tagged w/ csr
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Over the last several weeks our company has engaged in a series of social media notices
leading up to a webinar on FAQs regarding our leadership development experience in Guatemala. Of those who showed an interest and signed up for the webinar - entirely 100% were women. Now, our numbers would certainly show a limiting and therefore non-valid sample size. But there is a reality that of the people that we have engaged with over the last several months the disproportionate majority are women. Leading me to ask….Where have all the men gone? – and, given the equally disproportionate number of men in the C-Suite –is the gender difference an issue to be reconciled in order to have corporate social responsibility move to the strategic front burner?
Aman Singh at Vault CSR did a nice job of summarizing the Boston College Centre for Corporate Citizenship report on the Profile of the Profession – In her blog Aman pointed out the ten leading characteristics/identifiers of a CSR professional – but for the purpose of this discussion let’s stick to the top four –
1. They hold a bachelors degree
2. They are a women
3. They are white
4. They are more than 35 years old.
I can safely say that these descriptors definitely correspond to those who showed an interest in our work. So of course we need to understand the Why?
http://theacaciagroup.blogspot.com/2010/07/gender-bias-in-csr-where-are-all-men.htmlOver the last several weeks our company has engaged in a series of social media... more
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Corporate Social Responsibility News: Kraft Cuts Waste 30% with Sustainability Programs; Winslow Management Reports on Green Investment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_w19bXQimICorporate Social Responsibility News: Kraft Cuts Waste 30% with Sustainability... more
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The Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) recently published an article with National Jeweler siting unethical marketing practices by jewelry companies trying to appeal to conscious consumers.
“One recent ad for lab-grown diamond jewelry featured images of bracelets, rings and necklaces set against the background of a sunlit forest. The caption read “Buy Green! No Environmental Impact!”, but the JVC learned that the environmental claims were based solely upon the fact that synthetic diamonds are manufactured, not mined, thereby sidestepping mining’s negative environmental impacts.”
Of course there is an environmental impact, but lab-created diamonds have significantly less environmental impact then their mined counterparts.
http://c5company.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/jewelry-companies-sited-for-greenwashing/#The Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) recently published an article with National... more
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Cotton Incorporated announced today that it will be working with Gap to launch the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive in about 1,000 Gap stores across North America and Puerto Rico. Beginning March 5 through March 14, consumers across the country can donate old denim at their local Gap, which will then be given a "new life" by being converted into UltraTouchTM Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, and donated to communities in need. Consumers who donate their denim will receive a 30% discount off new denim purchases, including 1969 Premium Jeans.
"Cotton Incorporated is delighted to team with Gap on the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® nationwide denim drive," said J. Berrye Worsham, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Cotton Incorporated. "Year over year, this program continues to gain momentum, and the collaboration with Gap will build on the program’s success over the past five years." Since the program began, the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive has recycled enough denim to create natural cotton fiber insulation for over 540 homes.
The two-week denim drive is part of Gap’s "Recycle Your Blues" event, where customers who donate denim will receive 30% off new denim purchases from Gap, GapKids or babyGap through March 14.
"We hope the drive will help foster awareness about cotton’s recyclability among our consumers, while enabling them to give back to communities in need," said Marka Hansen, President, Gap North America. "What’s more, with denim-on-denim being one of this spring’s key trends, we think this is the perfect time to take the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® denim drive nationwide to retail locations for the first time, giving customers an opportunity to recycle their old denim and pick up the latest Gap denim at a special discount."
The in-store program will be featured on Gap’s online consumer site, www.gap.com, as well as the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.® Web site, www.CottonFromBluetoGreen.org and Cotton Incorporated’s own consumer Web site, www.TheFabricOfOurLives.com. Emails will be sent to both Cotton Incorporated and Gap subscribers, and the program will be promoted through social networking sites. As a call to action, Gap will air radio spots in top markets across the U.S. and Canada, and each Gap retail location will feature in-store displays, signage, and specially-branded collection bins.
http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Cotton-Incorporated-Partners-Gap-Nationwide-Cotton Incorporated announced today that it will be working with Gap to launch the... more
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You know how some things just seem kind of out of whack? I mean, take for instance my Christmas cactus. For some reason it’s popping out blooms like nobody’s business now that February is here. I would have enjoyed seeing this opulent display closer to December 25th, but then again, it’s sort of a pleasant surprise to have something so spectacular bursting forth in a month when dull and dreary is the norm.
