For Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, high-end products need not come with a high carbon count

SOURCE:UPS

DESCRIPTION:

September 7, 2018 /3BL Media/ - The issues of urban access, congestion and pollution affect us all – even retail luxury brands.

Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), for example, is changing its business model to meet two of the 21st century’s greatest challenges: e-commerce and urbanization.

Christian Galichon, LVMH Sourcing’s director of purchasing coordination, thinks about these logistics conundrums every day.

Below he shares how LVMH and its brands are evolving alongside consumer demands while advancing the group’s ambitious sustainability goals.

Longitudes: Can you share some new approaches to sustainability at LVMH?

Galichon: At LVMH, our commitment to sustainable business practices spans our value chains from sourcing to end of life. Our brands have different business models, and the sustainability issues they are facing are just as diverse.

Louis Vuitton and Bulgari are addressing sustainable materials sourcing for handbags and jewelry while Krug is working on water conservation. Through the LVMH Initiatives For the Environment (LIFE) program, we’re embedding nine sustainability principles into day-to-day brand operations with 2020 goals and targets for products, emissions, facilities and supply chain engagement.

In addition to the LIFE program, we have separate targets and initiatives for social responsibility efforts. These include programs centered on human rights, diversity and the prevention of discrimination, skills development, working conditions, listening to and talking with employees and local community engagement.

Longitudes: How has LVMH’s business changed in the age of e-commerce?

Galichon:Increased e-commerce and restrictions on urban delivery in some markets are adding more constraints to how we deliver products to our customers in exceptional and sustainable ways that reinforce the LVMH experience.

As purchasing shifts from in-store where we can provide a suite of options and personalized touches to the “on-demand” world of e-commerce, we have to evolve as well to continue setting our brand apart. The final mile of an online purchase is critically important to ensure the same level of exceptional craftsmanship and luxury experience continues right to the customer’s door.

Longitudes: Why is the final mile of delivery important for LVMH brands?

Galichon: While our LIFE program has different options for different brands, nearly every brand has a plan for sustainable transport and delivery to customers and boutiques.

This means we are very involved with how our logistics partners interact with our brands. The final mile is critical to meet consumer demands, sustainability goals and maintain the luxury experience.

Longitudes: What are some future solutions for creating more sustainable e-commerce and city logistics?

Galichon: Sustainable solutions will require even more collaboration between more stakeholders – retail, logistics and city officials – to meet the evolving demands of our customers while also maintaining our relentless pursuit of excellence and sustainability.

Our customers feel a personal connection to us so our supply chain partners are a natural extension of our brand.

We work with UPS to ensure deliveries, where possible, are made using its fleet of zero-emissions vehicles. The ability to make deliveries via alternative fuel vehicles to our retail stores and directly to e-commerce customers is key in managing our carbon footprint and meeting our customers’ expectations.

As companies work to advance internal goals and address external pressures around reducing emissions, these collaborations across the value chain are becoming more important.

We value UPS’s efforts to implement innovation in city logistics solutions and look forward to working with them on new programs such as consolidated deliveries to our retail locations and sustainable personalized packaging.

Tweet me:Sustainability and luxury go hand in hand for @LVMH. Read how the company is delivering #luxury goods more #sustainably with last-mile help from @UPS #retail #ecommerce http://bit.ly/2CjVkBD

KEYWORDS: UPS, united parcel service, Longitudes, LVMH

– Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids Launches Second Annual Pledge Contest Awarding $10,000 to a Winning School, Plus $1,000 for a Charity of their Choice –

SOURCE:Discovery Education

DESCRIPTION:

SILVER SPRING, Md., September 7, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Jackson Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission to advance financial knowledge on a national scale and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms today announced the second annual Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids Contest! The contest invites elementary school teachers and families to take a pledge to teach kids how to “earn, save, spend and donate” for a chance to win $10,000 for their local school – plus an additional $1,000 for the charity of their choice. The winning school will receive a fun financial literacy event at their school featuring children’s educational media expert Dr. Alice Wilder, producer of Blues Clues and co-creator of Super WHY!, and the characters of Cha-Ching. Entrants may take the pledge up to once a day on behalf of their school from now through December 13, 2018.

“Anything we can do to help educators and families teach basic financial skills to young people is a win in my book,” said Danielle Robinson, executive director, Jackson Charitable Foundation. “Discovery Education brings Cha-Ching to classrooms across the country giving students access to these life-changing lessons. With this year’s pledge challenge, we’re hoping to reach even more students, making a positive impact in their futures.”

Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids is an engaging and fun financial education program designed to train the next generation of financially empowered adults. The program empowers youth with critical 21^st-century skills by beginning high-quality financial literacy education in elementary school, where it can be fundamentally embedded in core learning experiences at a young age. Available at no-cost to classrooms nationwide, the program includes educator resources, family activities, animated videos and more.

“Cha-Ching, Jackson and Discovery Education are helping students develop money smart habits that will positively impact their families and future, said Dr. Trish Wallinger, St. Mary’s School Principal, winning school leader of last year’s Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids contest in Bellevue, Nebraska. “Encouraging students to retain strong money management concepts, and preparing them with the knowledge, tools and practice they need to lead fiscally disciplined lives will strengthen their ability to flourish as they mature.”

Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids! program elements include:
Engaging Music Videos— Helping children learn money management concepts with lively cartoon characters from the Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids! band. Storylines spotlight the importance of earning, saving, spending and donating, and help reinforce healthy money habits.

Classroom Activities— Providing K-6 educators with standards-aligned activities that pair with music videos to teach students how to be money smart.

Educator Guides— Enhancing educators’ background knowledge of financial literacy to better equip them to facilitate the classroom activities.

Family Activities— Offering parents, families and communities helpful tools to teach their children how to be money smart.

