AGRION presents the Smart Cities Executive Evening, sponsored by JETRO and Schneider Electric.

Join us for an evening of dinner and networking, while we discuss opportunities for creating smarter urban infrastructure in a world challenged by resource constraints.

Panelists will explore financing distributed generation in urban areas, integrating energy efficiency and renewable energy into existing buildings, and modernizing transportation and the grid. Speakers Include:

• CBS EcoMedia, Paul Polizzotto, President
• Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Michel Di Capua Head of US Analysis
• NRG Energy, Eric Curry Director, Strategic Partnerships
• Alliances IBM, Joe Phillips Director of Smarter Cities/ Smart Buildings
• McKinsey, Dr. Nikhil Krishnan Associate Principal
• Schneider Electric, Mike Calise, Director of Electric Vehicle Business
• Zipcar, Jon Zeitler, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development
• GE Energy, Michael Mahan, Product Manager, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

This event is open to both members and non-members of the AGRION network. Please visit our site for more information. www.agrion.org #SmartCitiesEE @AGRION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is the success of this initiative measurable? 

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

What kinds of feedback have you received from employees?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About IKEA Foundation

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

About Save the Children

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

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

With new wind installations in the US forecast to slow down beyond the end of 2012, the onus for optimizing the performance of existing assets has increased. Developers are looking at shifting more resources towards the O&M side of their business, whilst for OEMs, a softening sales market is enhancing the need for maintaining exceptional after-sales services and performance.

The 4th Annual Optimizing Wind Power O&M conference returns as an interactive and intimate setting for addressing your critical operational challenges, with a keen focus on real experiences and enhancement of O&M strategy.

The agenda is designed around the key factors that can improve the operational performance of your projects:

• Are you involved with equipment that is coming out of warranty?
• Can you share your experiences with implementing a predictive approach to maintenance?
• Do you oversee a data analysis team that has achieved breakthroughs in advancing your wind asset management strategy?
• Is your company achieving improved reliability and reductions in down-time?
• Have you successfully conducted retrofits or repowering on older wind farms?

Confirmed speakers include:

• Brian Hayes, Executive Vice President, Asset Operations, EDP Renewables, North America
• Dan Brake, Technical Services General Manager, Renewables, NextEra Energy Resources
• Gerrud Wallaert, Regional Operations Manager, Midwest / Northeast, E.ON Climate and Renewables
• Jean Lemaire, Project Director, Akuo Energy
• Dave Magill, Senior Vice President, Asset Management, Competitive Power Ventures
• Todd Wynn, General manager of Wind Operations and Maintenance, Enel Green Power
• Ryan McGraw, Head of Asset Management, Orion Renewable Energy Group
• Steve Gilbert, Senior Manager Renewables O&M, Alliant Energy
• Gabriel Vaca, Director, Asset Management, NaturEner
• Valerie Peters, Wind Reliability Lead Analyst, Sandia National Laboratory

For more information visit our event website - http://www.greenpowerconferences.com/link/WE1209US.html?=csr

The LOHAS Forum, the nation’s premier gathering of thought leaders, investors and industry executives focused on the $290 billion LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) market, announced today the speaker lineup and full program for this year’s LOHAS Forum 2012.  Now in its sixteenth year, the event will take place June 12 – 14 in Boulder, Colorado with interactive discussions focused on a broad portfolio of current issues including alternative energy, health and wellness, social justice, branding, green customer loyalty and effective ways to raise capital.

Speakers at LOHAS Forum 2012 include Chip Conley with Joie de Vivre Hospitality, Toni J. Bellafiore with American Honda Motor Company, Inc., Gopi Kallayil with Google, Jodi Berg with VitaMix, Sue Harvey Brown with Patagonia Footwear, Madeleine Buckingham with Mother Jones, Mary Jo Cook with Fair Trade USA, Tom Laforge with The Coca-Cola Company, among many others. 

LOHAS Forum 2012 will also feature a full schedule of interactive programming where attendees will be given access to thought leaders and industry experts with deep diving workshops, networking opportunities during daily receptions, meals and exercise activities; and intimate break-out sessions each afternoon. 

For the first time ever, this year's LOHAS conference will integrate all the richness the city of Boulder has to offer. Taking advantage of the array of historical and significant local landmarks, cafes and restaurants, conveniently within walking distance of each other, serving as venues for the Forum's many events. Attendees will not only be treated to an inspiring and powerful event, but will also get to dive head first into the cultural roots of Boulder.

