Flying Bridges enhances your social investment “thought capital” by sharing value driven programs, projects, resources and tidbits that we think are just terrific!

“Brest and Harvey have distilled the essence of strategic philanthropy into a highly accessible book.  Their work will be an invaluable resource for those new to philanthropy and those seeking to achieve a greater social impact with their giving.”
Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better."

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision.

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did.

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience.

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it     doesn't matter.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer.

Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.  

Labour
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. 

Environment
Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery. 

The core belief at Flying Bridges is that sustainable development and action requires integration of responsible practices into business operations. In this section we will highlight innovative partnerships making a measurable difference.

Climate change: in 2001, the Group set a target of 20% reduction of its net CO2 emissions over the period 1990-2010. By 2010, Lafarge took a significant step in the fight against climate change by achieving a reduction of 21.7% of its net CO2 emissions.

Persistent pollutants: through the work on persistent pollutants, Lafarge has completed at least one test for mercury and dioxins at all of its regularly operating kilns that have been part of the Lafarge Group for at least 3 years.

Water consumption: Lafarge set up 4 pilot sites in the United Kingdom, Romania, Egypt and Spain to assess the Group's water footprint. These pilot sites have enabled the Group to implement a guide in order to manage and better conserve water resources.

Biodiversity: screening has been completed for 94% of the 716 active quarries across the Group. 47% of quarries that are in protected areas and/or sites containing IUCN red list species have Biodiversity Management Plans.

Sustainable construction: new products and systems continue to be developed by Lafarge to promote simple but effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint of products and enhance the energy efficiency of buildings.