Sweepstakes — Promoting positive money habits and awarding deserving schools a $10,000 prize to build a brighter financial future, along with $1,000 to donate to a charity of their choice.

“Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids empowers educators to teach kids compelling ways to secure a financially liberating future,” said Lori McFarling, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Discovery Education. “Discovery Education is excited to continue a collaboration with Jackson Charitable Foundation to train a new generation of learners and future leaders the building blocks of financial literacy.”

Launched in April 2017, these resources are available at www.cha-chingusa.org and through Discovery Education Streaming. For more information about Discovery Education’s digital content and professional development services, visit discoveryeducation.com. Stay connected with Discovery Education on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @DiscoveryEd.

###

About Jackson:

Jackson National Life Insurance Company® (Jackson) is a leading provider of retirement products for industry professionals and their clients. The company offers a diverse range of products including variable, fixed and fixed index annuities designed for tax-efficient accumulation and distribution of retirement income for retail customers, and fixed income products for institutional investors. Jackson subsidiaries and affiliates provide specialized asset management and retail brokerage services. Jackson prides itself on product innovation, sound corporate risk management practices and strategic technology initiatives. Focused on thought leadership and education, the company develops proprietary research, industry insights and financial representative training on retirement planning and alternative investment strategies. Jackson is also dedicated to corporate social responsibility and supports charities focused on strengthening families and creating economic opportunities in the communities where its employees live and work. For more information, visit jackson.com.

About Jackson Charitable Foundation:

The Jackson Charitable Foundation, the charitable-giving arm of Jackson, is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation. Its mission to provide educational programming to increase the financial knowledge of Americans, reaches more than 1.5 million people annually. Follow the Jackson Charitable Foundation at jacksoncharitablefoundation.org and on Twitter at @JacksonFdn.

About Discovery Education:

As the global leader in standards-based digital content for K-12 classrooms worldwide, Discovery Education is transforming teaching and learning with award-winning digital textbooks, multimedia content, professional learning, and the largest professional learning community of its kind. Serving 4.5 million educators and over 50 million students, Discovery Education’s services are available in approximately half of U.S. classrooms, 50 percent of all primary schools in the UK, and more than 50 countries around the globe. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and like-minded organizations to captivate students, empower teachers, and transform classrooms with customized solutions that increase academic achievement. Explore the future of education at DiscoveryEducation.com.

Contacts:

Danielle Robinson, Jackson Charitable Foundation, Danielle.robinson@jackson.com, 517-367-4769 phone

Charmion N. Kinder, Discovery Education, Charmion_Kinder@discovery.com, 240-274-2173 phone

Tweet me:.@JacksonFdn and @DiscoveryEd launch second annual #ChaChing #MoneySmartKids contest to encourage fiscally fit habits among youth, http://bit.ly/2NZ14lp.

KEYWORDS: NYSE:DISCA, discovery education, Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids Contest!, professional development, Jackson Charitable Foundation

by Libby MacCarthy

SOURCE:Schneider Electric

DESCRIPTION:

Europe’s appetite for renewables is growing rapidly, and countries including Germany, Scotland and Denmark have already established themselves as leaders in renewable energy generation. However, the voluntary market for commercial and industrial participation has, as a whole, been slower to develop compared to the more aggressive US, Indian and Mexican markets.

In the midst of this transition, global energy management and automation specialist Schneider Electric has extended its NEO Network to Europe. We spoke with John Hoekstra, VP of Sustainability & Cleantech Services at Schneider Electric, to learn more about the program and how it will help shape the future of the European renewables market.

Last fall, Schneider Electric introduced NEO Network to the European market. What made this the ideal time to do so?

John Hoekstra: More and more corporations have global ambitions for renewables and other clean technology applications. We recognized that a gap existed in the market: There were few means for companies to access the information they needed to make decisions on renewable energy purchasing.

In our broader sustainability and cleantech advisory services, much of our work focuses on educating and enabling our clients to execute on renewable-energy and energy-efficiency transactions. We realized that we had an opportunity to create a resource that would help our clients work in a more scalable way; from that inspiration, we created NEO Network.

Click here to read the full interview

Tweet me:Learn how @SchneiderElec's NEO Network is shaping the future of #renewables in Europe http://bit.ly/2Cr9rF8 via @SustainBrands

KEYWORDS: EPA:SU, Schneider Electric, NEO Network, Europe, John Hoekstra

Viewpoints: Jennifer Brown is the founder, president, and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

‘Viewpoints’ invites guest authors from outside of Wells Fargo to share an important perspective related to their work. Today, we welcome Jennifer Brown, founder, president, and CEO of Jennifer Brown Consulting, a strategic leadership and diversity consulting firm.

Like it or not, unconscious biases in the workplace continue to influence our language and decision-making, impacting the ability of talented people in historically underrepresented or marginalized groups in the workforce to thrive. If this dynamic isn’t addressed proactively, key talent will not stay for long — impacting morale, reputation, and the bottom line.

Tweet me:Understanding how unconscious biases can influence our language and decision-making can help transform human potential. @WellsFargo #Viewpoints http://bit.ly/2Qda08w

KEYWORDS: Wells Fargo, jennifer brown consulting, unconscious bias, NYSE:WFC, Viewpoints

SOURCE:FCA US LLC

DESCRIPTION:

No one knows what the future holds, but for several weeks this summer FCA opened windows of opportunity for employees’ school-age children to dream big and think creatively about what the future could and should look like.

FCA’s Camp Invention and Invention Project camp invited more than 200 elementary, middle and high school students of FCA employees to bring their curiosity and creativity to a series of STEM and STEAM camps, short for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math, held at FCA headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. FCA is the first company to bring these nationally recognized camps into the workplace in partnership with the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF).

Last year, 120 students participated in the program. This year, more than 200 students were enrolled in nine weeklong camps.

