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I Love A Clean San Diego Protects Summertime Celebrations from Litter With Clean Beach Coalition

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I Love A Clean San Diego installs temporary trash and recycling bins to ensure beaches stay clean over long summer holiday weekends.

SOURCE:Keep America Beautiful

DESCRIPTION:

One of the best ways people choose to spend their summer holidays is on the beach — especially in sunny San Diego. During the summer holiday season, families and friends flock to the coast. In response to the influx of locals and tourists, I Love A Clean San Diego (ILACSD) and the San Diego Clean Beach Coalition (SDCBC) place 200 temporary trash and recycling bins along some of the city’s busiest beaches to reduce the amount of beach and marine litter.

Over the past decade, SDCBC has kept 3.5 million pounds of trash off beaches and out of the ocean. This past year, over 61,000 pounds of debris were collected during the summer holiday weekends. With the support of Think Blue San Diego, PB Shore Club, ILACSD, and FreePB, SDCBC aims to educate beachgoers about the benefits of swapping reusable alternatives for single-use products.

Continue reading here.

Tweet me:#FF @kabtweet Affiliate Stories: @iloveacleansd #CleanBeachCoalition helps keep San Diego #beaches litter-free throughout the #summer. http://bit.ly/2Aqdgtt #DoBeautifulThings

Contact Info:

Larry Kaufman
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (203) 659-0314
lkaufman@kab.org
http://www.twitter.com/kabtweet
http://www.facebook.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.instagram.com/keepamericabeautiful
http://www.youtube.com/kabnetwork

Janessa Rivera
Keep America Beautiful
+1 (203) 659-3064
jrivera@kab.org

KEYWORDS: Keep America Beautiful, I Love A Clean San Diego, litter, #BeRecycled, #DoBeautifulThings


Making the World More Hospitable

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How the Hospitality Industry can be Instrumental in Closing the Youth Employment Gap

SOURCE:PYXERA Global

DESCRIPTION:

Young people will always find ways to employ their time. With more than 3.5 billion of them under the age of 30, it’s imperative that their employment is with purpose and value. Yet today, an astonishing 71 million young people around the world are left wanting for that.

The Travel and Tourism industry has that kind of work—it expects to generate 100 million new jobs in the next decade. Collectively, it is already one of the world’s largest employers; the industry is responsible for one in every ten jobs globally, in nearly every country of the world, including emerging markets.

Because of its size and scope—and the fact that a number of jobs in the industry are ideally suited for new job seekers—the industry is in a unique position to help solve the youth unemployment dilemma, and to better understand its challenges. For the second time, Hilton collaborated with the International Youth Foundation to launch the 2017 Global Youth Wellbeing Index. It ranks youth wellbeing in 29 countries across seven indicators: gender equality, economic opportunity, education, health, safety and security, citizen participation, and information communications technology. The countries included in the Index account for almost 70 percent of the 1.8 billion young people ages 15–29 living worldwide.

Continue reading on PYXERAGlobal.org

Tweet me:The hospitality industry expects to generate 100 million jobs in the next decade. On World Youth Skills Day, learn from Daniella Foster about Hilton’s strategy to empower and employ youth: https://bit.ly/2L2uWPI @deeindc @HiltonNewsroom #WYSD #SkillsGap #GEFlive via @PYXERAGlobal

KEYWORDS: SDGs, GEFlive, Solvable Problems, Global Goals, sustainable development goals, skills gap, PYXERA Global

Interview: Senior Technologist Ana Marchan-Garcia

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By Mariah Loeber

SOURCE:Mars, Incorporated

SUMMARY:

This interview is with Ana Marchan-Garcia, who works is a Senior Technologist for MARS.

DESCRIPTION:

Q :  Hello, Ana!  First of all, I want to thank you very much for taking time out of your day to answer some of my questions for my readers!

So, for my first question, I want to ask something basic:  What exactly is your job in STEM?  I was told that you were a Senior Technologist at MARS.  What does that entail exactly?

A: Being a Quality & Food Safety (Q&FS) Senior Technologist really means being an advocate for quality of our Mars Food products, including Uncle Ben’s and Seeds of Change. I work with factory managers and maintenance teams to help lead multiple Quality Management Processes, including Mars’ Internal Audit and Q&FS Management Review. Through risk assessment, I help drive improvements in Mars’ current manufacturing processes and systems by collaborating with different departments and implementing creative solutions to issues. For example, if an incident occurs and a product is placed on hold, I will not only investigate the incident but develop corrective actions to ensure that this does not occur again.  

I also participate in external audits and inspections from the Mississippi Department of Health.

Q:  What does a typical day in your job look like?  And what’s the most exciting part of your day — or something about your job that you enjoy the most?

A:  Freedom- let me explain… My job is not the same every day. Although I have responsibilities and deadlines, I love that each day is different. One day I may be pulling a cross-functional team and brainstorming solutions to a particular problem and another day I may be leading quality and food safety training. 

Click here to continue reading on FemSTEM.

KEYWORDS: STEM, Mars, women

Deja Vu for Family Who Adopted from Foster Care

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SOURCE:Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

DESCRIPTION:

Sometimes when a family opens their heart to a child in foster care, they realize there is still more love to give. That’s what happened to the Holbrooks!

You might recognize one of the sweet faces in the photo to the right. Wesley, whose story we shared in February, has a new brother! The Holbrook family has now adopted three boys from foster care, Wesley, Wyatt and Logan.

Back in February we told you about Wesley, who had waited in foster care for three years before being adopted. Now he has another new brother! All three boys will grow up in a loving, secure home. They will never have to wonder who will tuck them in, what bed they will sleep in, who will help with homework and if anyone will be at their school events to cheer them on.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has one mission: To dramatically increase the number of adoptions from foster care. We understand that not everyone is able to adopt, but everyone can help support these children and our mission to find them the parents they deserve.

To learn more and to make a difference, visit davethomasfoundation.org/donate.

