CSR News
ANN INC. and Vital Voices Global Partnership Announce 2013 ANNpower Fellows
ANN INC. (NYSE:ANN), the parent Company of Ann Taylor and LOFT, and Vital Voices Global Partnership are proud to announce the 2013 ANNpower Fellows.
In January 2013, ANN INC. and Vital Voices launched a nationwide search for young women who embody the skills and have the potential to be the next leaders of their generation. Through a competitive national application process, ANN INC. and Vital Voices selected 50 girls, who are high school sophomore and juniors, from across the country to become ANNpower Fellows and participate in the 2013 ANNpower Vital Voices Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., April 1-4.
The newly selected Fellows hail from 23 states and Puerto Rico and have a common interest in creating innovative solutions to challenges in their communities. Their ideas range from creating mentorship programs to addressing environmental issues to reducing childhood obesity. They are a diverse and dynamic group that includes girls like Jane, a sophomore who wants to make a difference in her hometown, Oberlin, Ohio by developing a mentoring program for 4th and 5th graders to increase the number of girls entering STEM fields. To meet Jane and the rest of the 2013 ANNpower Fellows, visit ANNpower.org.
“We are so inspired by our 2013 ANNpower Fellows.” said Kay Krill, president and CEO of ANN INC., “These women are emerging leaders and are committed to...
General Mills Foundation Joins New Presidential Youth Fitness Program
Today, during an event where First Lady Michelle Obama discussed the need for increased physical activity opportunities in schools, the General Mills Foundation committed $10 million to help implement the new Presidential Youth Fitness Program, a comprehensive, school-based fitness assessment program.
At the event, Mrs. Obama launched “Let’s Move! Active Schools,” a program that emphasizes quality physical education. A central focus of that is the new Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP), which replaces the long-standing Youth Fitness Test, in place since 1958. The PYFP employs the latest science and promotes health and physical activity for America’s youth.
“With each passing year, schools feel like it’s just getting harder to find the time, the money, and the will to help our kids be active. But just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we should stop trying – it means we should try harder. It means that all of us – not just educators, but businesses and non-profits and ordinary citizens – we all need to dig deeper and start getting even more creative,” said First Lady Michelle Obama. “That’s what Let’s Move! Active Schools is all about – it’s about all of us coming together to once again make being active a way of life for our kids. And with today’s announcement, anyone, in any community, can become a champion to bring...
German CSR Forum 2013: Corporate Social Responsibility Meets Biodiversity
Where do enterprises stand when it comes to biodiversity in the year 2013? How do companies and NGOs handle greenwashing reproaches concerning the co-operation on the protection of nature. At the German CSR Forum – International Forum for Sustainability and Futureability – business and NGOs representatives will provide answers to these questions at three side events organised by the European Business and Biodiversity Campaign (EBBC).
More than 500 participants from all over the world are expected to participate in the biggest platform in German-speaking countries for exchanging knowledge and experience with regard to CSR and sustainability. The 9th German CSR-Forum takes place at the 9th/10th of April 2013 in Stuttgart-Ludwigsburg, Germany. At the CSR Forum 2012 a major focus was on Business and Biodiversity. In 2013 it will be again an important topic covered by...
Western Union and The Western Union Foundation Commit $500,000 for Education and Economic Development Programs of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation
Western Union and The Western Union Foundation (NYSE: WU) today announced a two-year grant commitment, supporting education and economic development programs offered through the U.S.-Mexico Foundation (USMF).
Western Union and The Western Union Foundation join a number of other important contributors to the USMF. The combined grant consists of $250,000 from The Western Union Foundation and $250,000 from The Western Union Company to support the USMF Educational Transformation Fund, providing high-impact educational opportunities to communities throughout Mexico, and the USMF Economic Opportunity Fund, which improves the economic opportunities for marginalized communities in Mexico. The total commitment of $500,000 supports USMF efforts to improve global access to quality education and economic opportunity.
“The Western Union Foundation is dedicated to creating a better world, where the ability to realize dreams through economic opportunity is not just a privilege for the few but a right for all. With the support of The Western Union Company, its employees and Agents, The Western Union Foundation works to realize this vision by supporting education as a pathway toward a better future through Western Union’s...
Applications Now Open for Adobe Foundation Creativity Scholarships
Adobe today announced that applications for the 2013 Adobe Foundation Creativity Scholarships are now open. Adobe announced its million dollar Creativity Scholarships fund in April 2012 in conjunction with the launch of the Adobe Creative Cloud and the company’s global study revealing a global creativity gap. According to the research, nearly two-thirds of respondents feel creativity is valuable to society, yet a striking minority – only 1 in 4 people – believe they are living up to their own creative potential.
Offered to high school seniors (or international equivalents) who have participated in the Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) program, the scholarship is designed to support the next generation of creative thinkers and propel their careers by providing financial support to students for continuing their education, pursuing creative careers and finding innovative ways to improve their communities.
“The power of creativity is real, and unlocking the creative potential in students can lead to real change in communities around the world,” said Michelle Yates, director of...