Camp Invention 5th, 6th and 7th graders put their creativity and out-of-the-box skills to work constructing battery-powered cars and mini ‘smart’ homes powered by clean energy. They also designed and created dog parks to exercise their robotic dog.

For 8th and 9th grade campers, two Camp Invention Project STEM sessions challenged the students to build and program autonomous vehicles and clean cities with power stations. Each camper was not just challenged to create and build, but to pitch their ideas to their peers and FCA employee investors as future products in the marketplace.

Building on the success of these programs, FCA introduced a new camp concept this year. 8th – 10th grade students with both artistic talent and STEM skills were invited by the FCA Product Design Office (PDO) to apply for one of two weeklong STEAM camps under a curriculum developed and designed by PDO, Human Resources/Diversity and NIHF.

Here students left no design and execution of that design untouched as they focused on pushing the limits of their automotive vision.

Additional information and news from Chrysler Group LLC is available at: http://www.media.chrysler.com. 

Tweet me:The right tools can send young imaginations on a journey to discovery. See how the @FiatChrysler_NA @CampInvention launched 200+ employees’ kids on that adventure this summer: http://bit.ly/2NWgYgv

KEYWORDS: NYSE:FCAU, FCA US LLC

by Danielle Wiener-Bronner

SOURCE:PepsiCo

DESCRIPTION:

PepsiCo will fund startups to learn how they do business and stay on top of the hottest food trends.

The company announced on Thursday that it is launching a North American accelerator program to help food and beverage startups grow.

The six-month program, Nutrition Greenhouse, gives ten startups $20,000 each and matches them with a mentor from Pepsi. The mentors will offer guidance on strategy, fundraising, product development, supply chain management and more.

At the end of the program, a winner will receive an additional $100,000.

Read the full article on CNNMoney.

Tweet me:.@CNNMoney: PepsiCo is launching an accelerator program. Read more: http://bit.ly/2NWBQnK

KEYWORDS: NYSE:PEP, Pepsico

“We take our commitment to environmental sustainability seriously, and our support of The Ocean Cleanup is the latest example of that."

SOURCE:Avery Dennison

DESCRIPTION:

“We take our commitment to environmental sustainability seriously, and our support of The Ocean Cleanup is the latest example of that."

Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is one of the biggest threats to our environment and impacts more than 600 marine species. Discarded trash, mostly comprised of single-use plastic, accumulates in five ocean garbage patches, the largest of which is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch located between Hawaii and California.

Recognizing an opportunity to support a potential solution to this problem and aligning with Avery Dennison’s 2025 sustainability goals, the Avery Dennison Foundation recently made a $200,000 grant to The Ocean Cleanup. The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization on a mission to use innovative technologies to clean up half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch within five years.

“We take our commitment to environmental sustainability seriously, and our support of The Ocean Cleanup is the latest example of that,” said Alicia Procello, vice president, CSR, and president of the the Avery Dennison Foundation. “Years of research and dedication have enabled The Ocean Cleanup to innovate a solution that’s the first of its kind, and we are thrilled to support them in this endeavor.”

The Ocean Cleanup’s system consists of a 600-meter-long floating device that relies on natural oceanic currents to catch and concentrate plastic pollution. Once concentrated, plastic can be collected by the device and brought back to land where it will be recycled into sustainable products. It’s a

revolutionary approach, and the result of more than five years of research and testing that will culminate in a launch from Alameda, California on September 8, 2018. From there, it will take approximately two weeks for the system to reach the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where the cleanup will begin.

“Exploring The Ocean Cleanup system first-hand was an eye-opening experience, “said Noelle Ito, CSR and Avery Dennison Foundation specialist, regarding a recent site visit to The Ocean Cleanup’s Alameda shipyard. “I quickly realized that we were witnessing years of technological and engineering innovation. The results were nothing short of inspiring.”

“The Avery Dennison Foundation’s grant to The Ocean Cleanup demonstrates our support for projects that conserve the natural environment and contribute to the social, environmental and economic well-being of communities,” said Janet Sandoval, director, corporate social responsibility and the Avery Dennison Foundation. “Together, we are revolutionizing the future of ocean sustainability with the potential for global impact.”

Tweet me:The Avery Dennison Foundation Helps Clean Up the Ocean | @AveryDennison http://www.averydennison.com/en/home/newsroom/avery-dennison-blog/Corporate-Blog/avery-dennison-foundation-helps-clean-up-the-ocean.html #ADsustainability #togetherAD

KEYWORDS: Avery Dennison

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

DESCRIPTION:

Reposted from the Stanford Social Innovation Review 9/4/2018

On July 13, 2005, WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers, who had been convicted of fraud and conspiracy four months earlier, was sentenced to a 25-year prison term. It was the largest accounting scandal in US history, until Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme was uncovered in 2008. I remember Ebbers’ sentencing well, because I had just joined the faculty at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and was struck by the fact that no one was talking about it. Ebbers was a man that would have been held up as a model of success for our students, building the second-largest long-distance phone company in the country. But now he was a disgrace.

It was not until the end of the day that the silence was finally broken. I walked onto an elevator and overheard a memorable conversation between two senior colleagues of mine: “What do you think of the Ebbers’ sentence?” one professor asked. “I think it’s ridiculous,” the colleague replied. “It’s not like he killed someone.”

This remarkable response signified to me the disconnect between the power that business executives possess and the accountability to which they are held. Maybe it wasn’t murder, but Ebbers had caused extraordinary harm to the company’s employees, customers, suppliers, buyers, and investors, as well as to the reputation of the business community in general. WorldCom’s stock lost 90 percent of its value in just days, dropping from 83 cents to 6 cents per share, and its Chapter 11 filing made it the largest bankruptcy in history. Despite my colleague’s response, legal experts deemed the sentence fair.