Tweet me:Sometimes when a family opens their heart to a child in #fostercare, they realize there is still more love to give! Read the Holbrook family's story: http://bit.ly/2LpeitC #adoption @DTFA

KEYWORDS: Dave Thomas, foster care, adoption, Recruiter, forever family, Wendy’s

Three New Seasons of MTV Shuga to Promote Sexual Health in Africa

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By Nicole Bitette

SOURCE:Viacom

DESCRIPTION:

The MTV drama series Shuga is hoping to help millions of young viewers protect themselves from HIV with three new seasons of the show airing across southern Africa and Francophone west Africa. Unitaid, the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine will contribute storylines on HIV self-testing, preventive drugs and related issues.

Shuga, which first aired in 2009 and starred Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o, blends in-depth stories about students across English and, for the first time, French-speaking Africa with informative sexual health information, including how to stay protected from HIV and how to seek out treatment. The latest multimedia “edutainment” campaign is intended to reach previously untapped populations between the ages of 15 to 24 as AIDS remains the leading cause of death among ages 10 to 24 in Africa.

“Millions of people in Africa watch MTV Shuga,” said Lelio Marmora, executive director of Unitaid. “Our partnership with MTV Staying Alive gives us a terrific opportunity to reach young people who don’t have reliable health information and empower them to take charge of their health — including testing themselves for HIV.”

The series is set to debut in South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire between 2018 and 2020.

Tweet me:Three new seasons of @MTVShuga aims to help millions of young viewers in Africa protect themselves from HIV http://bit.ly/2uVR4SB

KEYWORDS: NASDAQ:VIA, Viacom, MTV Shuga, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Unitaid, HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS Prevention

Saving Broken Home Electronics, One 3D-printed Part at a Time

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For HP’s Dare to Repair contest, entrants from around the world 3D-printed parts for broken goods to keep them out of the waste stream.

SOURCE:HP, Inc.

DESCRIPTION:

You’d rather not be part of our throwaway culture, but what choice do you have? When that perfect piece of rolling luggage you’ve used for years suddenly loses a wheel and you find there’s no replacement part, into the trash it goes.  

Whether it’s your favorite coffeemaker or your always-dependable vacuum cleaner, you’re likely to find that the manufacturer stopped making the part, never made the part or it costs more to replace the part than it would to buy a new device.

For too long, that was by design or because of economics — and research by the Öko-Institut in Germany shows that the product life span of consumer goods is indeed getting shorter.  The proportion of large household appliances replaced within less than five years due to a defect increased to 8.3 percent in 2013 from 3.5 percent in 2004.

Now, 3D printing technology is poised to change all that.

For its recent Dare to Repair contest, HP partnered with iFixit, an online repair community. Together they called on tinkerers, makers and fixers everywhere to develop, model and 3D-print a replacement part for a common consumer product.

The goal: to spotlight how anyone can come up with practical fixes for everyday breakdowns — while showcasing how cutting-edge 3D printing can help.  

Tipping the scales toward reuse

Among the entries that came in from around the world, Anthony Kouttron of Huntington, New York, nabbed the top spot. Kouttron designed a cover for a hinge used to pop open the digital screen on his Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH3 camera.

“I took a liking to this camera and have a few of them, but when I found out that I couldn’t buy a replacement hinge cover, I was quite frustrated,” says Kouttron, who runs his own business designing power systems and accessories for cinema cameras.

Repair is key to the circular economy

Dare to Repair shows how crucial 3D printing is to making the circular economy a reality. As Earth’s population grows and the global middle class expands, demand for consumer goods is expanding, so raw materials — a finite resource — must not be wasted if economies and markets are to become more sustainable.

As the technology gets faster and cheaper, companies will be able to make new products — or replacement parts — for consumers on demand.  

“That can significantly change the economics of supporting parts for manufacturers,” explains John Ortiz, director of product stewardship at HP. “Imagine you can offer an unlimited digital warehouse of spare parts, produced locally and on demand.” And consumers who prefer to repair their own device will have greater access to anything they need. “Imagine how this beautiful camera, still available for nearly $900 USD is undermined by a simple cover design fault and the lack of a suitable replacement. The beauty of Anthony’s submission was that not only did he provide a solution, but also created a range of enhancements to the product design.”

Students discover the power of 3D printing

Dare to Repair’s second-place winner was a group from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Working together in a school sustainability course, the five teammates combined their expertise in industrial design, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering and chemical engineering to design and 3D-print three parts: a wheel lock, brake and height-adjustment clip for Bugaboo strollers, which often break on older models.  

“If you can repair an old stroller by making a small part, it would be a lot cheaper — and a lot better for the environment — than buying a whole new stroller,” says Mansour Khaleqi, who is studying mechanical engineering.

None of the Delft team members had used 3D printing previously, but because of this experience, they have become 3D printing advocates — and all of them think 3D printing will be a big part of their careers.  

“When you study industrial design, they tell you to be sustainable, but they don't really tell you how,” says the Delft team’s Suzanne Spiering. “Now I know.”

Looking for more inspiring stories about sustainability? Watch this video about Homeboy Recycling, an organization in Los Angeles that gives both electronics and people second chances.

Tweet me:For @HP’s #DaretoRepair contest, entrants from around the world #3Dprinted parts for broken goods to keep them out of the #waste stream http://bit.ly/2vlo5XE @HPSustainable #circulareconomy

KEYWORDS: NYSE:HPQ, HP Inc, Dare to Repair, 3d printing

 

Linking Climate-related Metrics to Earnings for Capital Goods Companies

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SOURCE:Schneider Electric

DESCRIPTION:

Innovation in the capital goods sector is driving a low-carbon industrial revolution according to CDP, the not-for-profit organization provides the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information. CDP released a new report on low-carbon technologies for 2018, which ranks 22 of the largest and highest-emitting capital goods companies and assets, which companies are preparing for a transition to a low carbon economy. The companies fall into three sub-categories: Electrical Equipment, Industrial Conglomerates and Heavy Machinery. These companies have global activities covering all regions including the growing end markets in emerging markets.

