SOURCE:Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

DESCRIPTION:

PRINCETON, N.J. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., December 10, 2018 /3BL Media/ - Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) and LabCentral, an innovative, shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for life-sciences and biotech startups, today announced that ReviveMed and Strand Therapeutics are the winners of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s 2018 Golden Tickets for LabCentral. As a platinum sponsor of LabCentral, Bristol-Myers Squibb can select up to two innovative life-sciences and biotech startup companies per year of active sponsorship for “Golden Tickets,” which underwrite the cost of one lab bench for one year in LabCentral’s Kendall Square facility.

“ReviveMed and Strand Therapeutics are working to deliver innovative technologies that have the potential to impact patients with serious diseases, and we’re pleased that Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Golden Tickets will enable them to advance their research,” said Percy Carter, MBA, Ph.D., head of Discovery Chemistry and Molecular Technologies, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Our sponsorship of LabCentral underscores our commitment to life-science innovation within the vibrant Cambridge ecosystem. As we prepare for our own research site opening in Cambridge, we are excited by the opportunity for further interactions between LabCentral resident companies and Bristol-Myers Squibb researchers.”

“It’s been impressive to watch Leila Pirhaji and her ReviveMed team make progress toward their scientific and business milestones since arriving at LabCentral; they have immersed themselves fully in both the tangible and intangible resources our shared ecosystem offers,” commented LabCentral Cofounder and President Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D. “We’re thrilled that Bristol-Myers Squibb has provided additional runway through the Golden Ticket, freeing up resources for ReviveMed to apply elsewhere. Strand Therapeutics are working on promising new technology for therapeutics and we look forward to welcoming them to the LabCentral community.”

ReviveMed is pioneering an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery platform by leveraging metabolomics. ReviveMed is working to overcome the difficulties of identifying a large set of metabolites for each patient, based on technology developed at MIT and published in Nature Methods. It further translates metabolomic data into novel therapeutic insights for drug and drug response biomarker discovery. Currently, ReviveMed is collaborating with pharmaceutical companies and pursuing internal drug discovery programs, initially focused on metabolic diseases.

The goal of Strand Therapeutics’ mRNA programming technology is to make mRNA therapies safer and more effective by programming the location, timing, and intensity of therapeutic protein expression inside a patient’s body using mRNA-encoded logic circuits. These circuits can implement cell-type specific expression by sensing and classifying the unique miRNA expression signatures of cells, as well as controlling the dosage of protein expression by responding to exogenously administered small molecules. The technology was developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and published in Nature Biotechnology and Nature Chemical Biology.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol-Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.

About LabCentral (www.labcentral.org ; twitter @labcentral)

LabCentral is a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory workspace in the heart of the Kendall Square, Cambridge, biotech innovation hub, designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups. It offers everything young companies need to begin lab operations immediately upon move-in and propel their science forward faster and more cost-efficiently. This includes: beautifully designed, fully permitted lab and office space, first-class facility and administrative support, skilled laboratory personnel, peer learning and networking opportunities, an expert speaker series — as well as critical access to potential funders and industry partners. A private, nonprofit institution, its first site opened in 2013, with support from real-estate partner, MIT. Founding sponsors include Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, Roche, and Triumvirate Environmental. To accommodate demand for growing startups, LabCentral expanded its original site to double the original size in the fall of 2017, and, with support from Pfizer, opened LabCentral 610 at the end of the year. LabCentral now has capacity to serve a total of ~450 scientists and entrepreneurs in about 70 companies across its two-building campus. In 2017, it also added the LabCentral Learning Lab for STEM programming to help inspire the next generation of science entrepreneurs.

Tweet me:.@Revive_Med and @StrandTx are the winners of the @BMSnews 2018 Golden Tickets for @labcentral. Learn more about what it means to have the cost of one year at LabCentral underwritten for these research institutions #Cambridge #Metabolomics #ReviveMed http://bit.ly/2zQAyWA

Contact Info:

Chrissy Trank
Bristol-Meyers Squibb
+1 (609) 252-5609
christina.trank@bms.com

Caroline Grossman
LabCentral
+1 (781) 771-5579
cgrossman@labcentral.org

KEYWORDS: Bristol-Myers Squibb, NYSE: BMY, LabCentral, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s 2018 Golden Tickets, Strand Therapeutics, ReviveMed

SOURCE:Mohawk Industries

DESCRIPTION:

December 11, 2018 /3BL Media/ - Pivot PointRed List-free enhanced resilient tile represents a true change in direction for sustainable resilient flooring. This award-winning hard surface holds Living Product Challenge Petal Certification and is manufactured using alternative chemistry. Design and color draw inspiration from fresh, natural materials and biophilic influence. In 2018, Pivot Point was recognized with a Metropolis Likes Award at NeoCon and a Nightingale Award (Silver) at the Healthcare Design Expo.

“Pivot Point is aptly named because it is one of a suite of Living Products that demonstrates how Mohawk continues to move in new directions in sustainable flooring,” said George Bandy Jr., vice president of sustainability and commercial marketing. “Our Petal certified flooring covers multiple categories, giving sustainability-minded customers more options when designing their contract spaces. This nature-inspired, carbon-neutral collection emerged from our commitment to believe in better. Pivot Point is specifically designed to create better environments in a variety of commercial segments, including healthcare, senior living, workplace, retail and more.”

Pivot Point features four wood and four textile patterns in a 7" x 48" plank format and four terrazzo and natural stone visuals in 36" x 36" tiles. The colors and styles within the collection can be combined or used individually to create abstract, contemporary flooring designs. Pivot Point features a 3 mm thickness, a 20 mil commercial wear layer for superior durability and an M-Force™ Enhanced Urethane finish. In addition to its Petal Certification, Pivot Point is also FloorScore^® certified.

As part of Pivot Point’s Petal Certification and Mohawk’s commitment to leave a handprint rather than a footprint, Mohawk Group engaged in a special handprinting partnership with Groundswell to install 10 smartflower™ solar systems in underserved communities and at educational institutions with STEM programs across the U.S. Last month, the collaboration debuted its second smartflower in Eden, N.C., near Mohawk’s historic Karastan woven rug and carpet plant.

Click here to explore Pivot Point online.

About Mohawk Group

As the world’s leading producer and distributor of quality commercial flooring, Mohawk Group believes that better floor coverings emerge from better design, innovation, sustainability, project solutions and operational excellence. Mohawk Group addresses the unique challenges and opportunities in contract interiors with a comprehensive carpet and hard surface portfolio of all types and price points. As the commercial division of Mohawk Industries, the company has a heritage of craftsmanship that spans more than 130 years. To learn more about our full line of flooring products, please visit MohawkGroup.com.