“The LOHAS community is looked at to pave the way for today’s consumers when it comes to the latest and greatest trends in healthy and sustainability – and it is events like the Forum that bring together the thought leaders in the space to facilitate open and creative dialogue,” said Ted Ning, director of the LOHAS Forum.  “We could not be more excited for this year’s LOHAS Forum, as we will be turning Boulder into the ultimate eco-conscious hotspot and playing host to some of the most influential thinkers in sustainability.”

LOHAS 2012 Forum sponsors include Toyota, Mrs. Meyers, Gaiam TV, Presidio Graduate School, TAO Inspired Living, Think Thin, ECO Bonus, Ogden, NativeEnergy, Fair Trade USA, Sanitas Skincare, Cascadian Farm, VitaMix, New Hope 360, 1% for the Planet, Rancho La Puerta, LARABAR, Compendium, Natural Marketing Institute, DotGreen, BackJoy, Room214, Opti Bike, Shelton Group, Frey Vineyards, Haberman, Social K, Q-Link, Eco Spa 360, WhiteWave Foods, and Saeger Media Group. Media Sponsors include, Fast Company, CSRwire, Mother Jones, Spirituality & Health, Experience Life, Organic Spa, VividLife, Ethical Markets, Colorado Biz, Free Speech TV, ReDirect Guide, Ode, and Boulder County Business Report.

To view the full program and for registration, visit http://www.lohas.com/forum and to attend as a member of the press, contact Jessica Busch at jessica@saegermediagroup.com.

About LOHAS:

LOHAS, an acronym for ‘Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability,’ describes a marketplace focused on health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living. One in four Americans is part of this group – nearly 41 million people and growing

Since its inception in 1996, LOHAS has been the catalyst for the adoption of sustainable living and environment-friendly practices for the globally conscious business community. The LOHAS Forum is the leading annual gathering of thought and opinion leaders in the LOHAS marketplace. The LOHAS Forum features highly influential speakers and panelists who address and explore some of today’s most prominent issues and business challenges, in the world of health and wellness. Other events include musical performances, workshops and networking receptions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About the Resource Centre

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

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

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

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

(Marketwire) - Opportunity International announced it received a $250,000 grant from Monsanto Company, an agricultural company committed to improving farm productivity and crop quality, to expand access to affordable financial services in Tanzania that will enable emerging entrepreneurs to generate more income for their families, and contribute to the economic development of their communities.

"Opportunity International is grateful to Monsanto Company for supporting its efforts to alleviate global poverty by providing impoverished people with access to life-changing financial services," said Dennis Ripley, senior vice president, International Business Development, Opportunity International. "Over the past year, Opportunity has witnessed a tremendous growth in demand for small business microloans among struggling entrepreneurs in Tanzania. We started 2011 with just over 3,000 clients in Tanzania, and at the end of the 1st quarter in 2012, we were serving more than 7,767 clients, representing a 159 percent increase."

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world with approximately 90 percent of its people living on less than $2 per day, and 60 percent living on less than $1 per day. One out of every three Tanzanians is self-employed, yet less than five percent of the population has access to formal banking and financial services.

Since 2008, Opportunity has aggressively expanded its operations to enable a greater number of entrepreneurs -- the majority of whom are women -- to secure personal savings accounts, borrow capital for their businesses, receive training to develop professional and life skills, and obtain insurance to protect their assets. "With Monsanto Company's support, Opportunity is well-positioned to empower many more of Tanzania's poorest citizens to work their way out of chronic poverty, transforming their lives, their children's futures and their communities," continued Ripley.

"At the core of Monsanto's business is a commitment to improve the lives of people around the world, which aligns closely with Opportunity International's efforts to alleviate poverty and to empower the world's working poor through access to affordable, convenient financial services," said Natalie DiNicola, vice-president of sustainable partnerships, Monsanto. "It is our hope that the partnership with Opportunity will foster entrepreneurship among Tanzanian citizens and we look forward to witnessing the impact that our contribution will have."

Monsanto is committed to supporting farmers in developing countries through initiatives aimed at boosting agricultural productivity. The company is a partner organization in the World Economic Forum and supports the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) initiative. Monsanto's involvement in SAGCOT is a part of the company's efforts to support Tanzanian President Kikwete's Kilimo Kwanza (Agriculture First) initiative, strengthening the country's economy through agricultural production.

