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(Marketwired) - Malcolm Coutts OAM, Chief Executive Officer of Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia, receives a check for US$20,000 from Martin Creighan, AT&T* Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand. The donation is part of AT&T's ongoing support and commitment to the communities in which it operates around the region.

"Ronald McDonald House Charities strives to improve the health and well being of seriously ill children. We carry out programs in Australia that help these children and their families while they receive medical treatment, and assist recovering children to return to normal life," said Malcolm Coutts OAM, Chief Executive Officer of Ronald McDonald House Charities Australia. "Thanks to the support of AT&T, we will continue to help those children and families who need it most in Australia."

"AT&T has had a long standing relationship with McDonald's globally. Through this relationship we have supported Ronald McDonald House Charities in the US and are proud to extend it to Australia," said Martin Creighan, AT&T Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest and most reliable 4G LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse® brand. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world.

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com/aboutus or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at www.youtube.com/att.

© 2014 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Charities@Work is pleased to present its 13th Annual Best Practices Summit on April 3-4, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel in New York City.

This premier and intimate networking event focuses on the trends, best practices and innovations in a variety of employee engagement programs including volunteerism, matching gift and annual giving programs. Participants have the opportunity to share ideas and network with other professionals while staying current on the trends, hot topics and best models of employee engagement initiatives.

In such a unique setting, participants have many opportunities to interact with speakers and their industry peers with a variety of backgrounds, experience and expertise. The focus is on identifying key strategies to implement or enhance employee engagement and corporate social responsibility initiatives that make a meaningful impact.

2014 Summit Theme: Collaborating for Impact

This year’s summit focus draws from the overarching ideas of creating shared value and collective impact that are so important in social responsibility today.

Topics will include:

• The evolution from workplace giving to employee engagement
• Building successful cross-sector collaboration initiatives
• How digital culture is transforming philanthropy
• Engaging employees in the non-traditional workforce

The summit incorporates various formats, including key note presentations, panels, workshops, and peer-to-peer breakout sessions.

A Summit for Corporate Leaders and Practitioners

Employee engagement is a highly valued part of a company’s social responsibility initiatives. With the extensive years of experience and specialized expertise of the Charities@Work federation partners – America’s Charities, Community Health Charities of America, EarthShare and Global Impact – we are uniquely positioned to offer influential leaders in corporate social responsibility, corporate philanthropy, and human resources new ideas and best practices around employee engagement strategies, best practices, trends and opportunities.

“Charities@Work hosts one of the best gatherings dedicated to ideas and trends in employee engagement for social good. We like this conference because it recognizes the enormous and often overlooked impact employee-led philanthropy and volunteering is having in our communities.”
– Robert Rosenthal, VP of Communications & Marketing, VolunteerMatch

The summit builds upon the excellence achieved during the 2013 summit by the participation of notable authors and experts such as Ron Adner, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and author of The Wide Lens: A New Strategy for Innovation; Adam Grant, Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success; and Dan Heath, Senior Fellow at Duke University and co-author of Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, as well as two previous New York Times bestsellers, Switch and Made to Stick.

The proud sponsors of the 2014 Charities@Work Summit include:

For information on sponsorship, please contact [email protected].

To learn more about the Charities@Work Annual Best Practices Summit, please visit www.charitiesatwork.org.

Charities@Work is an alliance of four national nonprofit federations that serves as the cooperative voice for more than 2,000 premier health, human service, environmental and international development charities. Charities@Work provides employers with an efficient way to enhance their employee engagement programs and initiatives and to respond to growing employee interest through a wider range of giving options.

Denver law firm, Moye White LLP, announced today that the firm has become a Certified B Corporation. The prestigious designation is awarded to companies that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems and meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

Moye White is the first Denver law firm to achieve B Corp certification, and one of only a handful of law firms recognized nationally. The firm also becomes the third-largest B Corporation in Colorado and one of the larger professional services companies in the exclusive B Corp community.

“At Moye White we take social responsibility seriously, as we have since the firm’s founding nearly forty years ago,” said Managing Partner Tom List. “Our steadfast commitment to community, the environment and the highest ethical standards meant that pursuing B Corp certification was an easy decision.” List noted that the firm’s recent foray into the area of natural and sustainable products, a specialty practice area for only a few law firms in the western U.S., meshed perfectly with B Corporation standards and ideals.

“We are excited to welcome Moye White as a Certified B Corporation,” said Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab. “The firm is a perfect addition to a select and ever-expanding group of socially-conscious companies in Colorado.”

To become a certified B Corporation, B Lab, the nonprofit that certifies and supports B Corporations, conducted a rigorous evaluation of Moye White and determined that the firm’s practices met the comprehensive performance standards required to qualify for certification. The evaluation included a frank disclosure of information relating to Moye White’s operations, hiring and promotion procedures, environmental management practices and governance.

“We are extremely proud to have joined the B Corporation community,” added Dominick Sekich, the Moye White partner who spearheaded the firm’s certification efforts. “We are glad to be in the company of New Belgium and Rally Software, Colorado B Corp pioneers, and national icons like Ben & Jerry’s.”

About Moye White LLP
Moye White LLP is a business law firm serving clients throughout Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West, nationally and internationally. With approximately 50 attorneys, Moye White provides legal representation across a wide variety of transactional and litigation matters. The firm’s attorneys offer strategic, team-oriented counsel to public, private and governmental clients in complex business and real estate transactions and disputes. Moye White is recognized by LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® as a 2014 Top Ranked Law Firm.™ Moye White is a member of the International Alliance of Law Firms, providing its clients with a reliable network of corporate law firms around the world. For more information, please visit www.moyewhite.com or contact Managing Partner Thomas List, at 303-292-2900 or [email protected].

About B Corp
Certified B Corporations meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, legally expand their corporate responsibilities to include consideration of stakeholder interests, and build collective voice through the power of the unifying B Corporation brand. As of January 2014, there are more than 900 Certified B Corporations from over 60 industries and 29 countries, representing a diverse multi-billion dollar marketplace.

About B Lab
B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiative: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) passing legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (12 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation); 3) driving capital to high impact investments through the use of GIIRS Ratings and Analytics (more than 60 investors with over $3B in impact assets under management use GIIRS); and 4) providing free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 7,000 businesses use B Lab’s free B Impact Assessment).

A new analytical tool called Good Measure launches today to help companies communicate their Corporate Responsibility (CR) work more effectively. Good Measure surfaces what’s meaningful to consumers and other stakeholders giving companies clear direction on what will spark engagement around their CR efforts.

Corporate Responsibility has become commonplace in businesses around the world and reporting out on this work is rising. According to KPMG’s Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 71% of 4,100 companies surveyed globally publish CR reports, up 7% since 2011. Among the largest 250 companies, 93% report on Corporate Responsibility. However, most reporting is dense and complex, designed more for compliance than engagement. Good Measure helps companies identify what aspects will resonate emotionally and intellectually with their audiences, pointing the way for communications that will drive engagement.