According to this report, significant revenue opportunities are available to these sectors based on low-carbon technologies aligned with mega-trends in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. For CDP, the biggest opportunity set available to the electrical equipment sector relates to electrification with products linked to micro-grid, energy storage, distributed renewable generation and connectivity expected to see fast growing end markets.

Among Electrical Equipment companies, Schneider Electric received the top ranking for business readiness in low carbon economy transition ahead of Mitsubishi and ABB. Schneider Electric actively participates and proposes in useful initiatives to increase the low-carbon approach to the world’s economy. In 2015 for example, the company unveiled 10 sustainability commitments. The goal of these pledges is to ensure that Schneider Electric’s entire ecosystem — from its operations to its suppliers, customers, and partners — becomes carbon neutral by 2030. The company unveiled its new sustainability strategy in 2018 with the launch of Schneider Sustainability Impact.

Click here to read all Schneider Electric commitments.

Tweet me:Among electrical equipment companies, @SchneiderElec has received @CDP's top ranking for business readiness in #lowcarbon economy transition http://bit.ly/2vdGdmc #sustainability

KEYWORDS: Schneider Electric, CDP, low-carbon economy

Do You Have Sustainability Figured Out? | Sustainability Twitter Chat Q&A with Erb Institute

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We want to hear about the challenges your business is facing on the road to sustainability and your ideas!

SOURCE:University of Michigan: Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability

DESCRIPTION:

To continue the important conversation around sustainability, we’re partnering with The Dow Chemical Company to host a Twitter chat Tuesday, July 31 at 12 p.m. ET. This will be an extension of topics touched on during the Elements of Sustainability Series and will allow for supplementary dialogue.

Follow @ErbInstitute and use #SustainabilitySeriesChat to join the discussion.

Tweet me:DON'T MISS! TWITTER CHAT: Tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET: @erbinstitute to unpack trends discussed during #DowSustSeries18. http://myumi.ch/a00e4

KEYWORDS: university of michigan, Erb Institute, dow chemical company, Market Transformation, Sustainable Business, twitter chat


Transwestern and Caesars on Climate Action in Supply Chains - Webinar

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SOURCE:Ethical Corporation

DESCRIPTION:

For the majority of businesses, the supply chain is where they can have the largest impacts on climate change and greatest risks to business occur. But how do you build climate resilience and move to a low carbon supply chain?
 
To help you build resilience and transition to the low carbon economy, 3 senior leaders are ready to share their experiences and strategies via an interactive webinar debate.  Join us August 7th at 9am PST [11am CST, 12pm EST] for our free online webinar with:

  • John Gledhill, Senior Vice President, Transwestern
  • Jessica Rossman, Vice President of Procurement, Caesars Entertainment
  • Andrew Behar, CEO, As You Sow 

In this 1-hour webinar, you will learn how innovative businesses are demonstrating their progress on ambitious targets through SDG focused disclosures.

  • Set Science-Based Targets to deliver reduced resource use, prove energy efficiency and accelerate the migration to renewables
  • Engage with suppliers to cascade responsibilities and actions
  • Collaborate across industries to accelerate impacts
  • Source technology that helps identify areas of your supply chain that are at the greatest risk to climate impacts  

Can’t join? Sign up anyway to receive the full post-webinar recordings: https://events.ethicalcorp.com/rbs-west/webinar/

Media Contact:
Ed Long
Project Director
Ethical Corporation
+44 (0) 207 375 7188

Tweet me:Senior leaders from @Transwestern, @CaesarsEnt & @AsYouSow will share their experiences and strategies about #climateaction in #supplychains via an interactive #webinar on Aug. 7 http://bit.ly/2vdTSK2 via @ethical_corp

KEYWORDS: Ethical Corporation, Transwestern, caesars entertainment, As you sow, Science-Based Targets

Insights Collection Delivers a Far-Reaching Assessment of Company Actions as They Respond to New Global Challenges

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Compendium of data, research, and case studies illustrates innovations in corporate efforts to solve the world’s most pressing problems

SOURCE:CECP: The CEO Force for Good

DESCRIPTION:

NEW YORK, July 30, 2018 /3BL Media/ — In an effort to provide a comprehensive view of the private sector’s activity in the Corporate Societal Engagement (CSE) space, CECP has released the second annual Investing in Society, this time launched exclusively online. Developed from CECP’s original research, thought leadership, findings from the 2017 Giving in Numbers Survey, hundreds of monthly discussions with more than 200 of the world’s largest companies, conversations with leading experts, and on-the-ground practitioners, Investing in Society is a 360-degree view of the corporate sector over the past year. This insights collection delves into what actions companies are taking to identify and effectively meet stakeholder needs, and how leading companies are striving to build a better world through business.

The collection brings together CECP’s recent body of knowledge, drawing from survey results, blog posts, event summaries, goals, and impact metrics, all unifying around the theme that CECP companies are innovating in a world where roles and sectors are increasingly blurred. 

“The last year has been extraordinary. Traditions have been upended. Instability has become the norm,” said Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECP. “Overwhelmingly, however, businesses have emerged as vital scaffolding, maintaining and increasing their commitments to stakeholders. Investing in Society offers a broad assessment of how companies across industries are engaging with communities and confronting critical global issues.”

Investing in Society guides site visitors through five areas of focus – Priorities, Performance, People, Planet, Policies – that leading companies are aligning their corporate social investment strategies with. Each section offers multiple compelling and practical examples of business at its best. While Investing in Society reviews many in detail, here are a few highlights:

  • Embracing long-term sustainable value: Building on an ever-growing body of research that indicates companies run for the long-term outperform those focused on the next quarter’s returns, CECP’s Strategic Investor Initiative (SII) encourages CEOs to develop and communicate their multi-year strategies that include strategic priorities, significant stakeholders, and material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks. To date, over 20 CEOs from companies including Johnson & Johnson, Humana, BD, Medtronic, Unilever, Wells Fargo, and PG&E Corporation, have presented to investors representing over $25 trillion in AUM. CECP invites CEOs of publicly traded companies to learn more and present at the next CEO Investor Forum in September 2018.
     
