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2017-11-08

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Environmental education

TAYA Pristine Homeland Foundation

We began contemplating the implementation of CSR in 2007 and attempted to conceive of projects with long-term commitments that benefited society at large. Multiple attempts since then have helped us accumulate crucial core abilities in preparation of long-term implementation. This helped us to submit our application to the EPA at the end of 2011 to establish the Green Inside initiative in Tainan. Since inception in 1955, our roots have always been in Taiwan. The local culture and the passion of the Tainan people not only promoted our love of this land, but also promoted the CSR of local corporations to preserve the beauty of the local environment with sustainable development methods. The philosophy of the Pristine Homeland Foundation is based on environmental protection, caring for all life forms, a sustainable Earth, and related environmentally-friendly concepts that foster a beautiful home and nurture the future of coexistence between the environment and us. We are dedicated to sponsoring concrete protection-oriented actions and the long-term promotion of environmental education. Furthermore, we also disseminate the influence of Green Thinking via cultivating environmentally-friendly talent, and call upon our employees and their families to join volunteer services and devote themselves to social welfare in a large-scale manner.

Delonix Regia Forum

Since September 2012, the Ta Ya Pristine Homeland Foundation has been hosting an annual “Delonix Regia Forum” at NCKU’s (National Cheng Kung University) Magic School of Green Technologies, during which experts were invited to share with local residents on how to realize green living in various aspects of life.

Delonix Regia Forum were held at NCKU Magic School of Green Technologies on the 15th Oct. This year’s event features the theme: “Green for Happiness,” meaning that true happiness originates from intimate contact with nature, and by healing the environment, we heal our bodies and souls. Curator Chen Mingchuan of Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation was invited to deliver a speech on his experience of turning barren land into fertile land.

Ta Ya Group Chairman Shen Shang-Hung said in his welcoming speech: “I am glad that Ta Ya is able to contribute efforts to building our pristine homeland. The green living concept that Green Inside has advocated for is consistent with Tainan City Government’s low carbon city, low-carbon travel, and low-carbon traffic initiatives. From daily living activities to clean production and use of renewable energy at factories, we at Ta Ya are doing everything possible to make out actions environmental friendly.”

Tainan City Deputy Mayor Yen Chun-Tso made an analogy based on his medical background that: “Every different aspect of city administration is interconnected. Technology can not exist without culture or a sustainable environment.” Deputy Mayor Yen complimented and expressed gratitude on Ta Ya’s decision to build a proprietary solar power plant, and said: “Extreme weather is the biggest crisis in mankind’s history, and is a challenge that we have never encountered. The topic of land restoration discussed in this forum will help our descendants react to climate change.”

This year’s speech, titled“ From Barren to Fertile - A Restoration of Clean Land and Life,” was delivered by Mr. Chen Mingchuan from Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation. He began by recalling his return from the United States, and his involvement in the design and construction of organic farms. He said that 145,485 square meters of land owned by Taiwan Sugar Corporation were over-fertilized for sugar cane plantation that the land became acidified and ultimately abandoned and used as landfill site. In 2007, he started leading a team of volunteers on a mission to save land, clearing rocks and garbage piece by piece. Through a series of processes including aeration, water treatment, plantation of green manure and trees, the volunteers finally restored life into the once abandoned land. After Mr. Chen had shared his farming experience, two other guest speakers were invited to talk about the healing of land, body, and soul.

Managing Director Chen Yuping of KJMU Foundation began her talk about how we, as consumers, can develop harmonic connections with our land and achieve greater satisfaction from it. She first defined “geoculture” as the way humans treat/use the land. What Mr. Chen had shared was his way of treating land, and one that motivates and gives consumers the peace of mind to purchase products produced from it. Geo-cultures need to be materialized in order to influence consumers’ decisions throughout the value chain.

Mr. Li Yuqing, Managing Supervisor of Taiwan Ecological Stewardship Association (TESA) and member of Society of Wilderness (SOW), took the audience to think deep about balancing between the environment we see and the souls we can not see.“ Mountains need to rest and sleep like people. They doze off when they feel tired, and it is moments like these that we should avoid disturbing them.” He encouraged everyone to think like mountains and rediscover our connection to nature by listening to the voice of the land, and making changes where necessary to heal our land, body, and soul.

The Documentary–” Environmental Friendly Professionals

As democracy evolves in Taiwan, environmental activists have also changed from protesters into preservation groups, and to environmental professionals and entrepreneurs we see today. Although they seldom appear in media, they are undeniably a strong force that preserves Taiwan’s current environment. Ta Ya saw the trend emerge as early as 2006, which was why“ Green Inside Project” was launched as a systematic way of sponsoring professionals who are friendly to the environment.

