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Spreading The Art Of Making Powerful Positive Media

05.25.2012 - 11:28AM

Intent on spreading good ideas and positive media around the globe, Actuality Media is kicking off a three-country Central America summer tour just a week after becoming a Certified B Corporation^TMand just two weeks before finding out if the company will be honored by Go Abroad as an innovative new program in the study abroad field.

The Summer Outreaches start with a return to Guatemala, filming for the first time in the mountain city of Quetzaltenango – a city full of nonprofits, social entrepreneurs and other changemakers that will no doubt herald many return visits in years to come. Afterwards the staff head to Costa Rica for the first time to meet up with new crews looking to film eco-centered changemakers. Last of the summer will be a return to Nicaragua for the first outreach in León, a once war-torn northern city.

Though Actuality Media is happy to embody a drive to change the world with international outreaches and other programs, the organization has gone a step further to become a Certified B Corporation^TM. B Corporations are a new kind of company which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems; companies that meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. As of January 2012, there are over 515 Certified B Corporations from over 50 industries, representing a diverse multi-billion marketplace, and we are glad to join their ranks.

While the Actuality Media staff are on the ground in Guatemala, they will be eagerly awaiting news at the end of May from the GoAbroad Innovation Awards ceremony at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators Annual Conference in Houston, Texas. Actuality Media is currently honored to be listed amongst several other great programs as finalists in the Innovative New Program – Internship category.

Actuality Media is a social enterprise that creates positive media. Actuality Media outreaches take top students to developing communities around the world to produce short documentaries that tell stories that matter about changemakers working to solve chronic social problems. For more information visit www.actualitymedia.org.

Barrick Delivers $13 Billion in Economic Value Added in 2011

05.25.2012 - 10:43AM

Barrick Gold Corporation’s operations added $13 billion in economic value to its host countries in 2011, up from more than $9 billion a year earlier. This figure includes local and regional purchases, employee salaries, taxes and royalties and $47 million in community investments to improve quality of life.

“At Barrick, we recognize that our business has a significant economic impact and can be a catalyst for positive social change,” said Barrick President and CEO Aaron Regent. “Our approach is to create shared value for our shareholders and for the people whose resources we are developing in more than a dozen countries worldwide. While Barrick’s contribution to developing economies is often most evident, we also see this strong impact in places like Nevada, where the gold mining industry has been a bright spot through tough economic times.”

Currently, about 45 percent of Barrick’s global gold production is from North America, primarily from Nevada. The company’s contribution to the state’s economy is featured in the May edition of Beyond Borders magazine. While Nevada led the U.S. in unemployment during the recession, the mining industry was one of the few sources of job creation. As Barrick expands its presence in the state, it is continuing to create jobs and generate new opportunities for hundreds of Nevada businesses. Barrick employs more than 5,000 people at its Nevada operations, and expects to add about 330 new employees this year, after hiring a similar number in 2011. In 2012, the company is allocating about 45 percent of its $450 million to $490 million overall exploration budget to North America, the majority for Nevada. That represents a substantial increase over last year’s exploration spend in the state.

“We announced a major discovery in Nevada last year, which has the potential to be one of the most significant gold discoveries of the last number of decades,” Regent said. “As we develop this discovery, and continue to build our existing business, we believe Barrick has a significant role to play as Nevada continues on its path to recovery.”

Earlier this year, Barrick also announced the establishment of a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Advisory Board and named five individuals to serve as inaugural members. The Advisory Board’s role is to provide advice and guidance to Barrick management on the company’s global CSR performance and evolving best practices. The Board held its first meeting in April in Toronto, which included discussions on the environment, safety and health, community relations and security and human rights.

The latest edition of Beyond Borders also provides an update on the company’s $5 million project to support the rebuilding effort in several Chilean communities devastated by a massive earthquake in 2010. In March, a ceremony was held in the town of Boyeruca to celebrate the reopening of a school destroyed during the earthquake. It is one of three schools that Barrick helped rebuild in communities in Chile’s coastal region of Maule. In nearby Vichuquén, Barrick is contributing funds for the reconstruction of 24 houses that are designated historic sites and the town’s city hall.

In Peru, Barrick recently inaugurated the Alto Chicama Commitment, a new CSR initiative that brings together government and non-governmental organizations working with the company in the La Libertad region. Barrick’s partners in the program include World Vision, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Sodexo Foundation, the BBVA Foundation, Wayra SRL, the Apoyo Institute, the Alternative Farming Institute and Exporting Highlands. While Barrick has been working with each organization individually to improve education, farming and small business development, this collaboration will allow the organizations to leverage their combined expertise and efforts to maximize benefits for local communities.

The Alto Chicama Commitment builds on the success of the Atacama Commitment, a public-private sector alliance initiated by Barrick in 2008 to alleviate poverty in Chile’s Atacama region. One of the many noteworthy programs being implemented under that initiative is a $6.5 million housing project that Barrick is undertaking with its partner A Roof for Chile. In all, 700 new homes are being built for 1,200 people currently living in substandard housing. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed this summer.

In Tanzania, African Barrick Gold (ABG) recently signed Village Benefit Agreements (VBAs) with all seven villages near the company’s North Mara mine, marking a key milestone in a plan to improve community relations with its neighbors. The VBAs provide for an $8.5 million investment in the villages over a three-year period. They are a key component of the North Mara Co-existence plan, whose goal is to build trust, improve relations with local villages and address long-standing legacy issues at this operation.

Beyond Borders also includes an update on the ABG Maendeleo Fund. The fund is the largest corporate community development fund in Tanzania with an annual budget of $10 million.

About Barrick

Barrick Gold Corporation is a Toronto-based gold mining company and industry leader, with a portfolio of 26 operating mines, and projects on five continents. Barrick trades on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges and employs 25,000 people worldwide. The company has been ranked as a world leader in social and environmental responsibility for the fourth consecutive year by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Barrick is also listed on the NASDAQ Global Sustainability Index of the top 100 companies.

About Beyond Borders

Beyond Borders magazine is published by Barrick Gold Corporation and features the latest news and updates on Barrick’s social, environmental, safety and economic development programs.

Learn more at www.BarrickBeyondBorders.com.

You can also follow Barrick on Twitter and Barrick on Facebook.

CSX to Welcome EDF Climate Corps Fellow to Help Improve Energy Efficiency

05.23.2012 - 04:58PM

For the third consecutive year, CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) will welcome an MBA student from Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Corps summer fellowship program to help the company identify ways to improve energy and cost efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The EDF Climate Corps program brings CSX’s brightest minds together with tomorrow’s leaders to solve problems to the benefit of our employees, customers and communities,” said Carl Gerhardstein, assistant vice president, environmental systems and sustainability. “CSX’s participation in this innovative program is an important part of our commitment to environmental stewardship and helps us achieve our emissions reduction goals.”

In 2011, CSX and the EDF Climate Corps fellow analyzed air compressors at rail yard facilities and the CSX Data Center in Jacksonville, Fla. Together, the team identified potential cost savings of more than $1.2 million and greenhouse gas emissions savings of nearly 3,000 metric tons annually. The 2010 partnership identified annual savings of more than $160,000, 1.5 million kWh of electricity (enough to power 140 homes), and 940 metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of removing 150 SUVs from the road.

This year, CSX’s EDF Climate Corps fellow will work with the company’s environmental and operations teams to develop a program to educate employees about how to save energy. The fellow will also conduct an energy audit of the Waycross, Georgia facility, including evaluating the energy efficiency of air compressors powering the yard’s operations.

“CSX’s renewed participation in EDF Climate Corps supports our goal of making aggressive energy efficiency the norm in organizations across America,” said Victoria Mills, managing director, EDF. “Working with companies like CSX for multiple years allows us to dive deeper into their energy management practices, and recommend solutions that deliver lasting energy savings.”

“Participating in the EDF Climate Corps program supports CSX’s overall sustainability strategy and environmental stewardship goals,” Gerhardstein said. “Thanks to programs like EDF Climate Corps, CSX was able to meet its greenhouse gas emissions intensity reduction goal in 2011, a year earlier than projected. CSX is now working to set a new emissions reduction goal, supported by the EDF Climate Corps results.”

For more information about CSX’s environmental initiatives, visit the responsibility tab of www.csx.com and www.beyondourrails.org/environment.

Environmental Defense Fund is a leading national nonprofit organization representing more than 700,000 members. Since 1967, EDF has linked science, economics, law, and innovative private sector partnerships to create transformational solutions to the most urgent environmental problems.

About CSX

CSX Corporation, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation’s leading transportation companies, providing rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services. The company's transportation network spans approximately 21,000 miles, with service to 23 eastern states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. CSX’s network connects more than 240 short line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river, and lake ports. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).

Eurovision Song Contest: Are some company sponsors ignoring concerns about human rights in Azerbaijan?

05.23.2012 - 11:17AM

As the Eurovision Song Contest gets underway, with the finals this Saturday in Azerbaijan, some companies sponsoring the event are refusing to respond to concerns raised about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre contacted 7 companies that are official sponsors or partners of Eurovision 2012, or of national entrants. The Centre asked each to respond to concerns about human rights abuses in connection with the hosting of Eurovision in Azerbaijan.

Widespread and systematic abuses of human rights by the Government of Azerbaijan have been reported for years by Azerbaijani human rights advocates, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch. Recent allegations include the eviction of people to make way for the Eurovision concert hall, and reported attempts to "silence dissent" before the contest is held.

Three Azerbaijani companies sponsoring Eurovision 2012 have so far failed to respond to the human rights concerns:

Gilan Holding
Silk Way Airlines
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR)

“We are disappointed that these 3 companies have not responded to serious human rights concerns relating to an event they are sponsoring – we hope that they will respond now. We will soon be informing the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights how each company responded – or failed to respond,” said Danielle McMullan, Researcher at Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.

Four companies responded – click here to see their responses:

Azercell (Azerbaijan), part of TeliaSonera (Sweden) – Azercell is the Presenting Partner of Eurovision 2012.
Schwarzkopf, part of Henkel (Germany) – Schwarzkopf is an official sponsor of Eurovision 2012.
Metro Sweden, part of Metro Intl. (Sweden) – Metro Sweden is the media partner / official sponsor of the Swedish selection for Eurovision 2012.
MTN Cyprus (Cyprus), part of MTN Group (South Africa) – MTN Cyprus is a sponsor of the Cypriot entrant for Eurovision 2012.

“We asked these seven companies to respond because Human Rights Watch and others have made the point that sponsoring events in a country where human rights abuses are widespread can be seen as endorsing the government”, said Christopher Avery, Director of Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. “The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights state that all companies ‘should identify and assess any actual or potential adverse human rights impacts with which they may be involved either through their own activities or as a result of their business relationships.’”

Last week Business & Human Rights Resource Centre issued another press release about Azerbaijan: “As Eurovision Song Contest approaches, concerns about hidden cameras in Azerbaijan hotel rooms”. Marta Kasztelan, Researcher at Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, explains: “We sought responses from companies that own leading hotels in Azerbaijan to reports that cameras have repeatedly been planted in hotel rooms in the country to record journalists and critics of the government having sex in order to blackmail them. One victim said that visitors to Azerbaijan for Eurovision 2012 should be aware that cameras are sometimes planted in hotel rooms.” All the hotel companies responded to the Resource Centre – their responses are on this webpage.

If any organization or individual wishes to comment on this issue, or on the company responses, the Resource Centre will also post those statements on its website. If those comments criticise the response of a particular company, the Resource Centre will invite that company to respond to the criticism.

About the Resource Centre

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is an independent non-profit organization that encourages companies to respect human rights, by promoting transparency and accountability. Our website links to reports on the human rights impacts (positive & negative) of 5100 companies worldwide, and provides guidance tools to assist companies, NGOs and others working in this field.

When human rights concerns are raised by civil society, we invite companies to respond, and post each company response alongside the concerns. The usual response rate to the Resource Centre is 75% globally. Since 2005 the Centre has invited over 1000 company responses, to a range of human rights concerns. A record of all past responses and non-responses is here. Victims and NGOs thank us for bringing global attention to their concerns and for eliciting responses from companies. Companies thank us for including their perspective and for providing the opportunity to present their responses in full. This process often leads to real improvements on the ground.

Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and President of Ireland, is Chair of the Centre’s International Advisory Network. Our Academic Partners comprise 23 leading academic institutions. The Centre’s researchers are based in Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Senegal, South Africa, UK, Ukraine and USA.

For further details, see the "About us" section of our website.

Aflac Releases 2012 Corporate Citizenship Report

05.23.2012 - 08:57AM

/PRNewswire/ - Aflac, the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, and the number one life insurance company in Japan, in terms of policies in force, released its 2012 Corporate Citizenship Report today. The report, which covers 2011 up to March 31, 2012, represents the activities and events that demonstrate Aflac's strong commitment to its community, the environment and its employees.

"Like any company, Aflac survives on profits, but we thrive on principles," Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos said. "Our reputation as a good citizen and a company that cares is an important part of who we are, so I am pleased to share the accomplishments highlighted in this report that represent our commitment to customers, shareholders and our community."

Aflac's Corporate Citizenship Report focuses primarily on the company's commitment to diversity, sustainability and philanthropy in both the United States and Japan, where combined, the company serves more than 50 million people. Aflac believes that being a socially responsible company contributes to its continued strong performance as a business.