  • Taking public stands on key social issues: Activism led from the C-suite has grown to be an expected business practice. Leading CEOs and companies have risen to this heightened expectation, steering with their principles and taking a stand on issues, even controversial ones. The Edelman Trust Barometer found that 64% of the public say that CEOs should take the lead on change rather than waiting for government to impose it.
     
  • Fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion: There has also been a marked increase in companies homing in on diversity and inclusion, recognizing that equitable workplaces foster a culture of trust and acceptance and are engines of prosperity. Truly, a diverse workforce offers companies a broad set of skills and experience, a boundless resource and competitive advantage. A study by Goldman Sachs found that companies with higher levels of female employees have seen an astounding average annual return–or alpha—of 3.3%. The powerful work being done by the CEO Act!on for Diversity and Inclusion and 450 CEOs of the world’s leading companies and business organizations is definitive evidence that it is in everyone’s best interests to lever individual and collective voices to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
     
  • Encouraging employee engagement: Companies are also infusing purpose into office culture by offering paid-release time volunteer programs and matching employee giving. These employee engagement strategies are yielding tangible results, reflected in 1.8 million volunteer hours logged in Salesforce in companies around the world. It is increasingly becoming the norm to volunteer through one’s company, as the top-quartile corporate-volunteer participation rate was 43% in 2017.

The digital collection is available for free on cecp.co. Investing in Society will be updated over the coming months so bookmark the page and check back for more insights. The 2018 edition of Investing in Society will be finalized in November 2018 with top trends that summarize the year for the corporate sector.

Note to Editors: CECP can coordinate interviews with Daryl Brewster, CEO, and Carmen Perez, Director, Data Insights, who are available for comment on the Investing in Society. Please contact Jackie Albano (jalbano@cecp.co) to arrange interviews.

###

CECP: The CEO Force for Good:

CECP is a CEO-led coalition that believes that a company’s social strategy — how it engages with key stakeholders including employees, communities, investors, and customers —determines company success. Founded in 1999 by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman and other business leaders to create a better world through business, CECP has grown to a movement of more than 200 of the world’s largest companies that represent $7 trillion in revenues, $18.6 billion in societal investment, 13 million employees, and $15 trillion in assets under management. CECP helps companies transform their social strategy by providing customized connections and networking, counsel and support, benchmarking and trends, and awareness building and recognition.

Tweet me:.@CECPTweets launches #InvestingInSociety, a collection of insights assessing corporate actions as they respond to new global challenges. Explore the site here: http://cecp.co/iis/

KEYWORDS: corporate social investments, Corporate Social Engagement, CEOs, CECP

     

Using Cooking to Fight Poverty

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Find out the many techniques D.C. Central Kitchen is using to fight poverty in the nation’s capital, thanks to support from Wells Fargo.

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

One in three children in Washington, D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River, live in households that are food insecure, where their families don’t know if they’ll have enough to eat every month, said Mike Curtin Jr., CEO of D.C. Central Kitchen. That’s one of the many reasons the nonprofit is working to fight poverty in the nation’s capital.

Click here to watch the video.

"We are a social enterprise that uses food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities,” he said. D.C. Central Kitchen takes food that would otherwise go to waste and donates it to area homeless shelters and nonprofits; provides food for 15 schools in Washington, D.C.; delivers healthy food and snacks to corner stores in D.C.’s low-income areas; empowers high school and college students to fight food waste and hunger; and prepares unemployed adults for culinary careers.

“We really focus on the root causes of hunger and poverty, specifically through our Culinary Job Training program,” Curtin said. “We work with people who have significant barriers to employment, such as incarceration, addiction, homelessness, and trauma to help them get jobs in the hospitality business.”

Since 2000, Wells Fargo has supported D.C. Central Kitchen with $288,500 in grants toward its programs. Team members also volunteer with the nonprofit at least once a year. “The financial support is phenomenal, but we also think it’s important when investors bring their teams in so they can see why they’re locally involved,” Curtin said.

Tweet me:Find out the many techniques D.C. Central Kitchen is using to fight poverty in the nation’s capital, thanks to @WellsFargo. https://stories.wf.com/using-cooking-fight-poverty

KEYWORDS: Washington D.C., Wells Fargo, D.C. Central Kitchen, Hunger, Poverty, NYSE:WFC

A New Health Center is Under Construction Thanks to PNC Bank’s Innovative Community Development Banking

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A new health center is under construction thanks to innovative community development banking.

SOURCE:PNC Financial Services Group

DESCRIPTION:

Every day, dozens and dozens of patients, from parents with newborns to the elderly, visit Unity Health Care’s East of the River Health Center for medical care. For many people in that Northeast Washington, D.C. community, this may be the only place they go to see a doctor. Unity doesn’t turn away anyone who seeks care, no matter their circumstances. 

The small gray health center is showing its age. It wasn’t supposed to be in continuous use for the past 20 years. It’s a temporary modular office building sitting on a lot next to a Metro subway stop. The development of a permanent facility was hampered for years by a lack of funding and other issues. 

Directly across the street from the location, it’s a whole different world. The Conway Center, a big beautiful, new, mixed-use development built by So Others Might Eat (SOME), is being completed and Unity Health Care has leased space there for a brand new health center. The Conway Center development also will include low-income housing, job training and in-patient addiction treatment services for the community. 

“This area is truly in need of access to quality healthcare,” said Dr. Janelle Goetcheus, one of Unity’s co-founders and Chief Medical Officer. “We’re just grateful that we are able to expand and offer care to even more folks.” 

Looking to the Future

The new health center will increase Unity’s capacity from its current 11 exam rooms to 43 exam rooms. It will be able to service four times more patients, offer a wider range of services and have a greater positive impact on the community as a whole. 

New and expanded medical services at the location will include OB/GYN, dentistry, ophthalmology, infectious disease, pharmacy, urology, cardiology, gastroenterology, behavioral health,  expanded health center hours and other specialties in coordination with a hospital partner. Unity also is hoping to expand its preventive medicine programs in the community including women’s healthcare with new mammogram equipment, access to other cancer screenings and case management for patients with cancer. 