# # #

Tweet me:.@MohawkGroup's award-winning Pivot Point Red List-free enhanced resilient tile includes terrazzo, textile and wood visuals and is manufactured using alternative chemistry http://bit.ly/2QptD0F #handprintsoverfootprints #LivingProduct

Contact Info:

Luke Chaffin
+1 (762) 204-5607
luke_chaffin@mohawkind.com

KEYWORDS: NYSE:MHK, Mohawk Industries

SOURCE:Caterpillar Inc.

DESCRIPTION:

Through the Caterpillar Foundation’s work with its partners, it has become increasingly clear that when we invest in girls, we create real and lasting change — not only for girls themselves but also the communities around them.

Click here to learn more about how the Caterpillar Foundation is ushering in the future of the girl and celebrating the value of water.

Tweet me:Working with their partners, the @CatFoundationTS is ushering in the future of the girl and celebrating the value of water. Check out @CaterpillarInc's #sustainability report to learn how they're creating change for girls and the communities around them http://bit.ly/2EaHlxf

KEYWORDS: water, Caterpillar, Caterpillar Foundation, NYSE:CAT

By: John A. Lanier

SOURCE:Ray C. Anderson Foundation

SUMMARY:

It’s just a bad goal, in that it focuses on avoiding a bad thing. How inspired would you be if you had a coach who said, “Okay team, now I want you to give me everything you have to make sure we don’t lose!”? Forget that – I want to be a winner, not a not-loser.

DESCRIPTION:

Let’s go behind the curtain. Sometimes, when I’m looking for inspiration for my blog, I’ll come up with a general idea and then go to the Google machine. A little search here and a little search there and I will likely find something funny, unexpected, and tangentially related to my theme. Today was one of those days.

I Googled “bad marketing examples.” Trust me, I had PLENTY of material to choose from. There are a ton of examples of marketing-gone-astray, and I figured I would find the perfect one to share here. Upon further reflection, I am going to do what so many of those campaigns simply failed to do – pull the plug. Just about everything I found was on the tenuous border of funny and offensive, tipping toward the latter. Heck, it was their offensiveness that landed these marketing faux pas on these lists anyway.

Go do your own Googling of you are so inclined, and I’ll settle for an awkward transition instead....

Tweet me:It’s just a bad goal, in that it focuses on avoiding a bad thing. It would not be very inspiring if a coach said, “Okay team, now I want you to give me everything you have to make sure we don’t lose!” #ClimateAction #Ecocentricity @johnalanierRCAF http://bit.ly/2zTgTp1

Contact Info:

Valerie Bennett
Ray C. Anderson Foundation
+1 (770) 317-5858
valerie@raycandersonfoundation.org

KEYWORDS: Ecocentricity, Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Climate activism, Global Warming

Kicking off today, the Subaru Share the Love Event has raised over $7 million for national parks to date

SOURCE:Subaru of America

DESCRIPTION:

WASHINGTON, December 7, 2018 /3BL Media/ - It’s the season of gratitude, and once again, the National Park Foundation is thankful for support from Subaru for national parks through its annual Subaru Share the Love Event kicking off today through January 2. Now in its 11th year, the event has raised over $7 million for national parks, with 2017 proceeds enabling the National Park Foundation to contribute nearly $2 million to national park waste reduction and public awareness efforts.

Waste reduction funding supports recycling operations, composting, and public education and outreach at Denali National Park and Preserve, Grand Teton National Park, and Yosemite National Park. In addition, funds are also supporting a comprehensive analysis of waste reduction efforts across the National Park System and will help additional parks develop improved waste reduction plans based on lessons learned and best practices.

As part of this year’s Subaru Share the Love Event, for every new Subaru vehicle purchased or leased, Subaru will donate $250 to the purchaser’s choice of participating charitable partners, and the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, will receive $250 each time a customer selects it as the nonprofit of choice during the event period.

“The Subaru Share the Love Event offers tremendous support to our national parks,” said National Park Foundation President Will Shafroth. “It raises awareness about the important role philanthropy plays in our national parks community and provides funding to help ensure that our parks are sustainable and can thrive for years to come.”

In addition to waste reduction, support from Subaru also helps raise awareness about the breadth and depth of the National Park System through Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque, a public awareness and education movement to inspire people from all backgrounds to connect with, celebrate, and support America’s national parks and community-based programs. As a National Park Foundation premier partner for #FindYourPark, Subaru invites people to discover and share their own unique connections to our nation's natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.

“Since 2013, the Subaru Share the Love Event has provided funding for critical programs and projects in more than 100 national parks and helped increase public awareness and engagement across the National Park System,” said Alan Bethke, senior vice president of marketing, Subaru of America Inc. “We are proud to continue providing our support and waste reduction expertise to help preserve America’s iconic parks for future generations.”

The National Park Foundation has partnered with the Subaru Share the Love Event for five years.

Again this year, there will be no cap on the total donation from Subaru to its charitable partners. By the end of this year’s event, Subaru and its retailers hope to exceed a grand total of $140 million donated since the creation of the Subaru Share the Love Event.

For more information about the Subaru Share the Love Event, please visit www.subaru.com/share.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
Celebrating 50 years, the National Park Foundation is the official charity of America’s national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and ENGAGE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America’s National Parks, a comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next hundred years.  Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.

ABOUT SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. 
Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company’s vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA has donated more than $120 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged more than 40,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do.  For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Tweet me:With more than $7 million raised to date, @subaru_usa partners with @GoParks again for their #ShareTheLove Event. Proceeds will go to #waste reduction and public awareness efforts @NatlParkService http://bit.ly/2zuKS6q #DontFeedtheLandfills #WeAreParks #ShareTheParks

KEYWORDS: NYSE:FUJHF, Subaru of America, National Park Foundation, community involvement, Corporate Social Responsibility

SOURCE:Ethical Markets

DESCRIPTION:

In 1986 Scientific American drew attention to this visual of space junk tracked by NORAD, 7,000 spent rocket debris and the 40,000 objects with a diameter of 10 centimeters or more.  I used this visual in many of my presentations in the 1980s and in Paradigms in Progress (1991), making the point that not only was space junk a result of our wasteful, "rearview mirror" industrial paradigm, and that even debris the size of the paint flake which damaged the space shuttle Challenger’s windshield in 1984 could, at orbital speeds endanger future satellites and space travel.

Since then, billions have been contracted to companies offering ways to clean up or corral additional accumulated space junk, with little success.  Space has been increasingly militarized and used for satellite-based communications and internet service, with Intelsat’s 59 satellites and those of other countries providing today’s global connectivity.  

Recently, the US Federal Communications Commission gave permission to Elon Musk’s SpaceX to set up a vast network, Starlink, of low-orbiting communication satellites, ostensibly to bring the world’s poor 3.5 billion people internet access.  Closer examination seems to show that only rich business interests seeking higher-speed communications, including Wall Street’s big banks and high-frequency traders implicated in "flash crashes" will be customers.

