Thecsrjournal App Store
Thecsrjournal Google Play Store
June 2, 2025
Home Blog Page 885

Fast&Up successfully concludes Mental Health Wellness Week

By
The CSR Journal
-
With the pandemic, the conversation around mental well-being is becoming increasingly important. To raise awareness on this issue, Fast&Up’s Science Academy held a week-long Mental Health Wellness week, to coincide with World Mental Health day on October 10.
Fast&Up, a sports and nutrition brand focusing on family healthcare and nutrition, invited 15 distinguished speakers through Facebook live session conducted daily, from October 10-16. The panelists touched on all aspects of mental health from mind-set, breathing, sleep, stress management and nutrition.
The aim behind these sessions was to create awareness and motivate netizens to take care of themselves and their loved ones. Mental health affects around one in four people in any given year. The objective of the week-long sessions was to also focus on issues pertaining to good sleep and how a magical mineral like magnesium can give quality sleep and relieve stress. Through this initiative, Fast&Up was able to reach out to more than 500,000 people.
Talking about the Mental Health Wellness Week, Varun Khanna, co-founder, Fast&Up said, “At Fast&Up, we realise the importance of mental health, especially given the world is going through an upheaval in this pandemic. The aim behind this initiative was to bring people together and create an awareness on what is mental health and how they could benefit from these sessions. We wanted to encourage netizens to talk openly and ask questions regarding any concerns they may have had.”
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

Real estate group CapitaLand to triple sustainable finance portfolio to SGD 6 billion by 2030

By
The CSR Journal
-
Over the next decade, one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate groups CapitaLand aims to spur ESG initiatives within the company. By 2030, the company intends to secure SGD 6 billion through sustainable finance such as sustainability-linked loans, green loans and green bonds. This is triple the SGD 2 billion it has raised to date through sustainable finance. The Group and its real estate investment trusts have raised over SGD 3.3 billion through sustainable finance thus far.

Sustainability Master Plan

The Group has unveiled its first Sustainability Master Plan that articulates sustainability targets, strategies and plans for the next decade till 2030. The Master Plan focuses on three key themes to drive sustainability efforts in the environment, social and governance (ESG) pillars, enabling the Group to create a larger positive impact for the environment and society:
1. Build portfolio resilience and resource efficiency
2. Enable thriving and future-adaptive communities
3. Accelerate sustainability innovation and collaboration
Lee Chee Koon, CapitaLand’s Group Chief Executive Officer said: “Sustainability is at the core of what we do. It is embedded into every stage of our real estate life cycle, from investment to development and operations. CapitaLand’s Sustainability Master Plan will be our strategic blueprint, focusing on areas where we can create the greatest positive impact and pursue profitable business growth in a responsible manner. The Master Plan will guide us to galvanise efforts across our global network of properties, enabling us to make a bigger contribution to the environment and the communities where we operate and position us as a progressive employer of choice.”
“As a leading sustainable real estate company, we have set ambitious sustainability goals that build on our company’s successes in the past 20 years, to innovate and amplify the impact of our sustainability efforts in the next 10 years. We will review our Master Plan every two years to ensure that we remain on track as the Group continues to grow and evolve. Investors and governments are increasingly incorporating ESG considerations in their investment and policy decisions. Our continued excellence in ESG will enable us to remain at the forefront of these evolving demands while building resilience and future-proofing our organisation. As a responsible real estate company, we seek to deliver long-term economic value to our stakeholders, while continuing to contribute to the environmental and social well-being of our communities,” added Mr Lee.
Lynette Leong, Chief Sustainability Officer, CapitaLand Group said: “To accelerate our sustainability efforts to meet our 2030 goals, we will also deepen our partnerships with financial institutions to triple our quantum of sustainable finance and further dovetail our sustainability performance to reap greater financial benefits. We will also implement our green lease programme globally, work with our customers to lower their resource consumption levels and drive better energy efficiencies together. Through the different approaches, we aim to amplify sustainability outcomes and measure the impacts by our new ‘Return on Sustainability’ metric.”

What is CapitaLand’s 2030 Sustainability Master Plan?

