COVID-19 Exposes Supply Chain Vulnerabilities that Cause Food Insecurity

The cornavirus pandemic has highlighted supply chain weaknesses that are causing food shortages. As explained in an FAO report, the global pandemic is threatening supply lines leading to concerns about food insecurity. "A protracted pandemic crisis could quickly put a strain on the food supply chains, a complex web of interactions involving farmers, agricultural inputs, processing plants, shipping, retailers and more," the report said. In a March paper the U.N. Committee on World Food Security (CFS) warned that Covid-19 will cause heightened instability in global food supply. The pandemic also prompted the Food and Land Use Coalition to issue a call to action for world leaders over what they describe as a humanitarian crisis requiring urgent coordinated action.

The Power of Procurement to Reduce Both Emissions and Costs

Leveraging action across supply chains is a critical part of efforts to address the climate crisis.  We are seeing tremendous growth in companies investing in sustainability and these corporations are helping to drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. Reports demonstrate that this is both an indispensable strategy to manage risk and an important part of cost cutting efforts. The financial and environmental benefits include energy and resource efficiency.

According to a 2019 CDP/Carbon Trust global supply chain report, over the last decade some of the world's biggest purchasers have leveraged their buying power and demanded transparency from their suppliers. In the process they have cut carbon emissions by 633 million metric tons and saved an average of almost $20 billion annually.

How Apple Transitioned from Corporate Luddite to Environmental Leader

Companies are showing that change is both possible and profitable. As we stare down the barrel of a dark future companies are acknowledging the emergence of a new reality that forces them to change the way they do business. Embracing sustainability makes sense even for those who were slow off the mark. Apple proves that it is possible to transition from a climate Luddite to a climate leader.

Leading corporations are helping to show the way forward and no company has come further in recent years than Apple. The tech leader has not always been an environmental leader. That changed when Tim Cook was named CEO in 2011. He then had the good sense to hire former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson to be the VP of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. Since then the company has significantly improved their sustainability performance while ameliorating working conditions and transparency.

Certificate in CSR/Sustainability

If you are interested in a meaningful career you may want to think about applying to the Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Sustainability. In this "work as you learn" program you will gain core competencies for CSR/Sustainability and direct experience in a work based Capstone Project in the field. This program helps you to take your career in CSR and Sustainability to the next level.

Public-Private Wastewater Partnerships

Public-private partnerships involving wastewater are part of an innovative approach to sustainability that delivers results. Wastewater is an overlooked and underutilized resource that delivers results. Businesses, communities, residents, and the environment all stand to benefit from wastewater initiatives. This reduces demand for clean water which is particularly important in areas subject to drought. Corporations are coming to terms with issues related to resource scarcity and increasingly showing leadership in water management.

Event - Goodness Matters Benevity Conference

The Goodness Matters annual Benevity conference will take place on February 6 - 8, 2018 in Palm Springs, California.  The occassion also marks Benevity's tenth anniversary.  At GM2018 corporate giving professionals will gather in sunny Palm Springs to learn and participate in discussions that will augur the next era of corporate goodness. From insightful talks to client showcases, product previews to fun networking opportunities.

Corporations Need to Get Over their Fear of Reporting Failure

Corporations, particularly those who purport to be interested in sustainability, need to bravely report where no reports have gone before. Many firms instinctively shield their failures from the public, however, forward looking corporations know that even here there is value to transparency.  

Although it is hard to avoid getting defensive about shortcomings, being forthcoming about weakness augurs transformative opportunities. Those who have the courage to honestly acknowledge the facts are in a position to change the paradigm. Problems are transformed into an exercise in problem-solving. Identifying weakness becomes an invitation to improve. 

Businesses and Governments React to Trump's Exit from the Paris Climate Deal

Trump's decision to abandon the Paris Accord seems to have spurred a wave of climate action. The business community, investors, states, and cities are pushing back against the Trump administration's reckless disregard for climate change.  Prior to Trump's decision to abandon the Paris Agreement a wide range of interests warned the administration to stick with the deal. Trump claims that he withdrew from Paris to protect American companies, cities, and states. However, companies, cities, and states think the president's decision is doing them more harm than good. This includes hundreds of businesses, 150 cities, and seventeen states. Hawaii is the first state to pass a law in support of the climate agreement.

Apple's Earth Day Leadership in 2017

Leading corporations are helping to show the way forward this Earth Day and no company has come further in recent years than Apple. 

They were slow off the mark but since Tim Cook took over as CEO in 2011 and hired former EPA administrator Lisa Jackson in 2013 Apple has made amazing progress. Jackson is Apple's VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives. In the last four years Apple has significantly improved their environmental sustainability performance while ameliorating working conditions and transparency.

In 2017 Apple led the Greenpeace Tech Company Rankings and strengthened its competitive advantage by showing leadership in recycling, clean energy, emissions reduction, waste management and water stewardship.

Water Scarcity and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

The importance of water cannot be overstated. It is vital to every aspect of our civilization from the survival of our ecosystems down to our own biological needs. It is intertwined with energy and agriculture, both of which are inextricably tied to climate change. On World Water Day we are called to recognize the fundamental importance of this crucial resource. In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated March 22 as World Water Day. This day is a call to action on behalf of the 1.8 billion people who are at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio because they are forced to drink contaminated water. This is the white horse, also called disease, the first of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Apple Leads Greenpeace Tech Company Rankings

For the third year in a row Apple is at the top of Greenpeace's environmental rankings for tech companies in 2017.  Apple led platform operators with a score of 83 percent on Greenpeace’s Clean Energy Index. Facebook came in second with a score of  and Google 67 percent and Google came in third with 56 percent.