Initially, Starlink will consist of 4425 satellites orbiting between 1100 and 1300 kilometers up, so as not to collide with the communications satellites currently in orbit further out into space.  Each Starlink satellite will only last a few years, so SpaceX will need to launch new ones every few weeks to replace the dead ones, according to Hugh Lewis who represents the UK Space Agency on the International Space Debris Coordinating Committee.  Lewis opines that "Musk is raising money for the Mars program" (The Economist, 10, Nov.2018).

Other companies are competing to launch additional cheap, small, low-orbiting satellites, including Alphabet’s Project Loon, 03B Networks, OneWeb, Amazon’s Blue Rocket, as well as those offering propulsion systems for the launches, including Apollo Fusion with Silicon Valley investors led by Reid Hoffman, which plans to use mercury as a fuel. NASA began moving away from mercury as a fuel in the 1970s due to its toxicity and the US has been tightening rules on the use of mercury for two decades. Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports the danger of using mercury to propel these satellites due to their low altitude (300 to 1200 kilometers above the Earth), quoting Prof. Steve Brooks of the University of Tennessee "It’s a very heavy element that is not going to escape Earth’s gravity.  Almost all the mercury you put up there will find its way back down".   Prof. Dan Jaffe of the University of Washington adds "Using a toxic chemical that we're spending billions of dollars to clean up is probably a dumb idea" (Nov 20, 2018, p.22).

So how much internet access are the planet’s 3.5 billion poor people going to get out of all this new activity?  Very little, it seems, since the markets are those who want higher-speed communications to enhance trading speeds, efficiency and profitability.  New revelations about the  unanticipated dangers of social media propagandizing "fake news" and sowing hatred, racism, misogyny and political revolts are now well-known.  We now know that social media and internet connectivity cannot provide a genuine "public square" for debates while running for profit, using advertising and exploiting their users’ personal data.  So why are we risking further proliferation of space junk and dangers of collisions with existing satellites and even eventually closing the window for further space exploration for such dubious, short-term, private profit goals?

The US Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) operated from 1974 until 1996 to assess such long term social and environmental consequences of technological choices.  This OTA long term view of many unwise, unsustainable technologies drew fire from special interests and Congress slayed their messenger in 1996.  Today, with so many new technologies leaving so many citizens behind and societies experiencing future shocks, like those I describe, over 40 Congress members are calling for re-funding OTA.  All it's ground-breaking reports are free downloads at the University of Florida Press Digital Library."An Assessment of Technology for Local Development" originally published in 1980 and helped launch the "small is beautiful" green Solar Age technologies is also free at www.ethicalmarkets.com

Full disclosure:  Hazel Henderson, CEO of Ethical Markets Media, Certified B. Corporation, publishers of the Green Transition Scoreboard® also served on OTA's Technology Assessment Advisory Council from 1974 until 1980.

Tweet me:Hazel Henderson of @ethicalmarkets asks the question, “are we locking Earth into a space prison?” Learn more about the proliferation of space junk surrounding our planet: http://bit.ly/2EhlKDa

KEYWORDS: space, Space junk, satellites, Corporate Social Responsibility, Internet access, Hazel Henderson

SOURCE:Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)

DESCRIPTION:

• Big data is exponentially increasing the demand on computability
• Efficient technology such as Gen10 drives computability, cost savings & sustainability
• HPE offers certifiably & world recognized efficient technology solutions

"If the internet were a country, it would be the 5th largest energy consuming ‘country’ in the world," says Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) CEO Antonio Neri.

Asking how big the internet is like contemplating the size of the universe—it’s unimaginable. The internet doubles in size every 2 years, estimated to be a massive 15 zettabytes of data today and will be over 40 zettabytes by 2020. Putting it in perspective, if every terabyte were a kilometer, that would be enough data to take up half the Milky Way. 

IT innovation has enabled us to build a world in which everything computes, but this innovation comes at a cost. All of that exponentially increasing data is stored, hosted, enabled and accessed on devices that are estimated to account for roughly 6% of the world’s carbon emissions by 2025. The tech sector is challenged to create solutions that not only make our world smarter and more connected, but to create more efficient solutions that enable us to do exponentially more with exponentially less.

How are tech companies answering this challenge?  Designing more energy-efficient hardware.  For one, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of enterprise hardware is no longer solely the price tag; in fact, majority of the lifecycle cost of IT comes from its use phase in energy, real estate, and water consumption costs.  The more the tech sector accelerates that target efficiencies in the use-phase of hardware, the greater impact they’ll have in reducing total costs for customers.

At HPE, customer product use accounts for a staggering 64% of our global carbon footprint across our value chain. That’s why HPE has set a 2025 target, to increase the energy performance of our product portfolio 30 times compared to 2015.  This will not only decrease the TCO of our products for our customers while helping to meet their own sustainability goals, but it empowers customers to do exponentially more with increasingly less financial and environmental costs.  

We’re already on our way to reach this ambitious product energy goal, thanks to the help of our product engineers who continually raise the bar in driving energy savings and sustainability metrics for our customers.  For instance, HPE Synergy 480 and 660 Gen10 Compute Modules now hold 27 server efficiency world records, and Intel features 13 of these records on their . Our HPE ProLiant ML350 offers the world’s most energy efficient tower, using Intel’s Xeon Scalable Processors, second overall leader for energy efficient tower servers, and is more energy-efficient than a similarly configured tower server from Dell.  The release of our ProLiant Gen10 servers are securing our spot as a leader in IT efficiency and security. HPE’s ProLiant Gen10 servers are the world’s most efficient 1U and 1P servers, with up to 14% more energy efficiency than competitors, and have been recognized as the most secure industry standard servers on the market.

Customers and partners can better understand the efficiency of HPE products through third-party eco-labels.  HPE products are certified where feasible on 80 PLUS, Energy Star (Storage, Servers)  and now EPEAT. These voluntary declarations help businesses conveniently identify tech solutions that reduce energy costs and emissions.  HPE sits on the Green Electronics Council (GEC) and helped to launch a new server product category for EPEAT, making it easier for public and private sector organizations to make purchasing decisions that reduce TCO and drive sustainability in their IT solutions.

Beyond designing and selecting the most innovative hardware products for energy efficiency, it’s also vitally important that businesses are able to leverage technology solutions efficiently through the day-to-day fluctuations of their IT demands.  On average, customers overprovision IT capacity by 59% for storage and 49% for computing.

HPE GreenLake Flexible Capacity helps our customers only use what they need, reducing financial and environmental costs up to 38%, compared to the industry average.  Zombie servers—or servers that are powered on but have little to no productive activity—cost the world billions in dollars every year without any computational benefit.

