posted by Julie Clugage on March 31, 2009
I attended today the Boston College International Conference on Corporate Citizenship. I loved the opening keynote this morning by Dev Patnaik which was based on his book, Wired to Care. His main premise was that companies succeed when they operate with empathy, connecting to what their customers really care about. In his words, we are most successful when we reconnect with our humanity, empathy, creativity and courage. I loved it when, in response to the familiar saying “it’s not personal, it’s just business,” Dev said, “if it’s not personal then why am I doing it?!” His whole talk was a call to action for us to operate each day out of a sense of purpose and passion.
At the end of the day, our Intel Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Shelly Esque, participated on a panel with Cisco, Microsoft and Tony Wagner of Harvard on the need to improve the quality of global education, and the role of the private sector in supporting this critical objective. Cisco, Intel and Microsoft have joined together to sponsor ground-breaking academic research on how we define and measure the skills students need today to be successful in the global economy. If we can build consensus on these issues, then we believe more countries will promote curriculum to develop these skills.
For me there was a direct link between Dev’s opening keynote and our closing session on education. Improving education is Intel’s passion and mine. I am happiest when I come to work and feel a direct link between my efforts and a global expansion of access to quality education. I want to do something everyday to enable more kids to receive a good education, to feel like they matter, to believe that they deserve access to the best technology, the best ideas, the best future. I think readers of this blog are probably tired of hearing me talk about the school where I worked in Guatemala and how much I want those kids and all kids like them to have a chance to succeed, so I’ll simply refer to you to my previous blogs for more background on my motivation. But I want to thank Dev for strengthening today my enthusiasm around my personal mission. What’s yours?
Comments (0)
tagged: corporate citizenship, dev patnaik, education, wired to care
posted by Manisha P Shah on March 31, 2009
Before you answer that, let me clarify. No, it’s not the latest gaming device. It’s a Personal Sustainability Project.
It was one of the many ideas that Adam Werbach covered in his keynote at the Boston College for Corporate Citizenship Conference this week in San Francisco. The idea is that one small action can bring sustainability into each person’s daily life and help employees become happier and healthier by connecting them to higher purpose that involves themselves, co-workers, family, community and planet.
So here’s mine: Stop using plastic bags at home and paper cups at the office.
What’s yours?
Comments (1)
tagged: Boston college center for corporate citizenship, CSR, personal sustainability project
posted by Suzanne Fallender on March 29, 2009
Last night, the annual Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship conference kicked off with a talk from David Wilhelm, a political strategist who recently worked on both Bill Clinton’s and Barak Obama’s campaigns. In his remarks, he talked about how the skills required to run a successful political campaign are often the same required to successfully create and implement a successful CSR program.
And although somewhat tongue in cheek, he told the crowd of CSR practitioners why he thought our jobs were often harder than that of the CEO. Now, pretty sure Paul Otellini would disagree with that one in a heartbeat. But David’s point was is that the CEO has a clear understanding of the business value of his or her actions and communications. In CSR, this is often still not as easy to make the connection and as practioners and communicators we must be more disciplined in our approach and make sure that others - both inside and outside of the company - understand the business value of CSR to the company and the connection to our business strategy.Three of his “top ten” observatjons rang particularly true for me.
Comments (2)
tagged: Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, David Wilhelm, Intel
posted by John Skinner on March 27, 2009
One of the most gratifying things I get to do at Intel is support the work being done by the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI), the non-profit organization co-founded by Intel, Google, and the WWF in 2007. I’d like to highlight 3 current activities being organized by CSCI, where we can all get involved in creating a lower-carbon future.
On March 28, millions of people and thousands of cities around the world will turn off their lights for one hour at 8:30pm local time. The Climate Savers Computing Initiative would like people to take one extra step during that hour - take 5 minutes to turn ON the power-management settings of your computer. To learn more, visit www.climatesaverscomputing.org
If you’re an IT professional, or someone who helps pay the electricity bill for an organization that uses computers, you’ll want to attend the IT Power Management Webinar on March 30 2009, 9am-11am PDT. Experts from the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, the U.S. EPA Low Carbon IT program, and Forrester Research will share best practices on how to cut the energy use of your computers, save money, and help save the planet.
