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US Department of Energy Green Button Program Spurs Smart Apps

05.24.2012 - 09:00AM

The winners of the US Department of Energy's “Apps for Energy” Challenge were announced this week, and New York based VELObill by Zerofootprint, Inc. won 3^rd place as the leading app for utility bill visualization. As of today, it is also the lead contender for the popular vote category. There is still time to cast your Public Vote for VELObill through May 31.

Software developers were invited to submit web and mobile apps to help consumers save energy in coordination with the US Department of Energy’s Green Button Challenge, launched in January. The program first urged utilities and energy service providers to standardize energy usage data for their customers in a simple downloadable format, known as a “Green Button.” The hope was that easy access to energy usage would enable consumers to manage their consumption and make more informed decisions. It’s a good example of American ingenuity. To date, energy utilities that signed up for the Green Button serve over 30 million US homes.

Green Button’s energy data formatting sparked a wave of creativity among futurists, visionaries and “App” developers that is quickly changing how Americans think about energy. For Dr. Ron Dembo, CEO and Chief Architect of American software company Zerofootprint, this translates to reducing our carbon footprint. “It is time for an “occupy energy” movement, so where better to start than to know and understand what we use?” said Dembo, who authored VELObill. “By standardizing our energy data, Green Button is revolutionizing an antiquated industry and putting consumers in the driver’s seat.”

Karen Austin, PG&E’s chief information officer, was among the panel of experts who picked the winning energy apps in the US Department of Energy’s Apps for Energy competition. “VELObill makes it easy and rewarding to use Green Button data,” she said. “With just a few clicks, consumers can view their utility usage, measure whether it is high or low, compare it to that of their peers and examine ways to save money.

Test drive VELObill and cast your Public Vote for “Best Energy App”

Zerofootprint developed VELObill: Utility Bill of the Future, specifically for Green Button application. Beyond its engaging, user-friendly interface, a unique feature of VELObill is its cross-platform, which combines Green Button data with other sources allowing peer-to-peer benchmarking and healthy competition. You get your entire energy picture – how much you spent on gas, water and electricity, whether it is up or down from last period, how you compare to your peers and what you could save – all in 30 seconds. Then, it goes a step further to show how to save, who can provide help, and then offers tools to manage your plan of action. More about VELObill: Utility Bill of the Future, from Zerofootprint.

The company invites the public to test drive VELObill, share your comments on Twitter and cast your Public Vote by May 31.

VELObill Test Drive directions:

Go to http://greenbutton.sit.zfp.ca:8080/results/dashboard. Click on "Measure Me" in the lower left nav. Once you arrive, create a demo location in the blue panel on the left. Enter this profile info:

Location Name: My House
ZIP Code: 94920
Peer Group: My Friends
Size: 2000 Sq. Ft.
Occupants: 2
Heating Type: Electricity
Water Heating Type: Fuel

Submit an email and invent a password. Lastly, fill in the following utility account information:

Utility Provider: Pacific Gas and Electric
Utility Number: 9594300521-8
Utility Password: Footprint

For more information, please contact: Zerofootprint Inc., 817 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10003.

HEINEKEN Honoured for Global Health Practices

05.16.2012 - 09:16AM

Last night, HEINEKEN received the prestigious GBCHealth Business Leadership Award at GBCHealth's annual conference in New York City. HEINEKEN has been selected to receive this award by GBCHealth for its enduring commitment to and excellence in its support for health-related programming for its employees, their dependents and the communities in which it operates.

John Tedstrom, CEO GBCHealth, stated: "Heineken is an unsung hero in Global Health. It is a corporate leader who has dedicated its energy, attention and resources over more than two decades to tackling some of the most challenging global health issues of our time. From the company's first HIV awareness and prevention programs in 1989 to its decision in 2001 to offer HIV care services as part of its employee medical benefits package (a program many other companies have since replicated), to being an integral voice in shaping critical policy efforts, Heineken has been a trailblazer in the global health space going above and beyond its core business to address issues that other companies find difficult to address."

Stefaan van der Borght, Global Director Health Affairs HEINEKEN, said: "We are extremely honoured with this award. At HEINEKEN people are our greatest assets. No other asset in the company is as important as the people that contribute with their work to our business results. Therefore, HEINEKEN commits itself to provide a healthy working environment for all employees, contractors working on its premises and for those hired by HEINEKEN further along the supply chain. We have been actively focusing on health care of our employees and communities for over twenty years now and will continue to do so going forward. At the same time we realise our health care work has only just begun."

HEINEKEN operates in many different countries. Particularly in the area of healthcare, being a multinational company means taking on responsibilities and actively contributing to the development of societies. HEINEKEN is active in helping combat the world's poverty diseases: malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Its HIV/AIDS programme is an important and integrated part of HEINEKEN's healthcare initiatives, aimed at both prevention and access to anti-retroviral drugs.

At the end of 2007 HEINEKEN launched the Heineken Africa Foundation in order to support the improvement of health for communities in sub-Saharan Africa. HEINEKEN has endowed the Foundation with EUR 20 million, which allows up to EUR 1 million per year to be invested in relevant health projects and health-related education. To date, the Foundation has committed EUR 3 million which supports 33 projects.

Note to editors:

HEINEKEN is a proud, independent global brewer committed to surprise and excite consumers with its brands and products everywhere. The brand that bears the founder's family name - Heineken® - is available in almost every country on the globe and is the world's most valuable international premium beer brand. The Company's aim is to be a leading brewer in each of the markets in which it operates and to have the world's most valuable brand portfolio. HEINEKEN wants to win in all markets with Heineken® and with a full brand portfolio in markets of choice. The Company is present in over 70 countries and operates more than 140 breweries with volume of 214 million hectolitres of group beer sold. HEINEKEN is Europe's largest brewer and the world's third largest by volume. HEINEKEN iscommitted to the responsible marketing and consumption of its more than 250 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders. These include Amstel, Birra Moretti, Cruzcampo, Desperados, Dos Equis, Foster's, Heineken®, Newcastle Brown Ale, Ochota, Primus, Sagres, Sol, Star, Strongbow, Tecate, and Zywiec. Our leading joint venture brands include Cristal, Kingfisher, Tiger and Anchor. In 2011, revenue totaled EUR 17.1 billion and EBIT (beia) was EUR 2.7 billion. The number of people employed is around 70,000. Heineken N.V. and Heineken Holding N.V. shares are listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange. Prices for the ordinary shares may be accessed on Bloomberg under the symbols HEIA NA and HEIO NA and on the Reuter Equities 2000 Service under HEIN.AS and HEIO.AS. Most recent information is available on HEINEKEN's website: www.theHEINEKENcompany.com.

PR News' Platinum PR Awards - Entry Deadline is Friday, May 11

05.08.2012 - 04:32PM

PR News' Platinum PR Awards salutes the year’s most outstanding communications initiatives and programs in the highly competitive and dynamic PR arena. The coveted awards set the industry benchmark for excellence across all areas of PR.

The winners of the Platinum PR Awards are from corporations, agencies and nonprofits large and small who took chances, made tremendous strides and understand the power of public relations. Your hard work is done – now it’s time for you and your team to get recognized for it!

The Entry Deadline is this Friday, May 11. Are you ready to enter? It’s simple to compete, as your campaigns and people speak for themselves. But you have to enter to be considered, so don’t let your competitors steal the show.

We’ll be honoring the winners in September 2012 in New York City, and in the annual PR News PR Platinum Awards Issue. Please contact PR News' Laura Berdichevsky at lberdichevsky@accessintel.com with any questions.

Bill Drayton of Ashoka Wins Harvard Award

05.08.2012 - 03:01PM

Ashoka CEO and founder Bill Drayton received the Harvard Kennedy School’s prestigious Richard E. Neustadt Award for Public Policy last week. The Neustadt Award is presented annually to a key social innovator whose work draws upon research and intellectual ideas in order to develop solutions to public problems. At the awards ceremony in Cambridge on May 3^rd, the Neustadt Award recognized Drayton’s lifelong commitment to fostering a global movement of social entrepreneurs through his work at Ashoka. As innovators for the public, Ashoka addresses social problems by investing in social entrepreneurs, an approach that creates opportunities for global collaboration that facilitate high-impact social solutions.

Drayton received the Neustadt Award in conjunction with the Kennedy School’s Thomas C. Schelling Award for Public Policy. The Schelling Award is conferred on an individual whose unprecedented intellectual work has had a transformative impact on public policy. This year’s Schelling recipient is Amartya Sen, a Nobel Prize winner in economic sciences.

“The Schelling and Neustadt awards are given in the names of two people who were instrumental in the creation of the modern Kennedy School,” noted Kennedy School dean David T. Ellwood. “It is in their spirit that we recognize this year’s extraordinary recipients, both of whom have dedicated their lives and careers to the pursuit of knowledge and serving the public good. We are proud to honor their remarkable contributions to our nation and our world.”

“It is a great honor to receive an award named after an individual who is a pioneer in his own right. Richard Neustadt inspired a generation of students to service, in the same way that we at Ashoka are working to inspire a world of changemakers.”

Drayton is a graduate of Harvard College who earned his M.A. from Oxford and a J.D. from Yale Law School. His professional achievements include helping the Environmental Protection Agency launch the emissions-trading program that eventually became the basis for the Kyoto Protocol; founding the 30-year-old Ashoka Innovators for the Public, which now supports 3,000 Fellows in more than 80 countries on all five major continents; and chairing Youth Venture’s global community of Changemakers. Drayton has also been named one of America’s 25 best leaders by both U.S. News & World Report and the Harvard Kennedy School.

The Neustadt Award is named for the late Richard E. Neustadt, a professor of government at Harvard and noted political scientist who specialized in American presidential scholarship. He also served as one of the founders of the modern Kennedy School and founding director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics.

About Ashoka

Founded in 1980, Ashoka is the world’s working community of nearly 3000 leading social entrepreneurs in over 80 countries. It champions the most important new social change ideas and supports the entrepreneurs behind them by helping them get started, grow, succeed, and collaborate. As Ashoka expands its capability to integrate and connect entrepreneurs around the world, it builds an entrepreneurial infrastructure that is supporting the fast-growing needs of the citizen sector. Ashoka’s vision is to create change today, for an Everyone A Changemaker™ society to become the reality of tomorrow. For more information, visit www.ashoka.org.

Sainsbury’s Tops Retailers with Industry-Leading Sustainability Score

05.02.2012 - 12:41PM

Sainsbury’s has been awarded the top spot in the retail sector for its ambitious work on sustainability by the FTSE4Good Index.

