DUBAI
Nakheel has unveiled its plans for a major sustainability project, the Blue Communities, launched under the direction of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The initiative was announced on Saturday at an event hosted by Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Nakheel.
The company will commit Dh200 million over three years to raise awareness of coastal development issues. It will also engage non-government organizations and other stakeholders to take an active role in developing the initiative.
"Blue Communities is a call to action. Almost two-thirds of the world's population lives in coastal communities and a large amount of development is taking place in these locations. The long-term aim is for Blue Communities to provide leadership in the development of sustainable coastal communities," he said.
The investment will fund research and development and promote engagement with experts on the issues of sustainable development, construction, management and governance of coastal communities around the world.
source: www.thedubailife.com
AIR CAR
If someone tried to sell you a zero-emissions car that costs around $10,000, you might think he was full of hot air. Turns out it's the car that's full of it: The vehicle runs on and emits nothing but air. Now, after more than fifteen years of languishing in automotive obscurity, it's heading for mass production.
The Air Car is the brainchild of Guy Negre, a French inventor and former Formula One engineer. In February, Negre's company, Motor Development International (MDI), announced a deal to manufacture the technology with Tata Motors, India's largest commercial automaker and a major player worldwide. "It's an innovative technology, it's an environment-friendly technology, and a scalable technology," says Tata spokesperson Debasis Ray. "It can be used in cars, in commercial vehicles, and in power generation."
Article Source: csrwire.com
SIMMONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Net Impact members Katherine MacRostie, Barb Beaudoin and
HeatherJean MacNeil recently attended a forum for business school students at
the United Nations (UN) in
The Global Compact, a purely voluntary commitment, lists two
objectives. The first is to mainstream
the Ten Principles in business activities around the world, including
obligations to human rights, labor standards, the environment and
anti-corruption practices. The second objective is to catalyze actions in
support of broader UN goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals.
Katherine MacRostie recalls the leadership team speaking to
the mission of the academic outreach initiative – Principles for Responsible Management
Education (PRME) or “Prime.” “They recognize that we can’t make responsible
business decisions or investments without knowing to think of social
responsibility considerations. If the
schools aren’t teaching it, then the people aren’t coming out of the program
with that piece of leadership.”
Students from schools across the country were broken out
into discussion groups, and the heart of the exchange was a focus on
university-specific activities. After a
day of learning about what other programs were doing, the trio returned to
“I don’t believe that you can be a well-rounded leader
without that CSR part of it,” MacRostie says, speaking to the alignment of the
Simmons vision with CSR initiatives.
“CSR is really in line with principled leadership. One business decision can affect people in
other places in ways you didn’t imagine.”
Katherine MacRostie