Technology offers an incredible opportunity to drive business further, to do things faster and to increase reach and potential.  Yet building that world where everything computes comes with an unshakeable responsibility to do so efficiently.  Luckily, finding cost-effective and sustainable solutions for your IT needs is easier today than it ever has been.

•  @HPE_LivingProg
•  linkedin.com/company/hewlett-packard-enterprise

Tweet me:.@HPE_LivingProg IT efficiency: savings without sacrifice http://bit.ly/2zTipHE "If the internet were a country, it would be the 5th largest energy consuming ‘country’ in the world," says Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) CEO Antonio Neri.

KEYWORDS: IT efficiency, HPE, energy savings

SOURCE:Governance & Accountability Institute, Inc.

SUMMARY:

Highlights

The results of the analysis of 1,387 corporate enterprises’ materiality decisions in their sustainability reports to examine sector trends on all 91 of the GRI G4 Specific Standard Disclosures and topics related to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs) and their 169 targets.

Forty individual sector reports including the "Top GRI Indicators / Disclosures" and "Top SDG Targets" rankings for each sector are available for download at https://www.ga-institute.com/SDGsWhatMatters2018

DESCRIPTION:

Governance & Accountability Institute today announces the release of its year-long, comprehensive "Sector Study on Sustainability Materiality of the SDG Targets & GRI Indicators."  This research project was designed to examine sector trends in the ESG materiality decisions of 1,387 GRI reporters across 40 sectors on each of the 91 GRI G4 Specific Standard Disclosure Indicators.

By utilizing linkage documents such as the SDG Compass’ "Inventory of Business Indicators" and the GRI's "Mapping the G4 to the GRI Standards" the research also used the GRI G4 indicators as a type of Rosetta Stone to translate and examine trends in materiality decisions on topics related to the 169 SDG Targets, and GRI-Standards disclosures.

G&A Institute’s Co-Founder, Louis Coppola, architect of the study explains:  "It's important to keep in mind that organizations in this study published their reports using GRI for their sustainability reporting.  Determinations of what is included in an organization's GRI report are informed by the GRI Principles of 'Materiality' and 'Stakeholder Inclusiveness.'   Therefore the results of our research and rankings are informed by the corporate sectors’ collective materiality assessments, stakeholder engagements, and decision-making of these 1,387 reporting organizations."

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development widely acknowledges that the private sector will be one of the most significant sources of resources, action and technical capacity relied upon by the global society to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

With a whole new ESG language now evolved -- The SDG's 17 Goals & 169 Targets -- and hundreds of key performance indicators to master, business leaders and other stakeholders are justifiably challenged as how to interact with these new global ambitions, and how then to report on their progress.

"We believe the combined materiality decisions of these 1,387 reporting organizations from around the world, across 40 sectors, is a powerful ‘Big Data’ set for us to explore these challenges with corporate managers, investors and other stakeholders," said Coppola.

“We plan to continue to add to and mine this Big Data set and will publicly share the results in various ways.  For our corporate clients, we will utilize this data set to enhance our engagements and guidance.  No other consulting organization has the breadth and depth of this type of ESG materiality decision making data today.   We welcome your feedback on the results and your ideas on how to utilize the Big Data set that this report begins to explore," says Hank Boerner, G&A's Chairman and Co-Founder.

This research is intended to be helpful to a wide range of stakeholders -- including companies, investors, public sector policymakers, civil society leadership, and a range of key stakeholders -- all of whom are interested in understanding which industries and business models have the greatest synergies with specific SDG targets.  The work serves as well in gaining a global, national and industry-specific view of company activity related to the SDGs, which benefits both companies and investors.

The complete database of results is maintained by G&A Institute and is used for assisting corporate clients and other stakeholders in understanding relevant materiality trends.

Download the research here:  https://www.ga-institute.com/SDGsWhatMatters2018

G&A would like to thank its team of reports analysts who contributed to this landmark research project:

Team Research Leaders

• Elizabeth Peterson (M.A .candidate in Sustainability at Hofstra University)
• Juliet Russell (M.Sc. candidate in Environmental Technology at Imperial College, London)
• Alan Stautz (B.S. candidate in Environmental Science & Political Science at University of Michigan)
• Alvis Yuen (M.S. in Sustainability in the Urban Environment from City College of New York)

Researchers

• Amanda Hoster (M.S. in Environmental Management, focusing on Business and Sustainability from Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment)
• Laura Malo (M.S. candidate in Sustainability Management at Columbia University)
• Matthew Novak (B.S. in Coastal Environmental Science from Louisiana State University)
• Yangshengjing “UB” Qiu (B.S. in Psychology & Environmental Policy from College of William & Mary)
• Sara Rosner (M.S. candidate in Sustainability Management at Columbia University)
• Shraddha Sawant (M.S. candidate in Environmental Sustainability at University of Pennsylvania)
• Qier “Cher” Xue (M.S. in Environmental Management from Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment)

ABOUT GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY INSTITUTE, INC.

Founded in 2006, G&A Institute, Inc. is a sustainability consulting firm headquartered in New York City, advising corporations and investors on executing winning strategies that maximize return on investment at every step of their sustainability journey. The G&A consulting team helps corporate and investor clients recognize, understand and address sustainability issues to address stakeholder and shareholder concerns.

G&A Institute is the Data Partner for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in the USA, UK, and Republic of Ireland.  Since 2011, G&A has analyzed more than 7,000 sustainability reports and catalogued hundreds of important data points for these reports tracking trends for G&A's clients and helping to create the GRI Sustainability Disclosure Database, the largest publicly accessible database of sustainability reports in the world.

G&A’s sustainability-focused consulting and advisory services fall into three main areas: (1) Sustainability / ESG Consulting; (2) Communications & Recognitions, and (3) Investor / Capital Markets Relations. The resources available within each category include sustainability/CSR reporting assistance; materiality assessment; stakeholder engagement; strategy setting; ESG survey responses; ESG benchmarking; investor ESG data review & enhancement; investor relations ESG programs; investor engagement; sustainability communications; manager coaching; team building; training; advice on third-party awards, recognition & index inclusions; ESG issues monitoring and customized research.

CONTACT

Louis Coppola
646.430.8230 x14
lcoppola@ga-institute.com

Tweet me:.@GAInstitute releases Sector Study on Sustainability Materiality of the SDG Targets & GRI Indicators -examines trends in ESG materiality decisions of 1,387 GRI reporters’ across 40 sectors on each of the 91 GRI G4 Specific Standard Disclosure Indicators http://bit.ly/2Pyj8mD

KEYWORDS: SDGs, GRI, gainstitute, esg, csr, corporateresponsibility, corporatesustainability, CSRreporting, sustainabilityreporting, #corporatecitizenship, sustainability

SOURCE:Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council

DESCRIPTION:

One hindrance in the development of an effective hospital recycling program is the lack of dock space to stage or process materials. Docks are often cluttered and disorganized with material entering and exiting the facility.