“With information overload one of two things can happen, says Julia Howell, Cause Partner at Corktown Seed Co. the developer of the new tool. “Either no one pays attention at all, or the attention is negative,” she explains. Howell says the absence of focus in communications can suggest a lack of genuine interest or discipline around the work. The risk is that today’s social media savvy consumers will read business claims as empty feel-good platitudes and will publicly condemn them.

“This isn’t about blowing horns, adds Howell. “This is about having a license to focus so that meaningful change is possible. Stakeholder involvement in Corporate Responsibility is an integral part of achieving social and environmental impact. Companies can be powerful catalysts for change but they can’t do the work alone.”

Good Measure is a survey tool that assesses what matters to stakeholders by analyzing how they engage with social and environmental issues. Rather than measure perceptions, the tool captures actions as an indicator of deeply held values.

To find out more about how Good Measure works, see the PDF promo here. www.corktownseedco.com

Today, the community of nearly 900 Certified B Corporations joined together to launch the B the Change campaign, an ongoing, global effort to celebrate and reward people using business as a force for good. The 20 million friends and followers of the B Corp community received a unifying message of thanks, and an invitation to ask others to join the movement at bthechange.com.

“It’s inspiring to see nearly 1,000 companies speaking out with one, unified voice, all in an effort to celebrate and reward people using business as a force for good,” said B Lab Co-Founder, Jay Coen Gilbert.

The B the Change campaign is supported by year-long full page ads in Mother Earth News, Mother Earth Living, and Utne Reader, inviting 5 million citizen-readers to Take a Deeper Look into the Products You Buy.

Additionally, 16 B Corps, including Cabot Creamery, Plum Organics and Dogeared, have created special edition products with B the Change-enhanced packaging. These products will be sold online and at retailers including Whole Foods, Target, Wegmans, The Container Store, and Barnes & Noble. Products include food, jewelry, t-shirts, notebooks, personal care items, and home furnishings.

“Through the leadership of these sixteen companies, more people will learn about a better way to do business,” said Coen Gilbert, “and be invited to join a global movement to redefine success in business.”

The B the Change campaign is the first joint communications effort by the entire B Corp community, which includes well known brands like Ben & Jerry’s, Patagonia, Etsy and Method. B Corps come from over 60 industries and 29 countries and have met the most rigorous standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.They are leading a global movement to redefine success in business so one day all companies compete to be the best in the world at  being the best for the world.

B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement to redefine success in business so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world.

B Lab drives this systemic change through a number of interrelated initiative: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and good marketing; 2) passing legislation to accelerate growth of social entrepreneurship and impact investing (20 states have already passed benefit corporation legislation); 3) developing B Analytics, a customizable platform for measuring, benchmarking, and reporting on impact 4) providing free, powerful tools for businesses to measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance (more than 15,000 businesses use B Lab’s free B Impact Assessment).

For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net/bthechange.

Executives from all B Corps available for comment 
For more information contact Katie Kerr at [email protected], (610) 293-0299.

Companies with B the Change Special Edition Products
Atayne
Atayne makes progressive outdoor and active apparel that drives positive environmental and social change.

Best Organics
Best Organics, Inc. is a leading provider of organic and sustainable gift baskets, and a brand promotion and event production company with basket-in-a-box filled with organic foods and snacks, personal care products and other eco-friendly items from local, artisan, regional and national brands made by social mission guided USA companies.

BlueAvocado 
BlueAvocado is a national women-led lifestyle products company with covetable designs, affordable price points and sustainable products made from REPREVE® recycled post-consumer bottle fabric and other recycled materials that work to empower people to reduce their ecological footprint, and enable the dreams of other women entrepreneurs.

Cabot Creamery Cooperative
Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919, and makes a full line of cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and butter owned by the 1200 dairy farm families with farms located throughout New England and upstate New York.

Coda Coffee 
Coda Coffee’s goal is to make you feel good about the coffee you drink. A company fueled by a passion for friggin’ awesome coffee and wordly do-gooding that creates a feel-good community for everyone we touch—customers, vendors, farmers, and employees.

Dogeared
Handcrafted in the USA, Dogeared creates everyday jewels to wear and share with messages that make the moment

Ecojot
ecojot is a Canadian manufacturer of beautiful 100% recycled notebooks. A % of profits are directed towards helping kids in need with school supplies.

GoLite
GoLite is a global manufacturer of high performance, responsibly-made apparel and equipment designed for the outdoor athlete and adventure traveler.

Greyston Bakery
For over 30 years, Greyston Bakery has existed in Yonkers, NY to create local jobs, break the cycle of poverty, and foster community renewal through our social programs. Quite simply, we are bakers on a mission.

HappyFamily
HappyFamily features a complete line of certified organic nutrition including first cereals, meals, yogurt and fruit treats and allergen-sensitive snacks for babies and children, as well as organic smoothies for older kids, teens and adults.

Numi Organic Tea
Numi Organic Tea blends premium organic teas and herbs with only 100% real ingredients and sources its teas and ingredients directly from fair labor gardens that pay farmers and workers fair wages that allow their families to thrive.

Pacific Northwest Kale Chips
Pacific Northwest Kale Chips is part of the real food movement, focused on bringing truly nourishing food to their customers and providing a bridge between organic, sustainable farms and their local communities.

Peeled Snacks
Peeled Snacks’ mission is to make snacks that are yummy and as close to nature as possible; to develop trust with consumers through transparency and honesty; to work closely with farmers and suppliers to create sustainable products and to educate consumers about the impact of food on their body, mind & the world.

Plum Organics
Plum Organics® is a pioneer and a leading provider of premium, nutritious organic baby food, toddler and kid snack food product™. Plum has dedicated its social mission to delivering nutrient rich, organic food into the hands of little ones in need across America.

Preserve
Preserve is a leading sustainable consumer goods company and producer of stylish 100% recycled household products. Preserve turns yogurt cups into toothbrushes and take-out containers into tableware while empowering people to make everyday choices that are better for the earth while offering real solutions without compromise.

The Honest Company
The Honest Company was created to ensure that parents have access to non-toxic, eco-friendly, effective and beautiful products for their families. Honest.com offers essentials including diapers, wipes, bath, skin care, home cleaning and health & wellness products conveniently delivered to your door through a monthly bundle service or through single item purchase. Available in the U.S. and Canada.

Join ACCP and Corporate Citizenship for an informational webinar about The Measurement Academy on January 22, 2014 at 2:00pm Eastern.

This webinar will feature presentations by:

• Sarah Sasaki, Sr. Manager, Community Relations, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) will explain how PG&E implemented the LBG Model to measure a program and the resulting outcomes.
• Mark Shamley, President & CEO, and Erica Bader Sorrell, Director of Education, from ACCP will present on The Measurement Academy’s first program offering, Fundamentals of Measurement.
• Megan DeYoung, Director, United States, from Corporate Citizenship will present on the second program offering, Evaluating Your Impact.

