EKOS Communications, Inc.

I've come across some odd ways to make a living, but few as strange as this. The gambling company Ladbrokes has been offering odds on the conservation status of various fish species.

The Hadrian's Wall Trust is warning that parts of the World Heritage site are being worn away by poor weather and the number of visitors it attracts.

What next after BASF backs off GM potatoes in Europe?

Images of Britain's declining hedgehog population

The Science Museum in London is holding a number of events which explore the science of consciousness through the example of a zombie outbreak.

Tests are being carried out on a sticky white wax that has been found on more than 100 seabirds washed up along England's south-west coastline.

Seventh Generation was recently named as one of the 2013 Best Places to Work in Vermont. The annual list of the Best Places to Work in Vermont was created by Vermont Business Magazine, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont Department of Economic Development, the Vermont Department of Labor, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) - Vermont State Council and Best Companies Group.

This statewide survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Vermont, benefiting the state's economy, its workforce and businesses. The 2013 Best Places to Work in Vermont list is made up of 21 companies.

"There's no better place for the nation's leading green brand to be based than the Green Mountain State," said John Replogle, CEO of Seventh Generation. "We were born in Vermont 25 years ago and have been inspired by so many other great leaders and purpose-based companies here in the state. This is a great way to celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary as we look forward to growing, learning and improving over the next twenty-five right here in Vermont."

Companies from across the state entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Vermont. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company's workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final ranking. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Vermont and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings. 

About Seventh Generation Seventh Generation is committed to being the most trusted brand of household and personal care products for your living home. Our products offer solutions for the air, surfaces, fabrics, pets and people within your home -- and for the community and environment outside of it. Seventh Generation also offers baby products that are safe for your children and the planet. The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, and making the world a better place for this and the next seven generations. For information on Seven Generation cleaning, paper, baby and feminine personal care products, to find store locations, and explore the company's website visit www.seventhgeneration.com. To read more about Seventh Generation's corporate responsibility, visit the company's Corporate Consciousness Report.

Ceres today announced that Adele Smith Simmons, a senior executive at Metropolis Strategies and a board member at insurance brokerage firm Marsh & McLennan Cos., has been elected to its Board of Directors.

In her current role at Metropolis Strategies, Simmons focuses on environmental and sustainability issues, and provided leadership for the 2009 Burnham Plan Centennial. She was co-chair of the Task Force that developed a Climate Action Plan for the city of Chicago, and is a member of the Green Ribbon Committee that is helping to implement the Plan. She served as a co-chair of the Council on Global Affairs study group on Chicago’s global future.

Simmons also chairs Marsh & McLennan’s board committee on Social Responsibility.

“Ceres is excited to welcome Adele Simmons to our Board,” said Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres. “Her unique experience and expertise in the private sector, as well as with leading NGOs, will help Ceres as we continue to work with businesses and investors to build a more sustainable economy.”

“I have been an admirer of Ceres and its work for many years,” said Simmons. “I look forward to working with the extraordinary staff and my colleagues on the Board to help engage the business and investor community as allies in addressing the critical issues relating to climate change.”

From 1989 to 1999, Simmons was President of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In 1996, she expanded the foundation’s work in the environment to include climate change. The foundation’s international programs focus on the environment, population, international peace and security, understanding inequality within and among nations and climate change.

Before joining the MacArthur Foundation, Simmons was President of Hampshire College, Dean of Students and Assistant Professor of History at Princeton University, and Dean of Jackson College at Tufts University. Simmons has served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Redesign Initiative as well as on President Carter’s Commission on World Hunger and President Bush’s Commission on Sustainable Development. She was a member of the Commission on Global Governance and the UN High Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development.

She is also involved in a number of non-profit organizations, including the Field Museum, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the Economic Club of Chicago, Demos and The American Prospect, the Synergos Institute, the Weil Foundation, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

About Ceres

Ceres is an advocate for sustainability leadership. Ceres mobilizes a powerful coalition of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy. Ceres also directs the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), a network of 100 institutional investors with collective assets totaling more than $11 trillion.

For more information, visit www.ceres.org.