Finally, there are 3 weeks left in the Power Down for The Planet campaign, whereby colleges and their students, faculty, and staff can take steps to reduce campus energy waste, and compete for some great prizes and bragging rights! If you are part of a college community, or have a favorite local college or alma mater, encourage them to get involved.
Get involved and Power Down everyone!
Comments (1)
tagged: Climate Savers Computing Initiative, Earth Day, intel, power, power down for The Planet
posted by Manisha P Shah on March 26, 2009
The bad news…since Dave Stangis, former Director of CSR at Intel, posed this question almost a year ago, the economic environment has become much worse.
The good news… Dave’s premise then was that CSR, Sustainability and Green aren’t supplements to business success; they are the key ingredients for success in the 21st century seems to be proving true. CSR seems not only to be surviving but thriving during the recession. The New York Times recently ran a blog on Companies Adding Chief Sustainability Officers which said “Amid mounting job woes, at least one position seems to be gaining currency: chief sustainability officer.”
At Intel, we’ve seen a similar trend. While we’ve certainly tightened CSR belts in line with the rest of the corporation, we’ve continued to invest in CSR as an integral part of our business. In the past year, we added a Vice President of Sustainability, incorporated environmental goals into each employee’s bonus structure, made significant investments to extend the reach our educational efforts in math and science, and exceeded our goal of 1M employee volunteer hours for our communities.
Are sustainability, green and CSR just surviving or thriving during the recession at your company? I’m looking forward to hearing what others think at next week at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Conference and via this blog.
Comments (1)
tagged: CSR, Green, Recession, Sustainability
posted by Julie Clugage on March 25, 2009
For the past three months I have been managing Intel’s engagement with Save the Children under the Small Things Challenge, and wanted to share an exciting update on the progress to date. But first, a quick recap on the program for those who may not have been following the campaign. The Small Things Challenge is a year-long effort that Intel launched in January with Save the Children and Kiva.org to increase access to quality education for children in developing countries and to promote economic development. For every click on the Small Things Challenge website, Intel is donating 25 cents to these organizations (up to $300,000 for the year). We are also encouraging others to make a micro-loan or give whatever small donation they can towards these objectives, in the belief that many small actions can add up to big impact.
I’m happy to report that, after the first three months of the campaign, we have collectively raised over $130,000 as part of the Small Things Challenge, including $40,000 for Save the Children’s Rewrite the Future campaign! The Rewrite the Future campaign helps children in the toughest situations around the world - war zones and conflict-affected developing countries - get access to quality education. These are children like ten-year-old Kubra in West Darfur in Sudan. Five years ago, Kubra and her family were forced to flee their village by invading militia and ended up in a displaced persons’ camp. They suffered terribly and still struggle to survive, but Kubra is given hope for the future through her participation in the camp school run by Save the Children. In this case study from Save the Children, her dad talks about how the school is not only providing her with an education so that she can realize her dream of one day becoming a teacher, but also with the chance to focus on the future, to laugh and play with other children.
This story resonates with me because it reminds me of the two years I spent after college working in a school in a small village in Guatemala. The children were poor, with ragged clothes and not enough to eat. But those who had a chance to go to school got to be kids like kids anywhere else. They were able to learn and play and laugh and hope for the future - all the things that my own kids do now. I saw kids in the Guatemala schools study hard, earn their way to the national university, get good jobs and go on to be leaders in their communities. This is why it means so much to me to support Save the Children and their Rewrite the Future campaign. It’s a chance to help kids in the toughest situations have the chance to be a kid and hope for the future.