HPRC has solutions-- from mapping the flow of materials, characterizing waste, the 5S approach, and making the most of the space that you have. Read the comprehensive guidance along with links to very useful resources on this page.

About HPRC

HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling and waste management industries seeking to improve recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. HPRC is made up of brand leading and globally recognized members including Baxter, BD, DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Nelipak Healthcare Packaging, Ravago Recycling Group, and ThermoFisher Scientific. The council convenes biannually at meetings hosted by an HPRC member that regularly include stakeholder engagement events and facility tours to further learning and knowledge sharing opportunities through first-hand demonstration of best practices in sustainable product and packaging design and recycling processes. For more information, visit http://www.hprc.org and follow HPRC on LinkedIn.

Tweet me:.@PlasticChat Space Guidance for Hospital Recycling Programs http://bit.ly/2QnDwfi

Contact Info:

katie.nordenson@anteagroup.com

KEYWORDS: hospital dock, dock space, HPRC, waste characterization, waste segregation, 5S, hospital space, Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council

SOURCE:Mohawk Industries

DESCRIPTION:

A new collection that represents a true change in direction for sustainable resilient flooring, Mohawk Group's award-winning Pivot Point Red List-free enhanced resilient tile is manufactured using alternative chemistry and is designed to meet the stringent requirements of Living Product Challenge Petal Certification.

In this collection, design and color draw inspiration from fresh, natural materials and biophilic influence. Colors and styles can be combined or used individually to create abstract, contemporary flooring designs. In 2018, Pivot Point was recognized with a Metropolis Likes Award at NeoCon and a Nightingale Award (Silver) at Healthcare Design Expo.

Click hereto explore the Pivot Point enhanced resilient tile collection.

Tweet me:WATCH: @MohawkGroup's award-winning Pivot Point Red List-free enhanced resilient tile is manufactured as a #LivingProduct using alternative chemistry and #biophilicdesign principles http://bit.ly/2QiC0Lx #sustainableflooring #handprintsoverfootprints

KEYWORDS: Mohawk, NYSE:MHK, Pivot Point Red List Free, ERT, Living Product Challenge Petal certification

Version 4 of the Beverage Industry Greenhouse Gas Emissions Sector Guidance

SOURCE:Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable

DESCRIPTION:

December 12, 2018 /3BL Media/ The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) has released a document entitled Beverage Industry Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Sector Guidance (4.0). An update to a previous version released in 2013, this document is intended to provide supplementary guidance specific to beverage companies for greater consistency, accuracy, and leadership with GHG accounting and management.

As the issue of climate change continues to advance on the list of global priorities, businesses must develop effective and fact-based strategies to reduce their GHG emissions. For the beverage industry, as for all industries, a critical first step in reduction efforts is to properly inventory all relevant GHG emissions associated with a company and its value chain, as well as the GHG emissions associated with the life cycles of its products.

This guidance document does not replace or override global GHG reporting protocols or beverage category-specific rules and protocols. In other words, the BIER Sector Guide is intended to be a value-added, supplementary guidance to primary global protocols, which standardizes calculation steps, provides a directory of data requirements, and creates consensus on boundaries and scope setting specific to the beverage industry.

BIER identified that this was an important time to update the previous version of the sector guidance. There were several goals in updating this document, including ensuring alignment with the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Accounting and Reporting Standard and The Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard (published by WRI/WBCSD), reflect method changes adopted from the European Union Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) effort, and further harmonize GHG emissions accounting across the beverage value chain (horizontal alignment) and across all beverage categories (vertical alignment). “This is an important initiative for BIER as it completes a comprehensive, leading-edge approach to GHG emissions calculation and reporting for the beverage sector,” says Nick Martin, Executive Director of BIER. “Maintaining this Sector Guide furthers the aspiration of BIER to establish a ‘common voice’ for the industry and demonstrate the beverage industry’s continued leadership in reducing global GHG emissions,” Martin adds.

The complete guidance document is available for download at: http://bit.ly/GHGEmissionsGuidance

About BIER

The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER) is a technical coalition of leading global beverage companies working together to advance environmental sustainability within the beverage sector. BIER aims to affect sector change through work focused on water stewardship, energy efficiency and climate change, beverage container recycling, sustainable agriculture, and ecosystem services. BIER members include: American Beverage Association, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Brown-Forman, Carlsberg Group, The Coca-Cola Company, Constellation Brands, Diageo, Heineken, Jackson Family Wines, New Belgium Brewing, MillerCoors, Molson Coors, Pernod Ricard, Ocean Spray Cranberries, and PepsiCo. For more information, visit www.bieroundtable.com.

Tweet me:BIER has maintained beverage sector-specific guidance for GHG accounting since 2010 and continues this leadership with version 4.0. Read it here: http://bit.ly/GHGEmissionsGuidance

KEYWORDS: bier, Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable (BIER), greenhouse gas emissions

SOURCE:Sysco

DESCRIPTION:

Our distribution facilities receive, and thousands of Sysco trucks deliver, a vast assortment of food and nonfood items – including refrigerated and frozen products. That presents a big opportunity to drive environmental efficiency at every step. We’re committed to reducing the carbon footprint of our fleet and operations and expanding the use of renewable and alternative energy sources. We’ve also pledged to divert 90 percent of waste from landfill.

To learn more about Sysco's commitment to Delivering A Better Tomorrow, read their 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility report here.

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:.@Sysco is committed to #DeliveringABetterTomorrow. What does better look like to Sysco? Better is… Resource Efficient! http://bit.ly/2zIDbK3 #CSR2018Report

KEYWORDS: NYSE:SYY, Sysco

SOURCE:Bloomberg

DESCRIPTION:

View on Bloomberg.com

WMD's. Not weapons of mass destruction but women, millennials and diversity. Jean Case, Case Foundation CEO, says it's an economic and innovation imperative to focus on such communities left on the sidelines of responsible investment. Watch her conversation with Ramy Inocencio on the sidelines of Bloomberg's inaugural Global Responsible Investing Forum, as part of the inagural Sustainable Finance Week in New York.