What does unethical and illegal behavior like that of Ebbers say for MBA education in the 21st century? How might we assure that future business leaders protect the public interest and not just their own profit?

One might argue that we should work harder to teach MBA students about the legal implications of corporate wrongdoing, but that only sets a worst-case baseline and does not inspire future business leaders to be their best; to achieve great things for their companies and for society while setting the standard for ethics and integrity. We could ask graduating MBAs to sign an oath—like a management Hippocratic Oath to do no harm—that commits them to “create value responsibly and ethically” for the greater good. But that would come late in the education process and with little preparation for what such an oath means. In truth, such an oath may mean little more than virtue signaling with no real accountability.

Without question, what we need to do is amend the MBA curriculum to teach students that they will possess awesome power as business leaders, and with that power comes great responsibility and an obligation to create benefit for all of society. We should expect the same values from business managers as we do from doctors and lawyers. This means amending the MBA’s attention to the basics of business management with an expanded focus on management as a vocation—one that moves away from the simple pursuit of a career for private personal gain toward a calling to serve society.

We face great challenges as a society today, from environmental problems like climate change, ocean acidification, and habitat destruction, to social problems like income inequality, unemployment, lack of a living wage, and poor access to affordable health care and education. Solutions to these challenges can only come from the market, the most powerful institution on earth, and from business, which is the most powerful entity within it. Though government is an important arbiter of the market, it is business that transcends national boundaries, possessing resources that exceed those of many nations. Business is responsible for producing the buildings that we live and work in, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the automobiles we drive, and the energy that propels them.

This does not mean that only business can generate solutions, but with its unmatched powers of ideation, production, and distribution, business is best positioned to bring the change we need at the scale we need it. Without business, the solutions will remain elusive. And without visionary and service-oriented leaders, business will never even try to find them.

…with its unmatched powers of ideation, production, and distribution, business is best positioned to bring the change we need at the scale we need it.

Without business, the solutions will remain elusive. And without visionary and service-oriented leaders, business will never even try to find them.

7 Ways to Build the “Whole Manager”
The core thrust of my proposal to amend the MBA curriculum is not an appeal to corporate social responsibility or corporate sustainability. For many, these labels have become stale and merely relegate the challenge to the sidelines of a niche discipline. Instead, the MBA must reflect the new context in which business is and will increasingly become engaged. MBA education should therefore focus on developing the whole manager, one who both exerts a powerful influence on society and also is a member of the society that is shaped by his or her decisions. Taking on this renewed sense of responsibility will yield individuals who see new kinds of opportunities in domains that other managers may not. What we need to do is provide MBA students with the intellectual building blocks with which to use the power of business to find creative solutions to our emergent problems. Below I offer seven such blocks as a foundation upon which others may be built.

Continue reading

Tweet me:READ: Are we ready to rethink the role of the manager? Today we face significant societal challenges. Are we putting the right tools in the hands of our #MBA graduates? @HoffmanAndy #ClimateChange #sustainablebusiness http://myumi.ch/a8KPx

KEYWORDS: Erb Institute, university of michigan, Andy Hoffman, Management, Careers, MBA, Sustainable Business, Stanford Social Innovation Review

SOURCE:Cone Communications

DESCRIPTION:

Tweet me:Nike’s New Campaign: Social Justice Campaign or Smart Marketing? https://bit.ly/2QdD8MF via @Cone

KEYWORDS: nike, colin Kaepernick, Cone Communications

SOURCE:Dell

DESCRIPTION:

We work aggressively to reduce the environmental footprint of our India facilities by developing solutions that address the country’s unique challenges to air and water quality.

We are continually looking for ways to minimize the amount of natural resources used to create and deliver Dell products and services. Although we cultivate a global culture of sustainability, every region in which we operate has unique needs and challenges related to water, energy and waste. Therefore, we encourage each of our Dell-owned and Dell-operated facilities worldwide to identify and implement site-specific programs for reducing the environmental impact of their operations (for more information, see our FY18 Goals Dashboard).

Dell has team members working at 18 locations across India, a country whose large population brings large environmental challenges. India will soon be the world’s most populous country, and it is also urbanizing rapidly. Approximately 200 million more city dwellers are expected by 2030, bringing more buildings, roads and cars—and carbon emissions.

Reducing emissions from our operations

To reduce the emissions from our operations, we began sourcing renewable energy from one of our large facilities in Bengaluru in late 2016, and we are evaluating additional opportunities at other facilities. We operate on-site solar photovoltaic systems at office locations in Gurgaon and Hyderabad, and at our Chennai manufacturing facility, with a total generation capacity of 560 kilowatts. One of our Bengaluru facilities has earned LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, and five of our facilities in India (including the LEED-certified facility) have Indian Green Building Council gold or platinum certifications. Additionally, our India facilities have expanded their commitment to Earth Hour, making it a weekly rather than annual occurrence. By switching off lights each week, we saved over 40,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and avoided approximately 33 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions in FY18.

Prioritizing employee transportation safety

Dell contracts with employee transportation providers in northern India that primarily use vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, which is a low-carbon, cleaner burning fuel than gasoline. Across multiple locations in India, more than 900 vehicles, arranged and scheduled by Dell, provide safe and convenient transportation to about 4,800 team members daily. Dell’s employee transportation management program was recognized in FY18 by earning the ISO 39001:2012 road traffic safety certification. This type of industry leadership also led Dell to earn the 2017 Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, India’s highest honor for corporate excellence.

Conserving and reusing water

Water conservation is a high priority at Dell’s India facilities because the country is facing a large-scale water crisis. With 54 percent of India’s total area experiencing high to extremely high water stress, almost 600 million people are at an increased risk of surface-water supply disruptions. And more than 100 million people live in areas with poor water quality.