Highlights of the report include:

Aflac's strong commitment to diversity, including a workforce that includes 39 percent minorities, 67 percent women and 49 percent women at supervisor level or above,
Aflac's history of financial and human resource support for the Aflac Cancer Center ($70 million contributed as of Dec. 31, 2011),
Aflac's progress as a sustainable company, including entry to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for the first time in 2011, and
Aflac Japan's commitment to children, the environment and their community.

ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have helped provide a safety net and given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac insurance provides protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For six consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2012, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For for the 14th consecutive year. Also, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 11th time in 2012. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or aflacenespanol.com.

Aflac, the number one provider of supplemental insurance in the United States, and the number one life insurance company in Japan, in terms of policies in force, released its 2012 Corporate Citizenship Report today. The report, which covers 2011 up to March 31, 2012, represents the activities and events that demonstrate Aflac's strong commitment to its community, the environment and its employees.

Highlights of the report include:

Aflac's strong commitment to diversity, including a workforce that includes 39 percent minorities, 67 percent women and 49 percent women at supervisor level or above,
Aflac's history of financial and human resource support for the Aflac Cancer Center ($70 million contributed as of Dec. 31, 2011),
Aflac's progress as a sustainable company, including entry to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for the first time in 2011, and
Aflac Japan's commitment to children, the environment and their community.

ABOUT AFLAC
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have helped provide a safety net and given policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac insurance provides protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For six consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. In 2012, Fortune magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For for the 14th consecutive year. Also, Fortune magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 11th time in 2012. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or aflacenespanol.com.

Source: PR Newswire (http://s.tt/1czF0)

Deckers Outdoor Corporation Joins Ceres Company Network

05.22.2012 - 09:45AM

Ceres announced today that it is has approved Deckers Outdoor Corporation (NASDAQ:DECK), a footwear and accessories company headquartered in Goleta, California, as a Ceres Network Company. Deckers manufactures footwear and accessories under the brands UGG® Australia, Teva®, Sanuk®, Ahnu®, Tsubo® and MOZO®. Companies that join Ceres commit to improve their sustainability disclosure and performance by engaging with investors, environmental and social groups and other stakeholders.

“Ceres is proud to welcome Deckers into our growing network of companies dedicated to improving their sustainability performance,” said Mindy Lubber, Ceres President. “While the company is still early on in its sustainability journey, Deckers has already made real progress on key sustainability issues including measuring the impact of its water and energy use and identifying opportunities to reduce the footprint of the products they sell. Ceres looks forward to working with Deckers to further embed sustainability across its business.”

Deckers began measuring the environmental impact of its energy use for the first time in 2010. This year the company plans to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of its first tier factories with a goal to collect energy data from over 50% of factories and key suppliers by the end of 2012. Deckers also committed to minimizing the environmental footprint of water and waste in its operations—and will complete its water footprint assessment in 2012. Moving forward, Deckers will work closely with Ceres to strategically identify priorities for reducing the footprint of its direct operations, as well as its supply chain.

To reduce the impact of its products, Deckers is now considering sustainability at the design stage. Working with other companies in the outdoor and apparel industries, the company is helping to test and further develop the Sustainable Apparel Index—an environmental assessment tool used to measure and reduce the social and environmental impacts of products. Once the tool is finalized, Deckers will use it to identify areas for improved efficiency, cost savings and reduced impact through the use of more sustainable materials.

“It’s an honor to be approved as a Ceres Network Member,” said Deckers Outdoor Corporation’s Zohar Ziv, Chief Operating Officer. “We are moving in the right direction under our commitment to our Corporate Responsibility goals, but know we can do bigger and better things toward sustainability with the support of Ceres and its member companies.”

Working with Ceres, Deckers will publish its first sustainability report using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines. The company will also work with Ceres to formalize a robust stakeholder engagement program. Drawing on members of the Ceres Coalition, Ceres will work with Deckers to engage and learn from a diversity of stakeholders including investors, social and environmental groups and other key stakeholders.

About Ceres

Ceres is an advocate for sustainability leadership. Ceres mobilizes a powerful coalition of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy. Ceres also directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of 100 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $10 trillion.

For more information, visit http://www.ceres.org and http://www.incr.com.

About Deckers Outdoor Corporation

Deckers Outdoor Corporation is a premier lifestyle marketer that builds niche brands into global market leaders by designing and marketing innovative, functional and fashion-oriented footwear developed for both high performance outdoor activities and everyday casual lifestyle use. Teva®, Sanuk®, UGG® Australia, TSUBO®, Ahnu® and MOZO® are registered trademarks of Deckers Outdoor Corporation.

BD and Heart to Heart International Collaborate on Second Volunteer Service Trip to Help Improve Healthcare in Haiti

05.21.2012 - 03:31PM

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE:BDX), a leading global medical technology company, and Heart to Heart International, a humanitarian medical aid nonprofit organization, are teaming up for their second joint volunteer initiative to strengthen healthcare in Haiti. A team of 16 BD employees from around the world will build upon the progress made by their colleagues in 2011 during BD’s first Volunteer Service Trip to Haiti. This year, a new team of employees have volunteered to travel to Haiti for three weeks to continue BD’s work with Heart to Heart partners at medical clinics to improve the country’s ability to provide community healthcare services.

“This is BD’s seventh volunteer trip to help strengthen healthcare capacity in underserved regions by sharing some of our Company’s greatest assets – our employees and their expertise – with local care providers,” said Vincent A. Forlenza, Chief Executive Officer and President, BD. “Working with an organization like Heart to Heart, which has tremendous in-country knowledge, maximizes the impact BD can make in Haiti. Our ongoing commitment to the country’s recovery reflects BD’s purpose of ‘Helping all people live healthy lives.’”

Following the January 2010 earthquake, BD immediately committed $5 million in product donations to assist in the relief and recovery efforts. To date, BD has sent more than $4.1 million in product donations to Haiti. Heart to Heart has deployed nearly 700 medical volunteers in Haiti, delivered more than $43 million (U.S. wholesale) worth of life-saving medical aid, and treated more than 108,000 people — approximately 2,500 monthly — at clinical sites in Haiti. The BD volunteers are working with medical staff to build on their existing patient care services by:

Collaborating with the National Lab of Haiti to develop Standard Operating Procedures for medical laboratories and providing lab training to improve diagnostic practices and disease management
Constructing laboratories in two urban healthcare clinics and developing a “lab in a box” for auxiliary and mobile clinics in rural areas to increase access to quality care
Creating materials for and conducting healthcare worker and patient education on proper hygiene, nutrition and sexually transmitted diseases to help reduce the spread of disease
Replacing temporary patient facilities with permanent structures to improve care conditions.

“BD has joined us as a stakeholder in Haiti’s future,” said André T. Butler, Chief Executive Officer, Heart to Heart International. “We are thrilled that BD invests in global engagement activities like this for their employees, who are helping to advance our health-focused mission in Haiti, while pursuing BD’s purpose as well.”

This is the seventh company-sponsored Volunteer Service Trip that BD employees have made to improve sustainable healthcare capacity in medically underserved regions. BD’s previous volunteer trips served regions of Ghana and Zambia in sub-Saharan Africa. Beyond the Volunteer Service Trip, BD and Heart to Heart have worked together since 2003, helping people in developing countries and disaster-ravaged areas, supplying and delivering specifically requested medical supplies to communities in greatest need. BD and its associates contribute money, products, talent and time to help people throughout the world treat disease and improve lives by raising health standards.

About BD
BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 29,000 associates in more than 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.

About Heart to Heart International
Heart to Heart International is improving global health through initiatives that connect people and resources to a world in need. Since Heart to Heart's founding in 1992, volunteers have helped deliver aid worth $1 billion in U.S. wholesale value to 115 countries, including the United States. The organization was named to Forbes magazine's prestigious list of “America’s 200 Largest Charities” in 2011 and was recognized as one of the top nonprofits in the categories of donor efficiency and charitable commitment. For more information on its programs and ways to get involved, visit www.hearttoheart.org.

Rubicon Global Announces B Corporation Certification

05.21.2012 - 11:00AM

Rubicon Global, North America’s leading provider of sustainable waste and recycling solutions announces it is proud to stand among 515+ Certified B Corporations. B Corporations are a new kind of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Rubicon Global joins a league of corporations that believe business is the most powerful way to create change. Other Certified B Corporations include Patagonia, Seventh Generation, and Etsy.

“Rubicon Global’s mission and values are closely aligned with the goals of B Corp because we believe there is a better way to do business”, said Nate Morris, CEO of Rubicon Global. “We know that creating transparency, accountability, and sustainability in our industry will benefit our customers as well as the environment.”

Certified B Corporations meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. The performance standards are comprehensive and transparent. They measure a company’s impact on its employees, suppliers, community, and the environmental. Rubicon Global earned 103.2 points on its 2012 B Impact Assessment with governance and the environment as “Areas of Excellence”. The company will continuously work to improve its B score and will go through an assessment review every two years.

"Rubicon Global represents the future of waste and recycling and we are proud to have them join our community of Certified B Corporations," says B Lab co-founder Andrew Kassoy. "Their innovative approach, which promotes sustainability, transparency, and economic efficiency, is helping America's top companies reduce landfill tonnage and protect our communities."

To view Rubicon Global's B Impact Assessment and learn more about B Corporations, please visit www.BCorporation.net/RubiconGlobal.

About B Corp
Certified B Corporations 1) meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance; 2) legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests; and 3) build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. As of January 2012, there are over 515 Certified B Corporations from over 50 industries, representing a diverse multi-billion marketplace.

About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. B Lab drives systemic change through three interrelated initiatives: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and just good marketing; 2) accelerating the growth of the impact investing asset class through use of B Lab’s GIIRS impact rating system by institutional investors; and 3) promoting supportive public policies, including creation of a new corporate form and tax, procurement, and investment incentives for sustainable business.

About Rubicon Global
Rubicon Global is North America’s leading provider of sustainable waste and recycling solutions. We provide comprehensive waste stream solutions that allow companies to reduce operating expenses, implement recycling programs, and save money through waste and recycling initiatives. Rubicon Global was founded in 2008 with the mission to optimize our customers’ waste streams through cost saving measures while creating environmentally sound solutions to 21st century challenges. Rubicon Global is dedicated to improving economic efficiency and decreasing landfill tonnage. Rubicon Global strives to challenge the status quo and redefine the concept of waste and recycling in the global community. Through innovative technology, industry knowledge, and strategic relationships Rubicon Global seeks to transform the waste and recycling industries. For more information, visit www.RubiconGlobal.com.

Registration Opens for BSR Conference 2012: Fast Forward, October 23-26 in New York

05.21.2012 - 08:00AM

Registration opens today for the BSR Conference 2012: Fast Forward. This is BSR’s 20^th anniversary Conference—the preeminent platform for business leaders to network, share best practices, and commit to strategies and actions for a sustainable future.

Participants can register online for the Conference, which will take place at the Grand Hyatt New York, October 23 through 26.

“Two decades after BSR was founded, there is a great deal of progress to celebrate,” said BSR President and CEO Aron Cramer. “Sustainability has entered the mainstream, with companies, NGOs, and governments collaborating toward sustainable well-being for all of the world’s people. But much remains to be done to turn our vision of a sustainable future into a reality. This year’s BSR Conference will provide both the inspiration and practical advice to make an even greater impact over the next 20 years.”

The 2012 Conference will bring together a global community of more than 1,000 leaders from business, civil society, and the public sector. This year, the event will feature more than 75 speakers from around the world in 35 diverse sessions that will address the need for business to fast forward progress toward a more just and sustainable world. Through a wide variety of formats, from plenary addresses to intimate one-hour conversations, the 20^th BSR Conference will help companies innovate and create lasting change over the years to come.

To register and receive updates on speakers, sessions, and more, visit www.bsr.org/conference. Members of the media interested in a complimentary press pass to attend the BSR Conference 2012 should contact Communications Manager Eva Dienel at edienel@bsr.org.

About BSR
BSR works with its global network of nearly 300 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Visit www.bsr.org for more information about BSR’s more than 20 years of leadership in sustainability.

An Open Letter to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters From Equal Exchange

05.21.2012 - 07:00AM

In a rare business-to-business plea Equal Exchange has released an open letter to Larry Blanford, the CEO of fellow New England specialty coffee company, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) in the form of a full-page color ad in today’s Sunday edition of the Burlington Free Press (Vermont) that strongly encourages the multi-billion dollar brand to withdraw its support from the controversial certification agency, Fair Trade USA (FTUSA).

Equal Exchange is the Massachusetts-headquartered business that introduced Fair Trade coffee to American grocery stores and coffee shops in the 1980s and 90s and who today remains the largest North American enterprise dedicated exclusively to buying and selling Fair Trade products. GMCR, based in Waterbury, VT, was itself an ‘early adopter’ and has been offering Fair Trade coffee for 14 years. To their considerable credit GMCR recently became the world’s largest purveyor of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee, handling more than 26,000,000 pounds of Fair Trade coffee annually. They have also donated generously to support various economic development efforts in coffee growing communities.

However, while acknowledging these accomplishments, in today’s ad Equal Exchange challenges GMCR to “open your eyes…to the controversy raging…” and “leave Fair Trade USA” in light of recent unilateral changes enacted by the agency.

Without input from stakeholders, on January 1, FTUSA abandoned the global Fair Trade system (Fair Trade International, aka FTI) and loosened eligibility rules to allow large coffee, cocoa and sugar plantations to receive Fair Trade certification. That would put these large estates in direct competition with the hundreds of small-farmer co-operatives around the world who co-created the Fair Trade movement and have been the core of Fair Trade for over 25 years. This was a FTUSA proposal that the 20+ other global members of FTI, including the farmer representatives, had overwhelmingly rejected previously. FTUSA also withheld from FTI the dues it owes for 2011, funds that it is now using to compete with FTI in the US certification market.

