The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) recently revealed the recipients of its 2025 Corporate Citizenship Award at the Powering Engagement conference. EEI, which represents all investor-owned electric utilities across the United States, presents this annual award to member companies that demonstrate exceptional community support and innovation. A panel of industry executives selects the winners each year.

Entergy earned top honors in the volunteerism category for its “Greening Mardi Gras” initiative—an effort aimed at transforming New Orleans’ iconic celebration into a more environmentally sustainable event.

“We are honored to receive the 2025 EEI Corporate Citizenship Award for volunteerism,” said Patty Riddlebarger, Entergy’s Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility. “Our collaboration with Grounds Krewe to promote a greener Mardi Gras reflects Entergy’s ongoing commitment to the well-being and progress of the communities we serve. By supporting initiatives that preserve cultural traditions while encouraging environmental responsibility, we are proud to protect the city’s festive spirit and lessen its ecological footprint.”

Mardi Gras festivities generate nearly 2.6 million pounds of waste each year, much of which ends up clogging storm drains and littering the streets of New Orleans. Six years ago, that began to change. Through a partnership with Grounds Krewe, Entergy employees joined forces to tackle the growing waste problem head-on.

“EEI member companies not only power homes and businesses across the country—they also uplift and strengthen communities,” said EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney. “This year’s award recipients embody our industry’s dedication to enhancing quality of life and fostering community growth. Their remarkable work deserves to be celebrated.”

As the only Fortune 500 company based in New Orleans, Entergy took a leadership role by becoming Grounds Krewe’s first and longest-running corporate partner. Together, they’ve helped recycle more than 50,000 pounds of waste annually and distributed nearly 800,000 eco-friendly throws to local Mardi Gras organizations—helping reduce the festival’s environmental impact on the city and neighboring areas.

Through programs like “Greening Mardi Gras,” Entergy continues to champion sustainability, blending local tradition with environmental stewardship to create stronger, cleaner, and more resilient communities.

Dailycsr.com – 27 November 2016 – For seventeen long years, the “U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Awards” has been highlighting the business practices that strive to make this earth a “better place”.
 
On a daily basis, business help as a “powerful force for good” of the communities that serve across the U.S. as well as in other countries around the globe. They address the “greatest challenges” that humanity faces today and with “innovation, expertise, efficiency, capital, and collaboration” on their side they even succeed to some extent in solving those challenges.
 
During the last seventeen years’ time, the Citizens have been a medium for helping some of the “most accomplished business initiatives” to gain “positive exposure”. Chamber of Commerce as well as companies from all over the world compete in the “Corporate Citizenship Awards”, whereby these awards turn out to be among the “most coveted opportunities in corporate citizenship”.
 
Walmart follows a strategy for “empowering women”, whereby it has committed itself to recruit from WOBs, besides training “female suppliers” which promotes the latter’s growth and they in turn “develop their enterprises”. Starting from the year of 2012 till date Walmart obtained over “$16.46 billion” worth of services and products from WOBs. So far, Walmart has also trained over “762,000 women” from all over the world. As a winner of Best Economic Empowerment Program, Walmart announces:
“We are proud that the U.S. Chamber Foundation named Walmart the winner of Best Economic Empowerment Program for the Walmart’s Women Economic Empowerment program”.
 
 
 
 
References:
ethicalperformance.com 

Dailycsr.com – 18 November 2016 – FedEx was named by the “U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Centre” as the winner under the category of the “Best Disaster Response and Community Resilience Program” of the “2016 Corporate Citizenship Awards”.
 
FedEx’s effort to provide relief after the earthquake of “7.8 magnitude” struck Nepal on the 25^th of April 2015. The said natural calamity claimed the life of over eight thousand people, while leaving behind thousands injured and swallowing the shelter of two millions. In such emergency situation, FedEx was prepared with a plan in association with “Direct Relief, Heart to Heart International and Water Missions”.
 
