NH Businesses for Social Responsibility Announces Award Finalists

NH Businesses for Social Responsibility Announces Award Finalists

New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility’s Cornerstone and Partnership for Innovation Awards will be presented on May 2, 2018 at Grappone Conference Center as part of NHBSR’s 17th Annual Spring Conference, Lead the Change. Winners of the Cornerstone and Partnership for Innovation Award finalists are chosen for their exemplary efforts to promote the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the greater business community of New Hampshire.

Cornerstone Award Finalists

2018 Cornerstone Award finalists include Impax Asset Management LLC/Pax World Funds (Pax), Volunteer NH (VNH),  and  Fiona Wilson, Executive Director of the Center for Social Innovation and Enterprise at the University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics. Cornerstone Finalists are chosen for their leadership in social and environmental efforts within their sector and the greater New Hampshire community, demonstrated through clear and measurable impacts.

Impax Asset Management LLC/Pax World Funds is an investment firm driven by principles that promote environmental stewardship and gender equality. Pax takes effective measures, such as pay equity disclosures and proposals, to ensure that the companies it invests in uphold similar values. Oracle, Verizon Communications, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Mastercard, Amazon.com, eBay, Inc., and Apple, Inc. are some of the companies that, under Pax’s leadership, have committed to better environmental, social, or governance policies. With headquarters in Portsmouth, Pax is just as committed to championing and promoting sustainability locally. Its family-friendly policies and contributions to cleaning up the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge are only some of the many ways that Pax leads by example.

Volunteer NH administers and manages all of the AmeriCorps State Programs within New Hampshire and promotes community service efforts more broadly throughout the state. In the business community, VNH encourages and supports companies across the state to engage their employees through volunteering. By providing the framework and resources to make employee volunteering easy and accessible, VNH’s “Get Connected” helps build relationships between nonprofits that are seeking volunteers and companies wishing to develop their employee engagement programs. Lastly, VNH’s  "Spotlight on Business" series highlights leading service and volunteer activities of New England companies, such as Grappone Automotive Group, Harvard Pilgrim, Hypertherm, and Normandeau Associates.

Fiona Wilson is the Executive Director of the Center for Social Innovation and Enterprise at the University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, where she educates, inspires, and empowers our next generation of leaders to affect positive change in their communities. A former business professional, Fiona understands the importance and advantage of connecting students and the business sector to deeply advance sustainability.  By developing platforms like the Social Venture Innovation Challenge, Fiona encourages students and community members to think creatively about viable, market-based environmental and social solutions to address a variety of pressing local and global concerns. In 2012, she helped lead a partnership between UNH’s Sustainability Institute at  Paul College and New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility that culminated in a 3-day program on corporate sustainability leadership for business executives.

Partnership for Innovation Award Finalists

2018 Partnership for Innovation Award Finalists are recognized for their collaborative efforts to

create synergy and progress on a sustainability initiative where it might not otherwise have been possible. The partnership demonstrates a creative approach and measurable results that inspire other business leaders in New Hampshire to take action.   This year’s finalists include partnerships between Hannaford Supermarkets and Manomet, Stonyfield and Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment, and ReVision Energy and Amicus Solar.

Hannaford Supermarkets and Manomet partnered to create the Grocery Stewardship Program (GSP), which assesses the environmental impacts of operating a supermarket and explores opportunities for improvement. GSP surveys 280 aspects of supermarket operation and scores results to drive both awareness and improvement at individual stores by managers and sales associates. By educating, engaging, and training store employees, GSP is a powerful tool that empowers the grocery store industry to lead in sustainability. Manomet's scientific approach, expertise in surveying, and comprehensive and accessible reporting offers all grocery stores an extremely useful resource on how to reduce their environmental impacts. GSC is currently used in over 500 North American stores and serves as a baseline for excellence within the grocery industry.

ReVision Energy and Amicus Solar responded resolutely and ambitiously to the need brought on by Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico. “Power on Puerto Rico,” their collaborative efforts to bring relief to a population still greatly suffering from lack of access to electricity and clean water, just shipped 3 portable emergency power/drinking water units in early March, 2018. Their aim is to fundraise and build 10 of these Solar Outreach Systems (SOS) to the communities most in need in Puerto Rico, which are projected to not receive energy or drinking water aid for many months to come. ReVision will also send one of their technicians to Puerto Rico to ensure the units are operating correctly and that local Puerto Ricans are trained in how to maintain them. “Power on Puerto Rico” continues to spread awareness of the disaster relief needs in Puerto Rico and educates others on how they may contribute to the aid effort.

Stonyfield and Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment are collaborating to support sustainable agriculture in New England by investing in the future of local family farms. Through their partnership, the Wolfe’s Neck Center’s Organic Dairy Farmer Training Program was launched in 2016. This program is the first of its kind in the nation and offers two-year residential apprenticeships for new farmers and those transitioning from a commercial farming model. Participants graduate the program with the knowledge and experience to manage their own organic dairy farm. In 2018 Stonyfield and Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment are slated to deepen their partnership and commitment to sustainable agriculture through a new initiative, the Regenerative Farm Network. Through the Regenerative Farm Network, hundreds of farms around the world will support each other in researching and advancing sustainable agriculture.

About NHBSR’s 2018 Spring Conference

NH Businesses for Social Responsibility's 17th Annual Spring Conference will feature keynote Leith Sharp, Director of Executive Education for Sustainability at Harvard University. In the afternoon a CEO panel of distinguished New England industry leaders will share insights on sustainability opportunities and challenges within their sector as well as ideas for how the NH business community can have impact in our communities. Breakout sessions presented by local business, nonprofit, and state leaders throughout the day offer participants the chance to explore in-depth sustainability efforts and creative solutions, connect with local resources and like-minded individuals, and develop their skill sets and knowledge to further the cause of sustainability in their own organizations.  More information is available at  www.nhbsr.org/conference              

About New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility

NHBSR is a vibrant community of nearly 200 businesses, nonprofits, and governmental agencies working together to support sustainability efforts in New Hampshire. Since its inception in 2000, NHBSR’s instrumental role in driving Corporate Social Responsibility into the core of how NH companies do business is exemplified by its many services and programs, including: NHBSR’s Spring Conference, Community Roundtables, Sustainability Slam, partnership for Energy Week and, most recently, collaborative advocacy efforts that have brought together over 70 leading NH businesses in urging lawmakers to support policy for a clean energy environment.

For more information, contact Michelle Veasey at (603) 391-8472 or michelle@NHBSR.org