It focuses on three themes to drive the Group’s sustainability efforts under the ESG pillars, which are anchored by the company’s governance and sustainable financial performance. As the company grows in a responsible manner, it can generate six capitals: Manufactured Capital, Environmental Capital, Human Capital, Social & Relationship Capital, Financial Capital and Organisational Capital.
The multiple capitals approach provides a fuller picture of the ways the Group creates value for multiple stakeholders. The company will develop a new metric, ‘Return on Sustainability’, to quantify its sustainability outcomes and continue to benchmark its performance against global standards and indices to track its progress. This metric will incorporate factors such as operational efficiencies achieved, utilities cost avoidance and interest rate savings from its sustainability-linked loans.

Theme 1: Build portfolio resilience and resource efficiency

The company has set ambitious carbon reduction targets which include a 78% reduction in carbon emissions intensity by 2030. The new target is more than double the 29.4% reduction it achieved in 2019. They also seek to reduce energy consumption intensity at operating properties by 35% and increase the proportion of total electricity consumption from renewable sources by 35% by 2030. In 2019, the company reduced its energy consumption intensity by 19.2%, and about 2% of the Group’s total electricity consumption was from renewable sources.
There are other environment-related targets in the Sustainability Master Plan. This includes a higher 45% reduction of water consumption intensity for its operating properties. New targets include achieving a 25% recycling rate at operating properties and to divert 75% of its construction waste away from the landfill. These targets add to CapitaLand’s existing target to green its entire global portfolio by 2030.

Theme 2: Enable thriving and future-adaptive communities

The Sustainability Master Plan will see the company fostering a diverse and dynamic workforce and a talent pool which will enable the company to achieve its next phase of growth.
The company will continue to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on practices that compromise on the safety and well-being of its customers and staff at all properties, whether operational or under construction. Lastly, it will positively influence its supply chain and strengthen working relationships with its customers to effect a positive impact on their sustainability performance.

Green lease programme

The Group will implement its green lease programme to all tenants across asset classes and geographies by 2030. The green lease programme encourages tenants to implement environment-friendly features in their premises and embrace more sustainable practices. Through a green fit-out guide and closer tenant engagement, the green lease programme focuses on areas such as energy and water conservation, proper waste management, indoor environmental quality, green purchasing and good maintenance practices. It will help to improve the overall well-being of both tenants and their customers while also achieving cost savings from reduced utilities consumption.
The implementation of the green lease programme is part of the Group’s focus to work collaboratively with its customers to support their changing expectations and needs. Through the evolution of its products and services, they remain committed to strengthening customer relationships and attaining consistently high levels of customer satisfaction.

Theme 3: Accelerate sustainability innovation and collaboration

The company aims to lead the industry in best practices to ensure sustainable operational excellence across its global portfolio. In addition to fostering deeper collaborations with its partners to drive its sustainability goals, the company will also leverage technology and innovation to raise productivity, elevate service quality and improve the well-being and safety of its customers.
Some of the current sustainability-linked loans which are tied to its sustainability performance have resulted in interest rates savings. As the company further raises such sustainable finance tools, some of the interest rate savings will be used to pilot suitable sustainable innovation projects that are impactful and scalable to meet its sustainability goals.

What is CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge?

The inaugural ‘CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge’ will source for innovations on a global scale to meet its sustainability targets aligned with business needs as set out in the Sustainability Master Plan.
The Group will issue challenge statements focused on three key areas:
(i) low carbon transition;
(ii) water conservation and resilience; and
(iii) waste management and the circular economy.
The challenge statements are developed by the various business units within the Group, reflecting actual business or operational needs, and the Group’s aspirational goals set out in the Sustainability Master Plan.
In November 2020, a global call for participation will be issued. The challenge will be open to all enterprises to present their innovative sustainability solutions. The ‘CapitaLand Sustainability x Challenge’ will be open for submissions from 2 November 2020 to February 2021. Shortlisted submissions will be unveiled in April 2021 and two winners will be announced in May 2021.
Two awards, ‘Most Impactful Award’ and ‘Most Innovative Award’, will be up for grabs. In addition to the impact and depth of innovation, the winners’ submissions will also be assessed based on their potential for scale. The winners will be selected by a panel of judges made up of the senior management team as well as external experts. All participants will have a chance to trial their innovative solutions at the company, while the two winners will also each receive up to S$50,000 in project funding.

Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab (SmartLab)

Suitable companies can also leverage CapitaLand’s new Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab (SmartLab) in Singapore. In partnership with Infocomm Media Development Authority and Enterprise Singapore, SmartLab serves as a co-innovation platform for the built environment industry to test ideas and pilot innovation solutions for commercialisation, with government funding available for eligible projects.
The company will review and recalibrate its 2030 targets every two years in line with shifts in the global landscape.

What are CapitaLand’s top sustainability achievements?

1. Utilities cost avoidance of S$208 million: The Group has achieved utilities cost avoidance of S$208 million in 2019 since 2009. In 2019, the Group’s energy and water consumption intensities were reduced by 19.2% and 22.4% respectively.
2. 97% green portfolio in Singapore: As of 31 December 2019, 97% of the Group’s existing offices, malls, integrated developments and serviced residences in Singapore (by m2) have achieved a green rating. To date, CapitaLand has received over 130 Building & Construction Authority of Singapore (BCA) Green Mark Awards in Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia and Vietnam. The company was awarded the Green Mark Platinum Champion in 2020. Globally, 58% of its portfolio (by m2) have achieved a green rating.
3. Secured over S$3.3 billion through sustainable finance: The Group and its real estate investment trusts have secured over S$3.3 billion through sustainable finance, a mix of sustainability-linked loans, green loans and green bonds. This includes a S$500 million sustainability-linked bilateral loan from United Overseas Bank, the largest sustainability-linked bilateral loan in Singapore’s real estate sector.
4. Strengthened use of renewable energy to power corporate offices with 100% renewable energy: The company’s corporate offices in Singapore will achieve carbon neutrality by end of 2020. Three of its corporate offices will be 100% powered by renewable energy by end 2020 through Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) from the clean energy generated atop the Group’s six industrial properties.
As such, the company will further reduce over 700 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions generated annually from 400 four-room Housing & Development Board (HDB) flats’ electricity consumption. A fourth corporate office at Ascott Centre for Excellence, the global hospitality training centre of their lodging business, has been 100% powered by renewable energy since 2018 by purchasing electricity generated from renewable sources.
Over 21,000 solar panels have been installed atop its six industrial properties held under Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (Ascendas Reit) in Singapore. It is the largest combined rooftop solar facility in Singapore by a real estate company. These solar farms can collectively generate around 10,292 megawatt hours of energy annually, equivalent to powering about 2,300 four-room HDB flats each year. To date, the Group has 16 properties in Singapore, China, Belgium, India and four business parks in India that are fully or partially powered by renewable energy.
5. Listed consecutively on internationally renowned sustainability indices: The firm has been listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for eight consecutive years, cementing the company’s reputation as a leader in sustainability in real estate. It is also listed on the Dow Sustainability Asia Pacific Index (DSJI Asia Pacific) for the 11th year, making it the first and longest-standing company in Singapore to be listed consecutively on the DJSI Asia Pacific.
The company is ranked 63rd in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World 2020. This is its eighth inclusion in the rankings. It also emerged as the top real estate company in Singapore and Southeast Asia in ‘The Sustainability Yearbook’ 2020 rankings by S&P Global, in cooperation with RobecoSAM. Ranked amongst the top 10 real estate companies in the world, it has been listed in ‘The Sustainability Yearbook’ for over a decade.
CapitaLand is also listed as a constituent in the FTSE4Good Index Series. It has been included in the index for seven consecutive years since 2014. It is also recognised as a global leader in Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). It came in first place across four categories in GRESB 2019. Internationally, it was the leader in the Global ‘Diversified – Listed’ category. It is the only company in Singapore/Asia to achieve this accolade twice. In the region, it was the leader in the Asia-Pacific ‘Diversified’, Asia ‘Diversified’ and Asia ‘Diversified – Listed’ categories.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