Equal Exchange, the small-farmer co-operatives, and many other Fair Trade pioneers and advocates believe these and other recent acts by FTUSA gravely undermine the very purpose of Fair Trade and constitute a betrayal of the small-farmer co-ops. Consequently they also undermine the important social and economic progress that GMCR’s support of Fair Trade and small farmers has to date made possible. The open letter goes on to state,

“Fair Trade, a product of years of sweat, sacrifice and risk, belongs to the farmers. But Fair Trade USA has abandoned the legitimate system, not paid its dues, and changed the rules...” Rink Dickinson & Rob Everts, co-presidents, Equal Exchange

In different forums Equal Exchange has been challenging the path taken by FTUSA, including a recent private meeting with Larry Blanford and others at GMCR. Because of GMCR’s large volume of Fair Trade sales, and the licensing fees it pays for use of the FTUSA seal, it is the largest single source of revenue for FTUSA and a critical pillar of support. Those funds, and the benefits of being associated with the popular GMCR brand, are aiding FTUSA’s efforts even as it pursues a course apart from the rest of the global Fair Trade movement. Therefore Equal Exchange is using this ad, and a subsequent ad that will run on Thursday, May 24^th, to publicly encourage GMCR to end its relationship with FTUSA and rejoin the global system of certifiers that FTUSA recently left.

About Equal Exchange

Equal Exchange has been a pioneer and U.S. market leader in Fair Trade since 1986 and is a full service provider of organic coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, bananas and other products. 100% of Equal Exchange products are fairly traded, benefiting more than 40 small farmer co-operatives in 25 countries around the world. In keeping with its Fair Trade mission Equal Exchange is a democratically governed, employee-owned co-operative, one of only a few in the US. Equal Exchange has been honored for its social entrepreneurship by Fast Company magazine, The Financial Times, WorldBlu and others.

For more information:

http://www.equalexchange.coop/small-farmer-campaign

http://www.equalexchange.coop

Nicor Gas Employees Energize Local Communities During 16th Annual Volunteer Day

05.18.2012 - 12:23PM

On Saturday, May 19, more than 800 employees, family members, and friends will perform a variety of hands-on service activities to benefit local community organizations in 19 cities and towns across northern Illinois.

Employees from Nicor Gas, a local natural gas distribution company, will be joined by employees from Nicor Services, an unregulated provider of appliance protection plans and other home related services, and Nicor Enerchange, provider of natural gas to commercial and industrial customers in the Midwest primarily in the northern Illinois market, to complete a variety of community service activities ranging from beautifying a local playground to replacing the turf grass and buckthorn with native grasses at a nature center. These Volunteer Day activities will take place throughout the Nicor Gas service territory, including the Chicago suburbs of Joliet, Bloomington, and the Rockford area.

“As a leading employer in northern Illinois for nearly 60 years, we have a responsibility to contribute to the well-being of the communities we serve. Embracing that philosophy, our employees give generously of their time and talents to help others,” said Ralph Cleveland, president of Nicor Gas.

Nicor Gas also will present a $15,000 capital grant to DuPage Habitat for Humanity at the project site in Villa Park. The mission of DuPage Habitat for Humanity is to provide opportunities for homeownership to limited-income individuals and families. The grant will be used for housing construction and rehabilitation.

This year, one Volunteer Day project is particularly meaningful for Nicor Gas employees who will spruce up the banks of the Fox River in Yorkville to make way for a bike path. The trail will honor the memory of a former employee, who in 2009 passed away after being struck by a car while riding her bicycle on the roadway.

Other planned activities include:

Aiding the Ray Graham Association, United Way’s 2011 Agency of the Year, volunteers will provide landscaping, window-washing and painting services at the Iona Glos Specialized Living Center home for individuals with disabilities at 720 N. Lombard Road, Addison.
Volunteers will spruce up the Hesed House, a homeless shelter at 659 S. River Street, Aurora.
Batavians for a Healthy River and other community groups will join forces to clean up the Fox River in downtown Batavia.
A team will tackle renovations alongside Habitat for Humanity volunteers at a new renovation project at 1623 Iowa Street, Bloomington.
A perennial favorite, more than 50 volunteers will assist with landscaping outdoor spaces and painting marcfirst, group homes for individuals with mental and physical disabilities in Bloomington.
At the Belvidere/Boone County Food Pantry at 200 S. 5th Street in Capron, volunteers will sort and organize food donated during recent community drives.
This activity took place on April 28, 2012. Working alongside the local Kiwanis Club, volunteers replaced dirty sand with new wood chips, removed broken equipment and laid new mulch at World of Wonderful Park in Carthage.
DeKalb volunteers will return to the Salvation Army Food Pantry at 830 Grove Street to perform outdoor cleanup.
Benefiting Downers Grove area women’s shelter, volunteers will plant community gardens and clean up the grounds to beautify the facility.
Evanston volunteers will paint, build shelves, sort food in the pantry and help organize clothes at Hilda’s Place, a transitional shelter for single men and women, which is operated by Connections for the Homeless.
Volunteers will provide painting, mulching and landscaping services to the Ford Heights Community Service Organization, a group that provides social and human services for underprivileged families and individuals.
A favorite, our volunteers will sort and organize food at the Northern Illinois Food Bank’s new Geneva facility.
Will-Grundy Center for Independent Living, an organization that provides support to people and families with disabilities and special needs in Joliet, will receive new greenery, fresh coats of paint and manicured outdoor spaces.
Naperville volunteers will pitch to plant and landscape the property around the 60-acre McDonald Farm run by the Naperville Conservation Foundation.
At the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville, about 25 volunteers will participate in exhibit repair and plant outdoor gardens.
Lending a hand to Loaves & Fishes Community Pantry at 1871 High Grove Lane in Naperville volunteers will sort food collected during a recent community food drive.
Volunteers at Lake Katherine Nature Center in Palos Heights will clear buckthorn and spread prairie seeds harvested from Nicor Gas’ prairie and will help rehabilitate natural areas as part of the eco- and family-friendly project. They also will clean up the nature trails.
The Rock River Valley Food Pantry will welcome volunteer efforts to help sort food and clean up around the grounds at two locations in Rockford.
Schaumburg volunteers will pack nutritious, life-saving meals for starving children at the Feed My Starving Children site on National Parkway. The meals will be shipped to more than 60 countries around the world.
Volunteers will partner with Habitat for Humanity to renovate a house in Villa Park. A $15,000 capital grant check also will be presented to DuPage Habitat for Humanity at this site.
About 20 volunteers will share their resources at the People’s Resource Center in Wheaton by distributing food and cleaning up the outdoor grounds.
Flowers and mulch will be planted at The Manor at Hearthstone Communities, rehabilitative and nursing care facilities at 920 N. Seminary Ave. in Woodstock.
Yorkville volunteers will perform outdoor planting and indoor painting at the Kendall County Food Pantry.

About Nicor Gas

Nicor Gas, a wholly owned subsidiary of AGL Resources (NYSE: GAS) is a natural gas distribution company that serves more than two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit www.nicorgas.com.

About AGL Resources

AGL Resources (NYSE: GAS) is an Atlanta-based energy services holding company with operations in natural gas distribution, retail operations, wholesale services, midstream operations and cargo shipping. As the nation’s largest natural gas-only distributor based on customer count, AGL Resources serves approximately 4.5 million utility customers through its regulated distribution subsidiaries in seven states. The company also serves more than one million retail customers through its SouthStar Energy Services joint venture and Nicor National, which market natural gas and related home services. Other non-utility businesses include asset management for natural gas wholesale customers through Sequent Energy Management, ownership and operation of natural gas storage facilities, and ownership of Tropical Shipping, one of the largest containerized cargo carriers serving the Bahamas and Caribbean region. AGL Resources is a member of the S&P 500 Index. For more information, visit www.aglresources.com.

Behold Studio Announcement of B Corp Certification

05.18.2012 - 08:00AM

Behold, independent design and consultancy studio, is proud to announce official B Corp certification status – joining a community of over 515 Certified B Corporations from over 50 industries. B Corporations are a new kind of company, which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

As a proactive, innovative company, our aim is to minimize the potential harmful effects on the environment while considering social and economic well-being. Moving forward as a B Corporation allows us to align our values and visions with a community of like-minded businesses and professionals.

Principal and Creative Director, Adam Zepeda, states, “Our certification as a B Corporation allows us to demonstrate and maintain the company’s drive for quality in all of our activities and services. It enables us to set targets by which our efforts towards sustainable environmental improvement can be measured on a regular basis while continuously seeking to improve on our day-to-day practices.”

Our certification as a B Corporation follows our recent partnership with 1% for the Planet (1%), pledging a portion of sales to support non-profit organizations focused on sustainability. “Behold is a great addition to the network. By signing on to 1%, it shows they’re really walking the walk in their sustainability efforts,” says Terry Kellogg, 1% CEO. “They’re using generosity as a tool with which to build their business and enabling valuable environmental work along the way. We’re excited to welcome Behold to the 1% family.”

About Behold
Behold is a young, interdisciplinary design and consultancy studio holding experience in the disciplines of brand and identity development, publication, environmental design, packaging, art-direction, and graphic design. http://beholdstudio.com

About 1% for the Planet
Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies, 1% for the Planet is a growing global movement of over 1,350 member companies in 44 countries that donate one percent of their sales to environmental organizations worldwide. Each day, more than one new business joins the 1% for the Planet movement. As a network, the 1% community has become a frontrunner in funding the work of environmental groups around the world. To learn more about 1% visit www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

Making The Investment In Healthy People, Healthy Planet And Healthy Performance

05.17.2012 - 12:31PM

Corporations today are obliged to go beyond delivering business results. They should also improve the quality of life of their employees, their communities and society at large – and report out on this progress. This month Humana released its 2010-2011 corporate social responsibility (CSR) report. For the first time, Humana’s report follows the Global Reporting Initiative framework. And we became the only major health care insurer to do so. Here’s why disclosing environmental, social and governance data is important, now more than ever:

1. Trust in business remains low. The 2012 Trust Barometer that Edelman, the communications firm, develops annually revealed that public trust in business, government and NGOs shrank in 2011. What struck me, in particular, is that the 47 percent of the public who think business is doing what’s right tie their belief largely to “business competence, like delivering consistent financial returns.” However, societal behaviors – listening to customer needs, treating employees well, putting customers ahead of profits, and having ethical business practices – are ranked higher in importance for building future trust.

With that understanding, corporations have an opportunity to build future trust through demonstrating that social responsibility is a priority and business takes it as seriously as reporting financial results.

2. Business must be profoundly transparent. Voluntary reporting allows us in particular to put a stake in the ground and be accountable for targets such as those we’ve outlined in Humana’s report: to reduce our energy consumption, greenhouse-gas emissions and energy expenses by 10 percent by the end of 2012 from 2009’s baseline, and hire 1,000 military veterans and/or their spouses across the company, to name a few examples.

Of course, business doesn’t always succeed at hitting such targets – and it must be transparent about that, too. Starbucks took such a stance, admitting publicly that it didn’t achieve energy reduction goals for 2010. Stakeholders appreciate such candor and can then better understand such situations when they arise.

3. Companies cannot afford to slide in their efforts to improve the environmental performance of their operations. Why? In addition to the long-term environmental implications, investing in sustainability is a financial investment. In a study, McKinsey & Company, the management consultancy, projected the U.S. could save $1.2 trillion through 2020 by investing $520 billion in such improvements as sealing leaky building ducts and replacing inefficient appliances with new, energy-saving models. Evidence also exists that companies that demonstrate responsibility reap increased employee engagement and morale, higher employee-retention rates and better performance.

We’ve all heard: What gets measured gets managed. At Humana, we firmly believe the long-term investments we make in our CSR initiatives help us build trust, increase transparency, save money and earn the license not only to exist but to lead. We’re proud to share this progress through our industry-leading CSR report.

Texas Instruments Initiative Helps Girl Scouts See STEM Careers In Their Future

05.17.2012 - 09:00AM

Marking the 100^th year since the organizations founding, Girl Scouts has declared 2012 the Year of the Girl. In an initiative that focuses on the future for girls, Texas Instruments recently partnered with Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) to promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills to local Girl Scouts.

This year, Texas Instruments sponsored and helped launch the first ever “engineering patch” for girls in kindergarten through 12^th grade. The patch curriculum focuses on exciting, engaging and encouraging girls at every grade level to explore STEM education and careers. The patch will be available to all 35,000 Girl Scouts in Northeast Texas and will be a part of the program for the 4,400 underserved girls who experience Girl Scouts through the “Gift of Girl Scouting.”

“A Girl Scouts’ study found that girls’ interest in STEM is higher when they have exposure to those fields and only 46 percent of those surveyed knew a woman in a STEM career,” said Trisha Cunningham, Texas Instruments chief citizenship officer. “That’s why we partnered with Girl Scouts to develop a program where girls can have fun learning more about STEM and we can encourage area women engineers to get involved as role models.”

Through this programming, younger Girl Scouts will experience STEM through hands-on projects, and older Girl Scouts will be introduced to career choices and, most importantly, mentors in STEM careers. Texas Instruments is eager to generate excitement about the possibilities offered by STEM in hope that these girls will someday choose engineering as a career, a field that continues to be underrepresented by women.

Cunningham answered a few questions about the program. You can read more about this program on Texas Instruments’ Citizenship website.