Tweet me:What's the case for WMD's & responsible investing? Not weapons of mass destruction! But women, millennials & diversity. @bloomberg @ramyinocencio sat down with @CaseFoundation CEO @jeancase to discuss. #grif #sustainablefinanceweek http://bit.ly/2zMzfIi

KEYWORDS: Bloomberg, sfw, grif, Global Responsible Investing Forum, Ramy Inocencio, Sustainable Finance Week, jean case, Case Foundation

Schools Grants support school bee hives, children’s education and awareness about the vital role that bees play in food systems

SOURCE:Whole Foods Market Foundations

DESCRIPTION:

AUSTIN, Texas, December 13, 2018 /3BL Media/ — Whole Kids Foundation announced today that it has awarded Bee Hive Grants to two schools in Washington, D.C. with money raised from the inaugural Give Bees a Chance campaign held this summer. Grant recipients include District of Columbia International School and Hearst Elementary School. Each school will receive support for an educational bee hive on campus, providing students with learning opportunities around science, ecology, nutrition, business and agriculture learning opportunities.

As a central element of the Give Bees a Chance fundraising campaign this past June, five top chefs from across the country joined forces with Whole Kids Foundation to host fundraising dinners in their respective cities. In Washington, D.C., Roberto Santibañez, culinary director of Mi Vida in D.C. and chef/owner of Fonda restaurants in New York City, hosted a dinner with with Susana Trilling, cookbook author, PBS-TV host, and a renowned authority on Oaxacan cuisine. In total, the month-long fundraising campaign raised $60,000 to fund 30 new educational bee programs at K-12 schools and non-profits in 23 states.

“One of the best ways we can teach kids about bees is through educational hives at their schools, where they get an up-close, but safe look into the world of pollination,” said Nona Evans, president and executive director, Whole Kids Foundation. “We have a well-established school garden network in Washington, D.C., and a small-but-growing number of schools with beehives. We are excited to increase our support at these two new schools as a result of this campaign.”

Whole Kids Foundation’s Bee Hive Grant program provides support for grant recipients in a variety of ways. All grant recipients receive consultation on safety and use of the hive from The Bee Cause Project and each recipient must have a ‘bee mentor,’ or a certified beekeeper that provides onging consultation and assistance.

Over the past three years, 270 hives have been awarded by Whole Kids Foundation, at a cost of $488,000 and impacting 226,317 students in the U.S. and Canada. The hives also support the health of bee populations, as an unprecedented amount of honey bees are perishing each year due to colony collapse disorder (CCD). The phenomenon occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear due to loss of habitat, immune system decline and attack of pest, mites and diseases.

Whole Foods Market covers all of the foundation’s operational costs to allow 100 percent of every dollar donated to directly support Whole Kids Foundation programs, including the Bee Hive Grant program.

For more information on Whole Kids Foundation Bee Hive Grants and how to apply, visit wholekidsfoundation.org/schools/honey-bee-grant. Additionally, those interested can also sign up for the Whole Kids Foundation newsletter to get up-to-date information on all of the foundation’s initiatives.

About Whole Kids Foundation^®

Whole Kids Foundation, a Whole Foods Market foundation, is based in Austin, Texas, and operates as an independent, nonprofit organization. By empowering schools and inspiring families, the Foundation aims to help children reach optimal health through the strength of a healthy body fueled by nutritious food.  For more information on the Foundation’s programs including school gardens, salad bars and nutrition education for teachers, visit wholekidsfoundation.org. 

###

Tweet me:.@WholeKidsFnd has awarded Bee Hive Grants to two schools in Washington, D.C. with money raised from the inaugural Give Bees a Chance campaign held this summer http://bit.ly/2A007V7

Contact Info:

Ann Marie Ricard
Curator for Whole Kids Foundation
+1 (206) 683-0552
annmarie.ricard@curatorpr.com

KEYWORDS: Whole Kids Foundation, Whole Foods Market, Bee Hive Grants

Together We Intend to Overcome Barriers to Access Treatment and Secure Supply of Pediatric Antiretroviral Therapy Formulations

SOURCE:Johnson & Johnson

DESCRIPTION:

Vatican City,  Johnson & Johnson announced that Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, part of its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, is working with the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) with the intention of expanding access to lifesaving HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) for children in the developing world. The initiative seeks to address the fact that only about half of children under age 15 in the developing world are benefiting from ART. This was announced at a conference on pediatric HIV care taking place today in the Vatican City.

“In recent years, we have seen an expansionin access to HIV therapies in developing countries, but for too many of the world’s children, these medicines have been out of reach,” said Paul Stoffels, M.D., Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer, Johnson & Johnson. “Together with PEPFAR, and other global partners, our goal is to extend availability to the young by ensuring that children and adolescents living with HIV have access to sustainable, high-quality, and appropriate treatment.”

Worldwide, approximately 1.8 million children under age 15 have HIV, and almost 90% are living in sub-Saharan Africa. Only 52% of these children are on HIV treatment. Even with ART, rates of treatment success for children and adolescents are consistently lower than those for adults across Africa. Studies have shown that most children failing ART have evidence of drug resistance, highlighting the urgent need for follow-on (second- or third-line) treatment regimens towhich resistance has not developed.

To accelerate the expansion of HIV treatment access to children, particularly those in need of follow-on regimens, Janssen will work to provide sustainable access to a pediatric formulation of its medicine, darunavir 75mg. Working with the United States Agency for International Development, through PEPFAR,we are developing an alternate procurement model to overcome the current lack of market incentives for generic manufacturers to supply pediatric antiretroviral medicines such as darunavir. While these medicines are critical for children in need of alternative HIV therapies, currently they are requested andpurchased in relatively small quantitiescompared to similar medicines for adults, which represents a challenge for generic manufacturers.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in delivering HIV therapies to people in developing countries, overall, but we need to do better for children,” said Ambassador Deborah L. Birx, M.D., U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator & U.S. Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy. “Children are more prone to developing drug resistance to first-line therapies, and yet the supply of the second-line medicines they need is constrained. By working together with innovator companies like Johnson & Johnson, as well as generic manufacturers, PEPFAR isdetermined to address this critical gap.Because we know that if we don’t take actionnow, the pediatric HIV care challenge will only grow.”

For nearly five years Janssen has been working to address the needs of this significantly underserved population in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2013, Janssen launched the New Horizons Collaborative, a first-of-its-kind pediatric HIV treatment donation program now available in 10 countries, to provide darunavir and etravirine, including child-friendly formulations, free of charge to eligible countries with the clinical capacity and willingness to address second- and third-line pediatric HIV treatment. Learn more about the program here: http://www.newhorizonshiv.com.

###

Johnson & Johnson’s Commitment to Make HIV History

Johnson & Johnson has a 25-year heritage of working to end the AIDS epidemic. Our Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies have brought eight HIV therapies to market. We are committed to working with our global partners in the quest to #MakeHIVhistory. To achieve this goal, we are working strategically across three key fronts: prevention, treatment and the search for a cure.Specifically, we are:

• Advancing innovative new HIV prevention tools, including a ‘global vaccine’ in development at our Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies
• Bringing new, innovative and simpler treatment options from Janssen to children, adolescents and adults living with HIV
• Exploring novel HIV cure strategies, including the potential role of therapeutic vaccines in achieving a functional cure

Additionally, the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies collaborates with numerous patient advocacy groups and supports more than 100 philanthropic programs in more than 50 least-developed countries to address the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.