Sightsavers India recognised as one of India’s Best NGOs to Work for in 2020

By
The CSR Journal
-
Sightsavers has been recognised as one among “India’s 10 Best NGOs to Work for” by Great Place to Work Institute India. The award is given to NGOs that reflect a high performance and high trust culture for their employees.
Every year, more than 10,000 organisations from over 62 countries partner with Great Place to Work® Institute for assessment, benchmarking and planning actions to strengthen their workplace culture. The organisations that get Great Place to Work-Certified™ become eligible to be considered for recognition amongst Great Place to Work® Institute’s Best Workplaces Lists.
Sightsavers India received the honour once again as Great Place to Work-Certified™ from June 2020 until May 2021. The certification was awarded under the category ‘Non-profit and Charity Organizations’ for inspiring trust among the people, instilling pride in them, creating an environment that promotes camaraderie, and delivering a great workplace experience for all its employees. Great Place to Work® Institute certification is considered as the gold standard for defining great workplaces across business, academia and government organizations.
All organisations that nominate themselves for India’s Best NGOs to Work For list undergo a rigorous assessment. This year 37 NGO’s applied for this Study.
Mr RN Mohanty, CEO at Sightsavers India, expressed his views, “Being categorised under the Top 10 NGOs of India has not only instilled pride but also acts as a motivation booster for us at Sightsavers. I am proud of the entire team of Sightsavers India for working together to achieve our goals and make it what it is today. We hope to continue working dedicatedly and standing by our motto.”
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

CSR News: Mastercard’s Girls4Tech Reaches 1 Million Girls in 30 Countries

By
The CSR Journal
-
Mastercard’s (NYSE: MA) signature STEM education program, Girls4Tech, has reached its initial milestone goal of educating one million girls. In the backdrop of UNICEF’s International Day of the Girl Child, Mastercard announced a new goal for the Girls4Tech program to reach five million girls globally by 2025.
In India, supported by the Mastercard Impact Fund and in partnership with the American India Foundation (AIF), the program will train 1,200 teachers in 350 villages and five cities including Gurugram, Pune, Vadodara, Mumbai, and Chennai on the Girls4Tech curriculum by 2021. Through the partnership, the program will reach 100,000 girls ages 8-14 across 475 schools over the next 12 months.
“This Girls4Tech partnership with Mastercard couldn’t have come at a better time,” says AIF CEO, Nishant Pandey. “With the prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns and school closures, we know that many children will not return to school. Due to the circumstances, child marriage and child labour are on the rise, so a large portion of the students that won’t return are girls. More than ever, AIF is focused on bridging the digital divide and education continuity for girls. AIF is thankful to have Mastercard help us do that with their revolutionary program, the outcome of which will also help increase the number of females in technology-based careers.”
In the spirit of Mastercard’s ethos of “Doing Well by Doing Good”, since 2019, more than 200 Mastercard employee volunteers hosted multiple Girls4Tech events across Pune, Vadodara and Gurugram and held India-wide virtual sessions reaching over 600 girls ages 8-12. Starting as hands-on, in-person sessions run by employee volunteers, the program has since reached more children by extending access to its STEM curriculum through online resources on Girls4Tech Connect. The curriculum, which now includes new topics such as AI and cybersecurity, is also available in Hindi.
Alison Eskesen, Vice President, Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth said, “Despite growing opportunities, women in India continue to be under-represented in the STEM fields. This gap is not due to skill inadequacy, but the result of a stereotypical perception about the ability and appropriate careers for girls and women. At Mastercard, we hope to move the needle for girls in STEM through Girls4Tech, a curriculum based on global science and math standards created in conjunction with our engineers and technologists. Our goal is to inspire these young minds, encourage them to take up STEM education and prepare for jobs of the future.”
Mastercard aims to stimulate meaningful partnerships focused on empowering women to succeed in the digital economy. This initiative is a part of Mastercard’s recent commitment of Rs 250 crores (US$33 million) to help reboot Indian SMEs to unlock their economic potential.
Julienne Loh, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Partnerships, Asia Pacific, Mastercard said, “When there’s equal gender representation in the workforce, companies automatically build better products, services and create better technology. The big stumbling block to achieving this balance? There’s a growing gender gap in STEM careers. Bringing diverse partners together to deliver the Girls4Tech program is one way that Mastercard is tackling this problem head on, all over the world, to inspire more girls to pursue STEM careers and reduce the gender gap in these fields. Mastercard believes girls need to have exposure to the variety of STEM careers that are out there and see role models in these rewarding jobs. The more they can see it, the more likely they can be it.”
Launched in 2014, Girls4Tech is Mastercard’s award-winning education program aimed at creating future problem solvers incorporating the payments technology company’s deep expertise in technology and innovation. The program’s aim is to enable kids to discover a range of STEM careers, such as fraud detective, data scientist and software engineer.
By the end of March 2020, UNESCO estimated that more than 89 per cent of the world’s student population was out of school or university due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related school closures, including nearly 743 million girls. To support parents, caregivers, teachers and children that had to suddenly adjust to learning from home, Mastercard extended free access to its Girls4Tech curriculum, through a suite of online, creative educational resources, designed to engage and inspire kids ages 8-12.
Through the website Girls4Tech Connect, teachers and parents can download lessons to help students learn about STEM topics including encryption, fraud detection, data analysis and digital convergence, from the comfort of their homes or anywhere around the world. Lessons are currently available in English, Chinese, Hindi, Malay, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Polish.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