About Monsanto Company
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. To learn more about our business and our commitments, please visit: www.monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at www.twitter.com/MonsantoNews, on the company blog, Beyond the Rows at www.monsantoblog.com, or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.

About Opportunity International
Opportunity International provides access to savings accounts, small business loans, insurance and training to over four million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in more than 20 countries use these financial services to start or expand a business, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future. For more information, visit www.opportunity.org.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Using Social Media for Social Good

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

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

About Hormel Foods

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rosenfeld challenged JPMorgan's claim that it supports US sanctions on Sudan “in letter and spirit” stating, “Since 1997, US sanctions have prohibited American companies [such as ExxonMobil] from doing business with Sudan’s oil industry, ” and contrasting that with JPMorgan's large investments “in foreign companies that provide these same services.”
 
“The vast majority of Americans want their investments to be genocide-free,” says Rosenfeld. According to a market research study conducted by KRC Research in 2010, 88% of Americans would like their mutual funds to be genocide-free.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Certified B Corporations

Certified B Corporations must:

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

About B Lab

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

B Lab accomplishes this by:

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

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

BSR and Hilton Worldwide launched the Center for Sustainable Procurement today to help global business procurement managers integrate sustainability into their purchasing decisions—providing a unique set of research and information that will help make sense of the increasingly available product sustainability data.

“Thanks to the important efforts of the Sustainability Consortium and a large number of industry and product-level programs, buyers now have access to more information on products’ sustainability attributes,” said Eric Olson, Senior Vice President, Advisory Services, BSR. “But they still lack the knowledge and guidance to use this new information alongside existing priorities like price, quality, and delivery. The Center will work to address these needs.”

Funded in full by Hilton Worldwide with day-to-day management by BSR, the Center will develop:

• Research, case studies, and surveys on topics such as incentives for category managers, key issues for buyers to consider at the product level, the efficacy of third-party labels and certification, and more
• Metrics analyses that focus on integrating sustainability into existing approaches such as “total cost of ownership”
• Educational guidelines, webinars, and web content for companies to share with internal sourcing teams
• One-on-one and collaborative consulting projects for a small group of BSR members to examine current purchasing processes, develop solutions for integrating sustainability into decisions, and share lessons collectively

The idea for the Center originated with the procurement and supply chain work BSR supported over a two-year period with Hilton Worldwide. Within its proprietary LightStay™ platform, the company developed an analysis and comparison tool focused on quantifying product sustainability to help inform buying decisions. The criteria looked at nearly 100 different measures, including core lifecycle-assessment components such as inputs, manufacturing, packaging, logistics, use, and end-of-life. In total, the company collected and assessed nearly 1,700 SKUs across multiple product categories such as food and beverage, property operations, and rooms, representing more than US$165 million in spend.

“Hotels purchase a range of products to support a great guest experience, and our work is focused on getting past product scoring and marketing labels to help our buyers quantify sustainability as part of overall product quality and cost,” said Bill Kornegay, Senior Vice President, Hilton Supply Management, Hilton Worldwide. “Taking mattresses as an example, costs notwithstanding, our buyers must make a decision regarding sustainability in the procurement process, which currently includes metrics for quality, services, delivery, and costs. We see the Center as an incredible opportunity to help us develop robust sustainability metrics to aid the buyer in making the best decision possible.”

Having worked for two decades with companies on a range of sustainability challenges and opportunities, BSR views the Center as a chance to increase the scale of its work on sustainable supply chains. “The Center for Sustainable Procurement gets to the heart of what we do at BSR: We work with companies to catalyze sustainability solutions that make a difference across multiple industries globally—and we’re doing this with very practical, easy-to-use resources,” said BSR’s Olson.

About BSR

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

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 88 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

B Lab

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

About EF

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

The three largest mutual fund companies in the U.S. – American Funds, Fidelity, and Vanguard – managing over $1.6 trillion in U.S. securities in 2011, voted on dozens of shareholder resolutions last year seeking to improve corporate environmental and financial performance related to climate change. But in no case did any of the three firms cast an affirmative vote. That’s one of the major findings of a new analysis of proxy votes cast in 2011 by 44 of the largest U.S. mutual fund companies. Other major mutual fund companies such as TIAA-CREF and Wells Fargo performed much better, voting for a majority of such resolutions (see Appendix 1). 