What departments at Texas Instruments were involved in establishing the partnership with the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas?

“This initiative was initiated through our Corporate Citizenship group. We tightened our philanthropic focus around science and math education and began meeting with organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas a few years ago to see if there were ways we could work together. They were very receptive as they were in the process of developing their own strategy in this area.”

How was senior management “buy-in” procured to promote STEM skills to local Girl Scouts?

“From the top of our company on down, TI’s management knows that strong science and math education of our youth will be important not only to our company’s future U.S. workforce, but also America’s competitiveness in this age of technology. We are particularly interested in developing girls and underrepresented minorities in engineering. Today, only one in five engineers is female — below parity with other prestigious professions.”

Are Texas Instruments employees involved in any aspect of this initiative? With the “engineering patch” program?

“We asked some of our passionate women leaders and engineers to help. When we started to explore our focus on STEM with Girl Scouts, they helped serve on their strategy committee for the program. This resulted in TI sponsoring a STEM strategy workshop that included many in our area who were interested in advancing STEM education with girls and that was also attended by Girl Scouts USA. One of the outcomes of this strategy session was the development of this patch and curriculum, which our employees helped create.”

What have been some of Texas Instrument’s best practices or lessons learned in pursuing this initiative?

“First, we learned that when you focus on a strategic area, it is important to talk with your community partners and listen to their ideas. We transitioned to our philanthropic focus on STEM over a period of a few years so that it did not come as a surprise to our community partners. We’ve continued to work with those where we could align our interests, like Girl Scouts, to develop programs that are even stronger than our past investments. Secondly, we learned to never underestimate the results you can obtain with passionate employee volunteers — ask, give them a challenge and let them work their magic. We love our employee volunteers! Many of the skills they use on the job everyday are of great value to the community partners we work with. When you combine that skill with their passion around a cause, you have a winning combination. Thirdly, you must be willing to adapt along the way. Since this is a new program, it won’t be perfect so we are willing to adapt. Our goal is that other Girl Scout Councils would want to offer the badge to their girls as well.”

Is the success of this initiative measurable?

“Yes. We will know how many girls have completed the requirements to receive the patch. One of the great things is that no matter what level Girl Scout you are, there is age-level curriculum and activities so that interest can be maintained throughout all years of the scouting experience. As an incentive, Girl Scouts is giving the patch for free in return for a copy of their completed ‘workbook’ and feedback. This is a great way to continually improve the program.”

What kinds of feedback have you received from employees?

“Kim Smith (at left with Scouts), operations manager for Internet marketing for TI and head of the TI Women’s Network who was one of the key TI employee volunteers for this program, said: ‘Math and science is in everything you do. I don’t think that you even know what is possible out there as a young woman growing up. It’s important to show girls that they can be anything they want. And when girls succeed, so does society. We need more girls in these areas. We want girls to have fun learning STEM, and it is fun changing the world and people’s lives and their mindset.’”

IKEA Foundation Extends Commitment to Fight Child Labor Into Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan

05.17.2012 - 07:00AM

Today, IKEA Foundation and Save the Children announced they will expand their efforts to fight child labor in the cotton industry, with new programs in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajastan.

This expansion will build on already successful effforts in 1,866 villages in the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra where more than 65,000 children (6-14 years) have been moved out of child labor and into classrooms. In addition, the projects have also helped 89,000 children (3-6 years) benefit from quality pre-school education (Anganwadi), and provided vocational skills to 16,000 15 – 18 year olds.

Ten-year old Rajesh (centre) was working in a cotton field in Morasiya village in Gujarat, but now he is going to school full time, thanks to a programme funded by IKEA Foundation and run by Save the Children. A similar programme will be rolled out for children in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan in the Spring of 2012.

The three new projects will aim to replicate this success by:

Improving the quality of education to make sure children complete school and reduce the drop-out rate;
Enhancing family incomes through access to government social security and rural work schemes;
Raising awareness in cotton-growing communities of children’s rights and the dangers to children from working in cotton fields and factories.

“This is a natural step in our long collaboration with Save the Children to strengthen children’s rights in India,” said Per Heggenes, CEO of IKEA Foundation. “If we can create more opportunities for children in developing countries by improving education and awareness of children’s rights, we can help these children break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future for themselves, their families and society at large.”

The projects have been designed in partnership with Save the Children to ensure that communities are actively involved in preventing children from working on cotton and cotton-seed farms by setting up Child Protection Committees, providing quality education and building families’ capacity to access alternative sources of income.

The new work in Punjab and Haryana, two of India’s largest cotton producing states will build on this community involvement model. A study commissioned by IKEA Foundation in 2008 revealed that prosperous Punjab has one of the highest percentages of child labor of all of India’s states, with an estimated 25% of the cotton picking force. Haryana is not far behind, with 16% of cotton picking labor being children. This study estimates about 500,000 child laborers in Punjab, 350,000 in Haryana and 440,000 Rajasthan.

In Rajasthan, one of the poorest states in India where more than 46% * of the children drop out of school, the work will also include a focus on child migration from the district of Banswada.

Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children India says, “Children’s groups have played an essential role in educating local officials and parents in the risks of sending children to work and the importance of education. We are delighted to be able to work with the IKEA Foundation in expanding this work further to reach even more children across India.”

IKEA Foundation’s efforts to tackle child labor in India and Pakistan began in 2001.

Working with farmers to change community attitudes about child labour is a key part of the programme’s success. This sign, hanging in Magnad village, provides positive recognition to five local farmers who have pledged not to use child labour.

About IKEA Foundation

The IKEA Foundation aims to improve opportunities for children and youth in developing countries by funding holistic, long-term programs that can create substantial, lasting change. The Foundation works with strong strategic partners applying innovative approaches to achieve large-scale results in four fundamental areas of a child’s life: a place to call home; a healthy start in life; a quality education; and sustainable family income. Currently-funded programs benefit an estimated 100 million children. Learn more at www.ikeafoundation.org.

About Save the Children

Save the Children is the world’s leading independent organisation for children. We are 29 national organisations working together to deliver programs in more than 120 countries around the world. Our vision is a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation. Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

*Ministry of Human Resources Development Annual Report: 2009-10.

As Eurovision Song Contest Approaches, Concerns About Hidden Cameras In Azerbaijan Hotel Rooms

05.16.2012 - 01:33PM

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre sought responses from seven companies that operate leading hotels in Baku, Azerbaijan, about reports that hidden cameras have repeatedly been placed in hotel rooms in the country to record people having sex in order to blackmail them.

Victims have included journalists and critics of the government. Last year, for example, two opposition journalists were secretly filmed in a hotel room having sex; this was later broadcast on a television channel owned by a cousin of President Aliyev.

One victim said that visitors to Azerbaijan for the Eurovision Song Contest (finals 26 May 2012) should be aware that cameras are sometimes planted in hotel rooms. The Azerbaijani organization Free Youth (Azad Gənclik Təşkilatı) issued a statement in March 2012 warning tourists visiting the country not to have sex under any circumstances, stating that hidden cameras are installed on the premises of all hotels.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre asked each hotel to respond to these human rights concerns, and to indicate what it is doing to prevent such abuses from taking place on their premises in Azerbaijan.

All seven companies responded: Excelsior Hotel Baku, Hilton, Hyatt, Kempinski, Radisson (Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group), Ramada Hotel Baku (Wyndham Hotel Group), Sheraton Hotels (Starwood Hotels). All the responses can be accessed here.

Christopher Avery, Director of Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, commented: “We hope that all hotels in Azerbaijan will resist any attempt to plant cameras in their rooms – a violation of the right to privacy, and in some cases also an attempt to deter critics of the government from exercising their right to freedom of expression. If there are further reports of hidden cameras, we will draw this to global attention, alerting journalists, investors, tourist agencies, and the United Nations Working Group on business & human rights.”

Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have raised a broad range of concerns about human rights violations by the Government of Azerbaijan in the run-up to the Eurovision Song Contest. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is approaching corporate sponsors of Eurovision to respond to the human rights concerns raised in connection with the hosting of the event in Azerbaijan. The responses will be made public on 23 May, along with a list of any companies that fail to respond.

If any organization or individual wishes to comment on this issue, or on the company responses, the Resource Centre will also post those statements. If those comments criticise the response of a particular company, the Resource Centre will invite that company to respond to the criticism.

About the Resource Centre

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre is an independent non-profit organization that encourages companies to respect human rights. Our website links to reports on the human rights impacts (positive & negative) of 5100 companies worldwide, and provides guidance tools to assist companies and others working in this field.

Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and President of Ireland, is Chair of the Centre’s International Advisory Network. The Centre’s Academic Partners comprise 23 leading academic institutions. The Centre’s researchers are based in Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Senegal, South Africa, UK, Ukraine and USA.

For further details, see the "About us" section of our website.

Hormel Foods Surpasses Water Reduction, Packaging and Solid Waste Minimization Goals

05.16.2012 - 08:00AM

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) today announced the release of its 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report, available online at www.hormelfoods.com/csr.

This is the company’s fifth full report and the completion of the first set of five-year environmental goals. The report is self-declared Application Level B as confirmed by the Global Reporting Initiative.

The annual report focuses on the company’s commitment to being a responsible food manufacturer. Highlighted performance and initiatives throughout 2011 include:

Being listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the second consecutive year, placing the company among the world’s top 10 percent of sustainable companies.
Achieving outstanding results from the annual Environmental Sustainability Best of the Best competition among all Hormel Foods locations. In 2011, the competition generated entries throughout all business segments that resulted in the reduction of 695.2 tons of solid waste to landfill, an increase in recycling tonnage by 27 percent and more than 40.4 million gallons of water saved collectively.
Enhancing the On Our Way to Ending Hunger program, with contributions of more than $5 million in cash and product to aid hunger-relief efforts in the United States and abroad.
Distributing its Supplier Responsibility Principles, which were designed to ensure the quality of products and services received from suppliers follows the commitment of Hormel Foods to responsible environmental and social performance.
Expanding the number of facilities that have been certified under the Global Food Safety Initiative-recognized food safety management standards.
Improving performance on a number of key metrics, including:
- Beating the packaging minimization goal, reducing packaging by 4.2 million pounds;
- Beating the water reduction goal, reducing water consumption by 15 percent;
- Continuing to outperform the industry average for safety rates; and
- Implementing several significant capital projects designed to reduce energy use, expecting to see results in the 2012 fiscal year, as part of the new energy conservation goal.

"I am proud of our team for achieving outstanding results in fiscal 2011," said Jeffrey M. Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods.

"We will continue to responsibly conduct business following Our Way - the Hormel Foods values statement that defines how we operate every day in our approach to people, process, products, performance and philanthropy."

The 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report is the company’s fourth consecutive report that can be found entirely online. Also available is an executive summary that provides a condensed version of the full report along with key highlights. The online report can be accessed and the summary can be downloaded at www.hormelfoods.com/csr.

Using Social Media for Social Good

In alignment with the company’s commitment to philanthropy and in honor of the launch of the report, Hormel Foods will feature an online contest. For every retweet on Twitter announcing the release of the 2011 Hormel Foods Corporate Responsibility Report, the company will donate $6 to Feeding America (up to $5,000). Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity.

Hormel Foods plans to continue reporting on its environmental and social performance annually; the next report will be released in May 2013 for data spanning November 2011 to October 2012.

About Hormel Foods

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, many of which are among the best known and trusted in the food industry. The company leverages its extensive expertise, innovation and high competencies in pork and turkey processing and marketing to bring branded, value-added products to the global marketplace. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes, and was named one of "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens” by Corporate Responsibility Magazine for the fourth year in a row in 2012. The company enjoys a strong reputation among consumers, retail grocers, foodservice and industrial customers for products highly regarded for quality, taste, nutrition, convenience and value. For more information, visit http://www.hormelfoods.com.

Gains for Proposal to Avoid Investments Tied to Genocide, Despite JPMorgan Opposition

05.15.2012 - 03:42PM

Support for the genocide-free investing proposal on this year’s proxy ballot at JPMorgan Chase increased from last year, according to the preliminary results announced at the company’s annual shareholder meeting today. Adding to the negative publicity the company has received in recent days over its losses from risky trading practices, it now faces growing pressure from institutional shareholders to avoid investments tied to genocide and crimes against humanity. This year, 9.2% voted in favor of the genocide-free investing shareholder proposal compared with 7.69% in 2011.

In advance of this year’s vote, both New York and Florida state pension funds announced their support for the proposal, an unusual step for most institutions. Last year's vote included support from a variety of asset managers including T. Rowe Price, AFSCME Employees Pension Plan, Bridgeway Funds, Calvert Investments, Christian Brothers Investment Services, and Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, among others.

JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) owns over 3.5 billion dollars worth of PetroChina (NYSE:PTR) and Sinopec (NYSE:SNP), companies widely recognized as contributing to the genocide in Sudan. Nearly half a million people in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions of Sudan currently are facing relentless aerial attacks, violent displacement, and starvation due to the Sudanese government’s ongoing military assaults. Ongoing government-sponsored genocide in Sudan has spanned more than two decades and resulted in the death of over 2.5 million innocent civilians.

The genocide-free investing shareholder proposal requests “that the board institute transparent procedures to avoid holding investments in companies that, in management's judgment, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious violations of human rights.” The proposal was submitted to JPMorgan Chase as part of an ongoing shareholder action led by Investors Against Genocide, a citizen-led initiative, dedicated to convincing mutual funds and other investment firms to make a commitment to genocide-free investing.