It Really Does Take a Village

It took a diverse team to turn Unity’s dream of a new community health center into reality. A huge piece of the puzzle was obtaining funding for the $8 million construction project. Funding came from several sources including the federal government and the Nonprofit Finance Fund’s relationship with PNC Bank. Through PNC’s Community Development Banking and other sources, NFF was able to provide $2.55 million in financing for the construction of Unity’s new health center space. 

The NFF helps community organizations that support underserved communities to find capital, creative financing and advice. 

“This health center is critical to the fabric of the DC multi-cultural community,” said Brenda Loya, Director and Senior Investment Officer at the Nonprofit Finance Fund. “We are honored to be able to support organizations like Unity Health Care that bring much-needed health services to neighborhoods across the country.” 

Working with the Nonprofit Finance Fund to finance Unity’s vital new health center is just one of the many ways PNC’s Community Development Banking commits to local communities in its retail footprint. 

“NFF’s mission to provide capital that impacts low-to-moderate income communities is a great alignment with the core focus of PNC’s Community Development Banking,” said Darlene Robison, Vice President at PNC. “The bank is able to provide the capital that NFF needs to finance the health center’s expansion. Truly, this is a “win-win” all the way around for the local community, NFF and PNC Bank.” 

The new Unity Health Care location at the Conway Center in Northeast Washington, D.C. is slated to open at the end of 2018.

Learn more about PNC Community Development Banking, the Nonprofit Finance Fundand Unity Health Care »

Tweet me:A new health center is under construction thanks to innovative community development banking. @PNCBank http://bit.ly/2NVjTWg

KEYWORDS: health care center, PNC, nonprofit financing, csr

 

Legg Mason Affiliate Martin Currie Achieves Top ESG Rating For Second Year In A Row

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The Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) assess responsible investment activities across the industry each year. Their review of 2017 has been published and Martin Currie has achieved A+ ratings for its responsible investment activities.

SOURCE:Legg Mason

DESCRIPTION:

For the second year running, the PRI has awarded Martin Currie, an investment affiliate of Legg Mason (NYSE:LM)  an A+ (highest performance band) in all three of its top-level categories: ‘Strategy and Governance’, ‘Incorporation’ and ‘Active Ownership’. Additionally, across all sub categories, Martin Currie is in the top quartile of the investment manager peer group. Notably Martin Currie is in the top 9% for Integration – confirmation that ESG is truly embedded in the firm’s investment process.

Martin Currie’s firm-wide commitment to stewardship and differentiated approach to ESG are vital to achieving the top ratings in each category:

A+

Strategy and Governance We firmly believe in strong internal policies, goals and transparency around our ESG activities; and in promoting best practice with peers, clients and policymakers. Living the values through the responsible management of our business is a critical aspect of this.

A+

Incorporation – ESG analysis is fully embedded in our investment process, forming an integral part of the assessment of risks and opportunities, alongside traditional financial considerations. This is implemented directly by the portfolio managers, with oversight from our Head of Stewardship and ESG – an industry-leading expert.

A+

Active Ownership – As stewards of our clients’ capital we take active ownership very seriously and will engage with companies when we have identified material ESG issues. In 2017, we participated in 19 collaborative engagement initiatives and 250 private ones. In addition, in April 2017, David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship and ESG at Martin Currie, was appointed to the PRI ESG Engagement Advisory Committee. His appointment was prompted by our extensive experience of engaging with investee companies.

David Sheasby, Head of Stewardship and ESG, comments:
‘Retaining our A+ PRI ratings is excellent news and validation of the time and effort invested in further developing our stewardship and ESG capabilities. In 2017, we employed a big-four consultancy to carry out a gap analysis on our ESG approach; built a new internal ESG hub and enhanced our internal training programme; promoted the merits of responsible investment at several global events and delivered bespoke ESG training to clients and consultants. All this was in addition to a busy year of company engagement and proxy voting. I am pleased to say this pace of progress is unwavering at Martin Currie.’

Results history
The table below provides a summary of Martin Currie’s PRI ratings and demonstrates our commitment to continuous improvement.

Result year

Reporting period

Strategy and Governance

 

Incorporation

 

Active Ownership

 

2018

(1 Jan 17 - 31 Dec 17)

A+

_

A+

_

A+

_

2017

(1 Jan 16 - 31 Dec 16)

A+

_

A+

_

A+

2016

(1 Jan 15 - 31 Dec 15)

A+

_

A+

A

_

2015

(1 Jan 14 - 31 Dec 14)

A+

 ↑

A

_

A

_

2014

(1 Jan 13 - 31 Dec 13)

A

_

A

_

A

_

A copy of the PRI Assessment is available upon request. The PRI Transparency Report for Martin Currie and PRI Assessment Methodology are available to download from www.unpri.org.

For further information, please Martin Currie’s Stewardship Annual Report.

Contact:
Kahrene Lawrie, Marketing Manager at Martin Currie on 0131 479 5892.  Klawrie@martincurrie.com or visit our media centre at www.martincurrie.com/media_centre

About Martin Currie
Martin Currie is an active equity specialist, crafting high-conviction portfolios for client-focused solutions. Investment excellence is at the heart of our business. Central to this philosophy is a stock-driven approach, based on in-depth fundamental research, active ownership of companies and skilled portfolio construction. As an affiliate of Legg Mason, we also have the backing of one of the world’s largest asset management firms.

About Legg Mason
Guided by a mission of Investing to Improve Lives,TM  Legg Mason helps investors globally achieve better financial outcomes by expanding choice across investment strategies, vehicles and investor access through independent investment managers with diverse expertise in equity, fixed income, alternative and liquidity investments.  Legg Mason’s assets under management are $745 billion as of June 30, 2018.  To learn more, visit our website, our newsroom, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook

Important information
This information is issued and approved by Martin Currie Investment Management Limited (‘MCIM’). It does not constitute investment advice. The information has been compiled with considerable care to ensure its accuracy. But no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made to its accuracy or completeness. Martin Currie has procured any research or analysis contained for its own use. Any opinions expressed are subject to change without notice.