The score in the independent, highly regarded index evaluates participating businesses from around the globe against key social, environmental and governance practices. Sainsbury’s achieved an absolute score of 4.4 out of five, against a global sector average of around 2.43, making it not only a leader in its sector but in the top tier of all the businesses taking part.

The retailer also scored a five for its work on climate change, which is considered ‘best practice’ in the sector.

Stuart Wright, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Sainsbury’s, said: “Last year we set out ambitious sustainability commitments in our 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan. This accolade is a great endorsement of the progress we’re already making.”

Sainsbury’s published its 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan in October 2011. This industry-leading plan is built into Sainsbury's business strategy and sets out 20 targets to be achieved by 2020.

The commitments address four key areas of focus:

Sustainable and Healthy Products - including Best for British: By 2020, we'll double the amount of British food we sell
Operational Excellence - including operational carbon emission reduction: By 2020, we'll have reduced our operational carbon emissions by 30 per cent absolute and 65 per cent relative, compared with 2005.
Colleagues - including 20 years service: By 2020, 20,000 of our colleagues will have reached 20 years service at Sainsbury's.
Communities - including new jobs and skills: By 2020, we'll create 50,000 new jobs in the UK.

Sainsbury's goal is to be a leader in sustainability and ethics. The company has transformed the market for Fairtrade products, becoming the world's largest Fairtrade retailer. It is also the largest retailer of MSC certified fish and RSPCA Freedom Food certified products. Sainsbury's also has a long track record of pursuing climate change and biodiversity strategies, and championing community investment, not least through its support for Comic Relief and the Paralympic Games.

Initiatives include using carbon-saving technologies for new and existing stores that will drive down energy usage, thereby reducing energy costs. There is also be an increased focus on providing customers with more British food as the company seeks to double the amount it currently sells.

Notes to editors:

Sainsbury’s 20 by 20 Sustainability commitments are:

Sourcing with Integrity

1. We’ll source all of our key raw materials and commodities sustainably to an independent standard.

2. Our own brand products won’t contribute to global deforestation.

3. All the fish we sell will be independently certified as sustainable and we’ll strengthen our position as the leading retailer for sustainable seafood.

4. Our sales of fairly traded products will hit £1 billion.

5. We’ll double the amount of British food we sell.

6. All our meat, poultry, eggs, game and dairy products will be sourced from suppliers who adhere to independent higher welfare standards.

7. Our suppliers will also be leaders in meeting or exceeding our social and environmental standards.

Best for food and health

8. We’ll continue to reduce salt, saturated fat, fat and sugar in our own brand products and we will lead on providing clear nutritional information, enabling our customers to make informed choices.

9. We’ll double the sales of lighter alcohol wine and reduce the average alcohol content (ABV) of own brand wine and beer.

Respect for our Environment

10. We’ll put all waste to positive use.

11. We’ll make sure that our own packaging has been reduced by a half compared to 2005.

12. We’ll have reduced our operational carbon emissions by 30 per cent absolute and 65 per cent relative, compared with 2005.

13. Through robust water stewardship, we’ll ensure that our supply chain approach is sustainable in areas of water vulnerability.

14. We’ll have worked with our own brand suppliers to reduce carbon emissions across all of our own brand products by 50 per cent relative.

Making a positive difference to our community

15. We’ll have encouraged over 20 million children to enjoy physical activity in the decade.

16. We’ll have donated over £400 million to charitable causes in the decade.

A great place to work

17. We’ll create 50,000 new job opportunities in the UK and at least half of our colleagues will have received externally accredited training.

18. 20,000 of our colleagues will have reached 20 years of service at Sainsbury’s.

19. We’ll increase the number of colleagues with shares in our business by 25 per cent.

20. We’ll have provided 30,000 people from disadvantaged groups with work opportunities.

Values-Based Business Hall of Fame Event Coming to NYC

05.01.2012 - 04:28PM

Social Venture Network (SVN) just announced the second group of inductees into the SVN Hall of Fame. Five “Environmental Evangelists” will be presented with the SVN Impact Award in a ceremony that recognizes outstanding leaders who have transformed the way the world does business.

Gary Hirshberg, co-founder and chairman of Stonyfield Farm; George Siemon, founding farmer and “CEIEIO” (pronounced C-EI-EI-O) of Organic Valley; Myra & Drew Goodman, co-founders of Earthbound Farm; Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation, will all be honored in person at the Social Venture Network Hall of Fame celebration taking place at Gotham Hall in Midtown Manhattan on November 13th, 2012. These dynamic entrepreneurs set the bar for sustainability, and built industry-leading companies that operate as if every day is Earth Day.

When Social Venture Network (SVN) was founded twenty-five years ago, it presented a new vision of business to the world – one that would simultaneously profit investors, employees, local communities, and the planet. SVN became the premiere force for cultivating entrepreneurs dedicated to “profit with a purpose.”

Now, upon the 25th Anniversary of the founding of SVN, the most influential values-driven business executives and impact investors will gather at the Social Venture Network Hall of Fame gala to pay tribute to the leaders that pioneered the new economy. “SVN members proved that businesses would be more responsible and successful if they focused on a triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. ” says Deb Nelson, Executive Director. “These extraordinary entrepreneurs have all done well while doing good.”

“Environmental Evangelists are innovative entrepreneurs who care about all of their stakeholders, not just their shareholders, and created companies that respect and care for the earth and future generations.” says Nelson. Each of the honorees has created an enterprise of over $50 million in annual revenue and positively impacted the environment. Their passion and business leadership planted the seeds that have now grown into the modern organic foods and sustainable business movements.

Every SVN Impact Award winner was rigorously vetted by a panel of 20 judges representing corporate peers, industry experts, and business and organizational leaders.
There are five categories of inductees, and the results will be announced in stages building up to the final Hall of Fame awards ceremony on November 13th.

Hirshberg, Siemon, Hollender, and the Goodmans won in the category of Environmental Evangelists. Previously announced were the “Workplace Champions” category winners which inlcuded Eileen Fisher of EILEEN FISHER, Inc., Margo Fraser of Birkenstock USA, Gary Erikson of Clif Bar, Chip Conley of Joie de Vivre, and Bruce Poon Tip of G Adventures.

For more updates on the SVN Hall of Fame celebration and to buy tickets, visit http://svn.org/HoF.

Environmental Evangelists: SVN Impact Award Winners

Gary Hirshberg, co-founder and chairman of Stonyfield Farm
Gary Hirshberg started out as an environmentalist who studied climate change and renewable energy, not a yogurt maker. He co-founded Stonyfield Farm to be “yogurt with a purpose,” perpetually looking for more environmentally responsible ways to do things. In 1997 Stonyfield Farm became the first US manufacturer to offset all greenhouse gas emissions from facility energy use, it has continually reduced the weight of its packaging, and where possible transport its products by rail or trucks fueled with biodiesel. And since starting Profits for the Planet (PFP) in 1993, Stonyfield Farm has gifted $15 million in support of thousands of organizations that care for the earth.

George Siemon, founding farmer of Organic Valley and “C-EI-EI-O”
When George Siemon invited his fellow farmers in Southwestern Wisconsin’s coulee region to join a co-op dedicated to a new, sustainable approach to agriculture, family farms were on the brink of extinction. The brand they created, Organic Valley, soon became the number one source of organic milk in America. To this day, Organic Valley bases every decision on the health and welfare of people, animals, and the earth. Organic Valley promotes regional farm diversity and economic stability by means of organic agricultural methods, and is committed to consumer education and helping mission aligned organizations through grants, cash and food donations, and fundraising tools.

Myra & Drew Goodman, co-founders of Earthbound Farm
The Goodmans founded Earthbound Farm with the guiding principle that how we care for our planet is how we care for ourselves. Earthbound is constantly working to reduce its impact on the planet in every area of their business. In 2012 alone, Earthbound’s organic farming operations, set on nearly 40,000 acres, will keep over 14 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers and toxic pesticides out of the environment, absorb the equivalent carbon dioxide of taking more than 9,200 cars off the road annually, and save 74,165 gallons of water by using 100% recycled plastics (PCR PET) for packaging. Earthbound funds academic scholarships for the next generation of environmentalists, delivers farm-fresh organic products to local schools, supports local food banks, and each month the company gives to an employee nominated charity.

Jeffrey Hollender, co-founder of Seventh Generation
Jeffrey Hollender created Seventh Generation to deliver healthy solutions for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets, and people within each home – and for the community and environment outside of it. A pioneer in corporate responsibility, Seventh Generation under Hollender’s leadership innovated ways to reduce its environmental impact, increase performance and safety, and create a more sustainable supply chain.

About SVN
Since 1987, Social Venture Network (www.svn.org) has been at the forefront of the socially responsible business movement, connecting, leveraging, and promoting a world-class community of more than 550 innovative entrepreneurs working to change the way the world does business and the way that business affects the world. SVN connects the leaders of socially responsible enterprises to share lessons and resources, form strategic alliances, and explore new solutions that build a more just and sustainable economy.

Interviews with SVN representatives and Hall of Fame honorees available upon request

U.S. Chamber Seeks to Recognize Businesses' Innovative Social Solutions

05.01.2012 - 03:56PM

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) today announced the creation of Corporate Citizenship Month and called on companies of all sizes to take pride in their societal work by applying for the Corporate Citizenship Awards. The annual awards – available in four different categories – seek to recognize companies that innovate to solve problems and that engage proactively to create positive impacts on society.

“BCLC started the Citizens Awards because we knew that businesses were interested in social and environmental progress and wanted to share and learn about best practices,” said U.S. Chamber BCLC Founder and Executive Director Stephen Jordan. “This year, we will receive submissions from across the U.S. and around the world, and we expect to discover and recognize some exciting business innovations that have the potential to make life better for all of us.”

For 13 years, the “Citizens” Awards have tapped into the variety of ways the business sector leads by example and fosters strategic and sustained positive impact on people, communities, the environment, and society. These examples have helped define understanding and acceptance of the key role the business sector plays in society today.

The four awards categories are:

Best Business Neighbor (U.S.)
Best International Ambassador
Best Partnership with a Nonprofit
Best Corporate Steward

The nomination opportunity is open to a business or industry association of any size that is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as well as to accredited local and state chambers of commerce. Each category comes with its own criteria and measurement system. BCLC’s website has full details available here: http://bclc.uschamber.com/program/citizens-awards.