Attendees will walk away from this webinar understanding:

• What an attendee will learn from each offering;
• What an attendee can do with what they learned;
• Who an attendee will learn from and alongside; and
• What tools an attendee will walk away with after the programs.

The webinar will be Wednesday, January 22nd and will take place from 2:00 - 3:00pm Eastern. To confirm your spot, please click here to fill out the registration form. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

Please note, this webinar is only for individuals who practice corporate philanthropy or citizenship for corporations. If you are unable to attend this webinar, you may register for either of the following that fit your schedule: February 5th or February 20th.

On Wednesday, January 15, 2014, more than 500 global financial leaders will gather at the United Nations to discuss the growing urgency of climate change and investor actions that are needed to mitigate escalating economic risks. The all-day gathering will include key players in the climate debate, including:

• Christiana Figueres, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Tom Steyer, Farallon Capital Management
• Nick Robins, HSBC
• Robert E. Rubin, former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury
• Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO
• Timothy E. Wirth, UN Foundation

Click here to view the agenda and complete list of speakers. The entire event will be streamed live at webtv.un.org.

PRESS CONFERENCE, 1:00 PM, Press briefing room (2nd floor)

Audio (listen-only): 917-367-4618

Video live-stream: webtv.un.org/media

The media briefing will focus on actions needed to fill the $36 trillion clean energy investment gap in order to limit the impacts of global warming and reduce the threat of carbon asset risk to major oil and gas, coal and electric utilities. Bloomberg New Energy Finance will also announce its 2013 global clean energy investment data.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary

Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Michael Liebreich, President

New York State Comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli

Ceres, Mindy Lubber, President

ABOUT THE 2014 INVESTOR SUMMIT ON CLIMATE RISK
An additional $1 trillion per year must be invested in clean energy through 2050 in order to achieve the global goal of reducing emissions enough to limit climate change to 2 degrees Celsius. In 2012, however, global investment in clean energy was just $281 billion – far short of what is needed. Investors and other financial leaders are uniquely positioned to lead the way in closing the clean energy investment gap, and continue to seek actionable opportunities to invest profitably in climate and clean energy solutions. Discussions throughout the day will focus on innovations in financing mechanisms for scaling climate and energy solutions; and the business case for supporting comprehensive climate and energy policies around the world. Learn more at www.ceres.org/investor-network/investor-summit.

ABOUT CERES
Ceres is a nonprofit organization mobilizing business and investor leadership on climate change, water scarcity and other sustainability challenges. Ceres directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of over 100 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $12 trillion. Ceres also directs Business for Innovative Climate & Energy Policy (BICEP), an advocacy coalition of nearly 30 businesses committed to working with policy makers to pass meaningful energy and climate legislation. For more information, visit www.ceres.org or follow on Twitter @CeresNews.

MakeImpactNYC, a unique social good conference bringing together the NYC social impact economy, is pleased to announce that the CEDI Society, a civic engagement organization launching in early 2014, has offered a cash prize of $5,000 to the winners of the first-ever ‘Battle of the Boros’ social impact pitch competition.

The live event will take place on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014 at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus starting at 5 pm. The competition plays on the good-natured sibling rivalry between NYC’s five boroughs while celebrating the entrepreneurs making a difference in their neighborhoods and beyond. This high-energy event will also feature live performances from local NYC actor Charlie Balducci, Rapper Krempo, Sinistarz, and Hip-Hop DanceTroupe Cyndikit from NYC Arts Cypher, an arts & cultural hub in Staten Island.

On January 13, five finalists—one from each borough—will be announced. These five social entrepreneurs will face off at the live event and vie for the ‘Best of the Boros’ Social Good crown. Contestants will be judged upon social innovation, sustainability, business model, potential for social impact in NYC, and quality of presentation Two lucky winners—the ‘Best of the Boros’ winner chosen by a panel of expert judges, and a People’s Choice winner chosen by the audience—will split the CEDI cash prize ($4,000 to the Best of the Boros winner, $1000 to People’s Choice). Matthew Henninger, the founder & CEO of CEDI, will award the prize.

The “Battle of the Boros”judging panel is comprised of veteran social entrepreneurs, journalists, educators, and business leaders including: Kim Wales of Wales Capital; Matthew Henninger of CEDI Society; David Thigpen, founder of Corners2Cornerstones; Anne Field, Forbes; Mitchell Fillet, cofounder of Fordham Foundry; Shereen Shermek of Launch Angels; David Postolski of Day Pitney, Derek Denckla of Slow MoneyNYC.

In addition, both winners will receive valuable marketing, business, and consulting services valued at $20,000 from sponsors including The Moderns, a solutions based creative studio; Day Pitney LLC, a leading full-service law firm; CSRwire, a digital media platform for distributing sustainability news; The Centre for Social Innovation, a coworking space in the Starrett-Lehigh building for NYC’s social impact community; ThatMatters Live, a weekly social enterprise web show; the Fordham Foundry, a startup incubator in the Bronx; and Return on Change, a crowdinvesting platform connecting startups and investors.

The MakeImpactNYC team would like to thank all of our sponsors for their generous support and the work they do to make NYC a better place for all!

CEDI, which stands for “Citizens Economic Development Initiative,” is a new membership-based civic engagement organization launching its operations in early 2014. The goal of The CEDI Society is to expand and enhance economic growth & opportunity through, strategic development initiatives, education programs, creative investment platforms and the united participation of citizens across all socioeconomic levels. To that end, Members are provided with a sophisticated communications and project development platform, educational tools, financing alternatives and a network of engaged citizens that are eager to make a difference in the economy. To learn more, please visit www.cedi.com.

The ‘Battle of the Boros’ is part of the MakeImpactNYC conference on January 16, 2014 that brings together NYC’s social impact ecosystem and spotlights the innovative entrepreneurs who are “doing good in their ‘hoods.” The event is hosted by Fordham University’s Center for Humanistic Management and Good-B.com, an online news and new media platform supporting entrepreneurs for social good, and Locavesting, Return on Change and ThatMattersLive. The conference brings together NYC’s social impact ecosystem and spotlights the innovative entrepreneurs who are “doing good in their ‘hoods.” The event will feature a mix of panel discussions on themes exploring how food, design, funding and other elements of the social impact ecosystem are helping to make NYC a better place for all. Participants include leaders from EcoMedia/CBS, Etsy, Fundrise, Girls Who Code, Centre for Social Innovation, Pratt Center for Sustainable Design, BlocPower, Silicon Harlem, Staten Island Makers Space, The Kitchen, Bronx Foundry, SlowMoneyNYC, Wales Capital and more. For more information, go to: www.MakeImpactNYC.com.
@makeimpactnyc #makeimpactnyc #nygood

A consortium of investment banks today announced their support of the Green Bond Principles – Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Banking, JPMorgan Chase, BNP Paribas, Daiwa, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Mizuho Securities, Morgan Stanley, Rabobank and SEB. These Principles were developed with guidance from issuers, investors and environmental groups and serve as voluntary guidelines on recommended process for the development and issuance of Green Bonds. They encourage transparency, disclosure and integrity in the development of the Green Bond market.