All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Past results are no guarantee of future results.

©2018 Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC. Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC, and Martin Currie Investment Management Limited are  subsidiaries of Legg Mason, Inc. Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is not affiliated with Legg Mason, Inc.

Tweet me:.@leggmason affiliate Martin Currie achieves top ESG rating for second year in a row http://bit.ly/2LC2zcf

KEYWORDS: Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), NYSE:LM, Martin Currie, legg mason

Energy Storage: Taking Care of Customers Throughout the Energy Project Lifespan

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Q&A with ENGIE Storage Client Relationship Director

SOURCE:ENGIE Storage formerly Green Charge

DESCRIPTION:

A conversation with Michael Laine, Client Relationship Director 

At ENGIE Storage, we’re committed to our customers’ success, and have people and processes in place to ensure they are taken care of throughout the life of their energy project. One of the key features of an energy storage engagement is the 10-year contract term, which is quite a long time in our fast-changing industry. We sat down with Michael Laine, Client Relationship Director at ENGIE Storage, to explore the questions that commercial and industrial (C&I) facility energy managers might have.

Q: WHAT CONCERNS DO ENERGY MANAGERS HAVE ABOUT 10-YEAR COMMITMENTS AS THE ENERGY MARKET AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES CONTINUE TO EVOLVE?

A: I think first and foremost they want a partner that lives and breathes energy—not a company that dabbles in it—and one that is going to be stable while offering incremental improvements. Sure, technology changes, and those changes can be difficult to predict over 10 years. But because our product is software-driven, we can continually offer new features and improved functionality. We’re constantly working to improve the algorithms that govern the operation of our GridSynergy® energy storage systems. Many of these algorithms use utility and production data to predict usage patterns, and the more data we gather from all our customers over time, the better these predictive models will work.

Q: WHAT SHOULD ENERGY MANAGERS EXPECT FROM A RELATIONSHIP WITH ENGIE STORAGE?

A: They should expect a no-hassle, full service experience from a provider that is 100 percent focused on energy storage. They should expect the best customer service, from the installation process through customer onboarding and training to supporting ongoing operations. From a technology standpoint, our GridSynergy system is extremely versatile. For our business and government customers, we can configure the system for peak shaving, which attacks the demand cost of the utility bill or charges. In addition to peak shaving, we can engage in demand response (DR), energy arbitrage, and frequency regulation, providing additional savings and revenues to our customers. We have a dedicated team in our network operations center that monitors the energy storage systems, which gives our customers peace of mind. We also work regularly with our C&I customers to explore how we can further optimize the performance of their systems and help them reduce their energy costs.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN MEETING THESE EXPECTATIONS?

A: I’m introduced to the customer at the beginning of the installation process, and I work closely with them as they move into the operations phase. At that point, we provide additional training about our web portal, what to expect as far as invoicing, and how we handle troubleshooting and support. I also serve as a single point of contact if the customer has any problems or questions with the system, providing a personal touch to make sure any issues are promptly resolved. When we offer new options and programs, I work to proactively notify eligible customers and make sure they’re signed up and positioned to take advantage of the benefits.

Q: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE THAT STANDS OUT?

A: Many of our customers have complex energy efficiency, management, and generation processes and equipment already in place when we install the battery system—or they install this equipment and adopt these processes after the battery system has been installed. That means our own systems and processes must be capable of adapting to the evolving needs of our customers. While most customers have a “set and forget” experience—there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes, every day, to make sure that our battery systems are responsive to changes in energy consumption and generation—so adding solar, wind, fuel cells or the like can present significant additional challenges.

One notable recent experience involved a customer with highly variable usage patterns and who also has wind and solar generating assets operating alongside a GridSynergy battery system. Wind power is, of course, intermittent, plus the number of turbines at this particular site also means that there is a decent chance that at least one of the turbines could be down due to a mechanical failure at any point in time. Adding a battery system to this complex mix of intermittent generation assets requires flexibility from our operations and engineering teams. This particular customer also happens to be an extremely sophisticated energy consumer and adopts a very hands-on approach to energy management. We were able to work closely with them to create a matrix of demand threshold levels that governs the timing and duration of battery discharges based on (1) the number of wind turbines that might be active at any point in time and (2) their contemporaneous energy demand.

Q: WHAT CAN ENERGY MANAGERS LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT FROM ENGIE STORAGE?

A: We’re devoting more resources to evaluating DR programs so we can present our customers with the best opportunities to generate additional revenue with their system. Our team can then help customers apply for or enroll in such programs. With GridSynergy, the prospect of automatically managing multiple DR programs makes our customers well-positioned for future revenue opportunities.

Finally, we’re also improving our customer-facing web portal to give customers more detail and a more user-friendly interface with which to measure performance and ROI.

Tweet me:At minimum, a commercial #energystorage project has a 10-year life. Michael Laine, Client Relationship Director, talks about expectations, needs, and his role in maintaining a healthy customer relationship. http://bit.ly/2OrGg6Z

KEYWORDS: energy storage, ENGIE

  

Brand Renovations: A Tree Grows in Manhattan

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SOURCE:Mohawk Industries

DESCRIPTION:

Creating a new image for established brands can feel downright impossible at times, particularly if that brand is Mohawk Group. With almost 150 years at the forefront of the flooring industry, Mohawk enlisted global architecture and design firm Gensler to use the opportunity to push the brand’s image beyond common conceptions in the design of their 8,500-square-foot New York City flagship showroom.

USER’S EXPERIENCE

Flipping the script on users’ expectations of Mohawk begins the moment one enters the showroom. Against expectations, the flooring used is from their hardwood lines, showing the range of Mohawk’s offerings. “The best comment I heard while I was in the showroom came from a designer who asked, ‘Whose wood is this on the floor?’” laughed George Bandy Jr., vice president of sustainability and commercial marketing at Mohawk Group. “I said, ‘That’s Mohawk.’”

