneering new ways of learning, lifting people out of poverty by providing access to new and better employment opportunities, and helping people in disaster areas get the relief they need.

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About Cisco

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Tweet me:WATCH: See how @CiscoCSR helps #nonprofits accelerate #GlobalProblemSolving through #tech http://bit.ly/2JgIALz #SDGs

Six Communities Across the Nation Received More Than 630,000 Pounds of Protein

SOURCE:Smithfield Foods

DESCRIPTION:

During the month of June, Smithfield Foods’ hunger relief initiative, Helping Hungry Homes^®, visited six communities to donate more than 630,000 pounds of protein—the equivalent of more than 2.5 million servings—to those in need. Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Helping Hungry Homes^® this year, Smithfield has provided more than 100 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs since the program’s inception.

“Smithfield Foods is dedicated to helping those in need, and the support we are able to provide as a food company will help to assist those who are hungry,” said Dennis Pittman senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “Millions of people struggle with food insecurities in America. Our hope is through donations, time, and persistent support, we can make a difference in the fight against hunger.”

In June, Smithfield had the privilege of raising awareness of food insecurity and making protein donations in the following communities:

• Chicago, Ill.
• Springfield, Ill.
• Buffalo, N.Y.
• San Antonio, Texas
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• Monmouth, Ill.

For more information about Smithfield’s Helping Hungry Homes^® and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com.

Northern Illinois Food Bank and Greater Chicago Food Depository: Chicago, Ill.

• Donation: more than 77,000 pounds of protein (more than 311,000 servings)
• Retail Partner: Jewel-Osco
• Northern Illinois Food Bank serves 71,500 people weekly in its 13-county service area.
• Greater Chicago Food Depository serves 812,000 Cook County residents each year in partnership with 700 agencies and programs.

Central Illinois Food Bank: Springfield, Ill.

• Donation: more than 42,000 pounds of protein (more than 170,000 servings)
• Retail Partner: Schnucks
• Central Illinois Food Bank distributes more than 9.4 million pounds of food annually throughout its 21-county service territory.

Food Bank of Western New York: Buffalo, N.Y.

• Donation: more than 40,000 pounds of protein (more than 160,000 servings)
• Retail Partner: Tops Friendly Markets
• Food Bank of Western New York serves nearly 140,000 individuals monthly throughout its four-county service area.

San Antonio Food Bank: San Antonio, Texas

• Donation: more than 44,000 pounds of protein (more than 177,000 servings)
• Retail Partner: H-E-B
• San Antonio Food Bank serves 58,000 individuals weekly in 16 counties throughout southwest Texas.

Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: Los Angeles, Calif.

• Donation: more than 400,000 pounds of protein (more than 1.6 million servings)
• Retail Partner: Vons
• Los Angeles Regional Food Bank serves 300,000 individuals on a monthly basis. In 2017, the food bank distributed 70 million pounds of food.

River Bend Foodbank: Monmouth, Ill.  

• Donation: more than 30,000 pounds of protein (more than 121,000 servings)
• River Bend Foodbank serves 125,000 individuals throughout its 20-county service area in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. In 2017, the food bank distributed more than 13.4 million meals.

About Smithfield Foods

Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield^®, Eckrich^®, Nathan's Famous^®, Farmland^®, Armour^®, Farmer John^®, Kretschmar^®, John Morrell^®, Cook's^®, Gwaltney^®, Carando^®, Margherita^®, Curly's^®, Healthy Ones^®, Morliny^®, Krakus^® and Berlinki^®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.

Tweet me:.@SmithfieldFoods #HelpingHungryHomes initiative donated more than 2.5M pounds of protein in June http://bit.ly/2KMHJpd

KEYWORDS: Smithfield Foods’ Helping Hungry Homes®, food donations, csr, raising awareness of food insecurity, food banks

SOURCE:VMware

DESCRIPTION:

What is Computerworld’s ‘100 Best Places to Work in IT’ list?
The Best Places to Work in IT list is an annual ranking of the top 100 workplace communities for technology professionals by IDG’s Computerworld. This year, we are thrilled to announce that VMware made it into the top 5, coming in at #3 (out of 59) on the Computerworld Best Places to Work in IT 2018 in the large organization category.

In case you’re curious about how Computerworld determines the list, I have you covered. Computerworld bases their scoring on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, career development, training and retention. In addition Computerworld conducts extensive surveys of IT workers, and their responses factor heavily in determining the rankings.

