Sustainability, Workplace Studies, and News Out of Congress You Might Have Missed 

A look at the policy and public interest news from PR Newswire in September and October that you might have missed.

By Nikita Lero | Published Nov. 1, 2023

Recent news in the policy and public interest fields has been filled with interesting and exciting stories covering many topics. In this recap, we’ll be reviewing three of the bigger trends seen over the past two months, like the companies' push for sustainability and studies surrounding the current workplace markets. We will also discuss news coming out of Congress as election season ramps up. We'll highlight the trends, releases related to them, and the most-read policy and public interest releases over the past two months.

PR Newswire distribution nearly 4,000 press releases tied to policy and public interest categories in September and October, with the following being some of the most viewed:

• September 16 was declared "Open Science Day" by Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Executive of King County, Dow Constantine, in honor of the Allen Institute’s 20^th Anniversary.
• New research from the University of Barcelona and shared by The Peanut Institute shows that daily consumption of peanuts and peanut butter can produce compounds in the gut that help improve memory and reduce stress responses like anxiety and depression in healthy young adults.
• The Ad Council and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shared new PSAs for their campaign "Don’t Wait. Reach Out" encouraging veterans to ask for help before they are in a crisis. 

Policy and Public Interest News Trends

Let’s dive into some of the trends in policy and public interest news throughout September and October.

Rise in Sustainability

According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) as of October 10, there have been 24 confirmed weather/climate disaster events in 2023 that have led to losses exceeding $1 billion each affecting the U.S. In just one month, the U.S was affected by the Maui fires, Hurricane Idalia, and extreme storms. With the growing toll of climate and weather disasters rising, many companies/organizations are launching more sustainable changes in hopes of combatting these events moving forward.

Nearly 7,000 press releases mentioning "sustainability" or "sustainable" were sent out in September and October, including:

• Baleaf Sports announced its sustainability plan to promote its green practices and actions even more.
• Norfolk Southern received two Sustainable Company Awards from Environmental Finance – the Energy Efficiency Initiative of the Year, Americas and the Nature-Based Initiative of the Year, Americas.
• BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, and American Honda Motor Co., Inc. entered into an agreement to create ChargeScape, LLC – a joint venture in EV technology and electric car charging.
• REI Co-Op’s net-zero targets were approved by the Science Based Target initiative, including its commitment to reaching net-zero GHG emissions across its chain by 2050.
• MillerKnoll published its 2023 Better World report detailing its goal to design a better world and the sustainability impacts it's made so far.

Workplace Studies

The workplace has evolved quite a bit over the past few years. As a result of the pandemic's rise in hybrid work, the recent tech layoffs, and the state of the economy, the workplace is not what it was just a few years before. With all the changes, it’s no wonder we noticed a trend of workplace studies and news these past two months.

Here are some of the recent workplace studies you may have missed:

• Catalyst’s new global report finds that across six countries, 66% of employees from marginalized racial and ethnic groups experience racism at work, with half experiencing it at their current job.
• Robert Half released its 2024 Salary Guide highlighting employment trends like flexible work, raises, and negotiations.
• LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company aim to breakdown four myths about women’s experiences at work with their ninth annual Women in the Workplace report.
• The 2024 Employee Experience Trends Report from Qualtrics finds that hybrid work, AI assistance, and more are trends for 2024.
• A new report from the National Safety Council, in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register Foundation, shares the importance of modern safety approaches and their impact on health, safety, and more in the workplace.

News Out of Congress

A lot of eyes have been on Congress these past few months. From  the close call on a government shutdown to the Speaker of the House elections that resulted in Mike Johnson’s win, people are watching what Congress is up to and what they are working on.

We saw over 500 releases sent out these past two months related to Congress. Here are a few to check out:

• K9s For Warriors celebrated the unanimous passage of bipartisan resolution in the Senate designating September 20 as National Service Dog Day.
• January 6^th Select Committee members will be awarded the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights 2023 Ripple of Hope Award at a gala this December.
• Singers and songwriters convened on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to protect American music creators with AI policies and “Stand with Songwriters” on Advocacy Day.
• Queer author Dr. Steve Yacovelli is fighting back on his LGBTQ+ leadership book being banned in Congress by giving it away to impacted agencies.

Trends We'll Be Watching

As election season rolls on and the presidential election takes shape, we are starting to see more election-related releases hit the wire. Here are a few we have seen as we head in recent months:

• A new campaign looks to educate the public about AI misinformation while empowering people to protect their vote ahead of the 2024 election.
• For National Voter Registration Day, two organizations sent announcements pushing to register voters. When We All Vote shared a video message with Michelle Obama, Chris Paul, and more urging Americans to register to vote. Nonprofit VOTE aimed to register more than 250,000 Americans ahead of state and local elections, and the presidential primaries.
• Ballotpedia shared its top ballot measures to watch on November 7  and key ballot trends in 2023. 

With Veterans Day and the winter holidays coming up we expect to see new announcements about supporting our veterans and giving back to communities.

Stay tuned to see what news comes out in the policy and public interest industries next!

About the Author

Nikita Lero is a Senior Distribution Customer Support Specialist at Cision PR Newswire and been with the company since 2014. Outside of work, she enjoys creative writing, reading, checking out the latest restaurants, gaming, and cuddling with her cat, Ambrose.