These Green Bond Principles suggest process for designating, disclosing, managing and reporting on the proceeds of a Green Bond. They are designed to provide issuers with guidance on the key components involved in launching a Green Bond, to aid investors by ensuring the availability of information necessary to evaluate the environmental impact of their Green Bond investments and to assist underwriters by moving the market towards standard disclosures which facilitate transactions.

These Principles build on first-to-market issuances by multilaterals and provide a platform for other future Green Bond issuers to direct funding to Green Projects. They are complemented by an appendix of established definitions of Green Project categories that were developed by multilaterals, non-profit and non-government organizations and other relevant stakeholders. Read more about the Green Bond Principles here.

The four banks that served as a drafting committee for these Principles – Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Banking and JPMorgan Chase – will propose in 2014 a governance process that will allow for diverse stakeholder input into the Green Bond Principles. It is anticipated that an independent third party will be designated to serve as a secretariat whose administrative duties will include facilitating information exchange with issuers, investors, underwriters, and other stakeholders such as non-profit environmental organizations, non-government organizations, academics and other thought leaders.

COMMENTS FROM SUPPORTING BANKS:

Bank of America
“The development of a robust and liquid market for green bonds is an important progression for debt markets,” said Suzanne Buchta, Global Co-head of Green Debt Capital Markets at BofA Merrill. “In co-authoring these principles we attempt to help standardize the product and we hope to catalyze investment into environmentally sustainable projects, something to which our firm is very committed.”

Citi
“Citi is proud to be a co-founder of the Green Bond Principles as a voluntary guideline for bond issuers who are deploying capital to environmentally beneficial purposes,” said Michael Eckhart, Citi’s Global Head of Environmental Finance. “Our experience placing Green Bonds to date suggests that this will be a helpful guideline for corporate and public sector issuers.”

Crédit Agricole CIB
Tanguy Claquin, Managing Director at Crédit Agricole CIB commented, “We are very pleased to have co-authored and announced the establishment of the Green Bond Principles. This is an important first step towards a more coherent approach to the market of Green and Sustainability Bonds, which will ultimately increase its attractiveness for investors thus encouraging investments into sustainability projects.”

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
"Increasing the amount of capital targeted to address pressing environmental challenges such as climate change is critical," said Marilyn Ceci, Managing Director in the Corporate & Investment Bank at JPMorgan Chase. "JPMorgan Chase is pleased to have co-authored the Green Bond Principles, which involved strong collaboration among colleagues in our Corporate & Investment Bank and Environmental Affairs office. By providing transparency and integrity to the Green Bond market and bolstering investor confidence, we expect the Green Bond Principles will expand capital allocation to projects that provide environmental benefits."

BNP Paribas
“BNP Paribas is proud to partner with our fellow institutions to support the development of a robust Green Bond Market. Today’s announcement is a crucial early step to foster the creation of a new transparent marketplace for socially responsible capital-raising and investment,” said Jim Turner, Head of Debt Capital Markets for North America.

Daiwa
“The GBP is a wake-up call. It will help bring this most important product and its message to the forefront and into the mainstream bond world,” said Jose Padilla, Head of US Debt Capital Markets at Daiwa.

Deutsche Bank
“As a carbon neutral bank, Deutsche Bank believes that the new Principles will play an important role in unlocking the green market capital necessary to finance the transformation to a cleaner and more sustainable future. We are pleased to be part of this collaborative effort,” said Hakan Wohlin Deutsche Bank’s Global Head of Debt Origination.

Goldman Sachs
"We are excited about continued developments in the area of green bonds as an important mechanism through which we can help harness the deep and liquid fixed income capital base for environmentally beneficial solutions," said Martin Weber, Head of SSA and Growth Markets Origination. "Goldman Sachs has had a long standing commitment to furthering market-based solutions to address critical environmental issues and we look forward to helping further catalyze financing and investments."

HSBC
"The Green Bond market grew fivefold last year, with USD10 billion raised by the public sector, corporates and financial institutions. The Green Bond Principles are an excellent initiative to increase transparency and disclosure in this market, and to foster continued growth in investments which help combat climate change," said Ulrik Ross, Managing Director at HSBC.

Mizuho
Mark Wheatcroft, Head of Debt Capital Markets at Mizuho International commented: “Mizuho is proud to support the development of the Green Bond Principles, which will act as a measure of quality assurance for all involved in this exciting and developing market.”

Morgan Stanley
“Morgan Stanley is proud to be one of the leading underwriters of Green Bonds, with USD 4.75 billion of issuance across 7 Supranational, Agency and Corporate deals in 2013,” said Navindu Katugampola, Vice President at Morgan Stanley. “We believe that the Green Bond Principles will help act as a catalyst to develop this rapidly growing market, by providing a clear set of voluntary guidelines for issuers, investors and underwriters. We are exceptionally pleased to support this effort as part of our overall commitment to sustainable finance.”

Rabobank
“The world faces enormous challenges in the next 40 years. It needs investments that are not only large scale but also focused: financing sustainable food production and supply, growing energy demands, sustainable basic materials and more. Rabobank is proud to be part of the Green Bonds Principles and to be able to contribute to the future developments in this initiative. We will use our knowledge of amongst others sustainable agriculture, food & beverage sectors, renewable energy and developments in the biobased and circular economy. Having been involved in several sustainable Green Bonds we are convinced this will be of help to grow this important market,” said Marco Roddenhof, Global Head Capital Markets Rabobank International.

SEB
“It has been a great pleasure, as a co- founder of the green bond market, to take part in the ongoing development of the market and thereby acknowledge the trust we have been shown by our investors and the issuers we represent. We believe the principles will secure a common understanding and thereby create the homogenous market development needed to allow further growth,” said Christopher Flensborg, Head of Sustainable Products and Product Development at SEB.

INFORMATION ON SUPPORTING BANKS AND PRESS CONTACTS

Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. We serve approximately 51 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately 5,200 retail banking offices and approximately 16,200 ATMs and award winning online banking with 30 million active users and more than 14 million mobile users. Bank of America is among the world's leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations in more than 40 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Contact:
Kerrie McHugh
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
646-855-3375
[email protected]

Citi
Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://new.citi.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

Contact:
Tyler Daluz
Citi
212-793-5234
[email protected]

Crédit Agricole CIB
Crédit Agricole CIB is the Corporate and Investment Banking arm of the Crédit Agricole Group, the world’s fifth largest bank by total assets (The Banker, July 2013).

Crédit Agricole CIB offers its clients a comprehensive range of products and services in capital markets, investment banking, structured finance and corporate banking.