About Johnson & Johnson

At Johnson & Johnson, we believe good health is the foundation of vibrant lives, thriving communities and forward progress. That’s why for more than 130 years, we have aimed to keep people well at every age and every stage of life. Today, as the world’s largest and most broadly-based healthcare company, we are committed to using our reach and size for good. We strive to improve access and affordability, create healthier communities, and put a healthy mind, body and environment within reach of everyone, everywhere. We are blending our heart, science and ingenuity to profoundly change the trajectory of health for humanity. Learn more at www.jnj.com. Follow us at @jnjglobalhealth.

About the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson

At the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, we are working to create a world without disease. Transforming lives by finding new and better ways to prevent, intercept, treat and cure disease inspires us. We bring together the best minds and pursue the most promising science. We are Janssen. We collaborate with the world for the health of everyone in it. Learn more at www.janssen.com. Follow us at @JanssenGlobal. Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V.is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.

Tweet me:Janssen Pharmaceutica NV is working with the PEPFAR with the intention of expanding access to lifesaving #HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) for children in the developing world. http://bit.ly/2Pnj2xT #healthforhumanity @JNJNews

KEYWORDS: Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Johnson and Johnson, hiv care, antiretroviral therapy

SOURCE:National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM)

DESCRIPTION:

The future of environment, health, safety and sustainability (EHS&S), management will be driven by technology, and NAEM today announced plans to showcase that future at its 2019 Software Innovation and Technology Showcase on March 12-14 at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans.

“EHS&S technology is no longer limited to software alone,” said NAEM Executive Director Carol Singer Neuvelt. “We have therefore designed our annual TECH conference to address common challenges, demonstrate best practices and explore emerging opportunities for using technology to achieve business results for users across the full spectrum of the maturity curve.”

Since 2001, NAEM’s annual technology conference has been the premier opportunity for software users to discuss data management challenges and share solutions. Starting this year, the program will now offer tracks on how companies are optimizing performance through software, as well as a new focus on how companies are integrating innovations such as smart sensors, artificial intelligence and drones into their programs.

For those who are in the market for a new data management system, the conference will continue to feature user-led demonstrations of the leading software systems, a full exhibit hall of providers, and workshops to support the selection process. The conference will also offer dedicated time for one-on-one meetings between shoppers and providers. 

The discussion will begin on March 12 at the Arcadis Thought Leadership Forum, hosted by Arcadis, a leading provider of consulting services for those who are shopping for new systems, implementing software and integrating technology into their EHS&S programs.  

On March 13, NAEM will host two morning workshops to help software buyers optimize the key selection and implementation processes.  That afternoon, the conference will open with a keynote panel discussion on how technology is poised to transform EHS&S management, followed by user demonstrations and case studies organized into three tracks: ‘Digitizing your EHS Management System’, ‘Leveraging your Software System to Minimize Risk’ and ‘Harnessing Innovations to Unlock Breakthrough Results’.

To learn more about this year’s agenda or to register, please visit http://ehsmis.naem.org/index.php.

Tweet me:The future of EHS and Sustainability management will be driven by #technology. NAEM to showcase these innovations at its 2019 TECH conference on 3/12-14 in New Orleans. http://bit.ly/2QwfIpA @NAEMorg #EMIS #software

KEYWORDS: EHS software, sustainability software, EMIS, smart sensors, drones, naem, Arcadis, EHS data management

Follows on the success of the program in New York, London, Hong Kong and Toronto

SOURCE:Bloomberg

DESCRIPTION:

Originally posted on bloomberg.com.

Bloomberg today announced the expansion of the news organization’s New Voices initiative to Sydney, Mumbai, Dubai and San Francisco in 2019, following on the success of similar launches this year in New York, London, Toronto, and Hong Kong.

The program, which is funded by Bloomberg, provides one-on-one media training for top women executives in finance and business — assisted by local trainers from Burson Cohn & Wolfe — with the goal of getting the women TV-ready for interviews on Bloomberg TV and other outside outlets.

At the recent Conference Board’s West Coast Diversity & Inclusion Conference in San Francisco, Bloomberg News Senior Executive Editor for Diversity, Talent, Standards and Training Laura Zelenko, who is spearheading the New Voices initiative, spoke about limiting bias in the newsroom.

“Diversity both internally and externally, from who reports, writes and edits the stories to the outside sources we choose to interview and bring on Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg Radio, is imperative to staying competitive today, for making sure we’re finding the right, most important stories to tell, and for ensuring what we report and write is always accurate, fair and balanced,” she said.

Here’s a glimpse of the progress Bloomberg News is making in amplifying women’s voices across platforms:

• Bloomberg News’ global database of women experts has quadrupled this year to more than 2,300 names.
• The percentage of women guests brought in as expert commentators on Bloomberg TV has climbed to 18% in the most recent month, up from 10% at the start of 2018.
• The percentage of stories that quote or cite a woman expert on Bloomberg’s TOP, or front, pages has increased to almost 10% from about 2.5% in March and is growing at an average pace of 13% a week.
• Bloomberg’s panel policy that enforces gender diversity has influenced programming at events around the world, and it has improved the discussion at Bloomberg’s own events.

“Our work is far from finished. What we can’t do is lose momentum or weaken the urgency,” Ms. Zelenko added. “From what we’ve learned, there are some best practices that can be replicated industry to industry. On the one hand, we need to create processes that can be measured, with tracking tools and metrics to review. On the other, these efforts must be carried out simultaneously with cultural change to truly ensure durable impact.”

KEYWORDS: Bloomberg, bloombergnews, newvoices, diversityandinclusion

SOURCE:Smithfield Foods

DESCRIPTION:

SMITHFIELD, Va., December 13, 2018 /3BL Media/ — Smithfield Foods, Inc. is pleased to announce a $15,000 donation to the Sullivan County Exposition Center & Fairgrounds to support the construction of an outdoor amphitheater overlooking Lake Cowgill that will be utilized for events throughout the year.

“Our goal is to provide a venue that delivers recreational, social, educational, and cultural opportunities for Sullivan County families,” said Cary Maulsby, board member, Sullivan County Exposition Center & Fairgounds. “We are grateful to Smithfield Foods for their donation in helping make this project happen.”

The Sullivan County Exposition Center & Fairgrounds, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that hosts community events throughout the year. The current facility features a rodeo performance area, a tractor pulling track, a demolition derby or mud run arena, and a livestock barn and show arena. With the help of Smithfield’s gift, the organization will add an amphitheater as well as a youth campground and permanent shower and restroom facilities. Future plans also include the development of a multipurpose 400-seat exposition center.   