THE BRAND’S DIRECTION

Sustainability and wellness have become a cornerstone of the Mohawk brand, so it was obvious that the New York flagship showroom should likewise highlight the importance for designers to take these characteristics into consideration in their own designs. “We’re leveraging our sustainability acumen as well,” explained Bandy, “and creating a ceiling for people to think about how they eat, how they exercise, how they come to work, how they do that as a part of the culture – not separate from it.”

In “leveraging [Mohawk’s] commitment to believing in better,” as Bandy described it, it became important to the brand that the space meet WELL Platinum and LEED Gold certification. However, that elite status and commitment to the brand’s direction tied into both the overall functionality for their employees and the user’s experience.

Read the full article on interiors + sources here.

Tweet me:What do designers think of @MohawkGroup's flagship showroom in #Manhattan? http://bit.ly/2AsVOUZ via @interiorssource #sustainability #WELLBuildingStandard #LEEDcertified

KEYWORDS: WELL Building Standard, mohawk group, interiors + sources


Team ScottsMiracle-Gro is Ready to Ride Through Central Ohio

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ScottsMiracle-Gro associates are participating in Pelotonia’s 10th anniversary ride.

SOURCE:ScottsMiracle-Gro

DESCRIPTION:

ScottsMiracle-Gro has a long tradition of giving back to the community. Most often, this is done by associates volunteering for a variety of nonprofit organizations. One of our associate groups, however, is making a difference by bicycling.

Team ScottsMiracle-Gro is a group of associates who participate in Pelotonia. Pelotonia is an annual bicycling tour and nonprofit organization based in Columbus, Ohio, that raises money for cancer research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

Associates can participate as a rider, virtual rider or volunteer. Those who choose to ride their bikes make a commitment not only to train, but to raise a specific amount of money. The fundraising amount is based on the distance for each Pelotonia route. The routes range from 25 to 200 miles.

The Company helps riders reach their fundraising goals by matching a percentage of the funds raised, and the team holds various fundraisers throughout the year. 100% of the funds donated to Pelotonia go directly toward funding cancer research.

Our team has participated in Pelotonia since 2010 and has raised over $1.7 million. Our team has also grown from 18 to more than 100 members.

In 2017, we received Pelotonia’s Green Jersey Award for actively promoting bicycle safety and being the most engaged in the Pelotonia movement. Because of this honor, our riders will be at the front of the starting line for the 10th anniversary ride.

The annual Pelotonia event kicks off this Friday, August 3, with an opening ceremony in Columbus’ Arena District. This weekend, our team will be among the 8,500+ riders pedaling their way through central Ohio.

Pelotonia is considered a community event, and everyone who participates shares in Pelotonia’s mission: end cancer.

Visit Team ScottsMiracle-Gro’s Pelotonia profile here.

Tweet me:.@Scotts_MGro associates are participating in @Pelotonia’s 10th-anniversary ride to fundraise for #cancerresearch http://bit.ly/2v6BAv2

KEYWORDS: ScottsMiracle-Gro, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), cancer research, Pelotonia

Meet the 2018 Cisco GPS Challenge First Runner-Up: Jara

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by Mary de Wysocki

SOURCE:Cisco Systems Inc.

DESCRIPTION:

When an earthquake strikes, the initial impact isn’t always the most devastating. Often, it’s the aftershocks that leave a destructive, lasting impact. The 7.8-magnitute earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015 affected nearly 8 million people, destroying thousands of homes and leaving an already remote country in critical need of support.

But hundreds of aftershocks — some with magnitudes greater than 6.0 — ensnared every aspect of Nepalese life for months. Roads became impossible to traverse, businesses crumbled, and nearly 9,000 schools were destroyed or damaged.

Since then, only a third of those schools have been rebuilt. Many of Nepal’s students have access to education through the support of organizations like Save the Children and Cisco Networking Academy, but for many, attending school in a physical classroom is still a challenge.

Long before a 2017 research trip to Gorkha, Nepal, Soraya Fouladi imagined an idea to make education accessible for people around the world. She followed a path to make her vision a reality by pursing a degree in electrical engineering, working jobs in education, learning business management and sales, and studying international development.

In 2016, Soraya’s career path led her to create the Jara Unit, a low-cost, personal crank and solar powered tablet that teaches geographically customized education to refugees and students in disaster or conflict regions. The CEO traveled to Nepal in 2017 to further learn about the problem affecting so many students and how their technology could serve as a solution.

“I went to Nepal to co-create our solution with local community members, students, teachers, community leaders, parents, and more,” Soraya said. “We are designing our solution with the people we cater to.”

When she landed in Nepal, Soraya saw firsthand the critical need for a low-cost, IoT-enabled device like Jara. She discovered that many students were still attending temporary learning centers three years after the initial earthquake; that only one in eight of the schools they visited had electricity; and that none of the rural schools on their trip had Wi-Fi or reliable access to the Internet.

“For so many people, especially young people and young girls, they have to fear for their future because the quality of the education they have today is very low or non-existent,” Soraya said.

The students she spoke with simply wanted access to more information, and Jara’s IoT-enabled device is a door to the education they desired. It fills the gap left by a lack of physical classrooms, bringing tailored education to students in a way that empowers communities to rebuild, despite their circumstances.

The word ‘Jara’ actually means ‘root’ in the Nepali language, and this mindset is at the core of the team’s work. The educational tools included as part of the Jara Unit extend beyond traditional math, science, and language courses.

Fouladi and her colleague Mara Ohorodnik, who has extensive experience in the international education space, combined their years of knowledge to provide students with practical curriculum, from how to build a clean water system to applying for micro-loans.

With a prototype in place and an expansive team that includes a board of advisors, Fouladi and Ohorodnik entered Cisco’s 2018 Global Problem Solver Challenge, an annual competition that recognizes young entrepreneurs who are developing innovative, technology-based solutions and services that have the ability to change the world.