The Corporate and Investment Bank is structured around four major divisions:

• Client Coverage & International Network and Global Investment Banking
• Structured Finance
• Global Markets Division
• Debt Optimisation & Distribution.

The Bank provides support to clients in large international markets through its network with a presence in major countries in Europe, America, Asia and the Middle East.

For more information, please visit its website at www.ca-cib.com.

Contact:
Teresa Wincrantz
Crédit Agricole CIB
+447595055877
[email protected]

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management and private equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

Contact:
Jennifer Kim
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
212-622-7068
[email protected]

BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) is a leading provider of solutions to a wide range of clients including corporates, sovereigns, financial institutions and investors worldwide. Approximately 19,000 professionals in 45 countries provide clients with personalized services for managing their risks and assets, financing and expanding their business and servicing their operational needs.

BNP Paribas CIB excels in:
Corporate Banking - where it has leading franchises in Transaction Banking (trade finance, cash management) and in Specialized Financing (energy & commodities, transportation, export, project, leveraged, media telecom, corporate acquisition finance and real estate)

Derivatives - where it is one of the leading global players in interest rates, credit, foreign exchange, commodity and equity derivatives.

Advisory and Capital Markets – where it is a top European house in ECM and a global leader in DCM (bond, convertibles and equity issuance). www.cib.bnpparibas.com

Contact:
Celeste Brown
Phone: +44-207-595-2436
[email protected]

Andrew Achimu
Phone: +44-207-595-6647
[email protected]

Daiwa
Daiwa Capital Markets is the international investment banking arm of Japan's Daiwa Securities Group. Daiwa Capital Markets works in close collaboration with Daiwa Securities in Japan and other Daiwa companies globally. As one of the leading, comprehensive financial service firms in Asia, Daiwa Securities Group operates core businesses such as Retail, Global Markets, Global Investment Banking, Asset Management, and Investment.

Contact:
Isabel deJesus
212-612-6151
[email protected]

Deutsche Bank
Contact:
Frank Hartmann, Frankfurt
Tel:+49(69)910-42744
[email protected]

Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.

Contact:
Andrew Williams
Tel: +1 212-357-0005
[email protected]

HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 6,600 offices in 81 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,693bn at 31 December 2012, the HSBC Group is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.

Contact:
Jonny Blostone
HSBC
+44 (0) 20 7992 3448
[email protected]

Mizuho
Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. is the securities and investment banking arm of the Mizuho Financial Group, one of the world’s largest financial services companies. Head-quartered in Tokyo with a global network of offices, Mizuho Securities offers a wide range of services including sales and trading in both debt and equity securities, the underwriting of new issues, M&A advisory and securities lending services.

Contact:
Mizuho International plc
0207 236 1090

Morgan Stanley
As a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services, Morgan Stanley is committed to harnessing the power of capital markets to achieve sustainability for clients, communities and stakeholders. Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing seeks to mobilize capital to address pressing global challenges and identify market-based, scalable solutions. For more information about the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, visit www.morganstanley.com/sustainableinvesting.

Contact:
Alex Wessendorff
Morgan Stanely
Phone: +44 20 7425-8955
[email protected]

Rabobank
The Rabobank Group is one of the world’s leading, sound and sustainable financial institutions. With our roots in the Netherlands, the Rabobank Group has grown in recent decades into an international financial services provider that has activities in the field of banking, asset management, leasing, insurance and real estate.

Contacts:
Evertjan Manuels
Head of Corporate Fixed Income Origination Rabobank International
+31 30 216 9507
[email protected]

Hans Biemans
Global Sustainability Strategist Rabobank Global Financial Markets
+31 30 712 31 86
[email protected]

Press Office
Rabobank
+ 31 (0) 30 216 2758
[email protected]

SEB
SEB is a leading Nordic financial services group. As a relationship bank, SEB in Sweden and the Baltic countries offers financial advice and a wide range of financial services. In Denmark, Finland, Norway and Germany the bank's operations have a strong focus on corporate and investment banking based on a full-service offering to corporate and institutional clients. The international nature of SEB's business is reflected in its presence in some 20 countries worldwide. On September 30, 2013, the Group's total assets amounted to SEK 2,569 billion while its assets under management totalled SEK 1,427 billion. The Group has about 16,000 employees. Read more about SEB at www.sebgroup.com.

Contact:
Anna Helsén
SEB
+46 706984858
[email protected]

Tekserve, New York’s store for technology, has once again teamed up with the Lower East Side Ecology Center for their quarterly eWaste recycling drive. Tekserve will hold the drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 18th at their 23rd Street store.

As Tekserve gears up for its 8th year of holding eWaste recycling drives, Mark Seibel, Director of Retail at Tekserve, says, “Our eWaste drives are part of Tekserve’s long-standing commitment to being with you for the lifecycle of your technology.” He adds, “Disposal is one of the most important decisions one can make about technology and our planet. We want to help make this an easy and environmentally-sound process for our customers.”

Tekserve offers special services and rewards to eWaste recyclers. Recyclers at the drive will receive a coupon for $25 off of a $100 purchase at Tekserve. Additionally, Tekserve will be raffling off a new MacBook Air to one lucky participant of the eWaste drive at the end of January.

A quarterly event, the eWaste Recycle Drive is open and free to New York City-area residents, small businesses (50 or fewer employees), and non-profits. A comprehensive list of eligible electronics and additional dropoff locations are available on Tekserve’s website.

Tekserve
Tekserve has, for more than 25 years, delivered a broad range of strategic services, solutions and products to support the technology needs of creative professionals, small-to-medium sized businesses and top corporations. From Apple to HP, from Avid to Adobe and more, Tekserve helps companies create the best possible solution for their technology challenges. In its 23rd Street retail location, Tekserve stocks a wide variety of Mac configurations, hardware and technology accessories, and offers rentals, workshops and support to a loyal customer base. Tekserve has fostered a deep level of commitment to the New York City community since the company began in 1987.

Lower East Side Ecology Center
Since 1987 the Lower East Side Ecology Center has worked toward a more sustainable New York City by providing community-based recycling and composting programs, developing local stewardship of green space and increasing community awareness, involvement and youth development through environmental education programs. The Ecology Center has offered free electronic waste recycling programs since 2003 and has partnered with Tekserve since 2007.

(Marketwired) - After 16 years of service, Dale Penny, President and CEO of the Student Conservation Association (SCA), the national leader in youth service and stewardship, announced today his intention to retire by August 2014. Penny, an effective champion for youth empowerment for over 40 years, noted that the time to step down was right for both him and the organization.

"Dale has been an invaluable leader for SCA and the Board is indebted to him for his commitment and his many contributions to America's largest conservation corps," noted SCA Board Chair Dean W. Fischer. "Under Dale's leadership, SCA has expanded its network of conservation partners, in both the public and private sectors, and has implemented effective strategies for addressing urgent environmental challenges. SCA will not be able to 'replace' Dale, but we are quite confident that the strong foundation Dale nurtured and cultivated leaves SCA well positioned to identify the next innovative, strong leader and to conduct an orderly transition."