The proposal was presented at the meeting by William Rosenfeld, the shareholder proponent and a co-founder of Investors Against Genocide (IAG). “I was here a year ago,” he stated. “Once JPMorgan understood the consequences of its investments, I expected the company to change its policies. Sadly, the only visible change has been that the company increased its shares in the worst company tied to genocide by 31% since the beginning of last year.”

Rosenfeld also dismissed the company’s response in its proxy statement of opposition that it holds securities “in many different capacities” implying that others are responsible for its problematic investments. “This claim ignores JPMorgan’s role in selecting investments,” he said. “Why doesn’t JPMorgan at least demonstrate good faith by acting on the shares it directly controls? If 30 states, 61 colleges, TIAA-CREF, TRowe Price, and American Funds can all take steps to avoid investments tied to genocide, why can’t JPMorgan?”

Rosenfeld challenged JPMorgan's claim that it supports US sanctions on Sudan “in letter and spirit” stating, “Since 1997, US sanctions have prohibited American companies [such as ExxonMobil] from doing business with Sudan’s oil industry, ” and contrasting that with JPMorgan's large investments “in foreign companies that provide these same services.”

“The vast majority of Americans want their investments to be genocide-free,” says Rosenfeld. According to a market research study conducted by KRC Research in 2010, 88% of Americans would like their mutual funds to be genocide-free.

Since 74% of shares of JPMorgan Chase are held by institutions, rather than by individual shareholders, IAG has begun engaging with institutional investors ranging from asset managers to pension funds via private discussions, direct mail, trade conferences and advertising to improve support for the voting on genocide-free investing at JPMorgan Chase.

IAG withdrew its shareholder proposal at TIAA-CREF when it adopted a public policy against investments tied to genocide. TIAA-CREF subsequently divested holdings in oil companies that are helping to support the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. American Funds divested its holdings in PetroChina following a well-publicized shareholder vote on genocide-free investing there.

Investors Against Genocide is a citizen-led initiative, dedicated to convincing mutual funds and other investment firms to make an ongoing commitment to genocide-free investing. Investors Against Genocide works with individuals, financial firms, pension and endowment managers and government officials to encourage investment firms to change their investing strategy to avoid investments in companies that substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity. Investors Against Genocide is staffed by volunteers and is a project of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, incorporated in the state of Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.investorsagainstgenocide.org.

Mills Achieves B Corporation Status

05.15.2012 - 12:00PM

Mills, a family owned office supplies distributor, is proud to announce that it has achieved Certified B Corporation status as designated by the non-profit organization B Lab. Mills is the first Office Supply Company in Canada to achieve this status.

B Corporations are a new kind of company which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. There are currently over 515 Certified B Corporations from sixty industries, representing $2.9 Billion in collective revenues.

To become a Certified B Corp, companies must meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance. Environmental leadership is a priority and a long standing tradition at Mills. By working closely with its family of customers, employees and suppliers, the company brings to life a vision of environmental responsibility and care that encourages and supports sustainable practices in office productivity. Mills is Vancouver’s first office supply business to be carbon neutral, first business partner of cycle-based distribution initiative Shift Urban Cargo and first business in Canada to own the eStar-EV 100% electric delivery truck.

The electric truck is part of a Carbon Free Delivery Program that involves once a week delivery to customers on pre-determined routes in Vancouver, North Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond. All products will be packaged using re-usable delivery totes, acquired from FrogBox, which will be left with the customer until the next delivery to collect a wide variety of recyclables, including: pens, markers, binders, batteries and empty toner cartridges.
It is a four-pronged approach that eliminates carbon emissions, reduces the # of deliveries on all routes, eliminates additional packaging waste and provides a recycling solution to businesses. (For additional information about Mills initiatives visit www.mills.ca.)

According to Brad Mills, CEO of Mills “Many of our competitors only act when being green meets their bottom line; by becoming a member of the B Corp Community, we want to show our customers our commitment to the environment and the local community we operate in”

“While any company can purchase carbon offsets, we are now being held to a higher standard as a Certified B Corporation” comments Brad. “We now must consider the impact that our decisions will have on our employees, customers, community, suppliers and the environment. While this has always been important to us, being a part of this community will give us the framework to measure our successes and determine where we need improvement.”

About Certified B Corporations

Certified B Corporations must:

Meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance;
Legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests;
Build a collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand.

About B Lab

B Lab (www.bcorporation.net) is a non-profit organization dedicated to using the power of business to address the world’s most pressing challenges by supporting entrepreneurs who seek to use business as a force for good.

B Lab accomplishes this by:

Building a shining light on the community of Certified B Corporations, companies certified for being not just the best in the world, but best for the world. To earn certification, B Corporations must achieve a minimum score on the B Impact Assessment, which measures a company’s impact on its workforce, suppliers, consumers, community, and the environment;
Driving capital to these entrepreneurs using GIIRS Ratings and Analytics, a platform that allows investors to assess and benchmark the performance of companies and funds in their impact investment portfolios;
Creating an enabling policy environment, including incentives and new corporate form legislation that removes impediments to creating social benefit alongside shareholder value.

About Mills: Locally owned and operated, Mills has been supplying the Lower Mainland with office supplies and printing services since 1949. A carbon neutral, family owned business, Mills is known for its commitment to environmental sustainability and community based programs in the Downtown Eastside.

CEMEX Lays Solid Foundation To Address Need For Affordable Housing

05.14.2012 - 05:39PM

CEMEX has a rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves with efforts to pursue innovative industry solutions. In keeping with this legacy, CEMEX has under taken a global affordable housing initiative that helps provide quality concrete housing to low-income families in developing countries.

CEMEX’s goal is to help support people striving to provide homes and shelter for their families. Through its affordable housing initiative, CEMEX is “helping to supply these new homeowners with affordable and reliable products, and helping them find the right financial solutions to secure quality housing,” said Juan Luis Alfiero, leader of the initiative. “The key to the future of this initiative will be the support of other institutions and partners to create an integrated and collaborative approach to ensuring the future of housing and infrastructure in developing countries.”

The housing initiative, which was launched in 2010, is defined by a two-tiered approach of providing affordable quality building solutions while also identifying adequate financial solutions to meet each family’s needs. As part of the initiative, CEMEX housing experts have developed several prototypes of concrete houses for various types of urban and rural communities. These prototypes have been adapted to local use and customs in different regions of developing countries. In recognition of the social and cultural differences in each country, CEMEX conducts market assessments to understand the needs and customs of each region, noted Martha Herrera, Communication and Responsibility Director. The cost of building these houses, including finishes, fixtures, and equipment is less than $10,000 U.S.

Herrera observed that implementation of such a large-scale global initiative involves coordination with multiple departments such as the Housing, Concrete and Commercial Division, the Planning and Corporate Communications Department and the Public Affairs Department in each country. She added that “we share best practices and success cases between us through our internal web network and with monthly conference updates. Every country has different needs and has different housing actors. Active participation of our local employees is crucial in this initiative.”

CEMEX is also working with various institutions to obtain suitable financial product fees and payment terms for the beneficiaries. As of today, CEMEX has implemented 30 housing projects under this initiative in coordination with third-party developers in five countries – Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Cemex had built more than 4,800 houses over the past two years and plans to expand its efforts to the Mediterranean and Asian regions.

The worldwide housing deficit has an estimated 1.1 billion people in urban areas alone living in inadequate housing. Mitigating the deficit is a challenge that requires joint action between governments, financial institutions, NGOs, and private enterprises to help build communities from the ground up. CEMEX has already collaborated with a number of important international, federal, state, and local organizations to ensure such affordable housing including Ashoka Housing for All, the International Finance Corporation, the Mexican National Housing Commission (CONAVI), Federal Mortage Society (SHF Development Bank), the Costa Rica Housing Ministry and the Costa Rica-Canada Foundation, the Nicaraguan Housing and Urban Institute (INVUR), the General Bank of Panama, the Nuevo Leon and Campeche Housing Institutes in Mexico, among others. With the support of these institutions, CEMEX expects to contribute to improving living conditions of families living in inadequate and inhumane conditions.

EF Announces Strategic Alliance with B lab

05.14.2012 - 04:39PM

EF & B Lab are excited to announce a recently formed alliance. The alliance is intended to provide both EF & B Lab’s networks access to like-minded companies; all keenly interested in embedding social impact as a core value of their businesses. The relationship will provide access to peer based learning and shared expertise in corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility, corporate philanthropy and community involvement.

EF & B Lab look forward to providing companies of all sizes a comprehensive solution to further develop, implement and enhance existing corporate philanthropic programs. Through this alliance, EF &B Lab are looking to help companies interested in developing and enhancing both their corporate philanthropic initiatives and corporate cultures comprehensive and meaningful solution.

“Hundreds of companies choose to become B corps and have made a commitment to social impact. With this relationship, EF is excited to assist these companies with other philanthropic engagement opportunities particularly as it relates to their corporate social responsibility needs. These programs include employee programs, volunteering, and the development of an overarching mission, vision and strategy for a company’s comprehensive philanthropic efforts. “ states Diane Solinger, Executive Director, EF.

“It’s great to bring these two business communities closer together. B Lab and EF work in such complementary areas it makes sense to collaborate more where we can. I know EF is excited to engage with more B Corps on their work. We’re looking forward to increasing awareness of the B Corp movement and sharing use of the B Impact Assessment with EF member companies, it’s such a great tool to measure company social and environmental impact.” Dermot Hikisch, Head of Community Development, B Lab.

B Lab

B Lab is a non-profit organization dedicated to using the power of business to address the world’s most pressing challenges. We support entrepreneurs who use business as a force for good. By certifying B Corporations, supporting the development of Benefit Corporation legislation, and informing capital investments to the impact space with GIIRS, we are building a business community and the market infrastructure necessary to create a new sector of the economy that will redefine success in business. Learn more at www.bcorporation.net

About EF

EF is a non-profit public charity on a mission to encourage, empower and enhance corporate philanthropy and corporate community involvement. EF encourages companies to be philanthropic by providing guidance and expertise to companies that haven’t yet adopted a community or philanthropy program; empowers companies to be philanthropic by providing open sourced resources, tools and best practices and on-line and in-person forums to make it easy for companies to learn on their own or from each other; and EF enhances corporate philanthropy by providing direct services to companies who have programs in place but need strategic or tactical support to make their programs better.For more information, visit www.efcsr.org or follow @EFConnections on Twitter.

The Most Advanced Course on Sustainability and CSR Topics

05.14.2012 - 11:44AM

The Centre for Sustainability and Excellence (CSE) is hosting its next global Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner Trainings in New York (May 31-June 1) and Toronto (June 14-15). The training provides a global perspective on the most relevant frameworks and best practices of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, enabling professionals to lead their organizations, teams, and projects.

For these courses only, CSE is offering a FREE brief organizational assessment using the methodology and framework of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Participants will benefit from:

Gaining advanced knowledge and learning to use a comprehensive approach to create effective strategies and reports based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) guidelines
Maintaining high levels of confidence among organizational stakeholders
Learning how Sustainability can form a strong business case through updated and relevant case studies, videos, and exercises
Being a part of a small, yet highly intensive group setting
Understanding of Carbon Footprint and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) strategy
Becoming globally recognized and accredited as a Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner

To date, CSE has certified more than 300 participants from leading organizations and diverse sectors. Executives from Fortune 1000 companies and universities including Supervalu, Unilever, ABM Industries, Lockheed Martin, Baker Hughes, Noble Energy, United Airlines, and others have participated in CSR-Practitioner trainings across the globe.

Following the workshop, professionals have the opportunity to complete a Final Assignment, which allows them to qualify for certification and earn the CSR-P Certification and CSR-P Seal. CSE is an Approved Training Provider under the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

For more information, visit CSE's Sustainability Practitioner page at www.sustainability-practitioner.org

Limited seating available for all courses!

May 31-June 1: New York, NY http://sustainability-practitioner-ny.eventbrite.com
June 14–15: Toronto, ON, Canada http://sustainabilitypractitioner-toronto2012.eventbrite.com

QUOTES:

“It changed the way I think about CSR and gave me clear insight on how I may apply this to my organization.

Andrew Ruehl, VP, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager, Associated Bank,

Chicago workshop, 2012

“A sophisticated take on the concepts of CSR. The presenter was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Robert Harris, CEO, Altruvest, Toronto workshop, 2011

“A very impressive ‘how to’ program, providing valuable information and background on CSR implementation and development.”

Gloria Barone-Rosanio, CIGNA Health Insurance, New York City workshop, 2011

“Incredible knowledge shared. Great mix of presentations and group assignments.

Jeff Rehm, Sustainability Manager, WW Grainger, San Francisco workshop, 2011

Participate In The 2012 CR & Sustainability Salary Survey

05.14.2012 - 09:11AM

How do you know if your salary is appropriate to your role? Can you be sure it’s competitive, locally or internationally? Is demand for your skills increasing? Well, you can help us answer these and other questions by completing the 2012 CR & Sustainability Salary Survey questionnaire which is now available online.

Now in its fourth year, the survey has been developed to provide a comprehensive insight into the salaries and benefits, responsibilities and backgrounds of people working in the sector - both in-house and for external consultancies. This year we are aiming to provide a deeper understanding of the broader corporate responsibility and sustainability sectors around the world to provide unique and valuable information for you and your fellow professionals.

What can you gain from taking part in the survey?

Learn how your salary and benefits compare to others in similar roles
Benchmark salaries and benefits for your existing team
Understand the varied backgrounds of CR and sustainability professionals

By participating, you will be the first to receive a full report on the findings and you will also be invited to a launch event in July, where you will have a chance to discuss the results and the implications for you and the sector.