Why is this recognition special to our community at VMware?
For the last 5 years, VMware has participated in the Computerworld 100 Best Places to Work in IT contest. Last year we were honored to see our ranking leap from #26 to #6. To know that it was our people’s survey responses that led to our improved ranking is extremely rewarding. This advancement in ranking over the last two years is a recognition of what can be achieved as a large IT organization when you combine an unwavering focus on innovation with a collaborative mindset and passionate people.

This award means the most to our CIO Bask Iyer, who shared the below note with our people today:
“Almost 2 years ago, I shared my 3-year vision for VMware’s IT organization. Number one on that list was for us to be recognized as the best in IT and a trailblazer, regardless of industry or geography. I feel extremely fortunate to lead this team, and I am confident that this award is not a destination, but merely a milestone, as we continue to reach for what’s ahead. Together, we will keep raising the bar for IT organizations of all sizes and in all industries.”

-Bask Iyer, CIO, VMware and Dell

This achievement is a tremendous milestone for the VMware IT Organization, it highlights in many ways that VMware is a great place to be an IT professional, and it’s our people that make it so. The sincere and unrelenting dedication to our culture of innovation and our EPIC2 values enables us to focus on the right things. It is what fuels our success and contributes to making VMware a vibrant place to be year after year.

To learn more about how you can realize what’s possible at VMware, visit: http://careers.vmware.com

Tweet me:.@VMware ranks #3 Best Place to Work in #IT among large organizations http://bit.ly/2K1aoXi @Computerworld #careers #technology #innovation

KEYWORDS: computerworld, VMware, IT, information technology

By: Justin B. Smith, Bloomberg Media

SOURCE:Bloomberg

DESCRIPTION:

It is no secret that the media industry is experiencing an unprecedented level of disruption. This has upended legacy business models, but has also created a wave of new opportunities. To successfully navigate this changing media landscape, the industry needs bold ideas and innovative strategies brought to life by broad and inclusive talent cultures.

Our ambition for Bloomberg Media Group is to be the world’s leading business and financial media on every media platform and relevant geography, all in service of Bloomberg LP. Given the diverse nature of our businesses, I view it as my responsibility to constantly foster a team culture that is inclusive and inviting for people of different backgrounds and perspectives.

Click here to read more from Justin B. Smith on diversity & inclsuion in Media. 

Tweet me:Embracing diversity in media is not negotiable – here’s why @bloomberg @Justin_B_Smith @BBGMedia #diversityandinclusion http://bit.ly/2KGxSOF

KEYWORDS: Bloomberg, Diversity Leadership, Justin B. Smith

By Rita Papadogiannis, CSR Coordinator at Viacom

SOURCE:Viacom

DESCRIPTION:

As a twenty-something woman, my generation is more commonly associated with avo-toast and Keeping Up With The Kardashians rather than exceptional community service. So, when I was recently given the opportunity to support the NYC Youth Mentoring Initiative through Viacom's participation in “Good for Me. Good for My City,” I jumped at the chance to offer my own contributions and perspective.

On Wednesday, May 9, the campaign’s 2^nd Annual Citywide Mentoring Day, I joined forces with more than 200 private sector employees in mentoring over 300 high school students in the five boroughs. I have been lucky enough to work with many exceptional mentors throughout my life, from family and teachers to supervisors and older friends.

Yet I have never really been anyone’s mentor before.

I sat down at the beginning of our session at Harlem Renaissance High School and glanced around the room, seeing my fellow mentors – experienced professionals who seemed to have done this many times before. The pressure was on.

My job in the weeks leading up to this event was to recruit employees from my job at Viacom to volunteer as mentors as well as observe the event for reporting purposes. And what better way to do that than to participate as a mentor myself?

All of the mentors sat together in rows, leaving empty rows of seats in front of them for the mentees to rotate around the room. Each session lasted less than ten minutes, which meant that I had the opportunity to mentor a handful of students before the event concluded.

Many of the teens I spoke with had spent extra time in school due to various hardships. One mentee, an 18-year-old high school senior, is a mother of an infant, and pregnant with her second child.  

Several students struggled in school, as English was their second language. Nearly all of these high school students were employed, and many had to call out of work to attend the session. These adversities – young motherhood, ESL and the pressure to be a breadwinner while still in high school – acted as barriers preventing them from experiencing academic fulfillment.

These teens are looking for any open door they could find to ease their burdens and make their dreams come to fruition.  

As the timer went off to mark the beginning of the session, a million questions flooded my mind.

What can I possibly teach them that they haven’t already heard?

How can they take me seriously when I’m just a few years older than them?

And then it clicked. I didn’t have 15 years of experience under my belt, but I did have the determination to accomplish my goals. I high school and college anecdotes of all-nighters and cramming for exams, which served as reminders of my resilience. I completed internships across the board, which granted me experience while allowing me the freedom to make mistakes in a safe environment. And I had a career I loved and could talk endlessly about for hours.