The disaster relief team flew in the much needed “medicines, medical supplies, food, shelters and water purification equipment” to Kathmandu back from the United States, while the Corporate Communications’ vice-president at FedEx Services, Neil Gibson, stated:
“The FedEx network and the people who power it are committed to helping relief organizations prepare and respond in times of disaster. It means so much to our team members to be a part of relief efforts and we are honored to be recognized alongside so many other companies working to build a more prosperous world.”
 
The recognition provided through the “U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Awards” selects the corporates who displayed “significant positive impacts in communities” on a global scale. It has been for seventeen years now that the awards’ programme highlighted the businesses perform round the world as a “powerful force for good around the world”.
 
Chambers of Commerce as well as companies from around the world compete for this honour, which only adds to the value of the award for being among the “most coveted opportunities for recognition in corporate citizenship”. The vice-president of the “U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Centre”, Marc DeCourcey, said:
“In the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, FedEx’s resources and transportation support were crucial to the relief efforts. Their dedication to disaster relief and response shows FedEx’s strong commitment to helping those in need.”
 
The winners of 2016, who received the said honour, were revealed at a function that was held in Washington, D.C. on the 17^th of November 2016.
 
 
 
 
 
 
References:
ethicalperformance.com 

Dailycsr.com – 13 October 2015 – Xylem Inc. has received the “2015 Corporate Citizenship Award” which is being awarded by the “U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation”. The said company has earned its recognition through its work whereby it has dedicated itself for resolving the “most challenging water issues” in the world. Consequently, it won the title of “the Best Health and Wellness Program”. The award is proof of being recognised for its “sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene” solution which has been shortly termed as W.A.S.H.
 
W.A.S.H has been active in providing solutions to water related issues to the “most vulnerable communities” around the globe. The award ceremony also marked the “16th year” of “USCCF Corporate Citizenship Awards” which honoured business bodies that created a positive impact on the global community scale. The ceremony took place in Washington, D.C, wherein the names of the winners were let out.
 
Xylem Watermark is part of Xylem company’s “corporate citizenship and social investment program”, whereby the organisation along with the “best-in-class” non-profits work in a dedicated manner towards the betterment of W.A.S.H’s infrastructure. Consequently, they aim to reach out to “hundreds of thousands of people in nine countries”.
 
The nature of projects undertaken by W.A.S.H includes renovating washrooms, constructing “new water systems”, sanitizing blocks, repairing hand-wash facilities and constructing gravity-fed water towers”. The list of organisations with which the Xylem Watermark worked in collaboration for “740 W.A.S.H.-related projects in the past seven years” goes like this:
“Water For People, China Women’s Development Foundation, Planet Water Foundation and Fundación Avina “.
 
In the Xylem Watermark Committee’s chairperson, Colin Sabol’s words:
“W.A.S.H. education programs and access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene are critical building blocks to sustainable human and economic development. We are especially proud to receive this award because it highlights our program’s results and the impact our programs have on local communities.”
 
Wherever communities require water related solutions, Xylem Watermark and its partners reach there to “develop customized” solutions to the water problems. Over the years the team of W.A.S.H designed “broad adoption of smarter W.A.S.H. practices”. In such attempts, Xylem Watermark along with the Planet Water Foundation created “Dynamic curricula” wherein the school children learn about water related germs and issues through colour books. Likewise, the team has been “empowering students to become W.A.S.H. teachers for their families and communities”.
 
Recently, the impact report presented by the “Planet Water Foundation” revealed that there has been “80% decrease in diarrheal episodes versus” in India under the above mentioned attempt. Moreover, an additional “27%” children joined in the programme.
 
In fact, Water For People has similar “train-the-trainer model” wherein it targets “local leaders” and trains them to become “role models and mentors within their communities”. Moreover, the employees of Xylem are encouraged to “make their mark through global and regional volunteer trips”. In the said process, they take part in “fieldwork in communities” in partnership with non-profit partners whereby advocating “for global water solutions”. Nick Hill, the executive chairman of “Planet Water Foundation” said:
“Thanks to Xylem and Xylem Watermark, we can double our impact and provide resources needed to secure safe water and sanitation in communities that need it the most”.





References:
www.businesswire.com