CP Avant treated 500 elders at NGO Earth Saviours to a delicious meal

By
The CSR Journal
-
CP Group of companies distributed free meals of Five Star, their QSR, to 500 veterans. CP Avant Pvt. Ltd (CPAPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Group (CPG), Thailand reached out to veterans with meal boxes. This drive took place in collaboration with NGO Earth Saviours which provides shelter to abandoned senior citizens and mentally challenged people.
The activity culminated yesterday by the two subsidiaries of the group: CP Avant Pvt. Ltd. and CP Foods. Kasinn Khaowprasert, Director, CP Avant Pvt. Ltd. expressed, “The pandemic has critically impacted the lifestyle of weaker sections, incapacitated them for even fulfilling basic needs. Our team highlighted such difficulty faced by the people and decided to serve one in need this World Food Day.”
The actions scheduled are an extension of the social commitment of the company which is tirelessly working to bring quality food to an increasingly larger number of people, Kasin added. Nearly 690 million people still go hungry and over 2 billion people do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. The COVID-19 pandemic could add between 83-132 million people to this number, depending on the economic growth scenario, states the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations.
Ravi Kalra, Founder, Earth Saviours Foundation, said, “Undoubtedly, food is the basic human right and everyone deserves to have three proper meals a day for a healthy living. We, at our NGO, provide shelter to abandoned senior citizens, underprivileged and mentally disabled people. Despite challenges such as pandemics, CP Avant has come forward to strengthen the food system and livelihood of less privileged people. It’s nice to see that restaurants are working selflessly and delivering food to the underprivileged sections of society.”
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

CSR News: NABARD focuses on menstrual hygiene through livelihoods initiative

By
The CSR Journal
-
NABARD, on the occasion of International Day of Rural Women, launched MY PAD. MY RIGHT, a developmental CSR initiative which aims to make an impact in rural menstrual hygiene by empowering rural women to take up manufacturing of sanitary pads.
The menstrual hygiene-cum-livelihoods programme will provide one sanitary pad making machine to Self Help Groups at district level on a demonstrative basis. The programme is being executed through NABFOUNDATION, a Section 8 Not For Profit floated by NABARD for undertaking innovative projects in a collaborative mode with all interested stakeholders.
The CSR programme over a period of time will see one SHG in each district being provided with support of nearly Rs. 5 lakh each which covers the cost of the machine, training, rental support for one year and initial working capital. The programme will be carried out in a phased manner to cover all the 700 districts in the country. One district in each state is being covered in the first phase.
The programme which was launched by Smriti Irani has twin objectives of encouraging livelihoods among rural women SHG members and making a difference in the rather disturbing menstrual hygiene related eco-system which sees about 40,000 rural women die every year on account of cervical cancer due to lack of access to clean pads and nearly 2.3 crore young girls leave school for the same reason. As per available figures, just about 10-15% rural women have access to sanitary pads in the country.
Smriti Irani, Textiles Minister, Government of India, said while interacting with the SHG women: “It is really a wonderful moment in the history of this country that now even men are coming out in the open to discuss menstrual hygiene and support women in this cause.” She appreciated NABARD’s initiative in addressing the tabooed subject of menstruation and providing rural women with the opportunity to manage this issue with dignity.
Dr. G R Chintala, Chairman, NABARD stated, “At NABARD, we have been working with rural women for nearly four decades now and we understand very clearly that health and hygiene are central to the well being of rural women. Poor menstrual hygiene results in various types of infections which finally have grave economic consequences. Even if a woman loses 3-4 days of employment in a month it has a huge impact on her savings and well-being. This project is an attempt to provide a sustainable solution in an area which truly needs sincere attention.”
The sanitary pad making machines under the project are being supplied by Padmashri Arunachalam Muruganantham, the Padman of India, who foresees India as ‘model country’ to the world in managing menstrual hygiene. Muruganantham reiterated the importance of the ‘For the women, by the women, and of the women’ model of this project which would ensure complete outreach of the pads among the rural women and also create livelihood opportunities.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