The announcement follows a process put into place two years ago by the SCA Board of Directors, which stipulates that should the existing president decide to step down, an announcement would be made at least six months in advance of the executive's intended departure to ensure a smooth transition, orderly governance and unobtrusive effect on the flow of delivering service to SCA members, partners and staff.

"A new chief executive with new perspectives can lead SCA into the future and help build the next generation of conservation leaders to preserve and protect our nation's natural and cultural treasures," Penny explained. "I have had a very rewarding career, both as president of SCA and in helping to advance the causes of conservation and youth development, and after 16 years at SCA, I feel the time is right for a change and for me to spend more time with my family."

The SCA Board is forming a Search Committee, chaired by incoming Board Chair Steven T. Seward, who will work with Karen Usher of TPO, Inc. to establish a process for vetting and selecting the right executive search firm, identifying candidate requirements and responsibilities, as well as SCA needs before beginning the search later next month. The Committee hopes to have a new president in place in the next six months. In the interim, prior to a search firm selection, potential candidate inquiries should be directed to Usher at [email protected] or at 703-533-1533, ext. 105.

"SCA has a growing membership, a strong financial base and an exceptionally dedicated and talented staff. I firmly believe that the best years for the organization lie ahead," Penny further noted.

During Penny's tenure, SCA has become the recognized leader in youth service and conservation stewardship, addressing urgent environmental challenges while providing new opportunities for young people from all backgrounds. SCA has recently launched a broad strategic initiative designed to enhance its youth development continuum, increase and diversify participation and better prepare members for lifelong stewardship. Early achievements include the creation of the National Park Service Academy, a workforce diversity and development initiative; the expansion of innovative conservation engagement programs including Alternative Spring Breaks, sponsored by American Eagle Outfitters; the implementation of new program evaluation processes to produce improved member outcomes; and the establishment of a regionalized structure to improve diversity outreach and program delivery.

Over this time, SCA has also:

• More than doubled its membership and output, expanding from 2,000 volunteers in 1997 to over 4,200 members in 2013;
• Conducted important conservation projects annually at more than 500 sites, educating over one million citizens on conservation issues and rendering more than two million hours of service to America's parks and communities;
• Launched signature, and in many cases, award-winning conservation and restoration projects, including the Hurricane Sandy restoration project at The National Parks of New York Harbor; the Mount Rainier recovery project, which provided more than $3 million in services to the storm-ravaged national park; and other eco-relief efforts stretching from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mojave Desert in California; and
• Advanced its national leadership by bringing more diversity into conservation and ensuring responsible stewardship of our environment in the future;
• Grown from a nine million dollar a year organization to one with more than $30 million in annual revenue.

Penny has been President and CEO of SCA since 1997 and has spent his entire professional life advancing the causes of youth development, experiential and outdoor education and intercultural understanding. Prior to joining SCA, Penny spent 25 years with Up With People, the international education and community service program, where he rose to President and COO. He also worked as senior program director of the Colorado Boys Ranch Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving troubled and at-risk youth.

While no firm plans are yet in place, Penny will explore new opportunities, such as consulting and teaching, to continue his commitment to youth development and conservation issues.

About: The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is the only national organization that develops tomorrow's conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. Since 1957, SCA's hands-on practice of conservation service has helped to develop a new generation of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship and save the planet. SCA is a nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with regional offices in Boise, ID, Charlestown, NH, Chicago, IL, Houston, TX, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA and Seattle, WA. Online: www.thesca.org / www.twitter.com/the_sca

EcoVadis and BSR’s Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG) announced today a partnership aiming at standardizing sustainability reporting requests for the Sea Freight supply chain.

Under this partnership EcoVadis will align its environmental assessment questionnaires for sea carriers with the Clean Cargo Environmental Performance Survey framework. Clean Cargo members will also have the opportunity to leverage the EcoVadis online collaboration platform to access reliable Sustainability scorecards on their partners performance.

“We are delighted that EcoVadis will recognize Clean Cargo Working Group as its primary governance partner for Sea Freight related topics. This partnership further underlines Clean Cargo’s position as the industry standard for ocean container emissions collection and reporting, as well as our commitment to collaborate with other initiatives that support the deeper integration of environmental performance criteria into business decision making processes,” said Angie Farrag, Associate Director, BSR Transport & Logistics Practic.

“We consider Clean Cargo as the leading initiative for Sustainable Supply Chain in the Sea Freight sector, and this partnership is part of our vision to align with the best initiatives in each sector in order to increase the reliability of our ratings and promote standardisation,” declared Pierre-François Thaler, EcoVadis Co-President.

This partnership will allow EcoVadis customers to have access to more reliable data and an expanded base of sea freight carriers. It will allow also sea carriers in all countries to avoid duplication of effort by leveraging one common environmental reporting framework to access over 100 EcoVadis customers and 20 Clean Cargo Working Group shippers.

“Reducing the CO2 footprint of our distribution is a key focus of our 'Brewing a Better Future' strategy for sustainability and we are working together with our suppliers to achieve that. Robust and transparent metrics are key to being able to measure progress on this, so as a long-standing member of Clean Cargo and EcoVadis we are pleased to see two leading initiatives in Sustainable Supply Chains converging, as this will facilitate integration of sustainability metrics in our Sea Freight procurement decisions more easily,” Laura Taal, Heineken – Sustainable Procurement Manager.

“We’ve seen in the past years a significant increase of customers’ requests related to Sustainability. Convergence of those 2 leading standards where CMA CGM Group has been a member for years will benefit the whole shipping industry through improved efficiency and clarity to our customers on our sustainability performance,” Julien Topenot, CMA-CGM – Group Environment Director.

About Clean Cargo Working Group
The Clean Cargo Working Group is a global business-to-business initiative made up of leading cargo carriers and their customers, dedicated to environmental performance improvement in marine container transport through measurement, evaluation, and reporting. The group comprises an equal spread of carriers and shippers, including 18 of the worlds’ largest shipping companies. A full list of members is available at www.bsr.org/cleancargo.

About BSR
BSR works with its global network of more than 250 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Visit www.bsr.org for more information about BSR’s more than 20 years of leadership in sustainability. BSR is the secretariat and strategic facilitator of the Clean Cargo Working Group.

About EcoVadis
EcoVadis operates the 1st collaborative platform, allowing companies to assess the environmental and social performance of their global suppliers. EcoVadis combines technology and expertise to deliver simple and reliable "Suppliers Sustainability scorecards," covering 150 purchasing categories, 21 CSR indicators and 120 countries. EcoVadis ratings are compatible with the GRI/G4 and ISO 26 000 standards. EcoVadis helps businesses reduce risks and drive performance and innovation in their supply chain. More than 100 Global Multinational companies have selected the EcoVadis solution, including Fortune 500 such as,Axa, Alcatel-Lucent, Coca Cola Enterprises, Heineken, Orange, Johnson & Johnson, Lafarge, Renault-Nissan, Schneider Electric and Verizon. More information: www.ecovadis.com.