Our Dell-operated facilities have on-site wastewater treatment plants because nearby cities lack central treatment facilities. At four of our largest campuses, we reuse about 80 percent of the wastewater, repurposing it to water landscapes and flush toilets. We’ve also updated many of our hand-washing sinks with water-efficient fixtures, which together are saving 1 million liters of freshwater annually.

Diverting waste from landfills

To divert waste from landfills, we operate on-site composting machines at our facilities in Chennai, Gurgaon and Hyderabad. To further reduce the amount of waste we generate, in FY18 our facilities teams across the country switched their daily equipment maintenance checks from a paper-based system to an electronic system. Using tablets and smartphones not only saves 5,000 sheets of paper per day, but it also enables teams to communicate and repair inefficiencies more quickly.

And since 2015, team members across the country have been bringing their own coffee mugs to work rather than using paper cups. Their initiative saves more than 12 million cups annually — the equivalent of about 1,100 trees each year.

This story shares one example of how Dell is committed to driving human progress by putting our technology and expertise to work where it can do the most good for people and the planet. More at legacyofgood.dell.com.

Tweet me:.@Dell is developing solutions to address their environmental footprint at their #India facilities. See how they're taking on the challenges of air & #water quality http://bit.ly/2NWovvX

KEYWORDS: India, environmental footprint, Air Quality, water quality, Dell

SOURCE:Booz Allen Hamilton

DESCRIPTION:

Booz Allen is expanding its operations in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and adding 208 new jobs over five years as part of an economic incentive package. The firm plans to roll out the expansion in two phases, with the first involving moving new offices into 6,000 square feet of additional space on the ground floor of the building the company currently rents. When the current lease is up in 2020, the company would relocate to accommodate future growth.

Read more from Ben Graham, staff writer at the Triangle Business Journal, here.

Tweet me:.@BoozAllen expands their presence in North Carolina by adding 200 jobs. Read more, here: http://bit.ly/2NohZkw

KEYWORDS: Booz Allen Hamilton, North Carolina

SOURCE:VSP Global

DESCRIPTION:

“Not knowing what the future was going to bring was really scary.” – Dr. Jay Pravda

After leaving his house by boat and seeing his office under water in a drone video, VSP Network Doctor Jay Pravda, O.D., was unsure of what the future would hold. “It was just an awful feeling not knowing where we were going to live, what I was going to do, and how we were going to pay for everything,” he said, reflecting on his angst after the storm.

Hear from Dr. Pravda one year after Hurricane Harvey on the VSP Blog: https://vspblog.com/hurricane-harvey-dr-pravdas-story/ 

Tweet me:After #HurricaneHarvey destroyed his optometry practice, Dr. Pravda didn't know what the future would hold. See how he's doing now. http://bit.ly/2oQf8D2

KEYWORDS: Hurricane Harvey, VSP Global, eye care, vision care, Optometrist, glasses, dr. jay pravda, hurricane, VSP Global Eyes of Hope

SOURCE:ReportAlert

DESCRIPTION:

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) today announced the launch of its 12^th annual corporate responsibility (CR) report. The report is available online at https://csr.hormelfoods.com/ and includes information about the company’s CR progress in fiscal 2017.

“We are proud of the progress we have made as a leading corporate citizen in our industry,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods, in his letter in the report. “At Hormel Foods, we know that building social value and creating economic value are not competing goals, and we are inspired to do our part in making the world a better place. In fact, we continue to be recognized for our efforts. We were honored to once again be named as one of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. In addition, we received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index and were named a Best for Vets Employer by Military Times.”

Hormel Foods also recently launched its CR platform called Our Food Journey™. This journey consists of producing food responsibly for customers and consumers around the world by focusing on:

• Investing in people and partners;
• Improving communities around the world; and
• Creating products that improve the lives of others.

Highlights of the company’s progress in the report include:

• After surpassing its goal to reduce solid waste sent to landfills and water use by 10 percent by 2020, Hormel Foods continued to implement projects to achieve further reductions. The company remains on track to achieve its goals to reduce nonrenewable energy use by 10 percent and product packaging by 25 million pounds by 2020.
• In addition to reducing water use by 101 million gallons, Hormel Foods developed and published its Sustainable Agriculture Policy and completed a high-level water risk assessment of its top suppliers.
• To ensure the accountability of its high standards for animal welfare throughout its supply chain, more than 2,000 audits were conducted. In addition, the company continued to advance its antibiotic stewardship efforts. These efforts consist of reducing the use of antibiotics, the responsible use of antibiotics, investing in producing raised-without-antibiotics products and working with others to create solutions through its Antibiotic Working Group.
• Hormel Foods launched over 520 new retail and foodservice items and also continued to advance its sodium reduction efforts and clean-label initiative.
• The company continues to place great emphasis on its diversity and inclusion efforts and has nine employee resource groups in place. Hormel Foods also continues to put the safety of its employees first by focusing on training, audits and improving its safety performance year over year.
• Hormel Foods donated $7.8 million in cash and product donations to help others. This includes $5.4 million in hunger donations, its donation of 2.6 million cans of SPAMMY^® (a shelf-stable poultry product to help prevent childhood malnutrition in Guatemala), and more than $827,000 in education donations.

“I would like to thank all of our team members worldwide as well as our partners and suppliers, as it takes everyone working together to achieve these outstanding results,” Snee said. “And while we celebrate these achievements, we realize there is more to accomplish on this journey.”

The 2017 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report follows the Global Reporting Initiative’s standards and is developed in accordance to the core option. The report is designed to allow stakeholders to easily view top-line highlights. A downloadable PDF will be available in the near future as well.