Day 4 of Navratri: Celebrating Five Women Activists Championing the Cause of Environment Conservation #WomenCan

By
Hency Thacker
-
The fourth day of Navratri is dedicated to the worship of Maa Kushmanda. Maa Kushmanda is believed to be the creative power of the universe. She is associated with the endowment of vegetation on earth. On this day, let us celebrate the contribution of five women who have played a significant role in environment and biodiversity conservation.

Tulsi Gowda

Tulsi Gowda is more popularly known as “Encyclopedia of Forest” for her vast knowledge about various trees and plants. She has singlehandedly planted one lakh trees in Karnataka.
Gowda, born in a poor tribal family, started her journey in the 60s by planting one sapling after another. She is 72 years old today but when people way younger than her fail to do anything to arrest the effects of climate change, she is still as busy as she was six decades ago. Every year she plants and nurtures thousands of trees. Her aim in life is to inspire the young generation to care for our forests. Recognising her contribution to the planet, on 26th January 2020, the Government of India conferred Tulasi Gowda with the prestigious Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India on India’s 71st Republic Day.

Sunita Narain

Sunita Narain is an environmentalist and a political activist. She is also a major proponent of the Green concept of sustainable development. Narain is director-general of the research institute the Centre for Science and Environment and Society for Environmental Communications. She also serves as an editor of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth.
Narain began her work in the 1980s along with another prominent environmentalist – Anil Agarwal, and co-edited State of India’s environment report. After the loss of tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Sunita chaired the Tiger Task Force for conservation in 2005.
She is a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Climate Change and National Ganga River Basin Authority. Sunita has also been awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution towards the environment research and conservation.

Vandana Shiva

Vandana Shiva is founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, an independent research organisation that researches ecological and social issues. She is an eco-rights activist whose campaign against genetically modified seeds and protection of native seeds led to the formation of ‘Navdanya’. Navdanya is a national movement to protect the diversity and integrity of living resources, especially native seeds.
Shiva has helped set up 122 community seed banks and trained farmers in seed sovereignty, food sovereignty, and sustainable agriculture. She is a fierce opposer of globalisation and is the face for the anti-GMO movement across the world. She was also recognised by TIME as environmental heroin in 2003. Also, she has received the Right Livelihood Award in 1993 and the 2010 Sydney Peace Prize.

Maneka Gandhi

Maneka Sanjay Gandhi is a politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. Her defence of the environment has earned her numerous international awards. In 1995 she was appointed chairwoman of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals. Under her direction, CPCSEA members carried unannounced inspections of laboratories where animals are used for scientific research were conducted. Three years earlier, in 1992, she founded the organization People For Animals, the largest association for animal rights in India.
Gandhi has filed Public Interest Litigations that have achieved the replacement of the municipal killing of homeless dogs with a sterilisation programme, the unregulated sale of airguns and a ban on mobile or travelling zoos. She currently chairs the Jury of International Energy Globe Foundation which meets annually in Austria to award the best environmental innovations of the year. She is also a member of the Euro solar Board and the Wuppertal Institute, Germany.