Nominations will be accepted until May 31, 2012, at 05:00 EDT. An external review committee is appointed to review the applicants in each category and to determine the five nominations that make it to the 2012 finalists’ round. The finalists are then judged by another external judging panel to ultimately decide each category’s winner.

Finalists will be announced on September 17. The Citizens’ Awards gala, where winners are unveiled, takes place in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 2012.

BCLC is the U.S. Chamber’s resource and voice for businesses’ social and philanthropic interests. Its mission is to advance the positive role of business in society. Visit http://bclc.uschamber.com

Sustainable Solutions: Scientists Honored for Greener Solvents Research

05.01.2012 - 10:39AM

Israeli Researchers Receive Glycerine Innovation Award for Studies on Glycerol and its Derivatives as Sustainable Solvents
Award, Sponsored by American Cleaning Institute and National Biodiesel Board, Presented at AOCS Annual Meeting

Research that shows how glycerol – a syrupy and sweet-tasting chemical by-product – can be used as a sustainable solvent in industrial cleaning applications is being honored with the 2012 Glycerine Innovation Award.

The yearly honor is sponsored by the American Cleaning Institute^® (ACI, formerly The Soap and Detergent Association) and the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) and is presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS).

The 2012 Award recipients are Professors Dorith Tavor and Adi Wolfson from the Green Processes Center at Israel’s Sami Shamoon College of Engineering. The ACI/NBB Glycerine Innovation Award recognizes outstanding achievement for research into new applications for glycerine, with particular emphasis on commercial viability.

Professor Wolfson said he and his colleagues have been researching how glycerol and its derivatives can be used as sustainable solvents in industrial applications.

“The sustainability of a chemical process is derived from its materials and energy consumption, reaction performance, and separation procedures,” said Professor Wolfson. “As organic chemistry is traditionally carried out in solution, and as solvents are responsible for a large part of the waste and pollution generated by chemical processes, a key factor to enabling a sustainable chemical process is solvent selection.”

Professor Wolfson noted that glycerol is known to be a non-toxic, non-hazardous, non-volatile, biodegradable, and recyclable liquid produced as a by-product in the transesterification of oil from renewable sources.

“Glycerol has been successfully employed as a sustainable solvent in a wide variety of organic reactions and synthesis methodologies, showing its versatility as a solvent for organic synthesis,” said Wolfson. “Success in utilizing glycerol as a solvent for industrial process – such as production of fine chemicals for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, and a variety of additional industrial processes – can lead to processes that are environmentally sustainable yet economically efficient.

“Our research may lead to cleaner industrial processes and reduced pollution. Use of glycerol based solvents can reduce the environmental footprint of chemical processes and may replace solvents that are not manufactured from renewable sources, and which are not sufficiently cost effective, green, or simple to use.”

The award includes a plaque and a $5,000 honorarium. It was presented at the AOCS Industrial Oil Products Division luncheon during the 2012 AOCS Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California.

The American Cleaning Institute^® (ACI - formerly The Soap and Detergent Association) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market. ACI members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and oleochemical producers. ACI (www.cleaninginstitute.org) and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices.

Biodiesel is the first and only commercial-scale fuel used across the U.S. to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's definition as an Advanced Biofuel. It is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement that can be used in existing diesel engines and meets a strict ASTM fuel specification. Made from an increasingly diverse mix of resources such as agricultural oils, recycled cooking oil and animal fats, it is produced in nearly every state in the country. The biodiesel industry supports 39,000 American jobs. The National Biodiesel Board is the industry trade association.

California "Germinators" Honored as Hometown Heroes for Helping Improve Hand Hygiene and Health Habits

05.01.2012 - 10:39AM

Susanville, CA Middle Schoolers Earn National Hygiene Award
“Healthy Schools, Healthy People” Program Seeks to Prevent Spread of Infectious Disease, Reduce School Absenteeism
School Network for Absenteeism Prevention: Joint Initiative of American Cleaning Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Six students from Susanville, California decided to act up in school – as part of a local campaign to teach handwashing to their fellow classmates and the community at-large.

That effort is now being recognized nationally by the “Healthy Schools, Healthy People: It’s a SNAP” program (www.itsasnap.org), a joint initiative of the American Cleaning Institute^® (ACI, formerly The Soap and Detergent Association) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The students from Susanville’s Diamond View Middle School earned the Top Classroom Award from the SNAP (School Network for Absenteeism Prevention) program, which recognizes students for projects that are designed to promote hand hygiene and infection control.

“Germinators” Save the Day

Members of the drama club at Diamond View created a comedic skit called “Jeremy Germ and the Germinators.” This effort was part of an after-school project with the local Public Health Department to spread the message of the importance of proper hand washing throughout the school and the community.

The skit involved two Germinator “super heroes” saving students – who hadn’t washed their hands – from “Jeremy the Germ.” The students also created bulletin boards, posters, brochures and flyers with key handwashing messages. A public service announcement was also created and played by a local radio station.

Creative Ways to Teach Hand Hygiene

“The Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It’s a SNAP program taught the students that they have the ability make a big difference,” said Bethany DuVarney, Public Health Educator in Lassen County (CA), who worked with the students. “They learned how to use local resources, media, and community events to reach out and influence people in Lassen County to wash their hands.”

“The expert review panel that evaluated the award entries loved how these students devised a funny, thoughtful and imaginative way to teach the importance of hand hygiene,” said Nancy Bock, Senior Vice President of Education at the American Cleaning Institute (www.cleaninginstitute.org). “Something special always happens when you invite middle school students to be creative. They truly deserved the top honor this year for their skit that focused on clean hands and better health.”

"Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It's a SNAP is a public, private partnership that is a win-win for children's health.” said Michael J. Beach, PhD, Associate Director for Healthy Water at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “We congratulate the students who participated in this national awards program for promoting hand hygiene at school and helping to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.”

Congratulations to the all of the “Germinators”: Mazzy Schmidt, Clarissa Faustino, Abby Cooper, Vanessa Rios, Mykeyla Nimmo and Samantha Tiffany.

As recipients of the Top Classroom Award, the Diamond View Middle School students will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with leaders from CDC, ACI, the cleaning products industry and elected officials on Capitol Hill. ACI staff will also honor the students during a community celebration in Susanville May 5.

Students from Washington State, Georgia and Virginia Among National Award Recipients

Students from Kittitas Secondary School in Kittitas, Washington earned a runner-up award for their Coyote Clean Hands Campaign, which promoted handwashing at a local rodeo and county fair. They also put out hand sanitizers where handwashing wasn’t feasible, created posters and a public service announcement, and developed other activities to remind students to wash their hands throughout the day.

Myers Middle School from Savannah, Georgia also earned a runner-up award for their handwashing project. Two students surveyed their classmates’ handwashing habits, developed educational brochures and posters, and wrote and performed a rap song that shared messages on the importance of washing with soap and water.

Both runners-up received a $250 cash award.

Douglas MacArthur Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia was selected for a special honorable mention. A group of fifth grade students created a video of their “Wash Your Hands” rap song with original verse and choreography. They also made a “Soapy and Sudsy” banner and shared their video through an in-school TV program for all the students at their school.

More information on the Healthy Schools, Healthy People, It’s a SNAP program can be found at www.itsasnap.org.

The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI - formerly The Soap and Detergent Association) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market. ACI members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and oleochemical producers. ACI (www.cleaninginstitute.org) and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices.

Leading Health Economist Mark V. Pauly, Ph.D., Named 2012 Recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research

05.01.2012 - 09:24AM

Mark V. Pauly, Ph.D., has been named the 2012 recipient of the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research. The Prize, funded by The Baxter International Foundation and managed by the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), will be awarded on May 31, 2012 during the AUPHA Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Prize recognizes the contributions of health services researchers who apply analytic methods to examine and evaluate the organization, financing and/or delivery of health services. An independent committee of past winners, distinguished academics and internationally recognized researchers selects the recipient each year.

One of the nation’s leading health economists, Dr. Pauly has made significant contributions to the fields of medical economics and health insurance including research exploring healthcare reform, conceptual foundations for cost-benefit analysis of drugs, and incentives in managed care. His classic study on the economics of moral hazard was the first to note how health insurance coverage might affect patients’ use of medical services.

“Dr. Pauly is a marvel. His work has advanced the worlds of health services, health economics, health policy, and health management,” said Kyle Grazier, DrPH, University of Michigan professor and Graham Prize Selection Committee chair. “He has held leadership positions in academia as a dean, chair, and endowed professor; in professional leadership as a journal editor and advisory board member; in corporate and public sector leadership with the National Institutes of Health and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and as a teacher and mentor, winning awards for both. Mark Pauly is truly deserving of the Graham Prize.”

Dr. Pauly is Bendheim Professor in the Department of Health Care Management, Public Policy and Management, and Insurance and Risk Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is Co-Director of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Life Sciences and Management Program and Professor of Economics in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Health economics means more than cost and more than money,” said Dr. Pauly. “It means getting every American the healthcare and health insurance that is of highest net value, private and social. I am delighted to be recognized for my attempts to deliver on this promise.”

Dr. Pauly has been a consultant to the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine, and currently serves on the National Advisory Committees for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Health Care Financing and Organization Program, and the RWJF Health Policy Scholars Program. In 2007, Dr. Pauly was awarded the John M. Eisenberg Excellence in Mentorship Award from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and the Distinguished Investigator Award from AcademyHealth. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Health Care Finance and Economics, an associate editor of the Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, and Co-Editor of the recently published Handbook of Health Economics, Volume 2 (Elsevier). Dr. Pauly received the Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Virginia.

About the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research

Since 1986, The Baxter International Foundation and the Association of University Programs in Health Administration have awarded the William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research to recognize researchers who have made major contributions to the health of the public through innovative research in health services. The Prize honors the late William B. Graham, longtime chairman and CEO of Baxter International Inc., and is internationally regarded as the premier recognition for individuals conducting health services research. The Prize recognizes individuals who have had a significant impact on the health of the public in one of three primary focus areas: Health Services Management, Health Policy Development and Healthcare Delivery. The Prize includes an award of $25,000 to the individual and $25,000 to a not-for-profit institution that supports the winner’s work.

About the Prize Sponsors

The Baxter International Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX), helps organizations expand access to healthcare in the United States and around the world. The foundation, established in 1981, focuses exclusively on increasing access to healthcare particularly for the disadvantaged and underserved in communities where Baxter employees live and work. Baxter International Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide. For more information, please visit www.baxter.com.