To view the entire report, please visit https://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

ABOUT HORMEL FOODS — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenues across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin’s^®, Wholly Guacamole^®, Hormel^® Black Label^®, Columbus^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of “The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the tenth year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. In 2016, the company celebrated its 125^th anniversary and announced its new vision for the future — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™— focusing on its legacy of innovation. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

Contact: Kelly Braaten
507-434-6352

Read the Report

Tweet me:.@HormelFoods makes progress on their journey to produce food responsibly for customers & consumers around the world. Learn more in their #CorporateResponsibility report via @reportalert http://bit.ly/2Q7JJbp

KEYWORDS: NYSE: HRL, Waste Reduction, Hormel Foods

by Vienna McLeod

SOURCE:International WELL Building Institute

DESCRIPTION:

Why movement matters

Physical activity is widely known to decrease the risk of countless chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer. It also has a powerful impact on quality of life, mental health and well-being. Despite the widely recognized benefits of physical activity, global estimates show that 23% of adults and 81% of adolescents do not achieve sufficient levels of physical activity (150 min/week for adults or 60 min/day for adolescents). Furthermore, sedentary behavior is also on the rise and poses unique risks to health that are independent of physical activity levels (the phenomenon of the active couch potato lives on). In addition to the widespread negative health impacts of physical inactivity, there are also stark economic implications.  In 2013 alone, it is estimated that physical inactivity cost healthcare systems $54 billion and contributed to nearly $14 billion in productivity losses worldwide.

Put simply, physical activity matters for more than just our physical health.

The pandemic of physical inactivity is not surprising. Today, the healthy choice is often the more difficult choice. The choice to be active is widely blocked by social, economic, environmental and personal barriers. In particular, the built environment is known to be a key influencer of physical activity behavior. When thoughtfully designed, our environments can invite and encourage physical activity. However, when we don’t put people at the center of design, our environments can be a deterrent of physical activity and even encourage sedentary behaviors.

Though tackling physical inactivity at the global scale is an immensely complex challenge, it has opened the door for industry innovation. It has forged new partnerships, renewed public health commitments and spurred advancements across the fields of design, technology, research and practice that show immense promise for changing the tone of this story. It is where the formerly unlikely partnership between design and public health was born and has created the climate for healthy-building rating systems like WELL to thrive.

Physical activity, today

Today, we understand more than ever that all movement matters for health. The way we think about physical activity includes that which we accumulate through intentional exercise and other leisure time activities and as well as a wide variety of activities that we engage in throughout the day. While your walk to work may not prepare you for the London Marathon, movement accumulated through active commuting, use of a sit-stand desk, walking meetings, alternating between flexible workspaces in your office and taking the stairs all contribute to total daily activity and have important health benefits.

In addition, the subdisciplines of physical activity have expanded beyond the traditional fields of exercise physiology, public health, epidemiology and other clinical fields to include those of design, architecture, technology, transportation, urban planning and others. This has deepened our understanding of the intersection between health and physical activity and, more importantly, expanded the framework for intervention. A push for a more comprehensive and systems-level framework for action is now being adopted at a global scale. In fact, the World Health Organization recently released the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030 that recognizes the necessary intersection of environmental design, policies and programs working together towards shared physical activity targets including those that overlap with the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations.  

Movement in WELL v2

In alignment with globally recognized goals to reduce physical inactivity, the intent of the Movement concept in WELL v2 is to promote movement, physical activity and active living and discourage sedentary behaviors. Towards these goals, the concept integrates tried and true strategies such as those defined in the Active Design Guidelines including active staircases, amenities for active occupants including bike parking, showers and lockers, building location and site amenities and dedicated exercise spaces. Here at IWBI, we also recognize that good design should be complemented by comprehensive wellness policies and programs that further reinforce healthy behaviors and a healthy environment. These include strategies like physical activity programming.

Under WELL v1, we saw a tremendous response from projects eager to have a positive impact on their employees and building occupants. We saw creativity, innovation and intention towards physical activity and movement including the MNP Tower in Vancouver, Canada complete with a rock climbing wall (yes that’s right!) and the beautifully designed staircase at Mirvac Headquarters in Sydney, Australia.

What’s changed

One of the changes we’re most excited about is the evolution of the concept’s name from Fitness in WELL v1 to Movement in WELL v2. This shift is meant to reflect the fact that all movement matters and you don’t need to be physically fit to enjoy the benefits that movement and physical activity have to offer.

In addition, with the adoption of topics like ergonomics, the concept seeks to adopt a more holistic approach to achieve its goals. Today, occupational injuries and ergonomic factors rank among the leading drivers of disability for those ages 15-49 worldwide. The Movement concept seeks to address ergonomic comfort and safety through a variety of strategies including design, education, training and other policies. The Movement concept includes two features related to ergonomics: a precondition that expands upon Feature 73 (from WELL v1) to also require education and an optimization that requires projects to connect with experts to provide employees with training and education support including regular audits of ergonomic conditions.

The Movement concept also considers emerging technologies such as sensors and wearables which ranked third on a list of fitness trends monitored by the American College of Sports Medicine in 2018. While we still have much to learn about the long-term utility of wearable technologies, we are eager to explore how WELL projects can best leverage these tools.

WELL v2 also takes a more flexible approach to physical activity promotion and incentives through feature V11: Physical Activity Promotion. The literature on this subject is challenging but what we learned from projects in WELL v1 and in our conversations with experts is that physical activity promotion can take on many forms including everything from subsidies for group fitness classes to flexible scheduling.

Finally, the Movement concept recognizes the critical role of context. Community context that is. Feature V05: Site Planning and Selection offers an array of point earning opportunities and encourages projects to consider locations that are near multiple building use types, are pedestrian and cyclist friendly and are located near public transit opportunities. This feature is deeply synergistic with sustainability, drawing from the approaches of green rating systems. Why? Because what’s good for the planet is usually good for people.   

What’s the Impact

The impact of changing the global physical activity narrative is substantial. Worldwide, if physical inactivity were reduced by just 10%, more than half a million deaths could be averted. The Movement concept aims to change the modern physical activity narrative through better design, better policies and better programs. When we invite movement through the spaces in which we live, learn, work and play these spaces help us thrive. And that’s what WELL is all about.