Dia Mirza

Dia Mirza is a renowned model, filmmaker, actress and an activist. As an activist, Mirza has contributed her efforts in the field of social change, conservation and environment. She has been the face of many pivotal environmental campaigns across India including the use of biodegradable sanitary pads, eco-friendly detergents among others. She has also worked towards the conservation of wildlife. Mirza is currently serving as a Goodwill Ambassador with the United Nations Environment to further spread the message on priority areas including clean air, clean seas, wildlife protection and climate change.

Mahindra in Wall Street Journal’s list of 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World

By
The CSR Journal
-
Mahindra & Mahindra is among the 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the world according to a recent ranking by The Wall Street Journal. Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) has been ranked 17th (the highest ranking for an automobile company, and the highest ranking for any Indian company) on this prestigious list.

Ranking for Most Sustainably Managed Companies

This ranking was produced by the Journal’s environment, social and governance research analysts, who assessed more than 5,500 publicly traded businesses based on sustainability metrics in such areas as business model and innovation, external social and product issues, employee and workplace issues, and the environment. The ranking’s methodology takes a broad view of sustainability, one which assesses a company’s leadership and governance practices for their ability to create value for shareholders over the long term.
The ranking reflects a company’s management of financially material issues related to the key areas, including the environment, human capital, social capital and innovation. The scores don’t measure a company’s overall impact on people or the planet; rather they focus on potentially leading indicators of performance, such as policies, initiatives and tracking metrics. To arrive at a score, the team combined up to 165 company-reported data items with an analysis of media coverage by over 8,800 media sources using a hybrid approach that combined AI with human validation by the Journal’s ESG research team.
M&M scored especially well on the human & social capitals metric. The company’s business model and its innovations in the sector were recognized and so was the work done on the environmental front. The Mahindra Group has already committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040, and this performance is one of the steps in ensuring the company’s long-term sustainability. The group also ranked second in The CSR Journal’s 2020 list of Indian companies for CSR and sustainability.
Commenting on this global recognition, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said, “The Mahindra Group strongly believes that it is possible to do good and do well at the same time. This simple philosophy guides our decision making particularly in terms of our sustainability initiatives. It’s very clear that every business needs to step up its sustainability game if it expects to remain relevant in the future.”
M&M was the first company globally to commit to doubling its energy productivity through the EP 100 initiative. It is also the first Indian company to Introduce an internal carbon price of US$10 per ton of carbon emitted. The funds raised are then used to make investments in renewable energy, including solar, wind, heat recovery systems, and energy-efficient motors. In addition, 14 of M&M’s manufacturing plants are now certified as ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Continues To Support Battle Against COVID-19

By
The CSR Journal
-
Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business continues to support the battle against COVID-19 through various community outreach activities in order to ensure the Safety of people and to support the efforts of Government & other concern authorities to overcome this unprecedented situation. Recently, the company has provided 100 fingertip pulse oximeters to the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Govt. of Goa and also extended support to the educational institutes that is Government primary schools & high school at Amona village by providing sanitizers along with foot operated Sanitizer dispenser stand.
The fingertip pulse oximeters were handed over in presence of Dr. Geeta Kakodkar, Deputy Director (Public Health) – Directorate of Health services. Dr. Kakodkar appreciated the Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore for providing the pulse oximeters which are very essential in COVID management. The Sanitizers and dispenser stands were handed over to the schools in the presence of respective school teachers & support staff, In order to support the schools to strictly adhere to new normal & ensure the safety of students & teachers in near future once the school reopen as per the guidelines of concerned authorities.
Speaking about the community outreach activities Leena Verenkar, Group CSR Head – Vedanta Resources Limited said, “During this unprecedented situation posed due to outbreak of COVID-19. At Vedanta our consistent efforts are concentrated towards extending the support to our communities through all possible means in order to ensure the safety of people and to support the relentless efforts of Govt. authorities to overcome COVID-19 pandemic.”
Govind Naik, Headmaster of Government High School, Amona said, “Adopting to the new normal and strictly adhering to the safety precautions is very important. Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore is always at the forefront to extend the support towards development of education & extracurricular activities for the students in village. We thank Vedanta for providing Sanitizers and dispenser stands which will help students and school faculties once the school reopen.”
Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore has rolled out several outreach activities towards ensuring safety of communities during these challenging times including that of support to Administration staffs, Police force, and health workers and grassroots preparedness in the battle against COVID-19. The company has extended the support through several on-ground support activities including   distribution of essential groceries to vulnerable groups, fumigation of public places, Distribution of required PPEs, providing sanitizers, distribution of Water dispensers etc.

Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

Mumbaikars urge BMC to Improve the State of Public Parks and Make it Accessible to All

By
The CSR Journal
-
Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic, a collective of citizens of Mumbai has submitted recommendations generated from an online public consultation to BMC officials to improve the condition of Mumbai’s parks and gardens. As part of the consultation, citizens of Mumbai shared their solutions, grievances and experiences to better the city’s public parks. The consultation was led by Civis, a non profit tech platform that mobilises citizens to contribute towards policy developments) and Waatavaran, a non profit working across Maharashtra to build climate resilience through research, engagement and policy advocacy.
When asked about the main problems that citizens faced with the city’s parks, what restricted their access and which localities in Mumbai needed more parks, they highlighted issues related to poor washroom facilities, poorly maintained running paths, limited open timings and seating space as some of the key challenges. In addition to these, poor lighting, choked entrances, inaccessibility for specially-abled people were some of the other issues that were highlighted by Mumbaikars. Citizens indicated that neighbourhoods of Andheri, Jogeshwari, Vile Parle, Sion, Parel, Dadar, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Kurla and Powai (K-east,west, L, M and N wards) certainly lacked enough green spaces and urban parks.
Last week two members from the collective met with BMC superintendent of gardens, Jitendra Pardeshi and Ashok Yamgar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Environment) to present the recommendations of this public consultation. They received the report favourably with the commitment to take people’s inputs towards improving the city’s parks. Mr Pardeshi also forwarded the report to the respective deputy superintendent of gardens in the priority neighbourhoods. The collective looks forward to collaborating with the BMC in the near future towards protecting and improving Mumbai’s green spaces for the benefit of all citizens.
Speaking about the insights gathered from the public consultation, Antaraa Vasudev, Founder of Civis, said “Most respondents expressed the need for the parks to be better maintained highlighting the infrastructural gaps. There was a strong demand for more parks and equitable distribution across the city. Investing in human resources for better security and cleanliness; introducing wider variety of indigenous plant species; dedicated parks, or designated areas within parks to cater to the needs of different groups like children, senior citizens, youth and pet owners; playgrounds and sports facilities; consulting urban space design experts and converting unused lands to public green spaces were some of the other demands from the citizens that have been submitted to the officials.”
In the last 40 years, Mumbai has lost around 60% of its green cover, and is now left with just 13% green cover. Studies have shown that 68 of the city’s 88 wards lost significant amount of green cover in the last two decades. Some of the worst hit areas were Goregaon, which witnessed reduction of green spaces from 62.5% in 2001 to 17% in 2011 followed by Andheri West and Malad.
Speaking about the significance of green spaces, Bhagwan Kesbhat, Founder of Waatavaran Foundation said, “Undergoing most significant rapid growth in the country, the city is witnessing an increase in air pollution, carbon emissions, water scarcity and poor public infrastructure. A recent report by WHO titled ‘Urban Green Spaces and Health’, maintains that access to green spaces is essential for public health and the overall well-being of people. With the Covid-19 pandemic and current social distancing guidelines, open spaces have become even more crucial. If the trend of shrinking green spaces continues for the next 10 years, it will not only destroy the local environment, but also human health, by increasing urban temperatures, chances of flooding and air pollution.”
The BMC has devised an Open Space Policy and in its Development Plan (2014-2034) for the city and promised 6.13 square metres of open space per person including forests and mangroves, along with a commitment to create 100 new parks. Improving urban open spaces with accessibility features and design are a part of sustainable growth as defined by the United Nations. Besides inclusive and participatory open spaces, public parks should be given as much relevance and priority as industrial and office spaces, making Mumbai a city that is modern and sustainable where economic growth and preservation of green spaces go together.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content
1...884885886...1,310Page 885 of 1,310

Hindi Manch

Editor's Pick

© Copyright 2024 The CSR Journal. All Rights Reserved | Powered by : Inventif Web