“Mutual fund companies have a fiduciary duty to vote in the best interest of their clients, but in the case of climate change, many are not doing so,” said Mindy Lubber, president of the sustainability advocacy group Ceres, which commissioned the analysis. “The dearth of support by industry giants – American Funds, Fidelity and Vanguard – is especially disturbing.”

“Most large companies face significant climate-related risks, including physical and regulatory impacts, but many are ignoring them,” Lubber added. “Shareholder resolutions are a key mechanism for shareholders to strongly encourage companies to disclose these risks and actions for managing them.”

A growing number of institutional investors – many of them part of the Investor Network on Climate Risk comprised of 100 institutional investors collectively managing about $10 trillion in assets – have publicly signaled that they view information about climate change risks as material to their investment decisions.

Many of these same investors filed dozens of shareholder resolutions in 2011 and 2012 requesting that companies disclose climate risks and strategies for managing those risks. Among those are the New York State and New York City Pension Funds and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), which together filed or co-filed 17 climate-related resolutions in 2011. All told, the Ceres study tracked 111 resolutions filed with 81 U.S. and Canadian companies during the 2011 proxy season on climate change and related sustainability issues.

In 2010, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued formal guidance requiring publicly traded companies to disclose material climate risks in their financial filings.

Although American Funds’ proxy voting guidelines call for a case-by-case voting strategy on issues such as climate change, the firm voted against every single climate-related resolution filed in 2011 with companies held in its mutual fund portfolios, according to the new analysis done by Jackie Cook of Fund Votes.

Fidelity abstained on 89 percent of the resolutions and voted against 11 percent even though its proxy voting guidelines state that abstentions are used mainly when information on economic impact is lacking. Yet there is a great deal of financial and analytical information available on the impacts of climate change and climate risk management strategies from highly respected institutions such as Deutche Bank, Generation Investment Management, and many others.

Vanguard’s 88 percent abstention rate (12 percent against) reflects a policy of deferral to corporate management on such issues even though Vanguard’s proxy voting guidelines call for action where an issue can have “a significant, tangible impact on the value of a fund’s investment and management is not responsive to the matter.”

“The movement over the last few years by Fidelity and Vanguard from voting against all shareholder resolutions related to climate change to abstaining on most is a very small step in the right direction,” Lubber said. “But it also a very passive strategy that simply defers responsibility to management. These mutual funds should be leveraging their influence to ensure the companies they invest in are taking their climate-related risks and opportunities seriously, and disclosing material climate-related information to their shareholders. As fiduciaries for their customers they have an obligation to do better.”

In some cases, according to the Fund Votes analysis, mutual fund voting is misaligned with the firms’ publicly stated positions on issues related to climate change. For instance, signatories to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), BlackRock and AllianceBernstein supported less than five percent of climate-related resolutions on which they voted in the 2011 proxy season. PRI signatories publicly endorse six PRI principles, including Principle 2, which states:  “We will be active owners and incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in our ownership policies and practice,” including proxy voting.  The preamble to the principles states “…we believe that ESG issues can affect the performance of investment portfolios…”

Another example of misalignment is between Fidelity’s voting record and its recent on-line advertisements featuring water scarcity and ‘peak water’ as a key investment theme. Despite these ads Fidelity failed to vote for a single water-risk-related resolution that was part of the study. 

Though the proxy voting record of the Big Three is lacking, many large fund companies do have proxy-voting records that show strong concern for the financial impacts of climate change. Some have voted in favor of more than 50 percent of shareholder climate-related resolutions at large US corporations (See Appendix 1 below for specific voting records). Firms with the best voting records in 2011, all supporting more than half of the climate resolutions, were: TIAA-CREF, Wells Fargo, Fifth Third, Credit Suisse, Oppenheimer, GMO and Delaware.

Appendix:

Percent of votes cast ‘for’ and abstained by 44 Large Mutual Fund Families on 2011 climate-related resolutions

 

 

About Ceres

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

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

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

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

Participants will benefit from:

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

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

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

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

Limited seating available for all courses!

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

QUOTES:

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

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

Chicago workshop, 2012

 

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

Robert Harris, CEO, Altruvest, Toronto workshop, 2011

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

What can you gain from taking part in the survey?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The questionnaire will close on Friday 18th May.

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

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

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

Core requirements (must complete all four):

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

Electives (must complete one):

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

Fast Track condenses Certificate program to five days

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

Special one-day volunteer program

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

Academies provide intensive learning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About ANN INC.

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

About Vital Voices Global Partnership:

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