Consider these numbers: $350 million in net operating savings over the projects’ lifetimes. 400,000 metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions. More than 650 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year.” — Victoria Mills, EDF’s Managing Director for Corporate Partnerships
These are real numbers and carry a real ROI for companies’ sustainability efforts. As Mills succinctly points out: “If MBA students can come up with results like these in a 10-week summer fellowship, what could happen if businesses all across the country got serious about energy efficiency.”
Celebrating the fellows that allowed us to be a part of their summer internships this year, here are a few examples of what they accomplished with companies like PepsiCo, News Corp, eBay, RBS/Citizens Bank and Yahoo!:
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It’s truly remarkable how important corporate responsibility has become in such a short period of time.
In 2001, when I started Impakt, very few people had any idea what corporate responsibility was. Friends, family, and colleagues couldn’t imagine why I thought a business could be built in an area that was so esoteric. There were many times that I wondered the same thing. As recently as three years ago corporate responsibility was seen by executives as a marginal “nice-to-have” that had minimal impact on core business priorities such as brand loyalty, competitive advantage, employee performance and productivity, sales, and profit margin.
Today, the story is clearly very different. We no longer need to make the case for corporate responsibility and people in all areas of business are now accountable for incorporating “responsibility” into their areas of operation. Perhaps the most telling sign that CR is valuable are the extraordinary number of conferences, consultants, and communications that have sprung up over the past few years. My in-box is overflowing with news, events, and best practices. And, at least once a week, I hear from someone who wants to change careers to get more involved in corporate responsibility.
So, corporate responsibility is now mainstream and ubiquitous. There are many reasons why this is a good thing. However, I already see complacency setting in. After executives endorsed the validity and value of corporate responsibility, mangers moved quickly to institutionalize and systematize everything they could. On the one hand, this means that human and financial resources are allocated and that action will be taken. On the other hand, we’re in danger of losing the innovation and pure passion that were the defining characteristics of corporate responsibility’s early adopters.
Here’s what I’m looking for today:
The automobile company that genuinely believes in sustainable transportation and converts it’s dealerships to sustainability “centers” that feature bicycles, walking maps, discounted transit passes, car pooling registries, as well as the most environmentally friendly vehicles for when driving is the only option.
The pharmaceutical company that believes that preventing people from getting sick and selling less medicine are in its best interests because the money saved and goodwill created will far outweigh the revenue lost from sales of therapeutic products.
The mass grocery retailer that recognizes the value in helping consumers grow their own food and support local agriculture by converting their roofs to green spaces with community gardens and hosting local farmer’s markets in their parking lots.
I’m all for better better processes and more efficiency but let’s not loose the imagination that got us here to start with. Plus, those corporations that have the courage to really go the distance will be the undisputed leaders in their categories for years to come.
(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) – Northampton, MA – January 27, 2010 – 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. At the core of the channel’s programming will be regular video segments produced by Christine Arena, Chris Jarvis, and Fabian Pattberg, who are recognized as the most respected and widely read bloggers covering topics related to CSR and sustainability.
“3BL Media’s initial foray into Web video, the CSR Minute, is now recognized as the leading daily Webcast for CSR news and information,” said Greg Schneider, co-founder and CEO, 3BL Media. “With the launch of 3BL TV, we are building on that success and increasing our reach as a media company at the intersection of CSR, social media and web video.”
Programming on 3BL TV will include:
theCSRminute – a daily video digest of CSR and sustainability news
theCSRreport – an in-depth look at the CSR world via company profiles and interviews.
CSRunscripted – personal essays featuring viewpoints, opinions, and insights.
About the Featured Contributors:
Christine Arena – corporate strategist, syndicated blogger, and award-winning author whose books include The High-Purpose Company: The Truly Responsible (and Highly Profitable) Firms That Are Changing Business Now (Collins, 2007), and Cause for Success: 10 Companies that Put Profit Second and Came in First (New World Library, 2004). Christine’s “Case in Point” blog, which separates the strategies and companies that make a positive difference from those that don’t, is currently published on a number of major business news websites.
Chris Jarvis – keynote speaker, consultant, and author of the Realizing Your Worth blog that focuses on CSR and corporate volunteering. In working with business and non-profits to create outstanding volunteer programs, Chris presents examples and practices that create value for companies while providing important benefits to the community.
Fabian Pattberg – a sustainability, CSR, and social media professional with many years experience whose expertise includes managing the production of multiple sustainability/CSR reports; planning and coordination of stakeholder engagement campaigns; advising companies on their CSR strategy/ implementation; and the use of social media for companies to promote their sustainability credentials.