The National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC), in partnership with the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, is launching the Virtual Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) pilot program, a new program that uses technology to connect low- and-moderate-income taxpayers with critical tax preparation services free of charge. Over 50 million taxpayers who qualified for VITA were not served in 2013 due to remote location, capacity gaps and other factors.

Virtual VITA will enable underserved taxpayers to access VITA tax preparation services where they otherwise might not be readily available. The program utilizes upgraded technology, like cloud-based servers and video chat, to provide high-quality assistance to clients wherever they are – without requiring clients to be present with the preparer and wait hours at a traditional VITA site. For example, a taxpayer could drop off their tax documents with an intake specialist at a convenient community location. The documents would be sent to certified volunteer preparers and quality reviewers who can complete the tax returns remotely. After they have prepared the returns, the taxpayer would make an appointment when it works best for their schedule to finalize the process. This allows more flexibility for both taxpayers and volunteer preparers, helping to reach more low- and moderate-income taxpayers, more efficiently. In addition to providing funding for this pilot program, JPMorgan Chase employees will receive training and volunteer their time to prepare returns.

“Our program members are eager to try new tax preparation methods in order to make their services more efficient and that allows them to serve more taxpayers,” said NCTC President and CEO Jackie Lynn Coleman. “This initiative will demonstrate that by using technology, more VITA clients across the country can be served.”

“Every year, millions of hard-working families miss out on tax refunds that could help them build their savings and assets. Inconvenient locations, limited hours or language barriers keep many from accessing free or low-cost tax preparation services intended to serve these very families. That’s why we are excited to partner with NCTC on this innovative model to leverage technology to better connect certified tax prep volunteers with people in need.” said Janis Bowdler, Senior Program Director for Financial Capability and Affordable Housing, JPMorgan Chase. “We hope this demonstration project sheds light on ways to maximize the limited resources available for free or low-cost tax preparation and serve the greatest number of people possible.”

Tucson, Arizona and Lansing, Michigan have been chosen as the pilot program locations. The United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona (UWTSA) and the Asset Independence Coalition (AIC) will administer the program. UWTSA facilitates and leads the VITA Task Force of Arizona, a collaborative which operates VITA in nine of Arizona’s fifteen counties and is the single largest tax preparer in the state. During the 2013 tax season, the VITA Task Force of Arizona recruited more than 400 volunteers, who prepared 11,603 tax returns. In 2014, thirteen UWTSA-operated VITA sites will offer Virtual VITA in order to shorten wait times and ensure that no eligible client has to be turned away unserved due to potential limitations of time and volunteer availability.

AIC served 2,914 households in the last tax season, generating over $3.2 million in refunds through the VITA program. The coalition also provided free financial counseling and worked to bank the unbanked. AIC will provide Virtual VITA services at three rural colleges in Michigan communities that either do not have a VITA program or lack the capacity to penetrate remote rural areas.

Contact Information for Taxpayers:

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona (UWTSA)
(520) 903-3918
[email protected]

Asset Independence Coalition (AIC)
(517) 256-1466
[email protected]

About National Community Tax Coalition
The National Community Tax Coalition is the nation's largest, most comprehensive membership organization for community-based organizations offering free tax and financial services to low-income working families. The coalition’s network of more than 2,800 members, across the country, is dedicated to strengthening economies, building communities, and improving lives through tax assistance and asset building activities that produce financial security, protect families, and promote economic justice.

Additional information may be found at www.tax-coalition.org | Twitter: @Tax_Coalition | Facebook: www.facebook.com/NationalCommunityTaxCoalition | Blog: taxcoalition.wordpress.com

About JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, asset management and private equity. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

Don’t miss Civic Accelerator Demo Day in the Big Apple!

Join us for an evening of inquiry and interaction as we present the graduating class of the Fall 2013 Points of Light Civic Accelerator.

15 game-changing impact entrepreneurs present how they are solving our toughest social issues by engaging people, all while they compete for a $50,000 seed investment.

We're bringing together successful entrepreneurs, civic leaders, investors and venture philanthropists to connect with 15 of the most innovative civic start-ups in the country.

Teams are looking for additional investment, board members and partners as they graduate from the Civic Accelerator.

Meet the teams!

Thursday, January 16
What: Our evening kicks off with short demos from the 15 ventures. Mingling and conversation, accompanied by good food and drink, will immediately follow the presentations.

When: Thursday, January 16 2014, 6:30 – 9:00 pm

Cost: $15 Early Bird Admission, $20 at the door

Friday, January 17
What: The morning kicks off with Civic Accelerator Cohort 3 send-off breakfast. Followed by the closing speaker session to be led by keynote Joe Sibilia, CSRwire CEO.

When: Friday, January 17 2014, 8:30 – 10:00 am

Where: Centre for Social Innovation, 601 W. 26th Street, Suite 325, NY 10001

Joining the ranks of global brands like Patagonia, and Canadian leaders like Bullfrog Power and Genuine Health, Top Drawer Creative Inc. has become one of the less than 900 companies worldwide to earn B Corp certification. In Canada, there are less than 100 Certified B Corps throughout only six provinces; and Top Drawer Creative is the first dedicated full-service advertising agency in the country to receive this blue-chip seal of approval for corporate social and environmental responsibility.

“Top Drawer Creative is a great example of exactly why B Corps are good business,” says B Corp Co-Founder, Jay Cohen Gilbert. "While the advertising industry may not be the first to come to mind when you think of great corporate citizens, Top Drawer’s long-standing commitment to ‘influence for social good’ shines through in their B Impact Assessment. We’re excited to count them among this ever-growing global movement of people using business as a force for good."

B Corp certification is a 100% transparent measure of a company’s social and environmental impact. The ad agency scored 103 against a B Impact Assessment median score of 80, with particularly high scores in categories that measure worker equity and environmental commitment. On the power grid, Top Drawer is 100% powered by green energy. Their offices boast natural finishes, LED lighting, eco-friendly paper and cleaning products, they take part in the city’s organic waste green bin program, and their main boardroom table was locally sourced from Urban Tree Salvage. The agency also donates up to 10% of its billable hours to social cause based clients; as well as making significant contributions to local charities.

One of Top Drawer’s unique practices is their award-winning Bike To Work program: they actually pay staff members a subsidy per day to commute by bike. The agency – complete with shower facilities and indoor bike storage – is located in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood and over 40% of TDC employees cycle to work (even in the winter). When they have off-site meetings, people carpool or take public transit. Over the last five years, the ad house has produced a 70% reduction in business-related car trips.