Please note that this is 100% confidential – no participants' names or contact details will be published or made available to any third parties at any stage.

The quality of the observations we make will be based on you, the participant. Simply put - the more data we have the better, so please share with your colleagues and help us distribute this survey throughout the sector.

If you have any questions before completing it, please contact: steve@acre-resources.com

You can take the survey, find out more and download the results from previous years at: http://crsalarysurvey.com/

The 2012 CR & Sustainability Salary Survey is brought to you by Acre Resources, Acona, Flag and Ethical Performance.

The questionnaire will close on Friday 18^th May.

Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Releases 2012-2013 Course Calendar

05.11.2012 - 01:38PM

The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship at the Carroll School of Management has released its 2012-2013 Course Calendar and opened registration.

For more than 25 years the Center for Corporate Citizenship has been the go-to place for management and professional development in corporate citizenship and community involvement, whether participants are new to corporate citizenship or experienced leaders. Courses range from one-day and 2-1/2-day programs at locations around the country to weeklong academies on the Boston College campus.

2-½ day open enrollment courses can lead to certification
The series of 2-½ day courses brings professionals together outside the office to learn in a collaborative setting where they can share ideas and best practices. These courses can be taken individually or as part of a five-part program to earn the Center’s Certificate in Corporate Community Involvement Management, which is designed to equip corporate community involvement practitioners with the core knowledge and skills they need to ensure that community involvement delivers meaningful value to the business and to society. Professionals pursuing the Certificate must complete four core requirements and one elective course:

Core requirements (must complete all four):

Institute on Corporate Citizenship
December 12-14, 2012, Los Angeles
Communications for Community Involvement Managers
October 17-19, 2012, Seattle
March 20-22, 2013, Portland, Ore.
Evaluate and Measure Community Involvement
October 17-19, 2012, Seattle
February 13-15, 2013, Atlanta
Developing a Community Involvement Strategy
November 14-16, 2012, Miami
May 8-10, 2013, San Antonio

Electives (must complete one):

Creating a 21st Century Approach to Corporate Giving
September 19-21, 2012, New Orleans
Leveraging Your Corporate-Community Partnerships
January 16-18, 2013, Dallas

Fast Track condenses Certificate program to five days

The Fast Track Certificate program consolidates all aspects of the courses into a five-day, on-site program, allowing a company to bring together staff at its own location to cover the entire spectrum of corporate citizenship or community involvement management challenges in a time- and cost-efficient manner. For more information contact email Eileen Blinstrub.

Special one-day volunteer program

Redesigning Employee Volunteer Programs for Value and Impact will be offered in Columbus, Ohio, May 23. Hosted by Huntington Bank, the one-day workshop is designed to help corporate citizenship professionals rethink possibilities and increase the value and strategic relevance of their companies’ employee volunteer programs.

Academies provide intensive learning

The Center will once again present its Academy programs on the Chestnut Hill campus of Boston College. These intensive weeklong academies are geared toward experienced senior corporate citizenship managers looking to take their programs to the next level. Both feature instruction by faculty members from the Carroll School of Management that will advance Academy participants knowledge and abilities.

Corporate Citizenship Management Academy; October 15-19
Participants earn a Certificate in Corporate Citizenship Management
Corporate Citizenship Leadership Academy; October 29 to November 2
Upon completion of the Leadership Academy, participants will earn a Certificate in Corporate Community Involvement Leadership from the Carroll School of Management.

The Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship at the Carroll School of Management is a membership-based research organization committed to helping business leverage its social, economic and human assets to ensure both its success and a more just and sustainable world. As a leading resource on corporate citizenship, the Center works with global corporations to help them define, plan and operationalize their corporate citizenship. Through the power of research, management and leadership programs, and the insights of its more than 400 corporate members, the Center creates knowledge, value and demand for corporate citizenship. www.BCCorporateCitizenship.org

ANN INC., Parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, and Vital Voices Global Partnership Announce 2012 ANNpower Fellows

05.11.2012 - 07:00AM

ANN INC. (NYSE:ANN), the parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, and Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international NGO that empowers global women leaders, are proud to announce the 2012 ANNpower Fellows.

Through a competitive application process during the month of March, ANN INC. and Vital Voices Global Partnership have selected 50 young women who are rising high school juniors and seniors across the U.S. to become ANNpower Fellows and participate in the first annual ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum. The 50 ANNpower Fellows hail from 24 states across the U.S. including California, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Texas and New York. To meet the 2012 ANNpower Fellows, visit ANNpower.org.

The ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative is a groundbreaking partnership between ANN INC. and Vital Voices. Together, they are working to train and empower young women in the U.S. to invest in their communities and begin their journey as the next generation of leaders.

The Fellows will attend the ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum, a three-day leadership training program in Washington, D.C. from June 4-7, 2012. The Forum’s curriculum will be based on the Vital Voices Leadership Model. Fellows will be mentored by 12 global women leaders who are part of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network as well as executives from ANN INC. After completing the curriculum, the 50 ANNpower Fellows will be challenged to go back to their communities and create a project that will affect change at the local level. Each fellow will be eligible to apply to receive a project grant to put her ideas into action.

“At ANN INC., we are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of female leaders and are proud to play a significant role in the development of our 50 ANNpower Fellows”, said Kay Krill, President and CEO of ANN INC., “It is a privilege to partner with Vital Voices on this initiative. Their commitment to women’s empowerment worldwide is inspiring to us all.”

“We are so proud to announce the 2012 ANNpower Fellows. These young women are taking their first step as rising leaders, recognizing their power, voice and responsibility to stand up and make change. We could not have a better partner than ANN INC. to help us do this. The ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum is an opportunity to build and empower a national network of young women leaders,” said Vital Voices President and CEO Alyse Nelson.

ANN INC. has committed to invest $1.3 million over four years to support the ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative. In 2011, the first 10 ANNpower Grantees represented an engaged, diverse, and talented group of young women who are currently working on projects that serve their communities in a meaningful way.

To learn more about the ANNpower Vital Voices Initiative, visit ANNpower.org.

About ANN INC.

ANN INC. is the parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, two of the leading women's specialty retail fashion brands in the United States. The Company operates 953 Ann Taylor, Ann Taylor Factory, LOFT and LOFT Outlet stores in 46 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico as of January 28, 2012, as well as online at AnnTaylor.com and LOFT.com. Visit ANNINC.com for more information (NYSE: ANN).

About Vital Voices Global Partnership:

Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading non-governmental organization that identifies, invests in and brings visibility to extraordinary women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities. Founded by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 1997, the organization trains and mentors women leaders as agents of transformative change in economic development, human rights and political participation. The Vital Voices Global Leadership Network includes more than 12,000 leaders representing 144 countries that have trained and mentored 500,000 additional women and girls in their communities. Visit www.vitalvoices.org to learn more.

Helping People On Their Path To Better Health

05.10.2012 - 01:54PM

Bridging the Americas Seminar 2012: Corporate Accountability and Sustainability in Latin America

05.09.2012 - 01:34PM

The Bridging the Americas Seminar 2012 is a hands-on, interactive workshop that focuses on the rapidly growing links between old-fashioned corporate social responsibility and new-fashioned corporate sustainability in Latin America. Designed to meet the needs of corporate executives, government officials, leaders in the nonprofit world, and academics working in this emerging field.

Features:

Internationally prominent speakers from the US, Mexico and Brazil
Small group dynamics
Development of tools in accountability and sustainability with special reference to the Latin American context

Speakers include:

Luiz Eduardo Osorio, Raízen, São Paulo, Brazil
Charles Ansbach, Ansbach and Associates Sacramento, California
Martha Honey, Center for Responsible Travel, Washington, D.C.
Bianca Brasil, Instituto LIFE, Curitiba, Brazil
Paul Rice, Fair Trade USA, Oakland, California

Registration fee: $2,200. Includes hotel, meals, simultaneous translation and instructional materials.

Sponsored by LLILAS (the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies) and the IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

Coca-Cola Enterprises Publishes 2011/2012 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report

05.09.2012 - 10:00AM

Social Innovation Summit 2012: Featuring Alicia Keys, Tiki Barber, Jeff Swartz and Jeffrey Hollender

05.08.2012 - 08:00AM

We are pleased to invite CSRwire members to join us for the 2012 annual Social Innovation Summit at the United Nations for unparalleled networking opportunities with an exclusive mix of global attendees on May 30 - 31, 2012.

Social Innovation Summit 2012 is a premier invitation-only conference connecting and inspiring a unique network of Business, Technology, & Community leaders interested in affecting positive social change. The summit balances significant networking time with high-profile global speakers presenting emerging trends across social innovation themes such as economic development, education, women & girls, sustainability and global health.

We are happy to offer CSRwire members this opportunity to join an otherwise closed event with a fantastic lineup of world class speakers including:

Alicia Keys, Multi-Platinum Grammy Singer, Songwriter, Actress & Philanthropist
Howard W. Buffett, Executive Director, Howard G. Buffett Foundation
Craig Venter, Chairman & President, J. Craig Venter Institute
Jonathan Greenblatt, Head, Office of Social Innovation, White House
Kay Koplovitz, Chairman, Liz Claiborne
Jean-Pierre Rosso, Chairman, World Economic Forum USA
Peter Bloom, Managing Director, General Atlantic; Chairman at DonorsChoose.org

Along with our event partners the United Nations Office for Partnerships we would be honored if you would accept our invitation, with details as follows:

Agenda:

Thursday, May 31st

9:00-6:00pm: Main Event Program

6:00-8:00pm: Networking & Cocktail Reception

Pre-Conference: Wednesday, May 30th (**optional)

2:00-6:00pm: Interactive Workshops & Roundtables

6:00-8:00pm – Networking Reception

Partial List of Confirmed Speakers:

Adam Brotman, Chief Digital Officer – Starbucks
Alan Hassenfeld, Chairman of the Executive Committee – Hasbro
Alicia Keys, Multi-Platinum Grammy award-winning Musician, Actress & Philanthropist
Bill Gross, Chairman & CEO – Idealab
Craig Venter, Chairman & President – J. Craig Venter Institute
Desh Desphande, Chairman & Co-Founder – Sycamore Networks
Dov Seidman, Chairman & CEO – LRN
Ellen Lambert, Executive Director, Corporate Contributions – Merck
Howard W. Buffett, Executive Director – Howard G. Buffett Foundation
Hunter Walk, Head of Social Good Initiatives – YouTube
James Gowen, Chief Sustainability Officer – Verizon
Jean-Pierre Rosso, Chairman – World Economic Forum USA
Jeff Swartz, Former CEO & President – Timberland
Jeffrey Hollender, Co-Founder – Seventh Generation
Jonathan Greenblatt, Head, Office of Social Innovation – White House
John Abele, Founder – Boston Scientific Corporation
John Wood, Co-Chairman & Founder – Room to Read
Kay Koplovitz, Chairman – Liz Claiborne
Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, President – Marc and Laura Andreessen Foundation
Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman & Founder – One Laptop Per Child
Nick Beim, General Partner – Matrix Partners
Rebecca Lucore, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility – Bayer Corporation
Rhonda Mims, President – ING Foundation
Shannon Schuyler, Senior Managing Director, Corporate Responsibility – PwC
Soon-Hong Choi, Chief Information Technology Officer – United Nations
Steve Gleason, Former NFL Player; Founder – Team Gleason Foundation
Timothy McClimon, President – American Express Foundation
Tiki Barber, NFL Former Pro Bowl Running Back & NBC Broadcaster
Tom Shadyac, Director, Screenwriter, and Producer – Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty, I Am

Online Registration
Summit Website: www.socinnovation.com
Ticket Price: $1295 for two-day conference; $995 for one-day
VIP Code: CSRwire10 (10% discount for CSRwire members)

Confirmed Attendees: Attending will be an elite invitation-only gathering of top Fortune 500 corporate executives, venture capitalists, government leaders, heads of CSR, foundation presidents, and social entrepreneurs including firms such as:

Abbott
American Express
AOL
Bank of America
Bristol-Myers Squibb
CBS
CDW
Citi
Cisco
Deutsche Bank
Discovery Communications
Draper Richards Foundation
eBay
F5 Networks
Facebook
First Round Capital
Ford Foundation
Gap
General Electric
Gilt Groupe
Goldman Sachs
Google
Heineken
Hewlett-Packard
ING
Intel
J. Craig Venter Institute
JPMorgan Chase
Lockheed Martin
MasterCard
Merck
McKesson
McKinsey
Microsoft
Mitsubishi
National Geographic
NBC Universal
Nike
NYU
Omidyar Network
Oracle
Pfizer
PwC
Robin Hood
Salesforce.com
Samsung
Siemens
Skoll Foundation
Sony
Starbucks
T-Mobile
Twitter
Time Warner
United Nations Foundation
Verizon
Viacom
VMware
Wall Street Journal
Wal-Mart
Walt Disney
Western Union
William J. Clinton Foundation
World Bank
Zynga

Webcast: How to Become a CSR 2.0 Leader

05.07.2012 - 12:59PM

As part of the ongoing Conversations with Stephen series, Katherine Pickus, Divisional Vice President of Global Citizenship and Policy at Abbot and Vice President of the company's foundation, the Abbott Fund will join Stephen Jordan for the discussion "How to Become a CSR 2.0 Leader." The interview will discuss how companies can create sustainable, scalable solutions that meet their CSR programs goals through business innovation.