Carlsberg Consolidates Its Position as the Most Efficient Global Brewer and Sharpens Its Focus on Sustainable Packaging
(GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
2012 environmental highlights:
- Energy consumption decreased to 29.1 kW/hl
- Water consumption maintained at 3.3 hl water per hl beer produced
- 13 Group breweries now capture biogas from wastewater treatment operations
- 60 out of 76 sites ISO 14001-certified
- EUR 25m ring-fenced for investment in Russian environmental projects
- New strategy for sustainable packaging agreed
2012 was a year where the Carlsberg Group (Carlsberg) continued to build on the excellent progress made in 2011, so that it has now already reached or almost reached most of its ambitious three-year environmental targets set for the end of 2013. The report is available from 2 p.m. CET at www.carlsberggroup.com/csr/reports.
Commenting on the 2012 performance, Morten Nielsen, Carlsberg's Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, says: "Brewing requires a healthy environment. Most of our raw materials are ingredients which are sourced directly from nature, and we work targetedly to limit the environmental impact of our activities. We search for opportunities at every point in our value chain, be it ongoing research and development into our raw materials, ever-improving efficiency opportunities at our production sites, or more environmentally friendly ways of storing and transporting our products."
Carlsberg's operations in...
Western Union Celebrates Impact of Award-Winning 'Our World, Our Family' Program: Five Years, $50 Million, Five Million Lives
On International Corporate Philanthropy Day, the Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) and The Western Union Foundation are celebrating the success of Western Union’s Our World, Our Family® program. Launched in 2007, the program committed $50 million over five years to promote economic opportunity and help families stay connected, overcome barriers, and realize their dreams. A new report details the program’s impact, including having:
- Reached five million people in 70 countries
- Provided education tools, including scholarships, to one million students
- Offered integration support to nearly 270,000 global migrants
- Supported 455,000 entrepreneurs with loans and business training
- Provided financial literacy resources and training to more than 550,000 people
- Delivered disaster relief and recovery support to 900,000 people
“Our business is a positive force for growth, helping people send money to loved ones and business partners in 200 countries and territories,” said Luella Chavez D’Angelo, chief communications officer, Western Union. ...
Dow Extends Commitment to Habitat for Humanity for 30th Year
The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) today announced its recommitment to Habitat for Humanity International, which marks the company’s 30th anniversary of financial, volunteer and product contributions to Habitat to support the goal of creating safe, affordable housing in partnership with low-income families around the world.
Dow was one of Habitat’s first corporate partners, and over its three-plus decades has been instrumental in the construction of nearly 39,000 homes in 24 countries on six continents, including in Ghana, Africa, for the first time in 2013.
“Dow and Habitat understand the importance of providing safe, affordable housing and giving families that much needed hand up toward a better future,” said Bo Miller, global director for Corporate Citizenship at Dow. “Our 30-year partnership illustrates this commitment and passion for improving lives, and we are proud that our efforts are truly making a difference.”
Since 1983, thousands of Dow volunteers have helped families realize the dream of home ownership. In addition to financial and product contributions, Dow provides subject matter experts in energy efficiency and conservation in the construction of homes.
“We are so grateful to Dow for reaching out to Habitat to become one of our first national corporate partners and for helping to build thousands of homes during the last 30 years,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “I have had the...
Nominate Your CSR Heroes for a Charities@Work Best Practices Award
Charities@Work is looking for the best of the best in outstanding work in the field of employee engagement, CSR and workplace giving campaign management. We will honor and recognize those companies, teams and individuals for their best in class and innovative practices at the 12th Annual Best Practices Summit in New York City, April 3-4, 2013 .
The awards are:
- Corporate Excellence Award - Charities@Work’s top award given to one corporation for overall excellence in employee engagement
- Corporate Partner Award – awarded to one to four workplace giving partners for exemplary work during a workplace giving campaign
- Innovation of the Year Award - presented to a team, individual or company that has shown exceptional innovation in their work with CSR, and Employee and Philanthropic Engagement
- Partner of the Year Award - presented to an individual who has served as an outstanding partner to giving partners and nonprofits
- Rising Star Award - awarded to an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the areas of CSR and employee engagement
Self-nominations are encouraged...
Pro Bono Movement Goes Global
The leaders of the pro bono movement from around the globe are convening in New York City to support their progress in engaging business professionals in leveraging their talents to help advance social change. The convening is hosted by the Taproot Foundation, the pioneer and lead architect of the movement, and the BMW Foundation, a global foundation committed to supporting leaders working for our collective good around the world.
The Global Pro Bono Summit is an annual gathering of leaders with a shared vision to make the talents and skills of the business community accessible to organizations committed to social progress. In addition to the global attendees, the Summit will include leaders in pro bono programming from companies like American Express and Google, professional services firms like IBM and Deloitte to domestic intermediaries like NPower and Catchafire.
Over the past ten years, Taproot has inspired the development of organizations in more than 10 different countries dedicated to building the pro bono ethic in their own business sectors. Domestically, they have worked with over 30 companies to drive corporate interest and build world class pro bono programs through its Advisory Services practice. Taproot has also partnered with India@75 to conduct research on the potential for growing pro bono services in India, and with the BMW Stiftung Foundation to organize the international pro bono provider network through a formal Fellowship program. ...
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