Tweet me:See what's new with #IWBI's #WELLv2 #movement pillar http://bit.ly/2O0FEo6 @WELLCertified #wellness

KEYWORDS: International Well Building Institute (IWBI), WELL AP, WELL v2, movement

Team members in Des Moines, Iowa, feed their community with fresh produce from Wells Fargo’s giving garden.

SOURCE:Wells Fargo & Company

DESCRIPTION:

Tweet me:.@WellsFargo team members in Des Moines, Iowa, feed their community with fresh produce from giving garden. #CSR #Philanthropy http://bit.ly/2Qk58yd

KEYWORDS: Wells Fargo, Des Moines, giving garden, Community Garden, Urban Garden, NYSE:WFC

UPS recognizes the importance of engaging domestic stakeholders, small businesses, and all segments of society to support inclusive growth.

SOURCE:UPS

DESCRIPTION:

Tweet me:#DYK that, among #womenowned businesses, only 1-in-5 participates in #international #trade. See how @UPS is partnering with #SheTrades to connect more female #entrepreneurs to #global markets http://bit.ly/2wCGD6u

KEYWORDS: UPS, SheTrades, NYSE:UPS, women-owned businesses, International Trade

SOURCE:Sysco

DESCRIPTION:

September is Food Safety Month. Sysco is always committed to the highest standards of food safety and quality. Each year, each U.S. Sysco associate undergoes food safety training, regardless of their role.

To learn more about Sysco's commitment to food safety, visit: https://www.sysco.com/Products/Products/Quality-Assurance.html

About Sysco

Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 67,000 associates, the company operates approximately 330 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 600,000 customer locations. For fiscal 2018 that ended June 30, 2018, the company generated sales of more than $58 billion.

For more information, visit www.sysco.com or connect with Sysco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SyscoCorporation or Twitter at https://twitter.com/Sysco. For important news and information regarding Sysco, visit the Investor Relations section of the company’s Internet home page at investors.sysco.com, which Sysco plans to use as a primary channel for publishing key information to its investors, some of which may contain material and previously non-public information. Investors should also follow us at www.twitter.com/SyscoStock and download the Sysco IR App, available on the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Market. In addition, investors should continue to review our news releases and filings with the SEC. It is possible that the information we disclose through any of these channels of distribution could be deemed to be material information.

Tweet me:September is #FoodSafetyMonth. @Sysco is always committed to the highest standards of #FoodSafety and quality, and each year, each U.S. Sysco associate undergoes food safety training, regardless of their role http://bit.ly/2Mj0yx7

KEYWORDS: NYSE:SYY, Sysco

Disney Aspire is the most comprehensive program of its kind, offering hourly employees a wide array of disciplines and diplomas—with tuition paid upfront.

SOURCE:The Walt Disney Company

DESCRIPTION:

BURBANK, Calif, September 10, 2018 /3BL Media/ - In January of this year, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced an initial $50 million investment in a new and ongoing education initiative aimed specifically at The Walt Disney Company’s hourly workforce. “I have always believed that education is the key to opportunity,” he said. “It opens doors and creates new possibilities.”

For more than 80,000 hourly Cast Members and employees of The Walt Disney Company in the U.S., those doors unlock now with the launch of Disney Aspire, a groundbreaking education program for hourly employees in the United States. “I am incredibly proud that Disney is embarking on this historic launch,” said Jayne Parker, senior executive vice president & chief HR officer for The Walt Disney Company.

The program will cover 100 percent of tuition upfront and reimburse the costs of tuition and required books and fees. Disney Aspire is designed for working adults and offers Cast Members and employees maximum choice and flexibility with their studies, regardless of whether the program and classes they choose are tied to their current role at Disney.

Disney has partnered with Guild Education, a market leader in providing higher education opportunities to working adults. Through this partnership with Guild, an educational platform and a network of schools will be available that offer a wide array of disciplines and diplomas—including college and master’s degrees, high school equivalency, English-language learning, vocational training and more. Working adults face unique circumstances that come with balancing school, life and work. These partner institutions offer multiple starts a year to accommodate the need for flexible schedules and cultivate an environment that supports the non-traditional student.

“At The Walt Disney Company, we strive to empower and support employees in their professional and personal lives. We are constantly looking at ways to help people realize their ambitions and fulfill their dreams, this program is the latest in that effort,” said Parker.

Tweet me:Disney invests in employees’ futures with unprecedented education program: http://bit.ly/2Qb81S8

KEYWORDS: Disney, Education, employees, Investment, The Walt Disney Company, College, NYSE:DIS

SOURCE:EDF+Business

DESCRIPTION:

A fresh wave of technological innovation is deepening our understanding of tough environmental challenges — and also giving us new ways to solve them. As thousands of business leaders and policymakers gather in San Francisco this month for the Global Climate Action Summit, these game-changing innovations will be showing up all over town.

One example will be new approaches to measuring and reducing emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that has pound for pound more than 80 times the near-term warming power of carbon dioxide. Human-made methane emissions are responsible for a quarter of all the warming we’re experiencing today.

That’s a problem, but it’s also an enormous opportunity. One of the largest sources of methane is the oil and gas industry. Indeed, natural gas is mostly methane. And it turns out that reducing these industrial methane emissions is the fastest, most cost effective way to slow the rate of warming, even as we continue working hard to decarbonize our energy system. But we didn’t know that until recently — or at least we couldn’t prove it — because nobody knew how much methane was coming from the oil and gas sector.

Data Reveals Problem, Opportunity

Five years ago, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) set out to measure methane emissions from the U.S. oil and gas sector, launching an unprecedented scientific research effort involving more than 140 researchers from 40 institutions, along with four dozen oil and gas companies that provided site access and technical advice. Researchers used a range of technologies — including sensors mounted on drones, airplanes, and even Google Street View cars — to measure emissions at every link in the supply chain, from remote wellheads to pipes under your local street.