AUPHA is a global network of colleges, universities, faculty, individuals and organizations dedicated to the improvement of healthcare delivery through excellence in healthcare management and policy education. Its mission is to foster excellence and drive innovation in health management and policy education, and promote the value of university-based management education for leadership roles in the health sector. It is the only non-profit entity of its kind that works to improve the delivery of health services – and thus the health of citizens – throughout the world by educating professional managers at the entry level. AUPHA's membership includes the premier baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degree programs in health administration education in the United States, Canada, and around the world. Its faculty and individual members represent more than 400 colleges and universities. For more information, please visit www.aupha.org.

Dow’s Excellence in Energy Efficiency Continues to Gain Important Recognition

04.30.2012 - 09:54AM

The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), a leader in energy conservation, has been recognized for excellence in energy efficiency by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The ACC awarded Dow with five Responsible Care awards for outstanding achievements in energy efficiency. Two of the five projects received additional recognition for exceptional merit.

“Dow leads the world in innovations that reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, such as building insulation, light-weighting technology for vehicles and components that harness wind and solar power,” said George Biltz, corporate vice president and business vice president for Energy and Climate Change at Dow. "We have also long been recognized as a pioneer and leader in industrial energy conservation. We are extremely proud of these excellent examples of how Dow continues to be at the forefront in driving energy solutions, creating competitive advantage along the way.”

As an example of Dow’s leadership in energy efficiency, the Company has reduced its energy intensity by 40 percent since 1990, saving $24 billion and 5,200 trillion Btu—roughly equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 20 million homes. As a result of Dow’s energy efficiency efforts, the Company has also avoided over 270 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions since 1990. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 16 million households.

Following are the award-winning Dow energy efficiency projects:

St. Charles Operations at Hahnville, Louisiana –improved the energy efficiency of its olefin unit’s flaring operation by 45%, saving 555,481 Btu/year. The facility produces basic building-block and intermediate chemicals that are used in thousands of everyday household, business and consumer products. This project was also recognized with an Exceptional Merit Award.
Ringwood, Illinois, an operating site that manufactures materials for packaging, adhesives as well as laminates, cut its energy consumption by 56,000 MMBtu/year from 2010 to 2011 by optimizing the utility footprint of the site.
Texas Operations in Freeport, Texas implemented a new reactor design to manufacture low density polyethylene (LDPE) that reduces process energy intensity by 11 percent and saves 67,200 MMBtu/year. Low density polyethylene is used in a variety of applications including plastic bags, food containers and laboratory equipment. This project was also recognized with an Exceptional Merit Award
Texas City Operations, in Texas City, Texas, through hydrogen enrichment of a flare stream, reduced its energy consumption by 60%, with an annual savings of 50,000 MMBtu/year. The conversion from natural gas to hydrogen enrichment using Dow’s patented process decreases the supplemental fuel requirement and energy used, while reducing the amount of greenhouse gases generated.
Texas City Operations, by optimizing flare fuel gas, will create energy savings of 155,000 MM Btu/year, a 28% reduction in fuel gas use, in its vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) plant flare. VAM is an essential chemical building block used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products such as adhesives, coatings, textiles and wire and cable polyethylene compounds.

Dow’s energy efficiency initiatives were chosen out of 73 projects submitted from 19 member companies. Only 12 of the submissions were chosen as exceptional merit winners.

About Dow

Dow combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe.

St. Charles Operations and Texas City Operations are owned and operated by Union Carbide Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company

Responsible Care is a trademark of the American Chemistry Council

Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute Opens Research Award Competition With Two $10,000 Prizes

04.26.2012 - 11:00AM

The IRRC Institute today opened its second annual competition for research that examines the interaction of the real economy with investment theory. Two papers – one academic and one practitioner – each will receive the “2013 IRRC Institute Research Award” along with a $10,000 award. A blue-ribbon panel of renowned judges with broad finance and investment experience will carefully review submissions and select two winning papers. The panel of judges includes:

Mark Anson, Managing Partner & Chief Investment Officer, Oak Hill Investment Management
Robert Arnott, Chairman, Research Affiliates
Collette Chilton, Chief Investment Officer, Williams College
James Hawley, Professor & Director, Elfenworks Center for Fiduciary Capitalism, Saint Mary's College of California
Bill Miller, Chairman, Legg Mason Capital Management

The competition builds on this year’s inaugural award. The 2012 award recipients include:

Steve Lydenberg received the practitioner award and $10,000 for research on fiduciary obligation ( Reason, Rationality and Fiduciary Duty). A 30-year veteran of the asset management industry, Lydenberg is the founding director of the Initiative for Responsible Investment at the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University and partner with Strategic Vision for Domini Social Investments. The research examines the benefits of fiduciaries' use of thought termed "reasonable" as opposed to "rational" in making investment decisions. The research is available here.

Professor Menachem Brenner and Dr.Yehuda Izhakian at New York University the Stern School of Business received the academic award and $10,000 for research about how stock prices are impacted by ambiguity, the unknown probabilities that generate risk (Asset Pricing and Ambiguity: Empirical Evidence). The research is available here.

Award submissions are due online by Friday, November 30, 2012, and winners will be notified and announced by February 2013. Submissions may be an original work created specifically for the IRRC Institute Research Award, or relevant unpublished papers, or papers that have been published after January 1, 2012. Winning papers will be published by the IRRC Institute and submitted to the Social Science Research Network for publication. The IRRC Institute also will distribute the winning papers to more than 5,000 individuals interested in the organization’s research. Full conditions for submission are posted at http://www.irrcinstitute.org/award.php.

“We are pleased to again sponsor this competition to encourage new research that integrates the analysis of private sector behavior with investment theory,” said Jon Lukomnik, executive director and award coordinator for the IRRC Institute. “Our inaugural award succeeded in generating thought-provoking research that serves investors, policymakers, academia, and other stakeholders – and focused attention on those papers. The panel of judges looks forward to reviewing new, innovative research that takes a critical look at the real economy in relation to portfolio and investment theory,” Lukomnik added.

Modern Portfolio Theory has dominated investment theory for a half century. That has increased the focus on security selection, portfolio construction, and other financial issues rather than attention on the real economy and investing. Simultaneously, the growing importance of the private sector relative to the public sector in the real economy has increased scrutiny of private sector behavior and economic activity, leading to the rise of a ‘responsible investing’ movement. Yet, a significant focus of that scrutiny is normative. That is, the private sector entity ‘should’ act in a certain manner with minimal attention on portfolio and investment theory. Thus, the IRRC Institute Award encourages new research integrating analysis of private sector behavior with investment theory.

More information regarding the award process, submission guidelines and calendar is available at http://www.irrcinstitute.org/award.php along with the award submission form, a Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions. Biographies of the judges are available at http://www.irrcinstitute.org/award.php?page=judges.

The IRRC Institute is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in New York, NY that provides thought leadership at the intersection of corporate responsibility and the informational needs of investors. For more information, please visit www.irrcinstitute.org.

Shared Interest 18th Annual Awards Dinner Honors South African Finance Minister, Merck

04.26.2012 - 10:30AM

Shared Interest’s 18^th Annual Awards Dinner, held on Monday, April 23 at New York’s Gotham Hall, honored Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan, South African Minister of Finance, for his skill and accomplishments in strengthening South Africa’s economy and moving the country towards stable, equitable growth during the global economic crisis.

Each year, Shared Interest, a leading New York-based nonprofit social investment fund, presents awards to individuals and institutions whose initiatives promote and protect human rights, gender equality, economic justice, and democracy in South Africa.

Shared Interest presented the 2012 Corporate Award to Merck (known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada) for its commitment to building healthy communities in South Africa. Karen and Phillip Berry, longtime supporters of Shared Interest, were recognized for forging partnerships to expand opportunity in South Africa.

More than 350 distinguished U.S. and African leaders attended this year’s black-tie affair, hosted by award-winning broadcaster and TV journalist Ed Gordon, Host of BET “Weekly with Ed Gordon”. The evening celebration raised funds for Shared Interest to provide black South African entrepreneurs with access to credit and technical support to launch small businesses, create jobs and build secure new communities.

In accepting the award, the South African Finance Minister applauded the commitment of Shared Interest and countless people worldwide in working toward economic justice in South Africa, after the fall of apartheid. “Apartheid attracted all of you…,” said Gordhan. “The legacy of apartheid that you are helping to eradicate today. You are helping to create a South Africa that is able to execute its full potential.”

Merck was recognized for providing treatment, care and support to people living with HIV/AIDS across southern Africa. Merck and Shared Interest have forged a partnership to make it possible for small agricultural business owners to gain access to capital and technical skills and expertise to grow their businesses and create social and economic change.

"The decision to join forces with Shared Interest was an easy one for Merck," said Adam Schechter, president, Global Human Health, Merck. "We are proud to support their efforts to enable small agricultural business owners to obtain the loans, skills and technical expertise that they need, to boost health and economic empowerment in the critical part of the world."

New York business leaders Philip and Karen Berry were honored for strengthening partnerships between the U.S. and South Africa that have fostered international collaboration and business and equitable development. “We accept this award, not only for ourselves, but for the thousands who are struggling to build productive lives in South Africa,” said Karen Berry, who is a Shared Interest investor with her husband. “We accept this award as a testament to the work that still must be accomplished to eliminate disparities throughout South Africa.”

The awards dinner highlighted uplifting images and success stories of Shared Interest’s pioneering clients. “Shared Interest recognizes that for all too many black South Africans, apartheid’s legacy continues: a job, a house, the chance to start a business and build economic security for a family and community remain beyond reach,” said Donna Katzin, executive director of Shared Interest, who acknowledged to guests the African National Congress’ 100^th anniversary and South Africa’s nearly two-decades long democracy. “Shared Interest works with Thembani International Guarantee Fund to provide these opportunities.”

Since its founding in 1994, Shared Interest has helped to launch more than 130,000 small and micro-enterprises; build and improve 120,000 homes and create more than 1.8 million jobs. More than 2,080,000 million South Africans -- the vast majority of them women – have benefited from Shared Interest’s guarantee loans. “And to date, none of our investors has lost a cent of interest or principal,” declared Katzin.

At the awards dinner, Shared Interest celebrated the launch of the Next Generation Campaign to expand access to capital and capacity development to 500,000 black entrepreneurs, homeowners and workers in South Africa and other Southern African countries.