Isn’t it always the things that catch us off guard, seem out of place, that make us stand up and take notice....
This is pretty much how I felt when I read the Fast Company Magazine article by Kate Rockwood, entitled “Attention, Walmart Shopper: Clean-up in Aisle Nine.” The author talks about Walmart’s innovative plan to provide shoppers with a Sustainability Index on all its products. Basically, like the Nutritional Indexes that currently grace the backs of most food items now, these little boxes would give the consumer a heads up on how their individual purchases impact the environment: “…from the greenhouse-gas emissions of an Xbox to the water used to produce your Sunday bacon.”
But wait, we’re talking Walmart right? Isn’t this the store that many people think of as the poster child for American materialist gluttony?
Yes.
And yet, this the same store that leads the nation in sales: from toys to jewelry, food to household items. And because of this, I think even my most fervent anti-Walmart friends would agree, not a bad place to start educating the populace about making earth-friendly choices.
Walmart’s grand scheme to inform consumers of their buying environmental impact is in the early stages, but supply companies seem to be getting on board. In Rockwood’s article she says that a 15-question survey, asking for up-to-the-minute sustainability efforts, was sent to Walmart suppliers last year and over 1000 responses were returned. Obviously these companies know where their paychecks come from. But from my own standpoint, perhaps more importantly these companies are looking ahead to a time when future consumer spending habits will not be based solely on price, but also on who they preceive as environmentally responsible as well. So the fact that manufacturers are willing to buy into this idea is not a huge surprise. Ultimately, they know they could sink or swim based upon the consumer’s views of their accountability to Mother Earth.
Rockwood also includes Walmart's general timeline for this monumental undertaking. According to Walmart higher ups, “Chemical-intense products (such as household cleansers), electronics, and food will be the first three trial categories this winter” that the store “will attempt to apply scoring and solicit feedback.” The actual Sustainable indexes for most products won’t be ready until 2013.
I suggest that you read Kate Rockwood’s article in the February 2010 edition of Fast Company and see for yourself what Walmart is doing to make this green transformation. It’s an eye-opener to say the least for most of us whose consciences squirm just a little every time we walk through the oversized glass doors.
But regardless of how you feel about Walmart, the sheer size of this company (over 8,000 stores and over 2,000,000 employees according to Answers.com) gives it clout. And if that power is used for good and not evil…., I say go for it.
http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Green-Walmart-Or-OxymoronYou know how some things just seem kind of out of whack? I mean, take for instance my... more
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Corporate Social Responsibility News: Brighter Planet's Employee Engagement Survey; ZTE's CSR Commitment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWNYMqBZGpoCorporate Social Responsibility News: Brighter Planet's Employee Engagement... more
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Corporate Social Responsibility News: NBA All-Star's Show Features NGO-founders Alicia Keys, Shakira, + Usher; Cambridge U's 50 Most Influential Sustainability Books.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U69dGbzTyo0#Corporate Social Responsibility News: NBA All-Star's Show Features NGO-founders... more
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Corporate Social Responsibility News: Target + Safeway Sell Sustainable Seafood; Palestine Investment Fund + Abraaj Capital Invest in Palestinian SMEs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g-DHi14_l8#Corporate Social Responsibility News: Target + Safeway Sell Sustainable Seafood;... more
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3BL Media, the experts in corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and cause marketing communications, today announced plans to launch 3BL TV (Triple Bottom Line TV), a Web video channel scheduled to debut next month.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ93EIWYfuM3BL Media, the experts in corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability and... more
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Corporate Social Responsibility News: Microfinance Institution Exchange's Bulletin; William + Flora Hewlett Foundation's Grants.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lrNmg60zfM#Corporate Social Responsibility News: Microfinance Institution Exchange's... more
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Corporate Social Responsibility News: Cause Marketing Forum + IEG's 2010 Sponsorship Forecast; UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School Aids New Sustainable Businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubMiMCBRWb4#Corporate Social Responsibility News: Cause Marketing Forum + IEG's 2010... more
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Corporate Social Responsibility News: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Microcredit Grants; INFACT Global Partners' New CSR Compliance Service.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqaKnudw42E#Corporate Social Responsibility News: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's... more
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