About the Conversations with Stephen Series
U.S. Chamber BCLC’s Conversations with Stephen series is produced and moderated by BCLC founder and executive director Stephen Jordan. Guests engage in thoughtful, solution-oriented discussions and debates about the CSR field.

The six-part 2012 series is offered at no charge as part of BCLC’s commitment to share knowledge and best practices with current and upcoming CSR practitioners, in collaboration with strategic partner CSRwire.

The 2012 Edelman Good Purpose Report

04.27.2012 - 05:00PM

Anheuser-Busch InBev Releases 2011 Global Citizenship Report

04.26.2012 - 11:44AM

RSC Equipment Rental Releases Third Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report

04.23.2012 - 09:30AM

Building a sustainable RBS

04.18.2012 - 10:00AM

GBCHealth Conference and Awards Dinner

04.16.2012 - 10:06AM

Join corporate executives, government leaders, policy makers and global health visionaries as we gather to explore the future role of business in creating a healthier workplace and world. This year’s GBCHealth Conference features eight major sessions exploring critical topics on business and health, presentations by visionary thinkers, more networking time than ever, and presentation of the 11th Annual Business Action on Health Awards.

The Conference and Awards Dinner brings together a distinguished group of senior leaders and participating speakers that include Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women; Sarah Brown, CEO of the Office of Gordon and Sarah Brown & President of PiggyBankKids; Barbara Bush, CEO and Founder of Global Health Corps; Ray Chambers, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Malaria; Deepak Chopra, Founder of The Chopra Foundation; Richard Edelman, President & CEO of Edelman; Julio Frenk, Dean of Faculty at Harvard School of Public Health & former Minister of Health of Mexico; Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company; Madam Bongi Ngema-Zuma, First Lady of South Africa; and Dean Ornish, Founder and President of Preventive Medicine Research Institute.

For more information, see Who's Attending and learn about last year's Conference, which more than 1,000 global leaders attended. For information on tickets, visit our Registration page.

Follow our Conference updates on Twitter using our Conference hashtag #GBCH12.

If you have any questions about GBCHealth's Conference and Awards Dinner, please email us at conference@gbchealth.org.

About GBCHealth

GBCHealth serves as a hub for private sector engagement on the world's most pressing global health issues. Since 2001, GBCHealth has worked with hundreds of members—individually and in partnership with one other—to tackle the challenges of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, diabetes and other health issues facing the workplace and communities where business is conducted.

Nestlé’s 2011 Creating Shared Value Report receives GRI A+ rating

04.12.2012 - 03:00AM

GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report

04.11.2012 - 02:11PM

General Mills 2012 Global Responsibility Report

04.03.2012 - 11:59PM

Responsible Business Summit USA

04.02.2012 - 06:25PM

Discover how to fully embed and integrate CSR in your organization. Learn how to collaborate with key stakeholders and establish competitive edge using proven CSR strategies. Robust debate, interactive discussion and problem solving with GAP Inc, Timberland, Lockheed Martin, Life Technologies, Campbell Soup. HP, AT and T, Intel, Patagonia and many more.

25+ expert speakers and over 150+ attendees from across the globe.
Learn from industry heavyweights such as Gap Inc, and Timberland and apply their worldwide operating experience in your own business model.
Interactive learning formats including roundtable discussions, debate sessions.
Network with senior level representatives and build lasting mutually beneficial relationships.
Months’ worth of research distilled and delivered over two days.
In depth, focused agenda derived from months of research on how to overcome the latest challenges and help you deliver long term profitable operations.

You can see the speaker and agenda list here:
To take advantage of our super early bird and save $400 register now.

The State of the Corporate Responsibility Profession Report

03.28.2012 - 01:09PM

Viacommunity Report 2010-2011

03.27.2012 - 09:30AM

SAP Sustainability Report 2011

03.26.2012 - 08:00AM

International Corporate Volunteerism Conference

03.15.2012 - 05:50PM

Join major multinational corporations and their implementing partners at CDC Development Solutions’ 3rd Annual International Corporate Volunteerism Conference on 11-12 April, 2012! Whether you have an existing International Corporate Volunteerism (ICV) program or are just thinking of getting started, this interactive event will provide opportunities to hear about best practices in design, implementation and measurement and to engage with top thought leaders and practitioners in the ICV space.

The conference, hosted by CDC Development Solutions, with support from Emerging World, Emirates, GlaxoSmithKline, Jones Lang LaSalle - Commerical Real Estate Services, Pfizer, A Billion + Change, Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), Dow Corning, IBM, USAID, International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF), Devex, 3BL Media, and CSRwire, will once again welcome participants from over 150 companies - from small businesses to Fortune 500s - NGOs, and government agencies. This year’s event will provide even more opportunities for smaller group interactions and networking and will include the unveiling of the results of the 2012 ICV Benchmarking Study, showcasing the enormous growth and trends in the field. For information on last year's conference, attendees, and to review CDS' 2011 ICV Benchmarking Study, click here.

Keep an eye out on Twitter for the hashtag #ICVConf, as we will be live-tweeting the event all day!

If you have any questions about the conference, please email us at icvconference@cdc.org.

EF's Corporate Citizenship Conference, "Corporate Social Impact"

03.02.2012 - 05:40PM

EF’s Corporate Citizenship Conference, “Corporate Social Impact” is an event designed for companies interested in creating, enhancing, and strengthening their corporate community involvement and philanthropy programs.

The Conference will showcase corporate citizenship programs and feature panels and workshops from a broad variety of large and small, public and private companies. Also at the conference will be presentations featuring a number of celebrated experts who will address trends, metrics, best practices, and issues facing companies today.

Attendees will receive a preview of high level findings from EF’s CSR Study and the opportunity to view product demonstrations from a variety of service providers.

See more at About the Conference (PDF).

9th CSR Summit 2012

02.29.2012 - 08:34AM

The 9th CSR Summit 2012 will provide a unique platform for CSR professionals in the region to learn and network alongside key stakeholders to develop and advance CSR in the region.

Forecast: Corporate Citizenship and America's Future - 2012 National BCLC Conference

02.27.2012 - 06:45PM

With a focus on the Role of Corporate Citizenship in America's Future, the National Conference is an established convening for the foremost voices in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) continuum—from philanthropy to public-private partnerships to business solutions. Be part of rich, solutions-focused discussions about how to address the tough challenges facing America today and what we can do together for the future.

Many issues, including volunteerism, will take the spotlight. Register now to gain access to a plenary with Michelle Nunn, Chief Executive Officer of Points of Light, followed up with a BCLC/Billion + Change skills-based volunteering "speed dating" with Deloitte, Kraft Foods, Marsh and McLennan Companies, and UPS Foundation.

Other sessions will include a Special Edition of Conversations with Stephen—a live webcast, in conjunction with tweetchat—where BCLC’s Stephen Jordan and Carol Cone, Global Practice Chair, of Edelman Business + Social Purpose, will release and discuss the results of the 2012 goodpurpose® study which explores consumer attitudes around social purpose and its implications for corporate citizenship.

To close the conference, leaders from Microsoft, FSG, and Intel will join BCLC's Stephen Jordan in a vibrant debate about CSR: Is it philanthropy or a core business solution? What about social innovation? Does CSR drive business results?

In addition, the evening of April 17, BCLC and Siemens Corporation will present the 5th Annual Siemens Sustainable Community Award to a small, medium, and large size community based on a sustainability initiative implemented by the community.

The Responsible Business Summit

02.27.2012 - 09:19AM

Now in its 11th year, the Responsible Business Summit is literally the biggest and most comprehensive 2-day event on leadership in corporate responsibility. The 50+ speaker roster has never looked so good, with leading authorities from the world's highest performing responsible businesses including CEOs from Coca-Cola Enterprises, Diageo, Kingfisher, Desso and Kuoni Travel.

Based on months of research with the CR community, the agenda focuses exclusively on issues that matter to the CR professional in 2013, from supply chain management issues and embedding CR in the company to stakeholder engagement and China.

With an expected audience of 450+ senior corporate attendees, no other event can offer the same networking opportunities in 2012. T

o download a brochure go to: http://events.ethicalcorp.com/rbs/conference-event-brochure.php

PwC Canada - Corporate Responsibility - Highlights 2011

02.27.2012 - 08:00AM

Corporate Responsibility + Social Media: Are They Aligned in your Organization?

02.09.2012 - 05:12PM

#SMWCSR

Skepticism is high. Trust is down. Consumers are increasingly using social media to guide their purchasing decisions. Job candidates are increasingly evaluating prospective employers using a complex combination of social media, mission, brand purpose and reputation. How can business leverage the power of millions to solve social and environmental problems while staying true to their mission? And how can your internal communicators help? How can your stakeholders communicate and collaborate in meaningful ways? How can social media be a true channel for a true dialogue between company and stakeholder?

Speakers: Sloane Berrent (VP of Digital at Lippe Taylor), Kelly Fisher (Assistant Manager, Philanthropy at Toyota), Dave Stangis (VP, CSR, Sustainability and Community Affairs at Campbell Soup Co.), Aman Singh (Editorial Director, CSRwire), Susan McPherson (Director of Global Marketing at Fenton)

How to Manage Social and Environmental Risk for Oil, Gas and Mining

02.01.2012 - 10:04AM

Our 3rd annual social and environmental risk management conference provides best practice insight for oil, gas, mining and heavy industry. Robust debate, interactive discussion and problem solving with BP, Chevron, Rio Tinto, De Beers, ICMM and many more. In depth focused agenda covering, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, human rights and revisions to the IFC performance standards. A global event boasting 25+ speakers from Africa, Europe and North America. Gain months’ worth of research and valuable knowledge over a mere two days. For more information about speakers, agenda, discounts and delegate prices please click here.

Capitalism with a Conscience

01.24.2012 - 11:12AM

Wake Forest University Schools of Business will welcome Walter Robb, Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market Inc., to campus on Tuesday, January 31 to discuss “Capitalism with a Conscience.” Robb’s presentation will outline the Whole Foods Market business model that embraces both profitability and social responsibility. He will then transition into a passionate conversation about the social responsibility role of business.

Ayn Rand objectivism supporter John Allison, Distinguished Professor of Practice and retired Chairman of BB&T, will join Robb in a panel discussion moderated by Aman Singh, Editorial Director of The Corporate Social Responsibility Newswire, a provider of corporate responsibility (CSR) news and research.

“Capitalism with a Conscience: Reflections on the Whole Foods Market Journey” is Tuesday, January 31 at 4:00 p.m. in the Worrell Professional Center Auditorium, room 1312 on the Wake Forest University campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is part of the Broyhill Leading Out Loud Executive Lecture Series and co-sponsored by the BB&T Center for the Study of Capitalism. Additional support and planning assistance has been provided by the Wake Forest Schools of Business Center for Retail Innovation, the Wake Forest University Center for Energy, Environment and Sustainability, and the Net Impact Chapter of Wake Forest University.

We First Social Branding Seminar with Simon Mainwaring, Carol Cone, and Robert Tercek

01.17.2012 - 02:00PM

Simon Mainwaring, New York Times bestselling author of We First, award-winning branding consultant to companies like Nike, Toyota and Motorola, and social media contributor to Forbes, Mashable and Fast Company, is holding a two day training seminar that I know will be of interest to you.

It offers real value to your business for 3 reasons.

Firstly, it fills an urgent need in marketplace by providing world-class training in brand storytelling and social media so that you walk out with an actionable Social Branding Blueprint specific to your business that you can act on. So real value, not a talk-fest.

Secondly, every attendee gets an extra ticket to give to their favorite non-profit for free. So you get to make the contribution.

Finally, the speakers are great. Besides Simon, there’s Carol Cone, Global Vice Chairman Edelman Business + Social Purpose, and Robert Tercek, former President of Digital Media for OWN.

Just enter the code CSRWIRE when you register. This is a rare opportunity to get world-class experts building your brand's success for 2012.

Here’s the link and make sure you use the discount code. Don’t wait as places are very limited: www.WeFirstSeminar.com

Conversations with Stephen: The 2012 CSR Outlook with Aman Singh

01.11.2012 - 12:55PM

Join Stephen Jordan, Executive Director of the U.S. Chamber Business Civic Leadership Center and Aman Singh, Editorial Director of CSRwire, as well as a group of MBA graduates virtually for an intimate conversation about what happened in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in 2011 and what the field has in store for 2012. The 2012 CSR Outlook is the first in a FREE six-part forum series.

The U.S. Chamber BCLC’s Conversations with Stephen series is produced and moderated by founder and executive director Stephen Jordan. Guests engage in thoughtful, solution-oriented discussions and debates about the CSR field. The six-part 2012 series is offered at no charge as part of BCLC’s commitment to share knowledge and best practices with current and upcoming CSR practitioners.

Changing Landscape of Sustainability Indexes, Ratings and ESG Investing

12.01.2011 - 05:00AM

Join over 50 leading companies who have already registered for The Changing ESG Landscape Quarterly Analyst Call. Acknowledged thought leaders Michael Muyot from CRD Analytics and Mark Serwinowski from award-winning sustainability performance advisory firm, MetaVu, discuss future trends of ESG reporting, performance and investing.

