Net Impact Lends Expertise to Monitor Environment, Health and Nutrition Programs
GAITHERSBURG, Md., October 15, 2009 — Sodexo is launching a new fellowship program to monitor the impact of its sustainability initiatives with nonprofit group Net Impact, a global network of 15,000 leaders including corporate and nonprofit professionals, and graduate students in business administration and related fields.
This partnership allows tomorrow’s leaders to help Sodexo and its 6,000 clients in North America measure sustainability programs to ensure they meet the goals of business, people and the environment. The fellows will also learn the scope and impact that integrated facilities management plays in helping companies, colleges, hospitals and other organizations improve the environmental performance of their buildings and campuses.
“Learning how to measure and report on a company’s sustainability efforts is an increasingly important business skill,” said Arlin Wasserman, vice president of sustainability and corporate social responsibility. “We will challenge and enrich promising young business leaders with this professional experience, which will in turn help our clients and company improve sustainability performance.”
Sodexo is committed to measuring sustainability performance to increase benefits to clients and to the environment, health and wellness, and the local communities it serves. Sodexo was recently named Dow Jones Worldwide Sector Sustainability Leader for the fourth consecutive year, demonstrating leadership in economic, environmental and social performance.
“We are thrilled to work with Sodexo to bring this exclusive opportunity to our talented network,” said Liz Maw, executive director, Net Impact. “Hands-on opportunities like the Sodexo Sustainability Fellowship enrich our MBA student members’ educational experience, showing them how to apply their business skills to make a positive impact.”
Fellows will work on 100 Sodexo client sites to help benchmark performance in sustainability programs, including environment, nutrition, health, and wellness and local community development. Sodexo regards the benchmarking process as integral to improving clients’ sustainability performance, achieve their business goals and to create savings and eco-efficiencies.
Sodexo recognizes the importance of developing new approaches to address sustainability concerns now and in the future to meet the challenges of climate change and healthcare costs.
Sodexo, Inc.
Sodexo, Inc. (www.SodexoUSA.com) is a leading integrated facilities management services company in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with $7.7 billion (USD) in annual revenue and 120,000 employees. Sodexo serves more than ten million customers daily in corporations, health care, long term care and retirement centers, schools, college campuses, government, and remote sites. Sodexo, Inc., headquartered in Gaithersburg, Md., is a member of Sodexo Group, and funds all administrative costs for the Sodexo Foundation (www.SodexoFoundation.org), an independent charitable organization that, since its founding in 1999, has made more than $11 million in grants to fight hunger in America. Visit the corporate blog at www.SodexoUSA.com/blog.
Net Impact
Net Impact is a global organization of students and professionals using business to improve the world. We offer a portfolio of programs and initiatives to educate, equip and inspire more than 15,000 members to make a tangible difference through business. Spanning six continents, our membership is one of the most influential networks of students and professionals in existence today and includes current and emerging leaders in corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development and environmental sustainability. For more information, please visit www.netimpact.org.
CONTACT: Monica Zimmer 301 987 4461 monica.zimmer@sodexo.com