Top Drawer Creative operates with a triple bottom line. They rigorously measure and judge success by:

• Quality of relationships – both internal (staff) and external (clients and vendors)
• Social and environmental responsibility
• Sustainable profits

As a privately held company, the agency has the freedom and responsibility to operate in a way that aligns with the core values of its executive team

“When I founded the agency back in 1992, I wanted to work with brands that spoke to me as consumer,” says Howard Chang, President & CEO of Top Drawer Creative. “I have been a lifelong advocate for social and environmental good and I could not see operating a company that did not embody those beliefs. In the past, when we have taken on clients that don’t align, we just couldn’t summon the passion we usually bring to our work. So now we choose our clients very carefully.”

Lisa Jagatia, Director of Marketing at Certified B Corp Genuine Health says, “It’s really cool to see our ad agency join CSR leaders like Genuine Health in the B Corp community. They really understand both growing a brand and doing it responsibly. Top Drawer Creative walks the talk and there are even a few things we could learn from them.”

TOP DRAWER CREATIVE INC. was founded in 1996 on the principles of accountability and sustainability. Unlike traditional agencies, Top Drawer does not focus on an industry category or demographic. Instead the agency has honed its expertise by focusing on a consumer psychographic segment they have branded "AHAA™"—active, healthy, affluent and aware. Top Drawer was conceived as a fully convergent services model that would serve as the agents of influence for brands that target this niche consumer. Top Drawer is a Certified B Corporation. www.topdrawercreative.com

Contact Top Drawer Creative:
Trellawny Graham, Public Relations
TOP DRAWER CREATIVE INC.
2216 Queen Street East
Toronto, Ontario M4E 1E9
[email protected]
T 416 462 1570 x239

B Corp (www.bcorporation.net) is operated by the nonprofit organization, B Lab, committed to serving a global movement to redefine success in business. It's vision is that one day all companies will compete not only to be the best in the world, but best for the world.

MaRS Centre for Impact Investing is a social finance hub and project incubator that acts as a neutral collaboration space for all sectors government, community and private to strengthen our collective ability to mobilize private capital for public good. There are currently 91 Canadian B Corporations. The MaRS Centre for Impact Investing in Toronto acts as the Canadian B Corp hub driving local growth.

How can companies in healthcare succeed at getting their CFOs and commercial leaders to become fans of sustainability and how can they communicate the importance of sustainability to suppliers? 

Join Trucost and Johnson & Johnson for a free webinar on the sustainability impacts of the healthcare system, as originally presented at the Metrics that Matter: Messages that Motivate conference hosted by Johnson & Johnson and The Wharton School, through its Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL), on December 4, 2013.

Johnson & Johnson’s Keith Sutter will kick-off the presentation with some insights from the conference and provide context for the conversation. Trucost’s Libby Bernick and Whitney McWade will follow, presenting new quantitative research on the sustainability impacts of the healthcare system. The research provides insight on the most meaningful material sustainability impacts, in financial terms, across the entire health care system, looking specifically at suppliers, distributors and providers.

Trucost will discuss the methodology behind the research and provide insights to guide sustainability decisions for the biggest reductions and impacts, as well as a case study example on a healthcare provider. Ample time for audience Q&A on the research, methodology and case study will be provided.

To register, please visit: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6097080403650617090

Business is evolving, organisations big and small are taking new approaches to embedding sustainability and seeing results. The Guardian Sustainable Business Awards 2014 celebrates innovation and impact in corporate sustainability. Across 11 categories from communication to natural capital, we reward the people who are making business better. Entries close on 7 February 2014.

Sustainability Reporting —
A Strategic Tool for the Boardroom
Thursday, January 16
2 p.m. ET | 1 p.m. CT | Noon MT | 11 a.m. PT

Ernst Ligteringen is the Chief Executive of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the world's most widely-used sustainability reporting framework. In this webinar, he will discuss the latest global trends in sustainability reporting and their effects on your company.

Attend this complimentary webinar to discover:

• The latest in GRI's G4 Guidelines
• Materiality and its impact on stakeholders
• The changing nature of market value 
 

Register today, and also receive a free copy of the 8 Steps to a Successful CSR Report Checklist.

MGM Resorts International’s (NYSE: MGM) commitment to employee health, through its Direct Care Health Plan, has been lauded as one of the nation’s most original, successful employee benefit plans.

The Institute for HealthCare Consumerism (IHC) singled out the Direct Care Health Plan as “one of the most innovative and effective plan designs you will find today.” IHC is a national organization that tracks healthcare consumerism in the United States. The group assists employers in developing health benefit plans that empower employees and provide incentives to participants.

“We applaud MGM Resorts for its innovative efforts to improve the quality of health care available not only to its employees, but also the community at-large. The Direct Care Health Plan sets a new standard in health care consumerism,” said Douglas N. Field, CEO of The Institute for HealthCare Consumerism.

The IHC honored Jeff Ellis and John Socha with a 2013 Superstars Innovator Award. Ellis is MGM Resorts’ Vice President and CFO for Corporate Human Resources Shared Services; Socha is Executive Director of Health Care Services. The two were recognized for their collaboration in developing the company’s Direct Care Health Plan, which debuted Jan. 1, 2012.

The Plan was created with the objective of improving access to, and quality of, care for the 50,000 MGM employees and their families in Southern Nevada.

“The Direct Care Health Plan was designed to foster the patient-physician relationship with the additional objective of promoting prevention and early detection through patient engagement,” said Jim Murren, Chairman & CEO of MGM Resorts. “Healthy employees are critical to any company’s success. Because of our presence in the community, we feel we have the unique ability to help employees while also impacting the overall health of the community.”

Ellis and Socha conducted extensive research that discovered the best health plans were based upon care that is directed by a primary care physician (PCP), in collaboration with the patient. The Direct Care Health Plan offers a network of PCPs who have agreed to special terms, like guaranteeing same- or next- business day appointments for all urgent visits, guaranteeing appointments within 10 to 14 days for any routine visit, and guaranteeing minimal wait times of 30 minutes or less for on-time arrival to scheduled visits. Additionally, there are lower out of pocket costs and no deductibles in the Direct Care Health Plan, compared with the HMO and PPO Plans MGM also offers its employees.

MGM Resorts also contracts directly with physicians, which is uncommon. Plan participants are encouraged to rate their doctors after every visit and the company then pays its network of doctors based on quality of health care.

In 2012, 5,000 employees and their dependents signed up for the health plan. The results were astounding; previously undiagnosed conditions were diagnosed and preventative screening rates increased dramatically, thanks to a 95 percent participation rate in the annual physical.

In 2013, enrollment nearly doubled and additional PCPs were added. The satisfaction rate among participants is 88 percent. As the 2014 year begins, the enrollment has grown to 15,000 employees and dependents.

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is one of the world's leading global hospitality companies, operating destination resort brands including Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Company also owns 51% of MGM China Holdings Limited, which owns the MGM Macau resort and casino and is in the process of developing a gaming resort in Cotai, and 50% of CityCenter in Las Vegas, which features ARIA resort and casino. For more information about MGM Resorts International, visit the Company's website at www.mgmresorts.com.