These were the stories I needed to share with the students sitting in front of me that day.

At the end of the day, your passion is what drives you most. Once you take that first step towards your passion, the first door will open with an opportunity presenting itself. Take it, and you’ll find another soon after. And another. Until one day, the walls disappear and all you see is a room full of potential…just like I saw at Harlem Renaissance that day.

I learned something about myself that day too; that there is no better way to confirm your passion than by inspiring others to chase their own.

Tweet me:"At the end of the day, your passion is what drives you most." Learn more about what one @Viacom employee learned while volunteering at a youth #mentorship event in #NYC http://bit.ly/2KtQfKw via @NYCService

KEYWORDS: NASDAQ:VIA, Viacom, Mentoring, NYC Service, NYC Youth Mentoring Initiative, Rita Papadogiannis

by Jim Witkin

SOURCE:TriplePundit

DESCRIPTION:

If you’ve ever wanted a bee’s-eye view of what life is like for the planet’s hardest working pollinators, then check out the new virtual reality video experience “The Extraordinary Honey Bee“ developed for Nestlé’s Häagen-Dazs brand.

The award-winning five-minute video follows Alex the worker bee on her journey through an almond orchard as she explains the importance of bees to the world’s food supply and describes the threats facing bee populations from our modern farming practices.

The plight of the honey bees and many other pollinator species has come into sharp focus in recent years. One third of the world’s food supply depends on pollination, but many species are experiencing significant decline or even extinction due to habitat loss and exposure to pesticides and disease.

While governments around the world continue to debate the causes and cures for the problem, many corporations and NGOs are stepping up to raise awareness and take action.

The Häagen-Dazs brand, for example, has been busy since 2008 when it launched its Häagen-Dazs Loves Honey Bees program. Over the past ten years, the company has donated more than $1 million to honey bee research, educated consumers around pollinator issues, and worked with suppliers to adopt pollinator-friendly farming practices.

Taken together, all this work puts them “very much at the forefront of pollinator conservation in the corporate arena,” according to conservation specialist Cameron Newell from the Xerces Society, a leading NGO in this area.

And no wonder, considering that ingredients in 26 different Häagen Dazs flavors now rely on pollinated crops. A world without bees means a world without flavors like Rocky Road, Vanilla Swiss Almond, and Coconut Caramel.

For Rachel Jaiven, the Häagen-Dazs Brand Manager, the equation is simple. “Any risks to the bee population is a risk to our products, so over the past ten years we’ve really tried to focus on bringing awareness to the importance of honey bees but also trying to make sure that our work with our suppliers is helping those populations survive and grow,” she said.

The brand’s work with suppliers includes creating year-round habitat. In 2017, Häagen-Dazs installed one of the country’s largest, privately funded pollinator habitats on an almond farm in California’s Central Valley. The habitat spans 6.5 miles of hedgerow and 28 acres of understory habitat with native drought-tolerant shrubs and flowering plants that are attractive to pollinators. In total, the project impacts 840 acres of farmland.

The brand’s second pollinator habitat is being planted on the farm of one of its strawberry suppliers in Oregon.

For both these projects, Häagen-Dazs partnered with the Xerces Society. “We had to bring in outside specialists and agronomists where needed, expert organizations like Xerces Society, to really help inform what we do in our supply chain and how we educate and support our individual suppliers,” said Jaiven.

In fact, the brand is working toward the Xerces Bee Better certification, a new third-party verified standard that requires creating large pollinator habitat areas on farms and eliminating harmful pesticide practices.

Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit organization that promotes organic and sustainable growing practices, is the third-party agency certifying Bee Better farms and products. The list of pesticides includes those considered moderately and highly toxic to pollinators by the US EPA, according to Cameron Newell who is the Bee Better Certified coordinator for Xerces.

Brands that achieve this certification can place the Bee Better seal on their packaging to indicate the ingredients were grown and harvested in a bee-friendly manner.

Over the last ten years, Häagen-Dazs has learned a thing or two about how to launch and sustain initiatives like this and how to reach consumers with their message, said Jaiven. And the best way to reach consumers is “as close to the product experience as possible,” she believes.

And you can’t get much closer to the consumer than the recent Free Cone Day pop-up event at Häagen-Dazs retail shops featuring all the bee-friendly flavors. Anyone who stopped by the shop got a free ice cream cone and got an education on the brand’s ten-year involvement with bee conservation. Members of the Häagen-Dazs Shops corporate team were at some of the stores helping people download and view “The Extraordinary Honey Bee” video.