”I’m excited to be working with Christine, Chris, and Fabian,” said John Howell, Editorial Director, 3BL Media. “Their experienced, authoritative voices brought to Web video on 3BL TV will allow 3BL Media to further support our mission of raising awareness for the importance of corporate responsibility. This venture brings our viewers and readers beyond the CSR Minute’s headlines, to in-depth profiles and interviews, opinion, and analysis.”
About 3BL Media 3BL Media is the leading CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), sustainability, and cause marketing communications company. The company’s experienced team of professionals helps organizations—from nonprofits to multinational corporations—have a positive influence on society and the environment through information sharing that leverages the most cutting-edge technology and social media. 3BL Media defines, builds and refines the tools and methods necessary to help organizations communicate their commitment to the Triple Bottom Line in the way stakeholders want and need to know. For additional information, please visit:
Corporate Social Responsibility News: Green Meetings Council Industry’s Conference; CSR Asia + Asian Institute for Technology Create the Asian Center for Corporate Social Responsibility at AIT.
3BL Media Announces Launch of 3BL TV, Featuring Web Video Content from CSR’s Most Influential Bloggers – Christine Arena, Chris Jarvis, and Fabian Pattberg | 3BL Media
(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) – Northampton, MA – January 27, 2010 – 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. At the core of the channel’s programming will be regular video segments produced by Christine Arena, Chris Jarvis, and Fabian Pattberg, who are recognized as the most respected and widely read bloggers covering topics related to CSR and sustainability.
“3BL Media’s initial foray into Web video, the CSR Minute, is now recognized as the leading daily Webcast for CSR news and information,” said Greg Schneider, co-founder and CEO, 3BL Media. “With the launch of 3BL TV, we are building on that success and increasing our reach as a media company at the intersection of CSR, social media and web video.”
Programming on 3BL TV will include:
theCSRminute – a daily video digest of CSR and sustainability news
theCSRreport – an in-depth look at the CSR world via company profiles and interviews.
CSRunscripted – personal essays featuring viewpoints, opinions, and insights.
About the Featured Contributors:
Christine Arena – corporate strategist, syndicated blogger, and award-winning author whose books include The High-Purpose Company: The Truly Responsible (and Highly Profitable) Firms That Are Changing Business Now (Collins, 2007), and Cause for Success: 10 Companies that Put Profit Second and Came in First (New World Library, 2004). Christine’s “Case in Point” blog, which separates the strategies and companies that make a positive difference from those that don’t, is currently published on a number of major business news websites.
Chris Jarvis – keynote speaker, consultant, and author of the Realizing Your Worth blog that focuses on CSR and corporate volunteering. In working with business and non-profits to create outstanding volunteer programs, Chris presents examples and practices that create value for companies while providing important benefits to the community.
Fabian Pattberg – a sustainability, CSR, and social media professional with many years experience whose expertise includes managing the production of multiple sustainability/CSR reports; planning and coordination of stakeholder engagement campaigns; advising companies on their CSR strategy/ implementation; and the use of social media for companies to promote their sustainability credentials.
”I’m excited to be working with Christine, Chris, and Fabian,” said John Howell, Editorial Director, 3BL Media. “Their experienced, authoritative voices brought to Web video on 3BL TV will allow 3BL Media to further support our mission of raising awareness for the importance of corporate responsibility. This venture brings our viewers and readers beyond the CSR Minute’s headlines, to in-depth profiles and interviews, opinion, and analysis.”
About 3BL Media
3BL Media is the leading CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), sustainability, and cause marketing communications company. The company’s experienced team of professionals helps organizations—from nonprofits to multinational corporations—have a positive influence on society and the environment through information sharing that leverages the most cutting-edge technology and social media. 3BL Media defines, builds and refines the tools and methods necessary to help organizations communicate their commitment to the Triple Bottom Line in the way stakeholders want and need to know. For additional information, please visit:
http://3blmedia.com
http://twitter.com/3BLMedia
http://facebook.3blmedia.com
http://linkedin.3blmedia.com
Press Contact:
Steven Wright-Mark
Schwartz Public Relations
steven@schwartzpr.com
212-677-8700 ext. 29
http://twitter.com/SchwartzPRnyc
3BL Media Contact:
Greg Schneider
gschneider@3blmedia.com
866-508-0993 ext. 113
http://twitter.com/Greg_Schneider
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