The Analyst Call will focus on:

Results of NASDAQ QCRD 2011 Semi-Annual Reconstitution Company Selection Process
• Common pitfalls of dropped companies
• Performance trends of re-listed or new companies
Learn How to Better Align With GRI G3.1 for Rankings and Indexes
Develop Capabilities for Measuring Sustainability Impacts and Shareholder Value for Non-Financial Professionals
Gain Insights into Leading Performance Indicators
Learn How Technology Enables Integrated Reporting
Discover New and Unique Ways to Communicate Sustainability ROI
Also more Future Trends that you need to prepare for now such as:
• GRI G4 Guidelines
• Integrated Reporting Framework

Presenters included:

Michael Muyot, President and Founder, CRD Analytics
Mark Serwinowski, Founder and CEO, MetaVu

Cost: Free (Registration is limited to publicly-traded companies and invitees only)

Register Here

How to Embed Sustainability into your Bank - A passport to long-term viability and success

11.27.2011 - 05:01PM

Attend our practical 2 day conference delivering all the facts, best practice examples, case studies and insights you need to fully embed sustainability into your financial organisation.

You won't find a more practical, focused - and useful - summit on CSR/sustainability for financial institutions anywhere else.

And you certainly won't find as much in-depth info and advice from corporate leaders as we can offer: Hear from senior level executives from

Goldman Sachs
Credit Suisse
Deutsche Bank
Citi Group
and many more.

Challenging key issues addressed:

Validate your sustainability activities through applying the very latest methods and techniques designed to measure IMPACT
Capitalise on the commercial opportunities of sustainability by discovering how to innovate products and adapt financial services
Minimize your reputational risk with effective environmental and social risk management
Work effectively with NGOS - Expert insider tips from the former Friends of the Earth UK Executive Director and WWF’s Head of Climate
Find out how to embed ESG principles across your business

Why not pick up a brochure here! http://events.ethicalcorp.com/finance/stay-updated.shtml

Enhance reputation.

Gain commercial opportunities from a growing green market.

Upgrade risk assessment and mitigation.

Develop a unique competitive advantage - remember, companies focused on sustainability outperformed their peers by 15% during the financial crisis! If you want to learn from the very best and gain practical insights you can apply the minute you're back in the office, then this the conference for you.

To reserve your spot or for more information, email catherine.mcnally@ethicalcorp.com or call +44 (0) 207 375 7575.

2011 Social Enterprise Boot Camp

11.09.2011 - 12:42PM

The Boot Camp is back! The Boot Camp is a series of participatory, practical workshops where current and aspiring social entrepreneurs will learn how to sharpen the tools and build the relationships they need to get social ventures off the ground. Join us at this unique, hands-on event facilitated by leading practitioners and faculty from three of New York's top schools: Columbia SIPA, NYU Wagner and our new partner, SVA Design for Social Innovation.

Registration is now open for the 2011 Social Enterprise Boot Camp! Be sure to get your tickets early. All tickets include entry to the Networking / Reception event on Saturday night.

When you register you will be asked to select the workshops you want to attend on both days. We encourage you to visit our website to see our schedule, workshops and confirmed speakers.

Not able to make it to the Boot Camp workshops but still want to connect with attendees and speakers? Join us at the Speed Networking / Reception Event on Saturday, November 19th from 6:00pm-9:00pm. Tickets available here.

Email us, stay in touch through Facebook, follow us on Twitter and tell your friends to join our mailing list for updates!

PR News' CSR Awards

11.09.2011 - 10:00AM

Enter PR News' CSR Awards to get recognized for your CSR efforts and to shine the spotlight on the people driving your CSR success. PR News recognizes that corporate social responsibility enhances reputation and builds positive bridges to communities, customers and the public at large—and in so doing affects the bottom line.

You can view the complete list of more than 30 entry categories here: http://www.prnewsonline.com/CSR_2011/.

PR News is also accepting entries for its first annual CSR A-List Awards, which is an esteemed list of 10 PR agencies that have a proven track record in developing and managing corporate responsibility programs for clients. Winners for both the CSR Awards and the CSR A-List Awards will be honored April 17, 2012 in Washington D.C.

CSRwire United Nations Global Compact 2011 Communication on Progress

10.24.2011 - 08:00AM

Microsoft 2011 Citizenship Report

10.04.2011 - 07:25PM

2010 Merck Corporate Responsibility Report

09.30.2011 - 09:00AM

2011 Global Corporate Citizenship Conference

09.28.2011 - 01:46PM

2011 Global Corporate Citizenship Conference
Adding Value in Emerging Markets and Local Communities

October 5 & 6, 2011, Washington, D.C.
View Agenda
On Twitter: #GlobalCSRconf and #AddingValueCSR
Register Now

Business Leaders Are Here to Discuss Their Strategies and Lessons

Keynote:
Brad Smith, General Counsel and Executive Vice President, Legal and Corporate Affairs Microsoft Corporation

Brad Smith will discuss the importance of partnerships between the public sector, private sector and NGOs to address the opportunity divide facing youth in local communities around the world.

Jason Saul, Author of Social Innovation Inc. and Founder Mission Measurement Sought-after author

Jason Saul will present on the importance of measuring the value of CSR and how companies can monetize their social impact.

Ed Martin, Marketing Excellence and CSR Insights The Hershey Company

Ed Martin has had many years of experience in the private sector working in emerging markets and will share his thoughts on how to leverage marketing research to learn about communities' needs and leverage core functions to solve challenges.

Bo Miller, Global Director, Corporate Citizenship The Dow Chemical Company

As the co-chair of BCLC's Global Corporate Citizenship program, Bo Miller's vision for economic and social development in emerging markets has guided BCLC as well as his own company, Dow. Bo will lead a discussion on deploying business skill sets to solve community challenge and also release BCLC's Business for Good Map.

Talya Bosch, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Western Union

Few companies have as direct a reach into the economics of emerging markets as Western Union. Talya Bosch will discuss how her company has works with local subsidiaries to understand community needs and leverage their core functions to provide social services to clients and communities.

The Highlights Continue: The "Adding Value" conference (Twitter: #addingvaluecsr, #globalcsrconf) is dedicated to advancing how the private sector creates new approaches to international engagement, putting community and market development at the forefront of their agendas.

Additional Featured Speakers: Dr. Darin Gunesekera, Ashoka Fellow Willa Shalit, CEO, Fairwinds Trading Christine Auclaire, Chief of the Private Sector Unit, UN Habitat Dane Smith, Managing Director, FSG; and dozens more
High-impact discussions: The Role of Capitalism in Society, Business Strategies to Meet Societal Challenges, and Measurement & Evaluation An Urban Development roundtable in the midst of World Habitat Day
TED-style presentations on best practices in Haiti's economic recovery
"A Taste of the World" dinners and abundant networking
Conference website and agenda

Sneaker Week!

09.27.2011 - 02:23PM

Are you looking for a free and fun way to engage employees and connect to a larger social issue? Please join us and hundreds of other companies and organizations in Back on My Feet's Sneaker Week, November 14 – 18, to help raise $1 million, which will enable the organization to help 500 men and women experiencing homelessness.

Participants will be part of the larger Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week efforts taking place on the same dates. The campaign is very simple:

A company signs up before October 17 to participate here: http://www.backonmyfeet.org/sneaker-week.html.
Participating companies encourage their employees to get involved by wearing their sneakers to work for a $5 donation to Back on My Feet.
Back on My Feet provides resources for participating organizations to help them get employees involved.
The organization chooses the day they want to participate – most are choosing Friday, November 18, some are participating all week and others are even upping the ante by adding a $10 donation level that includes jeans and sneakers! The goal is to have 200,000 individuals participate nationwide and create discussion around the issue of homelessness.

About Back on My Feet
Back on My Feet, launched in Philadelphia in 2007, is a non-profit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of people experiencing homelessness by engaging them in running to build strength, confidence and self-esteem. Members run Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings and must maintain 90 percent attendance to move forward in the program and gain access to job training, employment and housing opportunities. The organization has received media support, including attention from NBC Nightly News, ABC World News, CNN and TODAY for its ingenuity in tackling this difficult social issue. More information can be found at backonmyfeet.org.

Editor's Note: View the associated press release here.

Angelpoints 'New Trends in CSR' Webinar Series presents: Introducing the Post-Green Business

09.23.2011 - 07:52PM

The Angelpoints 'New Trends in CSR' Webinar Series presents: Introducing the Post-Green Business

Consumers have not voted for sustainability with their wallets. Green brands have not captured more than a sliver of their markets. So is green business dead? No way.

Marc Stoiber will explore the transformation taking place in North American business today. Companies are still incorporating CSR and sustainability practices at a breakneck pace - but leaders are augmenting sustainability with new policies accelerating innovation, design, insight and social interaction. Tomorrow's 'futureproof' brands are being built today.

Join Stoiber as he explores the demise of green marketing, the new role sustainability and CSR are playing inside corporations, and the way innovation, design, insight and social interaction are being combined with sustainability to create resilient brands and corporations.

Marc Stoiber is a creative director, entrepreneur, green brand specialist and writer. He works with clients to build resilient, futureproof brands. He has helped two ad agencies rise from obscurity to market prominence, and his work has been recognized by virtually every international industry award for advertising and design.

Marc's leadership positions have included VP of Green Innovation at Maddock Douglas, President and Founder of Change Advertising, National Creative Director of Grey Canada and Creative Director of DDB Toronto.

Marc writes on brand innovation for Huffington Post, Fast Company, GreenBiz and Sustainable Life Media. He also speaks on the subject from coast to coast, and has been featured at TED.

Webinar Link: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/319697256

Global CSR Conference: Adding Value in Emerging Markets

09.16.2011 - 12:02PM

With featured speakers including ...

The Honorable Michel Martelly, President of the Republic of Haiti (Keynote, pictured right)
Jason Saul, author of Social Innovation, Inc.
Christine Auclaire, UN Habitat
Mesh Gelman, Choose Haiti
Dr. Darin Gunesekera, Ashoka Fellow
Bo Miller, The Dow Chemical Company
Hugh Welsh, DSM
And many, many more: http://bclcglobal.uschamber.com/confirmed-speakers.

We at the Chamber BCLC recommend you do not miss this conference!

Please join us on Oct. 5 & 6 in Washington, DC or via webcast, and connect with companies, entrepreneurs, and NGOs that are creating a movement of change and progress.

HIGHLIGHTS:

New tools for CSR managers: Business for Good Map and International Business Corps
Discussion, debate, and answers: The Role of Capitalism in Society, Business Strategies to Meet Societal Challenges, and Measurement & Evaluation
An Urban Development roundtable in the midst of World Habitat Day
TED-style presentations on best practices in Haiti's economic recovery
"A Taste of the World" dinners and abundant networking

Conference Website: http://bclcglobal.uschamber.com/
Registration: www.regonline.com/bclcglobalcsr2011
Twitter Feed: #GlobalCSRconf and #AddingValueCSR

CSR Conference - Reputation & Integrity in an Information Age

08.17.2011 - 05:36PM

This energetic day-and-a-half conference will focus on the issues of transparency, values and integrity with leading practitioners and thinkers in the CSR field. Conference sessions include:

Integrity Values & Brand Reputation
Reporting & Transparency
Engaging Stakeholders to Build Brand
Compliance or Leadership?

With speakers from:

REI – Keynote Luncheon Speaker
McKinstry
Weyerhaeuser
Edelman
Holand America Line
Deloitte
Microsoft
Timberland
Russell Investments
Puget Sound Energy
Milgard School of Business

This conference is about making your values turn into business value, because your customers care – and increasingly so. In an age of increased competition and tight margins you need to differentiate yourself from your competition – or your competition will. These topics and these speakers and this gathering of minds will challenge your thinking and give you new tools to use as you survive and thrive in this new economy. Join us in September ... you won't regret it.

Bayer Sustainable Development Report 2010

07.14.2011 - 03:20PM

Coca-Cola Enterprises Committed to 2020: Shaping a Sustainable Future in Europe

06.28.2011 - 10:31AM

Impact Investing Summit

06.22.2011 - 08:02AM

Driven with a commercial goal in mind, this year's Impact Investing Summit will bring together investors from across the financial spectrum including commercial, institutional and private investors as well as the social entrepreneurs and MFIs they invest in. Together, they will arm you with the tools and knowledge you need to commit to tomorrow’s most profitable impact investments from water and energy to health and housing.

What will the agenda cover?

How to effectively capitalize on impact investing: Shell Foundation, water.org and Calvert Foundation help you to uncover the investable opportunities in health, energy, housing and water

First hands insights on what is worth investing in: Find out where the highest returns can be found, which investments are offering the greatest traction and which impact areas are reaching scale to ensure you are minimising risk

Understand how to penetrate this market: Which loan products should you explore and what channels can you use? Where are the investable funds and what returns are available? 30 expert speakers answer the questions that are keeping you up at night

Standardising impact measurement: Too many tools are fighting for their corner in the market. Join the industry discussion that will help determine ONE tool that will monitor social performance, track intended impact and measure reputational exposure. GIIRS, Grassroots Business Fund and the Rockefeller Foundation share their insights

Who will you meet?

Institutional Investors
Commercial banks
Private investors
Foundations
Investment advisors and asset managers
Development finance specialists
Social entrepreneurs and MFIs

For more information please visit: www.impactinvesting-usa.com
or call us on +1 212 537 5898

Delhaize Group Corporate Responsibility Progress Report

06.20.2011 - 08:58AM

Biogen Idec 2010 Corporate Citizenship Report

06.15.2011 - 09:11AM

Piraeus Bank Annual Corporate Responsibility Report 2010

06.09.2011 - 10:54AM

CVS Caremark 2010 Corporate Social Responsibility Report

05.10.2011 - 03:46PM

Cascade Engineering Triple Bottom Line Report 2010

04.27.2011 - 02:26PM

Heineken Sustainability Report 2010

04.18.2011 - 08:51AM

GlaxoSmithKline 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report

03.29.2011 - 10:00AM