Many thanks to the individuals who have helped us raise the $40,000 so far for Save the Children. Please tell your friends and help us continue the good progress. We need more people to click on the Small Things Challenge web site to generate the 25-cent free donation from Intel. It’s easy! We know that for each $10 raised, Save the Children can provide school supplies for one child. That means that so far we’ve reached 4,000 kids. Let’s reach many thousands more!
Comments (6)
tagged: education, Intel Small Things Challenge, kiva, Rewrite the Future, Save the Children
posted by Manisha P Shah on March 24, 2009
That’s how long it’s been since I attended my first CSR conference. I was in business school and as campus leader of Net Impact (then Students for Responsible Business) I was invited to attend the BSR (Business for Social Responsibility) Conference in New York City. At the time, social responsibility was mostly the domain of a handful of small, entrepreneurial companies that sold socially conscious, environmentally friendly consumer products ranging from orange juice (Odwalla) to cosmetics (The Body Shop).
My how times have changed…
As I was voting today in the First Annual BCCC (Boston College for Corporate Citizenship) Film Festival, I was struck by how all 25 of companies competing, including Intel, were large multinational corporations. As a side note Odwalla and The Body Shop were also eventually acquired by large companies, Coca Cola and L’Oreal respectively.
At Intel, we’ve seen a similar shift over the last few years as CSR has gone from being a functional area to a strategic initiative for the corporation with CSR being addressed in keynotes from our senior executives at our recent International Sales and Marketing Conference, influencing our product and operational strategies, and included amongst our highest level strategic corporate goals. Our work is certainly not done, but we’ve made some big leaps forward.
As I get ready for the BCCC Conference next week in San Francisco, I’m looking forward to discussing with my peers what’s next for CSR especially in light of these challenging economic times. In the meantime, go vote for your favorite video by tomorrow and send me your thoughts on What’s next for CSR?
Comments (0)
tagged: Boston College for Corporate Citizenship, CSR, Net Impact
posted by Suzanne Fallender on March 23, 2009
In less than a week I’ll be headed to Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship’s (BCCCC) annual conference, where Intel will be the lead sponsor. One recent post on the BCCCC blog offers up a sneak preview into conference sessions, a sort of top ten list for CSR geeks, like me (and maybe you, if you’re reading this?)
This list highlights a number of topics that I’m currently struggling with in my day to day job- so I’m looking forward to escaping from my grey cubicle for a little while and meeting up with my counterparts at other companies to dig in and work my way through the sessions. So which one is my top pick from the top ten list?
Comments (4)
tagged: Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, CSR, Intel, kiva, save the children, small things challenge
posted by Theresa Champagne on March 18, 2009
I remember sitting in my cubicle and hearing about the Small Things Challenge launched by Intel Chairman Craig Barrett. I thought, “hmm, that’s neat”. 2 weeks later, I was sitting in my cubicle reading the announcement of our Chairman’s retirement and I sank in my seat. It felt like the end of a legacy.
I have been working in Intel’s Emerging Markets Plaform Group (think: Intel-powered classmate PC) for the past 3 years and have seen the amazing possibilities and opportunities created by Craig Barrett. I was saddened and a little bit distraught wondering what we would do.
A little light bulb went off yesterday — the Small Things Challenge and Barrett’s retirement are not unconnected. The Small Things Challenge is an opportunity for me, my colleagues, for you, your friends and family, for everyone to contribute to education and economic development the way Craig Barrett has —- yes, we have some mighty big shoes to fill, but we are being given the great challenge and OPPORTUNITY to fill those shoes.
Get involved - take the challenge - join the solution. Click at www.smallthingschallenge.com and Intel will donate 25¢ towards education and economic opportunity for all. WOW.