While almost 300 teams competed for a total of US$300K in prizes, Jara’s innovation succeeded in capturing the attention of the panel of judges, who awarded Jara the first runner-up prize of US$75K. Cisco is proud to support teams of innovators working to create lasting social impact, and we look forward to working with Jara to help spread the roots of their innovation.

Tweet me:Meet the 2018 @Cisco #GlobalProblemSolver Challenge First Runner-Up: Jara http://bit.ly/2mYeNx5 @CiscoCSR #socinn #IoT

KEYWORDS: THe Jara Unit, cisco csr, Global Problem Solver Challenge

VIDEO | Discover Data Program Aims to Ignite Interest in Data Among Middle School Students

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The Nielsen Foundation recently launched Discover Data in collaboration with Discovery Education and The Afterschool Alliance

SOURCE:Discovery Education

DESCRIPTION:

It’s never too early to get excited about data, especially in today’s world, where connectivity and technology play such a key role in everything from marketing to entertainment to business strategy. We’re passionate about data, and we look forward to future generations sharing that passion. And to help encourage this passion, the Nielsen Foundation recently launched Discover Data, a signature education initiative in collaboration with Discovery Education and The Afterschool Alliance. The program provides resources to students ages 11 to 14 that create excitement about the power of data analysis. The initiative includes student activities and career profiles.

Watch the video, and read the full article, on Nielsen.com.

Tweet me:VIDEO | The @Nielsen Foundation recently launched #DiscoverData in collaboration with @DiscoveryEd and @AfterSchool4All to help get middle school students excited about the power of #dataanalysis. http://bit.ly/2AzjAyu

KEYWORDS: discovery education, The Nielsen Foundation, The Afterschool Alliance, Discover Data, Data Analysis

Sappi Included in the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Top 30 Index and FTSE4Good Index Series

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SOURCE:Sappi North America

DESCRIPTION:

JOHANNESBURG, July 31, 2018 /3BL Media/ - Sappi Limited, the leading global producer of dissolving wood pulp, specialities and packaging papers, printing and writing papers as well as biomaterials and biochemicals, is pleased to announce its inclusion in the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Top 30 index.

Sappi has also been confirmed as a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series. Created by the global index provider FTSE Russell, the FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. The FTSE4Good indices are used by a wide variety of market participants to create and assess responsible investment funds and other products.

In addition, Sappi has been classified as “Prime” by ISS-oekom, one of the world’s leading ESG research and rating agencies for sustainable investments.

According to Graeme Wild, Group Head Investor Relations and Sustainability, “With growing evidence of investors incorporating ESG issues into their investment decision-making, these achievements are highly positive for Sappi. They highlight our focus on continuous improvement, providing evidence that transparent reporting on the most important measures of sustainability for our organisation is paying off.

“At Sappi we believe that sustainable growth must emanate from a solid foundation where we do not focus exclusively on profits, but rather, balance our need to generate Prosperity by promoting the interests of People while respecting the boundaries of the Planet.“

About Sappi Limited
A global leader in dissolving wood pulp and paper-based solutions, Sappi Limited (listed and in the Top 40 on the JSE - SAP), is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa; has over 12,000 employees; manufacturing facilities on three continents, in nine countries (ten operations in Europe, three operations in America and five operations in South Africa) and customers in over 150 countries worldwide

Sappi works closely with customers to provide relevant and sustainable dissolving wood pulp, paper (speciality, packaging and graphic), paper pulp, and biomaterial products and related services and innovations. Our market-leading range of paper products includes: flexible packaging, label, release liner, containerboard and fluting, coated fine papers, casting release papers and in our Southern African region newsprint, uncoated graphic and business papers. These products serve the fashion, FMCG and industrial sectors. Our dissolving wood pulp products are used worldwide by converters to produce viscose fibre, pharmaceutical products as well as a wide range of household and consumer products.

We continue to grow into a profitable and cash-generative diversified business with an exciting future in woodfibre, a renewable resource.

www.sappi.com

Tweet me:.@SappiGroup has been included in the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Top 30 index. The company has also been confirmed as a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series. http://bit.ly/2KjpPGm

KEYWORDS: Sappi, WOOD FIBER, paper, pulp, sustainable investment, FTSE/JSE, FTSE4Good Index, JSE:SAP

Social Value Canada Fall 2018 SROI Training

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SOURCE:SiMPACT Strategy Group

DESCRIPTION:

Dear Social Value Colleagues,

Please note Fall dates have been announced for SROI  Accreditation and SROI Introductory Training. Also, a new course is offered for those interested in techniques to maximize social impact: Maximize. Manage. Measure.

SROI Accreditation Training - Toronto October 16-17, 2018 / Calgary November 6-7, 2018

This course is led by trainers approved by Social Value International (SVI). The SROI Accreditation Course is a two-day course, essential for all professionals seeking to achieve SROI Accreditation status by Social Value International.

Register me for Toronto

Register me for Calgary

An Introduction to SROI - Toronto October 25, 2018 / Calgary November 15, 2018

This introductory course has also been certified in alignment with the principles of Social Value International. A one-day course, An Introduction to SROI is designed for individuals seeking to build knowledge of core concepts as they begin to explore SROI as a project management and measurement framework, and as a tool to enhance communications.

Register me for Toronto

Register me for Calgary

Maximize. Manage. Measure. (NEW COURSE OFFERING) - Toronto November 20, 2018

Are you a social impact manager, finance director, senior manager or commissioner? Do you work in an organization seeking social value evidence to inform decisions? This practical, hands-on course is focused on the skills needed to Maximize. Manage. Measure your social impact. 

Register me for Toronto.

-30-

About Social Value Canada

Social Value Canada aspires to: 

  • be the social value hub for Canada - a network that brings people together to share ideas, experiences and methodologies 
  • be the place to access training to assess and value impact; and,
  • share relevant resources on social impact measurement in Canada and around the world.

Tweet me:Fall 2018 #SROI Accreditation and Introductory Training dates announced! http://bit.ly/2OxWlb3 Join us! #socialvaluecanada

KEYWORDS: Social Value Canada, sroi, Training, impact, measure, value, Simpact strategy group

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