Guests were treated to a powerful musical performance by soulful jazz singer Somi. This year’s major corporate sponsors are BET International, Destination Southern Africa, The Nielsen Company, Prudential, Rabin Martin, South African Airways, South African Tourism, Trillium Asset Management LLC, Standard Bank, Bloomberg and Walden Asset Management. Stanley Bergman, CEO of Henry Schein, was the Visionary Sponsor of the Minister’s Reception.

Sylvia and Byron Lewis, Founder and CEO of UniWorld Group, co-chaired the awards dinner. Honorary chairs were Former Mayor David and Mrs. Joyce Dinkins; South African Consul General and Mrs. George Monyemangene; South African H.E. Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool and Ms. Rosieda Shabodien; and South African H.E. Ambassador and Mrs. Baso Sangqu.

**NOTE: If your media outlet is interested in official event photos, please contact Shanta Bryant Gyan at shanta@sbgcommunications.com or call (646) 290-8211.

About Shared Interest

Shared Interest is a leading New York-based international social investment fund, mobilizes resources for South Africa’s economically disenfranchised communities to sustain themselves and build an equitable nation. Its $14 million dollar guarantee fund has leveraged credit of more than $95 million to struggling South African communities that were once considered “unbankable.” For more information on Shared Interest, please visit www.sharedinterest.org.

CSX Earns Maplecroft Climate Innovation Leader Recognition

04.25.2012 - 02:00PM

CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) was named to the Maplecroft Climate Innovation Leader Index, one of three Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indices that rank U.S. companies on their leadership in climate change mitigation and management. At No. 81, CSX is the highest-ranked Class I railroad included in this year’s index and the only railroad featured on the top 100 Climate Innovation Leaders list.

“At CSX, environmental stewardship is a way of life – one that infuses all of our operations,” said Skip Elliott, vice president of public safety and environment, CSX. “We’re proud to be recognized among many of the top American companies for preserving the environment in the communities where we live and work.”

The Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes measure climate-related performance, including management, mitigation, emissions reduction, innovation and adaptation, as disclosed publicly by the top 360 U.S. companies. Innovation of new technologies or initiatives makes up half of the total score for each company.

CSX received particularly high marks in management, related to disclosures, targets and supply chain; and mitigation, related to partnerships and efficiency in operations.

Since 1980, CSX has improved its fuel efficiency by more than 90 percent. In the past ten years, CSX has invested more than $1.75 billion to upgrade its fleet of fuel efficient locomotives. In 2010, CSX achieved its voluntary goal ahead of schedule to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 8 percent per revenue ton mile, decreasing emissions by 1.5 million metric tons.

For more information about CSX’s environmental initiatives, visit http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/responsibility/environmental-leadership/.

For more information on the Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes, visit http://maplecroft.com/cii/cycle/three/.

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 and regional 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 (http://www.facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).

MCC Announces Visa Inc. as Its 2012 Corporate Award Winner

04.25.2012 - 11:38AM

(Marketwire) - The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has announced that Visa Inc. will be honored with the organization's Corporate Award, which recognizes an American company for demonstrating exemplary commitment to trade or investment in one or more MCC partner countries. The MCC Corporate Award winner, along with the winners of the MCC Country Commitment Award and MCC's Next Generation Award, will be honored at its inaugural Forum on Global Development today.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation's Corporate Award is recognizing Visa for its commitment to investing in sustainable development by expanding access to financial services, including their national partnership with the government of Rwanda, initiatives to empower women by helping close the mobile phone gender gap, and programs that provide financial literacy education to millions. Visa will be recognized at MCC's Forum on Global Development, a unique occasion for visionaries and practitioners in international development to meet, exchange ideas and honor three innovators for their demonstrated commitment to creative approaches to helping the world's poor.

"Deepening financial literacy and expanding financial services for the unbanked and underserved throughout the developing world are key components for sustainable poverty reduction and economic growth," said MCC CEO Daniel W. Yohannes. "Through its groundbreaking programs, Visa is making remarkable strides in these areas, and MCC shares its commitment to lasting progress and prosperity. We are proud to stand with a partner like Visa as we seek to achieve our mission of reducing poverty through economic growth."

In 2011, Visa and the Government of Rwanda announced a Charter of Collaboration to develop localized solutions to extend access to financial services to citizens throughout the country. Visa also supports some of the world's leading nongovernmental organizations, such as joining with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Australian Agency for International Development to support the GSMA mWomen Program and its goal to reduce the mobile phone gender gap and improve women's access to life-enhancing financial services. Visa also provides free financial literacy programs to millions around the world with a goal to reach 20 million people worldwide by May 2013 -- a commitment Visa announced at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in 2009.

"At Visa, we believe that addressing financial exclusion should be a priority issue on the world's agenda," said Douglas Michelman, Global Head of Corporate Relations. "We are proud of the work we are doing to apply our products, services, network, partnerships, and financial literacy programs to advance financial inclusion, and we are humbled to be recognized by the Millennium Challenge Corporation for our contributions."

At the Forum, the award recipients will join Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council; Sheila Herrling, MCC's Vice President for Policy and Evaluation; and Michael Gerson, columnist for the Washington Post and senior advisor to the ONE Campaign, in a panel discussion about the value of foreign aid. As a learning institution, MCC aims to foster dialogue across a wide spectrum of people and organizations with the ultimate goal of providing the best results and sustainable impact for those in need around the world.

About MCC

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an innovative and independent U.S. Government foreign aid agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty through the promotion of sustainable economic growth. MCC is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people.

For more information about MCC and its programs around the world, please go to www.mcc.gov.

About Visa Inc.

Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world's most advanced processing networks -- VisaNet -- that is capable of handling more than 20,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa uses its products, interoperable global processing network, mobile and security capabilities, and payments expertise to help facilitate financial inclusion at scale.

For more information about Visa's work in financial inclusion, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

PR News' Platinum PR Awards - It's Time to Enter!

04.25.2012 - 10:00AM

PR News' Platinum PR Awards recognize the year’s most outstanding communications initiatives and programs in the highly competitive and dynamic PR arena. The industry-known awards program set the benchmark for excellence across all areas of PR. The winners of the Platinum PR Awards are from corporations, agencies and nonprofits large and small who took chances, made tremendous strides and understand the power of public relations. The entry deadline is Friday, May 11, 2012 and winners along with honorable mentions will be honored on September 14 in New York City.

For more information on the Platinum PR Awards, visit PR News online at http://www.prnewsonline.com/platinum/.

The Platinum PR Awards are open to all individuals and teams worldwide at for-profit and non-profit organizations including: corporations, PR firms, public affairs and IR agencies, publicity firms, associations, government, and NGO teams, and sole practitioners. Vendors are also eligible to compete on behalf of client.

To enter online, visit http://www.prnewsonline.com/platinum/.

Winners and honorable mentions will be awarded in the following categories:

Anniversary
Annual Report
Blog
Branding
Cause-Related Marketing
Community Relations
Crisis Management
Employee Relations
Event Marketing
External Publication (print or online)
Facebook Campaign
Financial/Investor Relations
Firm of the Year
- Large PR Firm of the Year
- Midsize PR Firm of the Year
- Small PR Firm of the Year
Global PR Campaign
Green PR Influencer Communications
Internal Publication (print or online)
Marketing Communications
Media Event
Media Relations
Multicultural Campaign
On a Shoestring Campaign
Online Communications
Online Press Room/Media Center
Podcast and/or Videocast
Press Release
Pro Bono Campaign
Product Launch
Public Affairs
PSA
Re-Branding/Re-positioning
Research & Measurement
Satellite Media Tours
SEM/ SEO Initiatives or Campaign
Social Media Campaign
Speeches
Trade Show/Event PR
Twitter Campaign
Video Program
Word of Mouth/Viral Campaign
WOW! Award

For more information, visit http://www.prnewsonline.com/platinum/.

PR News' Platinum PR Awards is a great opportunity to get recognized for outstanding communications initiatives and to shine the spotlight on those driving an organization’s PR success.

For questions regarding the Platinum PR Awards, contact PR News Assistant Marketing Manager Laura Berdichevsky at lberdichevsky@accessintel.com. For sponsorship and exhibit information, contact PR News Senior Vice President & Group Publisher Diane Schwartz at dschwartz@accessintel.com.

The PR News family of products also includes the weekly PR News publication, The Digital PR Summit, Media Relations Forum and PR Measurement Conference, PR Webinars and Workshops, PR Guidebooks, Platinum PR Awards, PR People Awards, Nonprofit Awards, 15-to-Watch and more. Visit PR News online at www.prnewsonline.com.

Tessa Tennant, Sustainable Investing Pioneer on Several Continents, Wins Annual Joan Bavaria Award

04.24.2012 - 06:30PM

Tessa Tennant, President and co-founder of The Ice Organisation, has been awarded the fourth-annual Joan Bavaria Award for Building Sustainability into the Capital Markets. The announcement was made at Tuesday’s opening reception of the Ceres annual conference, which runs April 25-26 at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in Boston, MA.

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving to win this year’s Bavaria Award,” said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres. “Tessa is an inspirational leader who has worked tirelessly for more than 20 years integrating environmental and social concerns into investing and business decisions. She has taken Joan Bavaria’s original vision of advancing socially responsible investing and expanded it to the markets in Europe , and now Asia, creating real impact beyond the U.S.”

Tennant co-founded The Ice Organisation (myice.com), which encourages consumers to purchase more sustainable products and services from a wide range of retail partners, mobilizing mass consumer purchase power to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. She also co-founded the UK's first equity investment fund for sustainable development in 1988, now called the Jupiter Ecology Fund.

She was Chair and co-founder of the UK Social Investment Forum, which promotes responsible investment and other forms of finance that support sustainable economic development. She also co-founded the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which has enabled hundreds of companies and investors to better understand, report on and mitigate risk from carbon pollution and climate change.

In 2001 she co-founded the Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA) and remains on the Board. Based in Hong Kong, ASrIA is a leading nonprofit organization promoting sustainable investment practices in Asia, including fostering SRI products and services and providing training, research and other resources.

The Bavaria Award is presented by Ceres annually to an inspiring leader working to move capital markets toward a system that balances economic prosperity with social and environmental concerns. The award’s name honors Joan Bavaria, a pioneer of social investing who founded Ceres and Trillium Asset Management. Bavaria passed away in 2008.

“Tessa has been instrumental in elevating sustainability as a business and investor issue across the globe,” said Trillium CEO Matt Patsky. “She has created multiple funds and organizations that are driving sustainable investment behavior and having a real impact on business, the environment and the global economy.”