Results were published in over 30 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles. A synthesis paper published this summer in Science concluded that the U.S. oil and gas industry emits 13 million metric tons of methane each year—nearly 60 percent more than current Environmental Protection Agency estimates. But these emissions can be controlled, often through simple maintenance.

Data from the project has been instrumental in convincing both industry leaders and policymakers that they have a serious methane challenge. The findings helped shape new regulations in states such as Colorado, Wyoming, California, and Pennsylvania, and national-level policies to reduce emission from oil and gas production on federal and tribal land.

Now, we’re using the data to hold the line against misguided attempts by the current administration to roll back those standards.

Driving a Global Emissions Goal

Worldwide, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reckons that oil and gas methane emissions are about 75 million metric tons – enough to generate all of Africa’s electricity twice over. The IEA estimates that industry could reduce those emissions 75 percent using existing technologies (two thirds of that at no net cost).

We at EDF are calling for a 45 percent reduction in global oil and gas methane emissions by 2025. That would have the same 20-year climate benefit as closing one-third of the world's coal plants. Results on such a scale are conceivable thanks to growing digitization in the industry. For example, reliable, low-cost sensors, remote monitoring and oilfield internet-of-things can help energy companies reduce emissions (and eliminate waste of saleable gas at the same time).

To help realize these prospects, EDF is working with Shell and Equinor (formerly Statoil) to test continuous monitoring technologies developed by entrepreneurs who took part in our Mobile Monitoring Challenge. We’ve also partnered with Stanford University and ExxonMobil to look at mobile detection technologies using aircraft and drones.

Data-driven transparency is sparking competition within the industry itself. In April, BP set its first quantitative methane target. Last month ExxonMobil committed to cut emissions and flared gas volumes. Shell, Qatar Petroleum and other producers have also committed to reduce methane emissions across the natural gas supply chain.

Heading into Space

Now we’re pushing the technological envelope even farther, by developing MethaneSAT – a satellite mission due to launch in 2021, and designed to continuously map and measure methane emissions with exacting precision almost anywhere on the planet. MethaneSAT will make it possible to ‘see’ emissions in places where they’re difficult to track today.

Data from MethaneSAT will be available for free to anyone. It will help countries, companies and citizens spot problems, identify reduction opportunities, and measure progress over time. It’s just one of several space-based methane monitoring tools now in the works. The European Space Agency, for example, launched its TROPOMI satellite in 2017. A private company called GHGSAT has one satellite in orbit and another due to launch within the year.

See EDF president Fred Krupp's TED Talk on MethaneSat

Some have likened this to a new space race. But I see it as a wave of transformational change emerging from multiple nodes across an innovation ecosystem. Each has different, but complimentary, capabilities, together offering multiple streams of data to paint an unassailable picture of the problem.

Just as we have used the U.S. methane data to spur new policies and better business practices, we will use data from MethaneSAT and our allies to help reach our 45% reduction goal by 2025, and our aim to virtually eliminate the industry’s methane emissions by 2050.

Sensors, Sensors Everywhere

We’re deploying advanced sensor technologies to help create a healthier environment in other ways, too – from Google cars mapping air pollution and its health effects to wearable bracelets that track your daily chemical exposure.

Elsewhere, retailers and consumer brands are using blockchain to improve accountability and sustainability across far-flung supply chains. Sensors can help farmers reduce the amount of chemicals on their fields, and “smart boats” can help fishermen manage their catch effectively, increasing profits and fish in the sea.

It’s no coincidence the Global Climate Action Climate Summit is happening in California, the heart of America’s most innovative sector and the state that has led the nation in environmental stewardship. California has proven time and again that a strong economy and a healthy environment go hand in hand. Now more than ever, technology is the key to making this a worldwide success story.

Originally published by The Fourth Wave of Environmental Innovation on Medium.

Tweet me:A fresh wave of technological innovation is deepening our understanding of tough environmental challenges — and also giving us new ways to solve them. #FourthWave #GCAS http://bit.ly/2Mhnsov

KEYWORDS: EDF+Business, greenhouse gas, san francisco, Global Climate Action Summit, supply chain

Whether we’re making CSR investments that support responsible forestry in Vietnam, responsibly sourcing materials or innovating more environmentally friendly technologies and processes, Avery Dennison is firmly committed to our 2025 Sustainability Goals.

SOURCE:Avery Dennison

SUMMARY:

"Our 2025 Sustainability Goal is to achieve at least 3 percent absolute reduction year over year. We are making great progress, and with the speed of technology and increasing availability of renewable energy, this way of working ensures we have the latest information. "

DESCRIPTION:

Whether we’re making CSR investments that support responsible forestry in Vietnam, responsibly sourcing materials or innovating more environmentally friendly technologies and processes, Avery Dennison is firmly committed to our 2025 Sustainability Goals.

Recently, we caught up with our colleague, Maarten Eddes, global business and process manager for Indirect Procurement and Sustainability Contact for Europe, to discuss Avery Dennison’s approach to GHG emission reduction and enabling renewable sources of energy.  

Tell us about your role at Avery Dennison and the businesses you support.

I work in procurement with global responsibility for procurement processes.  I also serve as the category manager for utilities across Europe and leader for sustainability initiatives for indirect procurement. I support corporate initiatives as well our Label and Graphic Materials and Industrial Health Care businesses.

Tweet me:A #Sustainability Conversation with Maarten Eddes | @AveryDennison #ADSustainability http://www.averydennison.com/en/home/newsroom/avery-dennison-blog/Corporate-Blog/a-sustainability-conversation-with-maarten-eddes.html

KEYWORDS: NYSE:AVY, Avery Dennison