“Consumers want to know that your brand stands for more than one thing; they want to know that you are supporting something bigger than just selling products,” she said, “so in-person interactions at the shops are a great way for us to talk about this work.”

Jaiven said the brand also received a tremendous amount of coverage for the event and gave away some 325,000 scoops on the day, up from 310,000 the year before.  

Another touchpoint with consumers is on the product packaging. A “Häagen-Dazs Loves Honey Bees” symbol on the packaging of bee-friendly flavors allows consumers to make an immediate connection and bring awareness to the issue, said Jaiven, and “it gives consumers confidence that their purchasing decisions benefit pollinators.”

Nestlé is a sponsor and will be exhibiting at the upcoming Sustainable Brands 2018 conference June 4-7 in Vancouver, where the theme is redesigning product and service offerings for the “The Good Life.” So how does the Häagen-Dazs brand’s work with honey bees fit this theme?

According to Jaiven, “It’s always been important for us to consider quality and deliver the best ingredients and taste experience for our consumers. When we think about the good life, it’s about consumers enjoying our products today but also knowing these quality ingredients will be around for generations to come and that’s all about the work we are doing with honey bees.”  

Tweet me:.@HaagenDazs_US has donated more than $1 million to #honeybee research, educated consumers around #pollinator issues & worked with suppliers to adopt pollinator-friendly farming practices http://bit.ly/2tYk3om via @triplepundit

KEYWORDS: Häagen-Dazs, triplepundit, sustainable brands, honey bees

SOURCE:Cone Communications

DESCRIPTION:

As more employees look to work at organizations that embed Purpose at their core, employee engagement around social and environmental initiatives becomes even more critical for leading brands. In fact, 71 percent of employees say they want their company to provide opportunities for them to help make a positive impact. In response, companies are designing new approaches to engagement, from challenging employees to achieve sustainability goals to co-creating campaigns around employee passion areas. Now, one company is giving employees the opportunity to make an impact – right from their own desks.

This week, outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland shared its newest approach to employee volunteerism – which can be completed in just around a half hour. Through a partnership with TutorMate, a nonprofit focused on teaching students to read, Timberland employees are educating at-risk children on reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills – right from their own desks. The program matches tutors with students for weekly, 30-minute one-on-one sessions on the TutorMate online platform. During each session, tutors and students share a screen and read online stories together. 

To continue reading, please click here.

Tweet me:Timberland Partners with TutorMate for Micro-Volunteerism https://bit.ly/2KTia63 via @Cone

KEYWORDS: Timberland, Tutormate, Cone Communications, Micro-Volunteerism

SOURCE:Aflac

DESCRIPTION:

Cara Mund, Miss America 2018 and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Ambassador, shares why My Special Aflac Duck™ is a comforting companion for children facing cancer. 

Learn more about how we are taking action in the research and treatment of childhood cancer and how you can help at AflacChildhoodCancer.org.

Tweet me:WATCH | Cara Mund, 2018 @MissAmerica and @CMNHospitals Ambassador talks about how #MySpecialAflacDuck helps kids cope with #childhoodcancer: http://bit.ly/2J0lVBx

KEYWORDS: Aflac, My Special Aflac Duck, childrens miracle network, Cara Mund

The District of Columbia Housing Authority goes beyond its mission of ensuring affordable housing by providing its residents with opportunities to build self-sufficiency through tools like its Commitment to Excellence Scholarship Program

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

The 2017 fall semester was about to start, but Lillian Copeland was still uncertain about how she was going to pay her college tuition. The rising sophomore and Washington, D.C., native had been accepted as a transfer student at Spelman College in Atlanta, but she needed more money.

Tweet me:.@WellsFargo Empowering Washington, D.C., residents through academic scholarships http://bit.ly/2uaD5Hz

KEYWORDS: Education, Wells Fargo, Washington D.C., Spelman College, District of Columbia Housing Authority, NYSE:WFC

SOURCE:Sappi North America

DESCRIPTION:

At Sappi North America, we are committed to operating our businesses in a sustainable manner. Together with the 2020Vision— Sappi’s global growth strategy—we use our sustainability goals program to set targets, initiate improvement actions and monitor progress.

Achieve Zero Workplace Injuries

Employee safety is a top priority at Sappi North America and is guided by our Project Zero initiative, which sets a goal of zero workplace safety incidents. Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) is one important measure for tracking work-related incidents resulting in injuries that reduce an employee’s physical capabilities. It measures injuries resulting in lost time per one-million work hours.