In the early nineties, Tennant served as a member of the UK Government's Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment, and helped develop HRH The Prince of Wales's Business in the Environment initiative, which educates senior business executives on practical ways to integrate social and environmental solutions into their business operations. She is also Chair of the Global Cool Foundation. She has served as a World Wildlife Fund UK Ambassador and is a Fellow of the Schumacher Society.

"I'm deeply honored.” Tennant said in her acceptance speech. “This award is as much for the people in Hong Kong at the Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia, and for the people in London at the Carbon Disclosure Project and other initiatives I've been involved with, as it is for me. Joan Bavaria has been a complete heroine of mine all my working life. She gave me that confidence to just go out and do it." (View her entire acceptance speech here)

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 www.ceres.org and www.incr.com.

About Trillium Asset Management

With a history spanning three decades, Trillium is the oldest independent investment advisor focused exclusively on sustainable and responsible investing. Trillium manages over $1 billion in assets for clients including high net worth individuals, foundations, endowments, religious institutions, and other non-profits. To learn more about Trillium, please visit http://trilliuminvest.com

Cascades Tissue Group Bestows Environmental Distributor Achievment Award To 27 Firms

04.24.2012 - 01:07PM

Cascades Tissue Group today announces that 17 U.S. distributors and 10 Canadian distributors have received achievement awards in honor of their strong partnerships and dedications to furthering environmentally preferable products. By offering to their commercial and industrial customers tissue paper products made from 100 percent recycled fiber, instead of virgin fiber, these distributors collectively conserved 255,700 trees (the equivalent of 638 American football fields) and avoided emissions of greenhouse gases equivalent to 12,785 cars off the road for one year.

Approximately 20 percent of the distributor’s total green house gas savings were achieved through the sales of Cascades Tissue Group’s North River products, which use Green-e certified renewable energy credits to offset 100 percent of the electricity used in their production. Cascades Tissue Group’s annual 20,000 MWh of wind energy credits are sourced from the Charles City Wind Farm located in northern Iowa and supplied by leading renewable energy developer and marketer Community Energy, Inc.

Honorees of the Cascades Tissue Group’s third annual achievement awards include: Imperial Bag & Paper (Bayonne, NJ), Hill & Markes (Amsterdam, NY), Penn Jersey Paper (Philadelphia, PA), Labatt Food Service (San Antonio, TX), Riverside Paper Supply (Newport News, VA), Southwest Paper Company (Wichita, KS), Dacotah Paper (Fargo, ND) Dade Paper (Miami, FL), Tarheel Paper (Winston-Salem, NC), FPC Holdings (Elkridge, MD), Philip Rosenau Company (Warminster, PA), Kelsan (Knoxville, TN), Acme Paper & Supply (Savage, MD), Knight Marketing Corp. of New York (Maspeth, NY), Phillips Distribution (San Antonio, TX), Central Paper Company (Birmingham, AL), Northern Colorado Paper (Greeley, CO), Flanagan Foodservice (Kitchener, ON), Staples Advantage (Mississauga, ON), Cineplex Entertainment (Toronto, ON), Les Emballages Carrousel (Boucherville, QC), Jan-Mar Sales (Etobicoke, ON), WFS (Windsor, ON), Atlantic Grocery Distributors (Bay Roberts, NL) Snelling Paper (Ottawa, ON), Equipement Sanitaire Cherbourg (Sherbrooke, QC), Pratt’s (Calgary, AL; Winnipeg, MB), and Wood Wyant (Laval, QC). In addition to receiving certificates for their work, each company will also be recognized on Cascades Tissue Group’s blog, www.sustain.cascades.com/blog.

“The support from these distributor partners is indispensable,” said Suzanne Blanchet, Cascades Tissue Group’s President and CEO. “By honoring them with a certificate, we want to recognize their contribution in lowering our environmental footprint, and in informing our buyers and end users on the importance of sustainable development.”

About

Cascades Tissue Group, a division of Cascades, ULC, is the fourth largest manufacturer of tissue paper in North America. Founded in 1964, Cascades produces, converts and markets packaging and tissue products that are composed mainly of recycled fibres. The Company employs more than 12,000 employees, who work in more than 100 units located in North America and Europe. With its management philosophy, half a century of experience in recycling, and continuous efforts in research and development as driving forces, Cascades continues to serve its clients with innovative products. Cascades' shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol CAS. For more information about Cascades Tissue Group and its North River environmental line, visit www.afh.cascades.com or www.sustain.cascades.com.

Union Bank appoints George Ramirez as Chief Diversity Executive

04.23.2012 - 08:00AM

Union Bank, N.A., today named Executive Vice President George A. Ramirez as the company’s first Chief Diversity Executive, whose mission is to broaden the diversity of the company’s senior management and executive ranks. Reporting to Union Bank President and Chief Executive Officer Masashi Oka, Ramirez will serve a significant role in leveraging diversity as a strategic advantage in the highly competitive banking industry.

“This is the next step in strengthening Union Bank’s position as an industry leader to more fully reflect the face of society in our executive workforce,” Oka said. “We’ve made strides in this area over the years, but there’s more opportunity to develop, recruit, and retain diverse executive talent. I’m confident that George’s leadership as Chief Diversity Executive will accelerate our efforts to shape a premier executive team and, at the same time, enhance our inclusive culture,” Oka continued.

In addition to working with executive leadership and members of the UnionBanCal Corporation Board of Directors – one of the most diverse corporate boards of any major U.S. company – Ramirez will also collaborate closely with key areas such as Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Diversity & Inclusion, and Training & Development.

Ramirez, who joined Union Bank in 1986, has more than 30 years of banking experience and has served in various executive, line management and staff roles. In 2010, he was appointed to lead the effort to integrate Tamalpais Bank and Frontier Bank into Union Bank. Before successfully leading the integration of these two institutions, Ramirez led Union Bank’s Priority Banking® program.

As Senior Vice President and Market President from 2000 through 2008, Ramirez led a division of more than 120 branches in Orange, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties, and was responsible for all aspects of retail branch operations. In 1997, he was appointed to manage and develop Union Bank’s Diverse Markets Administration, established to cultivate new and existing business and to assist in recruiting employees in the African-American, Asian and Latino communities throughout Union Bank’s service areas.

“This is an exciting business imperative and I’m honored to be selected for this responsibility,” Ramirez said. “In addition to building upon existing management and executive development programs, I intend to introduce new ideas to help increase our effectiveness at building robust pipelines of diverse talent. I will work with our Board of Directors, community advisory board members, and other key stakeholders to fully leverage their networks and resources.”

About UnionBanCal Corporation & Union Bank, N.A.

Headquartered in San Francisco, UnionBanCal Corporation is a financial holding company with assets of $89.7 billion at December 31, 2011. Its primary subsidiary, Union Bank, N.A., is a full-service commercial bank providing an array of financial services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, and major corporations. The bank operated 414 branches in California, Washington, Oregon, Texas and New York, as well as two international offices, on December 31, 2011. UnionBanCal Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. Union Bank is a proud member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG, NYSE:MTU), one of the world’s largest financial organizations. Visit www.unionbank.com for more information.

CSX Named One of Nation's Best Corporate Citizens

04.20.2012 - 10:08AM

Corporate Responsibility (CR) Magazine named CSX Corporation (NYSE: CSX) one of the country’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens, the only Class I railroad to be included on the list.

“CSX is proud to join the ranks of our nation’s best corporate citizens for our ongoing commitment to corporate and social responsibility,” said Michael J. Ward, CSX chairman, president, and CEO. “At all levels, transparency and accountability to our stakeholders are hallmarks of our business. We promote responsible practices that create success for our shareholders, employees and the communities we serve.”

CSX will soon publish its third-annual CSR Report, which combines financial performance with sustainability achievements to give employees, customers, investors, partners and communities a holistic view of the company. In addition, as part of the company’s overall responsibility efforts, CSX maintains the “Beyond Our Rails” initiative to grow and share the company’s commitment to safety, community, the environment and wellness through increasing employee engagement and working with non-profit organizations.

CR Magazine’s Best Corporate Citizens are selected based on an analysis of publicly available information, including websites, 10-K filings, sustainability reports, and programs such as the Carbon Disclosure Project, as well as nearly 320 data elements across seven categories, including climate change, employee relations, environment, financial, governance, human rights and philanthropy.

For more information about the Best Corporate Citizen list, visit CR Magazine.

For more information on CSX’s current activities, please visit www.beyondourrails.org.

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 (http://www.facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX)

ITT Named a Top Corporate Citizen by Corporate Responsibility Magazine

04.18.2012 - 04:30PM

ITT Corporation (NYSE: ITT) announced it has been named among the top 100 companies in Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 13th annual Best Corporate Citizens List. ITT has been previously recognized in the ranking for its commitment to responsible practices and listed among the top of all Russell 1000 companies rated.

“At ITT, we have a legacy of corporate citizenship, and we are honored to be recognized for our efforts,” said Denise Ramos, CEO and president at ITT. “We realize the importance of responsible practices across all areas of our company and are continually exploring new ways to enhance our capabilities. From governance and ethics, to sustainable operations and products, to community involvement, we are committed to remaining a trusted partner to our customers, employees, communities and shareowners.”

Each company is ranked using data accessed from public information in the categories of: climate change, employee relations, environment, finance, governance, human rights, and philanthropy. A committee composed of corporate responsibility experts, including active practitioners, academics, NGOs, investment firms, and other relevant communities determine the weight and importance of each of the seven categories.

More information on ITT’s global citizenship efforts can be found at http://itt.com/citizenship/

The full list of all companies featured on the 2012 100 Best Corporate Citizens List can be found at http://www.thecro.com/

About ITT

ITT is a diversified leading manufacturer of highly engineered critical components and customized technology solutions for growing industrial end-markets in energy infrastructure, electronics, aerospace and transportation. Building on its heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver enduring solutions to the key industries that underpin our modern way of life. Founded in 1920, ITT is headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., with employees in more than 30 countries and sales in a total of approximately 125 countries. The company generated 2011 revenues of $2.1 billion. For more information, visit www.itt.com

Corporate Responsibility Magazine Ranks Johnson Controls Fifth in 100 Best Corporate Citizens List

04.18.2012 - 09:00AM

Johnson Controls today announced its fifth-place ranking in Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 13th annual “100 Best Corporate Citizens List.” The company ranked fifth based on its performance in seven key areas: Environment, climate change, human rights, philanthropy, employee relations, financial and governance.