Comments (0)
tagged: Classmate PC, Craig Barrett, intel, small things challenge
posted by Pia Wilson-Body, Intel Diversity Education Mgr on March 17, 2009
Recently, 26 young people who are members of the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network saw their HOPES for a higher education get closer to being fulfilled. They are recipients of an Intel Computer Clubhouse to College scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic years. Scholarships range from $2500 to $10,000. Selection of scholarship recipients was based on scholastic and financial need. Like his book’s title ‘The Audacity of Hope’, HOPE for a better future has been the overriding theme with the election of President Barrack Obama. There are those among us who hope for world peace; hope for a new world order; hope for a safer and cleaner environment; hope for a better education. And as President Obama said, “We can do better…and once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.”
I’m proud to say that this is yet another example of Intel’s commitment to education and helping young people from around the world realize their dream of a higher education, and perhaps becoming leading innovators of the next generation.
It is said, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste” …… it is great knowing we’re giving 26 Clubhouse members in underserved communities a head start.
To learn more about Intel Computer Clubhouse Network visit: http://www.intel.com/education/icc/index.htm
posted by Shelly Esque on March 10, 2009
This week I am in Washington DC with forty of our nations most promising young innovators - all finalists at this year's Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS). It is an extraordinary experience to listen to these high school seniors explain their projects, which can very well qualify for a Masters or PhD thesis, with so much passion and confidence. Identifying potential new treatment for multi drug resistant cancer, advancing the field of stem cell biology and immunology, highly advanced fundamental research in mathematics - these are just some of the projects submitted this year. The students' capabilities and interests however go well beyond just math and science - more than two thirds of the finalists are accomplished musicians, most are actively engaged in volunteering and mentoring, some of them are highly athletic, some are editors of their high school news papers or magazine - these are not just future innovators, they are the future leaders.
Intel STS finalists go through a rigorous judging process as part of the competition but their week is also filled with a series of exciting events. Students meet leading scientists and visit places of historic and political importance. They display their prize-winning exhibits at the prestigious National Academy of Sciences, where they describe their research to thousands of visitors. One of the highlights of this week was the finalists' white house visit to meet with President Obama. There was quite an excitement building up within the group as we boarded the bus for the White House, and it only grew as we lined up on the steps of the North Portico and waited for the president.
Upon arrival, the president congratulated the students on their extraordinary work and talked to them about the importance of sound education. He also pointed out the need to provide quality education to ALL kids and to get more of them interested in science and math. The visit lasted for about 15 minutes and on the way back I thought about how this experience might affect the lives of these young scientists. Today, during an elegant evening gala, we will find out the top winners for this year, but no matter who wins the competition, I am certain that we will hear from all of these students for many years to come as they continue with their breakthrough research.
Intel Science Talent Search is America's oldest and most prestigious pre-college science competition. You can find out more about Intel STS and Intel's larger portfolio of programs aimed at advancing education around the world at: www.intel.com/education
*White House photo by Chuck Kennedy
Comments (0)
tagged: competition, education, innovation, Inspire, Intel STS, science, science fair, Science Talent Search, Scientific American
posted by Suzanne LeGette on March 09, 2009
For those of you who have not heard about the Small Things Challenge, the premise is that with a simple click thru on a website, an individual can initiate a .25 cent donation to a fund that aids education and economic development in areas throughout the world in need of assistance. How? By clicking a button on the Small Things Challenge website, Intel will donate 25 cents for you. It's that simple. With just one click, you can become an advocate to increase access to education and encourage economic stability in developing countries. With a second click, you can forward the website URL to friends, family, and colleagues and encourage their advocacy. For every click-thru Intel will donate 25 cents, up to $300,000 this year, to be split equally between the Save the Children and Kiva organizations.
So what's the challenge? It is to read and click and share. It is to create awareness. And help educate those of us who spend our days immersed in ecosystems dedicated to commerce, about the 80% of humanity who lives on less than $10 a day. By reading, clicking and passing it on, you can make a difference. It's that simple.
Click here to see what Craig Barrett has to say about why Intel is so committed to the program.
Comments (1)
tagged: education, kiva, save the children, small things
del.icio.us