In 2017, we achieved an LTIFR of 0.43 which ties our best-ever reported performance (also achieved in 2013) and represents a 38% improvement over our performance in 2016. The LTIFR benchmark for the top quartile of performance for US paper mills is 0.6. In addition, the achievements of the Cloquet Mill were recognized by our trade association, AF&PA, with a Sustainability Award for leadership in safety. Our converting facility in Allentown and the Technology Center once again closed out the year with zero incidents.

Offer 60 Training Hours Per Year, Per Employee

Maintaining a skilled workforce is critical to achieving high performance in our complex manufacturing operations and business management systems. We continue our commitment to employee training, and in 2017, we achieved an average of 80 hours of training per employee, which is consistent with the prior year and well ahead of our goal.

In preparation for the rebuild of Paper Machine 1 at Somerset Mill, comprehensive educational efforts are already underway. The training programs include both hourly and salaried personnel and cover the new equipment, new products, and customer expectations and needs as we enter a new business segment.

We’re hiring new employees at a high rate due to retirements, so it is critical to our success that employees continue to receive the appropriate level of value-adding skills and safety training.

Promote Employee Engagement

We established targets for two metrics from the Willis Towers Watson employee engagement survey, which we undertake every two years across all of Sappi Limited.

Using 2015 as the baseline year, we have committed to publicly reporting two key metrics from the survey: total survey participation and level of sustainable engagement.

We measure levels of sustainable engagement by examining employee responses to a set of seven questions that cover a range of topics, including commitment to company goals, willingness to exert discretionary effort, having the resources to achieve high work performance, and accomplishments and recognition.

With our 2015 baseline year in mind, we had a goal of increasing survey participation by 2 percentage points to 67 percent in 2017. We surpassed that goal with a 71 percent participation rate—a 6 percentage point increase. Several locations achieved 100 percent participation.

We also aimed to increase the sustainable engagement goal by 2 percentage points to 74 percent. We surpassed that goal as well by reaching a level of sustainable engagement of 77 percent.

Read more from Sappi North America's 2017 Sustainability Report here: http://bit.ly/Sappi-SR17

Tweet me:Employee safety is a top priority for @SappiNA. Learn more about how they measure sustainability success for its people in 2017: http://bit.ly/Sappi-SR17

KEYWORDS: Sappi, paper, pulp, employees, Survey, Engagement, Loss Time Injury, People, manufacturing, goals, JSE:SAP

SOURCE:Goldcorp

DESCRIPTION:

We are proud to announce our US$1million investment in Acoustic Zoom, an advanced geophysics company specializing in innovative seismic solutions. Acoustic Zoom was awarded the top prize at #DisruptMining 2018, after placing as a semi-finalist in #DisruptMining 2017.  As part of the investment, our own Sergio Espinosa, Director of Geophysics, will join Acoustic Zoom’s board of directors.  A US$150,000 pilot program will also launch this summer at Goldcorp’s Red Lake Gold Mines, testing the technology in a real-world scenario.

“#DisruptMining completely accelerated our business, and we thank Goldcorp for sharing in our vision to drill smarter using innovative technology,” said Acoustic Zoom CEO Prof. Jacques Guigné.  “The strength of our approach is that the implementation of our imaging techniques is adaptive to the requirements of a particular site. Working with Goldcorp’s geologists, we will be delivering unique imaging data that adds risk-mitigating value from exploration to mine planning, using our winning seismic technology.”

“We are excited to grow our partnership with Acoustic Zoom as we kick off the pilot program at Red Lake.  We expect their story will continue as they collaborate with other players across the entire mining industry,” added Todd White, COO.

Acoustic Zoom’s innovative technology aims to unlock the potential of Canada’s mineral exploration sector with high frequency 3D & 4D imaging to map complex geological formations deep within the earth’s micro-structure. Essentially, Acoustic Zoom has developed a way to “see” into the earth’s crust using sound, a method intended to help exploration teams drill smarter, guide planning and achieve investment value quicker with more actionable and accurate information.

Over 100 international submissions were entered into #DisruptMining 2018, representing completely new ideas and disruptive technologies to tackle the challenges and leverage opportunities within the mining industry. For more information on the #DisruptMining initiative, please click here.

We would like to congratulate Acoustic Zoom on their win at #DisruptMining 2018, and we are looking forward to following the pilot project at Red Lake! Stay tuned!

Tweet me:Goldcorp is proud to share the story of our US$1million investment in Acoustic Zoom, an advanced geophysics company specializing in innovative seismic solutions. Acoustic Zoom was awarded the top prize at #DisruptMining 2018. Read more: http://bit.ly/2ze0hKA

KEYWORDS: Acoustic Zoom, NYSE:GG, Goldcorp, Mining, Red Lake Gold Mines