“This amphitheater is going to be a tremendous asset to this community and we’re proud of the recreational and cultural impact it will have on our neighbors here in Sullivan County,” said Tim Messman, plant manager of Smithfield’s Milan, Missouri Facility. “Smithfield Foods has a strong commitment to support the communities we call home, and we are thrilled to be able to provide this gift to the Sullivan County Exposition Center & Fairgrounds to make this dream a reality.”

Smithfield’s support of the Sullivan County Exposition Center & Fairgrounds aligns with its commitment to contribute to the vitality of the communities where its employees live and work. Smithfield’s Milan, Missouri, facility was established in 1994 and employs nearly 1,200 local employees.

For more information about Smithfield’s commitment to its local communities, please visit smithfieldfoods.com/helpingcommunities.

About Smithfield Foods

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

Media Contacts:

Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Lisa Martin

lvmartin@smithfield.com 

(757) 365-1980

Sullivan County Exposition Center & Fairgrounds

Cary Maulsby

carymaulsby@windstream.net

(660) 265-5683

Tweet me:.@SmithfieldFoods donate $15,000 to the Sullivan County Exposition Center & Fairgrounds for the construction of an outdoor amphitheater overlooking Lake Cowgill http://bit.ly/2zXwW4V

KEYWORDS: Smithfield Foods, Outdoor Amphitheater, Donations

SOURCE:Ethical Corporation

DESCRIPTION:

December 13, 2018 /3BL Media/ Leading US mayors join CEOs and business leaders from North America’s most innovative, responsible brands to discuss how to lead the change to a sustainable future through investments, collaboration and innovation at Ethical Corporation’s Responsible Business Summit New York, March 18-19.

James Kenny, Mayor, City of Philadelphia joins Ravinder Bhalla and Jon Mitchell, Mayors of the city of Hoboken and New Bedford respectively, to discuss the role local government has to play in the fight against climate change and what the clean, smart city of the future looks like.

The two-day conference, taking place March 18-19, will host 500 CEOs, business leaders, investors, government representatives and NGOs from the likes of;

• Jostein Solheim, executive vice president, F&R, Unilever
• Satya Tripathi, assistant secretary-general, UN Environment
• Ernesto Ciorra, chief innovability officer, Enel
• John Kern, senior vice president, supply chain operations, Cisco
• Marilyn Ceci, managing director, head of green bonds, J.P. Morgan
• Andy Pharoah, vice president, corporate affairs, strategic initiatives & sustainability, Mars
• Virginie Helias, vice president global sustainability, P&G

• John Hocevar, ocean campaign director, Greenpeace

Public-private partnerships are essential in tackling the unprecedented environmental threats that the planet faces. It’s up to businesses, investors, NGOs and local and state governments to step up when others aren’t showing leadership. Shape the future and collaborate with the best at #RBSNY19

The latest agenda, along with the up-to-date speaker line-up, can be seen here.

The Responsible Business Summit is the USA’s premier platform where senior practitioners from across the country meet and share practical ideas on how their businesses can lead the change to a new sustainable future. There is no fluff, just actionable insights and honest discussions on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

More information about the event can be found here. Currently, passes for the event our discounted by $400. To confirm a place at next year’s event click here.

For further details contact Ed Long, Project Director at Ethical Corporation at ed.long@ethicalcorp.com or call +44 (0) 207 375 7188.

[Ends]

Ethical Corporation’s mission is to help businesses around the globe do the right thing by their customers and the world. We believe this is not only how to ensure a future for all but makes good business sense. We serve CSR, compliance, risk and governance communities with topical and insightful business intelligence and meeting places.

We provide business intelligence to more than 3,000 multinational companies every year. Our customers are also NGOs, think-tanks, academia, governments and consultancies. We publish the leading responsible business magazine, website, and events – and organize conferences are widely recognized as the best in the field.

Tweet me:Mayors of the City of Philadelphia, Hoboken and New Bedford to speak at @Ethical_Corp #RBSNY next March 18-19. Currently, passes for the event our discounted by $400. To confirm a place at next year’s event click here https://events.ethicalcorp.com/rbs-ny/register.php

KEYWORDS: Ethical Corp, Philadelphia, Hoboken, New Bedford, Responsible Business Summit New York 2019

The Civic 50 Annual Survey Recognizes Leaders in Community Building and Corporate Citizenship

SOURCE:Points of Light

DESCRIPTION:

ATLANTA, December 13, 2018 /3BL Media/ – Today, Points of Light opens The Civic 50 survey, an annual initiative that recognizes the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States. Now in its seventh year, The Civic 50 serves to recognize stronger corporate commitment to community through engagement, volunteerism, and social impact strategies.  

Participation in The Civic 50 survey is open to companies with revenue of $1 billion or higher, that are prioritizing community-building, enhancing corporate citizenship, and delivering innovative employee volunteer programs.

“Points of Light recognizes the key role that businesses play as leaders in their communities and stewards of resources,” said Natalye Paquin, president and CEO, Points of Light. “We’re proud to continue working with leading companies in understanding how they continue to prioritize their impact on doing social good through their investments. As we see each year, the momentum is growing for more and more companies to focus on this work.”

The Civic 50 serves as a roadmap, to view trends over time, and help see changes and leaders in corporate service. Honorees from The Civic 50 in 2018 are leading in prioritizing community-building and corporate citizenship. Findings from last year’s survey show:

• 70% have taken national leadership positions on public education or policy efforts, while employees have volunteered more than 13 million hours.
• Employee volunteer program participation is increasing, with 100% supporting individual and group volunteer recognition.
• 60% measure employee engagement as a business outcome.

A technical assistance webinar will be held on the survey launch day, Thursday, Dec. 13, at 12 p.m. Applications will be accepted Dec. 13, 2018, through March 15, 2019. Results will be announced at the Points of Light Conference in June. Visit Civic50.org to register for the technical assistance webinar and participate in the survey.

The Civic 50 survey is an initiative of Points of Light and is powered by True Impact, a web-based measurement tool and benchmarking network for the charitable sector.

For more information, visit Civic50.org or email civic50@pointsoflight.org.

ABOUT POINTS OF LIGHT

Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities across 37 countries and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages 5 million volunteers in 20 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people where it’s needed most. For more information, visit www.pointsoflight.org.

ABOUT TRUE IMPACT

True Impact provides web-based tools and consulting support to help organizations measure the social, financial and environmental return on investment (ROI) of their programs and operations. For more information, visit www.TrueImpact.com.

Tweet me:Points of Light Seeks the Most Community-Minded Companies in the United States: http://bit.ly/2EtHQn6

KEYWORDS: Points of Light