Apple's final grade was an A for energy transparency, renewable energy commitment, energy efficiency and mitigation, and renewable procurement. The company received a B for advocacy. Google got all A's except for a B in the transparency category, however as noted above they did not fare well in the clean energy component.

Event - Green Sports Alliance Summit: College Sports Sustainability Summit

PAC-12 will host the first conference wide College Sports Sustainability Summit. It will take place on June 27th 2017 in Sacramento, California. This event is part of the annual Green Sports Alliance Summit.

The College Sports Sustainability Summit is part of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP) call to action to tackle climate through sports. This event is supported by member universities that have pledged to take a leadership position in promoting sustainability through sports.

2016 Corporate Sustainability Leaders

A bevy of iconic brands have been singled out as the world's leading sustainability companies. The results of the 2016 GlobeScan/SustainAbility survey of corporate sustainability leaders were released on June 7th 2016. The list is formally known as the The 2016 Sustainability Leaders and his year it was produced in partnership with Sustainable Brands,

The Sustainability Leaders Survey tracks expert opinions on the evolution of sustainability. These experts are now saying that values and purpose are "top drivers" of change. Leaders in sustainability excel at integrating social and environmental purpose into their core business. Leading companies also model innovation and set ambitious goals.

Glaxo­SmithKline Doing Well by Doing Good

Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) is at the top of Fortune's 2016 Change the World list. They are being recognized for their exemplary corporate citizenship. In an age of rampant profiteering in the pharmaceutical industry, Glaxo­SmithKline (GSK) has stood out by making it their business to give back.

The practices of GSK stand in stark contrast to other recent pharmaceutical news. Martin Shkreli bought the rights to a life saving HIV drug called Daraprim,then he hiked up the price by 5,000 percent. CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals Heather Bresch raised the price of an EpiPen pack to more than $600.

Get Ready for Supply Chain Sustainability Guidance and Standards

Sustainability is a large and expanding trend and procurement has been a major part of this trend. Efforts to adopt more sustainable supply chains have been around for years. We now have ample information to confidently make the claim that businesses practicing sustainability are leading the way forward. Procurement and supply chains are key components of sustainability.

However, a lack of standardization and guidance have made this transition difficult for some. That is rapidly changing as we have seen more guidance and now forthcoming standardization.

Green Business Award Winners in 2016 (Guardian and Environmental Leader)

Here is a summary of sustainable businesses, projects and individuals that are leading the way forward. As we teeter on the brink of tipping points, sustainability leadership is more important than ever. Awards that recognize the best companies, projects and individuals lead by example and serve as valuable models. In addition to well deserved recognition these efforts put sustainability on display, showcasing achievements that other businesses can follow. Here is a summary of green awards that have been handed out to businesses and individuals in the first half of 2016. This list includes Guardian's Sustainable Business Awards as well as Environmental Leaders Product and Project of the year awards.

Sustainability Comparisons Between Rio 2016, the Sochi Winter Olympics and the Brazilian World Cup in 2014

The Rio Summer Olympics do not compare favorably to the Sochi Winter Olympics and the Brazilian World Cup in 2014. This is a damning indictment given that Russia's Sochi games were colossally corrupt. Sochi clearly illustrated that Putin's promise of green games was little more than a farce and an Olympic sized example of greenwashing.

There have been protests against the Rio games across Brazil but they are much smaller than the protests against the World Cup in 2014. At that time there was a popular outcry against an expensive sporting event while the country struggled with widespread poverty and inequality. The same criticisms are warranted in the case of the Rio games.

Sustainability at the Rio Olympics: More Green Promises More Green Lies

Olympic games are becoming increasingly environmentally sustainable, at least on paper. Once again this year's Olympic games are touted as being the greenest games ever. In fairness, making such a massive event environmentally sustainable is a truly herculean undertaking.

Over the last twenty years there have been a number of efforts designed to make the games more green. In 1996, the Olympic Charter was amended to recognize the environment as the third pillar of Olympism. This was followed by clearly defined policies associated in the IOC's Olympic Movement's Agenda 21.

Brazil's Corruption, Socioeconomic Woes and Political Intrigue Overshadow the Olympics

The scourge of corruption has embroiled Brazil in a morass of complex political intrigue. Brazil's economy has contracted by 3 percent this year and although the country is in a deep recession, it is still the world's fifth largest economy. Brazil's difficulties extend far beyond serious fiscal hardships, the nation is also rife with sexism, racism and human rights abuses.

In May of this year Brazil's President was suspended after holding office for less than six years. Despite pulling millions of people out of poverty, a majority of Brazilian senators voted to launch an impeachment trial against President Dilma Rousseff. She is the country's first female President and her government swore in 15 female ministers. Rousseff is a 68-year-old economist and she was removed amid allegations that she broke budget rules and manipulated economic data.

Apple's Apps for Earth Initiative Raised Awareness and Funds for WWF

Apps are big business and a partnership between Apple and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) funneled some of these revenues to ecological causes.  Given the number of apps and the volume of demand  using apps to generate revenues for the environment is a boon. As of June 2016 there are approximately 2.2 million apps available and 2 million in the Apple App Store. In 2015, global mobile app revenues amounted to $41.1 billion. In 2020, consumers are projected to spend over $101 billion on mobile apps via app stores.