Ta Ya Delonix Regia Forum to Promote Circular Economy [Commercial Times]
2017/10/16
The 2017 Ta Ya Delonix Regia Forum was held last Saturday, October 14, in the “Magic School of Green Technologies” Chong Hua Hall in National Cheng Kung University. This year, the forum featured the theme of “Self-Made Beautiful Homeland” through a circular economy. Mr. Liu Li-Xue, founder of Pierre Organic, which has been in Taiwan for over 50 years, was invited to share his many years’ experience in turning kitchen waste into organic fertilizers and helping small-scaled farmers develop organic farming with organic fertilizers. The participating guests and audience warmly received Mr. Liu.
The forum was hosted by the TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation under the Ta Ya Group, aiming to promote friendly approaches to the environment in all aspects of everyday life from eating, clothing, housing, transport to education and entertainment. Currently onto its 6th year, the Forum invites specialists and scholars every year to share and discuss, by way of themed lectures and seminars, friendly practices to the environment, hoping to stimulate and spur people into proactive action for sustainable lifestyles.
On the day of the forum, the Green Inside Project was also held, and after three hours’ evaluation, eight Pristine Homeland winners were selected, each awarded with NT$30,000 cash. Since its inception, there have been a total of 89 Green Inside Project winners (teams) so far, receiving grants that were all sponsored by the Ta Ya Group. The stories of these friendly-to-the-environment individuals, outstanding projects, and creative designs are gathered once a year, to feature in the “Environment Friendly Professionals” documentary, so as to further boost the (friendly-to-the-environment) energy.
In his speech, Ta Ya Group Chairman Shen Shang-Hung stated that a circular economy and reusing recycled waste are related but not entirely the same. A circular economy features the establishment of cycles where humans cannot merely play the role of consumers or users of resources, but should create value through forces of imagination and action.
The Foundation’s Board Director, Liu Buo-Hong, said in his introductory speech that more and more people from the technology sector are turning to organic farming with Mr. Liu Li-Xue trailblazing the trend. Though each has his/her own development strategies, the trend is significant. After all, land and food dictate human health.
In his speech, Liu Li-Xue, founder of Pierre Organic, recalled the beautiful landscape he saw when he first moved to Baishawan (White Sand Bay in northern Taiwan) that was yet destroyed later by the garbage landfills. The garbage incinerator cannot solve all environmental issues altogether. In particular, when the water retention of the kitchen waste is too higher, even diesels have to be added to the incinerator. With instruction by Wu San-He, professor of National Taiwan University, the successful composting method prompted him to start his own organic farming.
Liu Li-Xue stressed that real solution lies not in dealing with the kitchen waste but in supporting small-scaled farmers to execute organic farming, as well as promoting human health. The farm land by small-scaled farmers accounts for 22% of Taiwan’s total farm lands, and their average monthly wage is less than NT$20,000. They have to survive on part-time temporary jobs. With his own farming experience, Liu said optimistically that to turn kitchen waste into nutrients for Taiwan’s farm lands can also yield economic abundance for small-scale farming families.
The talks on the food chain were followed by a general symposium; invited to the panel were Chen Meng-Kai, Founder of Hope Market; Chen Bing-Heng, Secretary General of Taiwan Environmental Protection Union; and Wu Jian-Zhi, Tai Sugar Corporation’s Engineer. Regarding the circular economy, Chen Meng-Kai demonstrated to the audience how the community currency promoted personal happiness and the trust amongst social groups. On cycles of energy, Chen Bing-Heng shared his knowledge of renewable energy transformations and “people’s power plants”. Wu Jian-Zhi gave an introduction on the new concepts of recycled architecture and recycled housing, soon to be launched by Tai Sugar in Shalun Green Energy Science City.。
Picture: the 6th Delonix Regia Forum was held on October 14 in the “Magic School of Green Technologies” Chong Hua Hall in the National Cheng Kung University. In the picture are participating honorable guests. In the picture, from left to right, are Chen Shi-Ning, CEO for TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation; Chen Meng-Kai, founder of Hope Market; Lee Wen-Bin, Foundation’s Board Director; Wu Jian-Zhi, Tai Sugar’s Engineer; Liu Buo-Hong, Foundation’s Board Director; Shen Shang-Hung, Ta Ya Group’s Chairman; Liu Li-Xue, founder of Pierre Organic; Wang Yan-Huang, Foundation’s Board Director; Hao Xu-Lie, Foundation’s Board Director. (Picture by Ye Zhen-Zhe)
Picture: Ta Ya Group continues to sponsor the Delonix Regia Forum and the evaluation & selection for Green Inside Project winners. Shown in the picture is Ta Ya’s Chairman, Mr. Shen Shang-Hung. (Picture by Ye Zhen-Zhe)
Picture: Ta Ya Delonix Regia Forum this year featured the theme of circular economy and was warmly received by the participants. (Picture by Ye Zhen-Zhe)
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