“We are honored to be ranked number five by Corporate Responsibility Magazine in its annual Best Corporate Citizens list,” said Stephen A. Roell, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson Controls. “This achievement is due to our employees who bring the spirit and focus of CR Magazine’s criteria for this ranking to their work every day. As a company, we are committed to the environment, human rights and the communities where our employees live and work.”

According to Elliot Clark, CEO of SharedXpertise Media, which publishes CR Magazine and produces the Commit!Forum, “This is the 13th annual CR Magazine ‘100 Best Corporate Citizen’s List,’ and we are gratified to see improved consistency among the transparency leaders in the Russell 1000. This demonstrates the continuing commitment on the part of these companies to better accountability and citizenship practices.”

The “100 Best Corporate Citizens List” was first published in 1999 in Business Ethics Magazine, and has been managed by CRO and Corporate Responsibility Magazine since 2007. In order to compile the list, every company in the Russell 1000, the highest ranked stocks in the Russell 3000 Index of publicly held U.S. companies, is ranked according to over 320 data points of information. The methodology for generating the list is governed by a Methodology Committee of the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association (CROA).

About Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 162,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful. In 2011, Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Johnson Controls as the #1 company in its annual “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

About Corporate Responsibility Magazine, CRO Association and CRO Summits

20,000-subscriber Corporate Responsibility Magazine (www.thecro.com) is publisher of the 13th annual 100 Best Corporate Citizens List, among America’s three most-important business rankings according to PR Week. Over 200 large capitalization corporations and institutions are members of the Corporate Responsibility Officers Association (www.croassociation.org), representing 1,200+ individuals dedicated to increasing professionalization of corporate responsibility standards and practices. CROA has a formal partnership with NYSE Euronext. Corporate Responsibility Officer Summits (www.crosummit.com) are recognized worldwide as the leading events for corporate responsibility practitioners. CR Magazine, CROA and CRO Summits are managed by SharedXpertise Media LLC, with offices in Edison NJ, Cambridge UK, Brussels BE, and Singapore.

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

04.12.2012 - 03:00AM

Nestle believes that for a business to be successful over the long-term it must create value for society alongside value for shareholders. The company calls this Creating Shared Value. Through Nestlé’s Creating Shared Value reporting, it aims to share information transparently about its long-term positive impact on society and how this is intrinsically linked to the creation of Nestlé’s long-term business success.

Nestlé has just released its Global Creating Shared Value Report, outlining progress and challenges in the company’s key focus areas of nutrition, water and rural development, as well as performance in environmental sustainability and compliance.

This year Nestlé has reported to GRI A+ level and are pleased to be the first global food company to do so for its global report.

Nestlé’s reporting covers not only the CSV target areas of water, nutrition and rural development but also the newly included areas of human rights, diversity, climate change, biodiversity and corruption.

To read the full report, please visit:

http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Corporate_Social_Responsibility/2011-CSV-Report.pdf

The summary report this year focuses on Nestlé’s response to the water challenge. The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate has informed the structure of the Water section of the Report, as Nestlé details its efforts against the Mandate’s key elements (public policy, collective action, direct operations, supply chain and community engagement).

To read the summary report, please visit: http://www.nestle.com/Media_Center/Interactive_CSV_2011/index.html

All Creating Shared Value materials including photos, videos and case studies are available on Nestlé’s website: http://www.nestle.com/csv

Symantec Named Best Places to Work on HRC 2012 Corporate Equality Index

04.11.2012 - 08:00AM

Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) achieved a perfect 100 percent score on the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) 2012 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the fourth consecutive year. In addition, Symantec received the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” by HRC.

“At Symantec, we understand that LGBT-inclusive workplace policies are instrumental in providing a great place to work for ALL of our employees. Living and working in accordance with these policies is good business practice, is the right thing to do, and, most importantly, provides an inclusive atmosphere that our employees value,” said Rebecca Ranninger, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Symantec. “When Symantec launched our diversity and inclusion initiative, we received feedback from employees expressing a desire to discuss issues of interest to members of the gay community. As a result, Symantec launched SymPRIDE -- our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & allies employee resource group, which provides a network for employees to connect and implement changes to improve the work environments for all LGBT employees.”

The HRC, the nation's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, uses the CEI as a means to rate large U.S. companies on how they treat their GLBT employees, consumers and investors. To achieve a perfect score and the coveted distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality,” companies must have fully-inclusive equal employment opportunity policies, provide equal employment benefits, demonstrate organizational LGBT competency, evidence their commitment to equality publicly and exercise responsible citizenship.

“Symantec continually strives to improve workplace equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community,” said Ellen McLatchey, director, Diversity and Inclusion, Symantec. “Internally, we are broadening our policies and expanding benefits, while externally, we promote equality by diversifying our suppliers. We are proud to partner with businesses that are at least 51% owned and controlled by an LGBT individual(s). Achieving recognition by the Human Rights Campaign for the fourth consecutive year is a clear reflection of the way in which we operate– with full attention to deepening our support of LGBT employees outside of the United States and increasing our social impact.”

Since its company-wide launch, members of SymPRIDE connect virtually and act locally, hosting events with guest speakers on topics of interest to their community, sponsoring Symantec booths at local pride events and introducing their partners to coworkers. In fact, when SymPRIDE launched, the members recommended that Symantec participate in the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) survey. With the input and support of SymPRIDE members, Symantec moved from a score of 80 in 2007 to a score of 100 in 2008, a score the company has maintained every year since.

In addition, SYMPride has been instrumental in helping Symantec develop gender transition guidelines that are used by HR, managers, and the transitioning employee. In FY10, Symantec also signed a letter of support for the U.S. Employee Non-Discrimination Act, proposed legislation that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Last year, Symantec released its 2011 Corporate Responsibility report, which addressed high-priority issues for Symantec including climate and energy, customer satisfaction, diversity, human rights, talent retention, securing information, philanthropy, and governance and ethics. The full report can be found at http://www.symantec.com/corporate_responsibility.

The Ethisphere Institute also recently placed Symantec for the fifth straight year on its list of World’s Most Ethical Companies. Furthermore, Symantec was recognized by Fortune Magazine as one of the world’s most admirable computer software companies.

About Symantec

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States.

Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-looking Statements: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.

Johnson Controls Globally Recognized by FTSE4Good Index Series

04.04.2012 - 10:39AM

Johnson Controls, a global diversified company in the building and automotive industries, today announced its inclusion on the FTSE4Good Index Series for 2012. This is the ninth time the company has earned this recognition.

The FTSE4Good Index Series measures the performance of companies that meet or exceed globally recognized corporate ethical standards and social responsibility criteria. The FTSE4Good Index Series helps to facilitate investment in those companies. Johnson Controls received an overall ESG (environment, social and governance) rating score of 99 out of 100 points.

“We are honored to be recognized by the FTSE4Good indexes for our long-standing commitment to corporate citizenship. For more than 125 years, Johnson Controls’ products and services and approach to business demonstrate our commitment to the highest standards of performance, teamwork, inclusion, leadership and growth,” said Charles Harvey, vice president, Diversity and Public Affairs. “Our employees lead the way in delivering solutions that save energy, benefit the planet and help people around the world.”

For more information about the FTSE4Good Index Series and methodology, please visit http://www.ftse.com/analytics/ftse4good-esgratings/

About Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 162,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful. In 2011, Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Johnson Controls as the #1 company in its annual “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

No April Fool's Joke: Monsanto Voted Biggest "Corporate Fool" With The Worst Business Practices For 2012

04.02.2012 - 11:42AM

Just in time for April Fool’s Day, Green America announced the winners of its online contest to determine the biggest “Corporate Fool”: Agricultural and chemical giant Monsanto came in first, followed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Chevron. To honor Monsanto as the nation’s biggest corporate fool, a donation was made in the name of Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant to Navdanya, an organization in India that has worked with 5,000,000 farmers to create seed sovereignty, food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture over the past two decades, and helped set up the largest direct-marketing fair trade, organic network in the country.

The contest, which began in early March, tallied votes for nine companies and related organizations based on their worst corporate practices.

Monsanto’s legacy includes Agent Orange, DDT, and massive aerial spraying of Round-Up as a drug-war tactic, as well as unlabeled and untested genetically modified crops. Their practices enable factory farming and put small farmers out of business. They continue to push genetically modified crops in the developing world, which results in locking farmers into cycles of debt and dependence on chemical crop inputs.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has benefited hugely from the Citizens United Supreme Court decision. It regularly spends millions of dollars for television and radio advertisements for or against candidates and is not required to disclose its donors. As a result, corporations can spend unlimited money on political advertising through the Chamber of Commerce without meaningful disclosure to shareholders or the general public.

Over three decades of oil drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Chevron has dumped more than 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the rainforest. As a result, locals have suffered a wave of cancers, miscarriages, and birth defects. Last year, an Ecuadorian court ruled in favor of local communities and ordered Chevron to pay $18 billion in cleanup and restoration efforts.

Todd Larsen, Corporate Responsibility director, Green America said: "We had nine strong nominations of the most damaging companies in the United States for our “Corporate Fools” contest. We're very excited that our grand prize winner is Monsanto for its impacts on farmers, ecosystems, and consumers, and that we have two deserving runners-up: the US Chamber of Commerce and Chevron. I think one lesson we can take from our winners is that no matter how much money a corporation spends on advertising to make itself look good, the public can see its actual impacts and call that company out on its worst practices."

Ronnie Cummins, director, Organic Consumer Association said: “With the rapidly growing awareness of the health and environmental effects of our corporate controlled industrialized food system, it is no surprise to us that Monsanto has been chosen as the top “Corporate Fool.” The fight against the Biotech Bully of St. Louis embodies some of the most pressing issues of our time, including the current health and obesity crisis, climate change (to which industrial agriculture is a major contributor), and the fight against corporate rule.“

Anne Pernick, executive director, Corporate Ethics International/Business Ethics Network commented: “We're thrilled that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is getting the attention it deserves for funneling secret corporate money into our elections. When the Chamber buys political ads on the radio and television, most of the money for the ads is coming from large corporations. They don't want us to know who they are, because we might hold them accountable for the ads. The more of us who speak out against the Chamber hiding the political spending of large corporations, the faster we can fix this very flawed system and safeguard our democracy. We hope people will join us in guessing how much the U.S. Chamber will spend on the 2012 elections (www.guesswhattheuschamberwillspend.org) and calling for an end to secret corporate political spending through the U.S. Chamber.”

“We are delighted that Chevron has been recognized as a top "Corporate Fool". Any corporation that spends millions of dollars on greenwashing ads in a vain attempt to wash away its guilt in one of the worst oil-related environmental crimes in history deserves to be singled out as such,” said Paul Paz y Miño, managing director, Amazon Watch. “Chevron's ‘foolish’ efforts at evasion and unwillingness to accept responsibility for the shameful crimes it deliberately committed in the Ecuadorian Amazon make it not only a fool, but one of the worst corporate criminals on the planet.”

Corporate Fool awards will be presented in person to Monsanto, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Chevron on Friday, March 30, 2012.

ABOUT GREEN AMERICA

Green America is the nation’s leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America (formerly Co-op America) provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today's social and environmental problems. Green America’s green economy programs encourage corporate responsibility, tackle climate change, build fair trading systems, advance healthy, local communities, and provide green purchasing and investing information for families and businesses.

Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards (AREA) 2012 - East Asia

01.16.2012 - 12:26PM

The Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards program (AREA) recognizes and honours Asian businesses for championing sustainable and responsible entrepreneurship. The enterprises’ should demonstrate their commitment, advocacy, integrity and leadership in incorporating responsible and ethical values in their businesses such as protection of environment, investing in stakeholders, empowering the community, taking care of their well-being and legal compliance into the way they operate their businesses. Covering 40 countries and territories, the Awards is held in four sub-regions of Asia, namely, Southeast Asia, Eastern Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The East Asia chapter will see nominations from 7 countries/regions including; Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Mongolia. Nomination Deadline: Friday, 30 March 2012

Katerva Announces Grand Prize Winner of Katerva Awards

12.01.2011 - 01:38PM

New York’s WABC-TV Eyewitness News anchor Sade Baderinwa hosts announcement of most promising sustainability idea in the world.

WHAT: Press conference to announce Grand Prize winner of Katerva Awards -- the pinnacle of global sustainability recognition. Award designed by [name of artist] to be presented by Terry Waghorn. Winner selected from among eight category winners including:

Food Security – The China Study (U.S., China)
Behavioral Change – 350.org (U.S.)
Economy – worldofgood.com (U.S.)
Materials & Resources – Sanergy (U.S., Kenya)
Human Development – Solar Autoclave (U.S., Nicaragua)
Energy & Power – Barefoot Power (Australia)
Transportation – Nissan Leaf (Japan)
Urban Design – Freshkills Park (New York City)

WHERE:

Lincoln Center Institute
Samuel B. & David Rose Building, 7th Floor
165 W. 65th Street (between B’way and Amsterdam)
New York, NY 10023

WHEN:

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
1:00 p.m. – Award Ceremony Award Ceremony in the Clark Studio Theater
2:00 p.m. – Reception Reception in the Samuels Teaching Studio

Guardian Sustainable Business Awards

11.28.2011 - 10:03AM

Is your sustainability initiative leading the way? If so we want to hear from you!

Deadline for entries: 3 February 2012

The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards reward best practice in sustainable business. Now in their second year, the awards showcase the most innovative corporate initiatives – from managing water risk to energy independence via communicating sustainability and social impact. Profile your team’s achievements and inspire others to drive real change in the way that businesses approach sustainability.

Categories:
• Communicating sustainability • Engaging employees • Social impact • Biodiversity • Supply chain • Carbon • Innovation • Collaboration • Waste & recycling • Water • Energy • Built environment

Key dates:
16 November 2011                 Awards launch
3 February 2012                     Closing date for entries
19 March 2012                       Shortlist announced
                                              Public vote for ‘Sustainable Business leader of the year’ begins

May 2012 Awards ceremony, winners announced

Enter the awards today at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards and inspire other businesses to act!

Along with a prestigious ceremony, held in London in May 2012, all winners will be invited for a morning of inspiration, discussion and collaboration at the Guardian in the weeks following the ceremony. Winning businesses will feature on the Guardian Sustainable Business Best Practice Exchange. The exchange profiles the best in sustainable business initiatives and has become a regular reference point for those looking to drive sustainable business in practice.

Gain the recognition you deserve and inspire others to act.

Entries close 3 February 2012.

For more information and to enter visit guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards.

The Citizens Awards

11.09.2011 - 01:20PM

This year's Corporate Citizenship Awards gala takes place at Washington, D.C.'s Newseum.

Entertainment will be provided by CMT artists.

Don’t miss your opportunity to mingle with today’s leaders in corporate citizenship. Officials from finalist companies, BCLC's sponsorship community, and pre-eminent civil society organizations will be in attendance.

More Info & Tickets: bclc.uschamber.com/Awards/citizens-awards-gala

International Green Awards

06.20.2011 - 05:00AM

The INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS are internationally established as the leading advocate of best practices in sustainability across business, government and citizen initiatives. The Awards canvas the globe for the best in class examples of sustainability, with the aim of sharing the most creative and innovative ideas to inspire change.

In its 6th year, the RSA accredited INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS™ is broadening its commitment to promote best practice in sustainability through a unique membership platform. This platform will draw on a wide range of experts, influencers and professionals in the discipline of sustainability and environment to share a pan-global view on sustainability.

2010 saw the inaugural year of the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' honouring Sir David Attenborough. The search for another deserving citizen continues this year, and also sees the introduction of the 'Green Celebrity Award'. The latter will be open to public voting, through social networks and the INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS™ website.

The INTERNATIONAL GREEN AWARDS™ are open for entry in 20 categories, seeking the Best Green Large Enterprise through to Best Sustainable Investment across the world. More information on categories and entering are available on our new website.

The Award open for entries in June 2011, with the 'green carpet' being rolled out for winners on 24th November at the Natural History Museum, London.

Navigating the Ratings and Rankings Landscape, a Focus on DJSI (Two Sessions)

03.23.2011 - 05:10PM

The free webinar will be offered two times on March 31st:

First offering: 9:00 AM EST (2:00 PM GMT)
To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/972206696
Second offering: 12:00 PM EST (5:00 PM GMT)
To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/679150112

Your company has created its corporate responsibility strategy and is embedding the strategy throughout the company. You are ready to actively pursue external recognition, but how?

External validation is a valuable instrument for educating the public about the strength of your company's corporate responsibility program. With the number of ratings and rankings in existence, it can be overwhelming to determine which ones to pursue. The Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) recognize companies for their outstanding economic, environmental, and social performance. Inclusion in the indexes is an accolade limited to exemplary companies with the most effective corporate responsibility programs.

Corporate Citizenship, a global corporate responsibility and sustainability consultancy, is offering a free webinar to provide insights into DJSI. Topics of discussion will include the benefits of applying, the application process, and what it takes to be chosen for DJSI.

Corporate Citizenship's Peter Truesdale, Associate Director and Megan DeYoung, Director, US Office, will leverage their experience advising companies on responsibility activities and DJSI applications to answer the following questions:

How does my company decide which ratings and rankings to pursue?
Why is DJSI important for investors?
What do I need to know about the application process?
What are the internal and external benefits to the application process and selection?
If my company has never applied before, when is the right time to start?
What kind of documentation and references are most effective for supporting my company’s submission?

Remember, the free webinar will be offered two times on March 31st:

First offering: 9:00 AM EST (2:00 PM GMT)
To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/972206696
Second offering: 12:00 PM EST (5:00 PM GMT)
To register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/679150112

The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards 2011

01.17.2011 - 12:45PM

The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards 2011
Rewarding innovation in corporate sustainability

Deadline for entries: 7 February 2011 at 11:59 PM GMT

Have you instigated a leading sustainability initiative which has driven real change in your organisation? If so then we want to hear from you!

The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards aim to showcase genuine innovation in corporate sustainability and reward those who take sustainability to the very heart of their business.

Categories:
•Communicating sustainability •Engaging employees •Social impact •Biodiversity •Supply chain •Carbon •Waste & recycling •Water •Energy •ICT •Built environment

Enter the awards today at guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards to get the recognition you deserve.

Winners will feature in a special supplement published on guardian.co.uk and the team judged to have the best overall initiative will be invited to attend a 'winner's day' at the Guardian.

All entries meeting the awards criteria will be added to the new Guardian Sustainable Business best practice exchange - an online database allowing sustainability professionals to share their learning and drive progress for all organisations.

Time is running out so make sure you enter before 7 February 2011 at 11:59 PM GMT.

For more information and to enter visit guardian.co.uk/gsb-awards.

Nomination Deadline for Corporate Citizenship Awards

06.09.2010 - 03:08PM

The Corporate Citizenship Awards showcase businesses, trade associations, and chambers of commerce for demonstrating ethical leadership and corporate stewardship and for making a positive difference in society.

Nominations for 2010 are accepted until Wednesday, June 30 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Applicants may nominate themselves or be nominated by an external party.

2010 Categories:

U.S. Community Service

International Community Service Award

Partnership Award

Corporate Stewardship

See eligibility requirements and tips for applying at www.uschamber.com/bclc/awards.

Green Awards 2009

08.13.2009 - 11:25AM

Launched in 2006 to critical acclaim, the Green Awards were set up to recognise and reward creative work that communicates the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainable development and ethical best practice in any sector and across any marketing discipline.

In the four years since its inception, the awards have become an established event on the global eco-calendar highlighting the best examples of green marketing and sustainability communications that have made a real difference in the fight against global warming.

The reception will take place in central London where we will be serving organic drinks and canapes. No bottled water will be available in support of www.londonontap.org/. As part of our support for 'No Meat on Mondays' we will only be serving vegetarian and vegan food. www.supportmfm.org/

Calling for Submissions for 2009 Sustainable Community Awards

12.31.2008 - 11:00PM

The Siemens Sustainable Community Awards recognize public-private coalitions for taking on the 21st challenge of sustainable development.

A sustainable community has committed to setting and achieving complementary economic, environmental, and social goals that will help build long-term competitiveness and success.

Awards go to local governments, chambers of commerce, convention bureaus, economic development authorities, and similar organizations representing the local initiative.

The following three awards will be presented at BCLC's National Corporate Community Investment Conference in Chicago, IL on May 3-5, 2009.

Sustainable Community Award for Small Community (<50,000 residents)

Sustainable Community Award for Midsize Community (50,000–500,000 residents)

Sustainable Community Award for Large Community (500,000+ residents)

Nominations for all awards will be accepted until January 30 at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

Visit BCLC's website
www.uschamber.com/bclc/sustainablecommunity for full details.