The environmental-friendly solutions undertaken by Green Inside Project winners are what we view as an effective way to solve Taiwan’s environmental threats and mend the damages people have done to it. They have also shown environmental activists the alternative ways to state their cause. The Ta Ya Foundation invested in the the production of the documentary “Environmental Friendly Professionals” in 2015. Through the documentary film, we hoped to show how the Green Inside Project winners have lived up to their reputation as “environmental-friendly professionals” and motivate the younger generation to commit to a good cause. The way of life or career chosen by Green Inside Project winners will prove beneficial to Taiwan’s natural environment. Ta Ya Foundation organized 11 mobile film projections and symposium from March to May 2016. We have faith that the documentary film will rally audience’s support to their products and services, and help them commit to their cause.

Green Inside Project

We have gone through the topics of“ Food, Clothing, Housing, Transportation, Education” in the selection of the Green Inside Project Environmental Friendly Professionals since 2007, and finally we reach the final topic of“ Entertainment”. The experience in the learning from the environmental friendly professionals and the interaction with them over the past 10 years gives us a brand new realization of “Entertainment”. The real happiness origins from the close relationship with nature. The body and mind are recovered while the land is repaired. You cure the environment and yourself at the same time.

The selection of proposals for the 6th Green Inside Project in 2016 launched following the Delonix Regia Forum. Hong Huixiang, winner of 2012 Southern Spirits Award, was invited as a member of the jury. This year’s event saw 11 candidates competing for the Pristine Homeland Award, and 2 candidates competing for the Southern Spirits Award. To facilitate learning, the selection process progressed with an open audience. The jury selected 9 Pristine Homeland winners, each won a prize of NT$30,000. Meanwhile, Madam Wu Meimao of Taiwan Good Food was awarded the Southern Spirits Award and a prize of NT$100,000 for her“ New Agricultural Values.”

Group Family Day

Ta Ya Group held its Family Day event in the morning of Saturday, March 19. The Group once again teamed up with Tainan City Water Resources Bureau to plant 100 orange jasmines along the left bank of Section 3 Junan Road, and added a touch of green to the riverside. More than 80 employees and family members from Ta Ya, AD and Ta Heng participated in this event.

Shanhaizhen Trail is a cycling trail built with the support of Tainan City Government. It runs through Taijiang and connects to Wusanto Reservoir, and hence the name “Shanhaizhen.” The river bank along Section 3 Junan Road was initially planted with some China berry trees, but in order to provide cyclists with a more comfortable and safer cycling environment, the city government removed some of the asphalt surface and planted arbors and scrubs instead. These trees not only separate cyclists from cars and motorcycles, but will someday grow to form an appealing green tunnel as well. After the Chairman’s speech, the competitive cyclists and recreational cyclists made their separate start. Led by Chairman Shen, who also happens to be a hardcore cyclist, the competitive group rode out with members of Ta Ya cycling club, traveling along the cycling path on the right side of the river bank past the National Museum of Taiwan History, and were greeted by a vast expanse of fish farms and rice fields. The cyclists reached Singangshe Cultural Centre before heading back to complete the 22KM journey.

In the morning of the 3rd, the Group held its Northern Region Family Day at Sinwu Yongan Fishery Port, during which nearly 100 employees and family members from TAYA Taipei Branch, Cuprime, Cugreen, and UEl showed up in support of the coastal cleanup.

Sinwu Green Tunnel is a renowned coastal attraction in Taoyuan. TAYA Group’s 2015 Northern Region Family Day event was held at the shingle beach in the southern part of the coast. This year’s coastal cleanup was held in the northern part at Yongan Fishery Port. Led by TAYA Group Chairman Shen Shanghong, nearly 100 employees and family members were quickly assigned to their designated areas for garbage cleanup. Despite the cold northeast monsoon, everyone seemed passionate about putting on gloves and picking out garbage with tongs. A significant amount of waste was removed during the event, and the volunteers found several abandoned truck tyres that could only be removed with the effort of many strong people. All waste picked off the beach was classified according to International Coastal Cleanup Data Card. The event was considered a success given the significant results achieved in just one hour.

Corporate Volunteers

In 2013, the group assembled a wire safety volunteer team under the Ta Ya Pristine Homeland Foundation. In 2015, we, together with the Tainan City Water Resources Bureau, organized a Family Day event at Benyuanliao Drainage and planted 50 seedlings of Chinaberry. We worked with the Tainan City Water Resources Bureau again in 2016 and planted 100 seedlings of Common Jasmin Orange at Section 3, Junan Road, on the left bank of the Jianan Irrigation Canal to give the bank more greens. The volunteer team has been watering and maintaining the trees and removing the garbage 7 times. The residents of the Home With Love, an institution for restoration from sickness, in the Annan District were invited to join us for the maintenance. Though weeding and picking garbage were boring, all the participants shoveled weeds off the ground and bagged them one by one under the guidance of our employees. Everyone laughed happily after the work was completed.

The 26 members of the volunteer team contributed a total of 464 service hours in 2016. In order to encourage more employees and their families to participate in the voluntary service for social welfare, we amended the “Implementation Regulations of the Volunteer Team” two years after they took effect and added a provision that“ employees who participate in the activities of the volunteer team for 24 service hours in the current year or take a managing position on the volunteer team will be recommended by the leader of the volunteer team to the human resources department for commendation.” By doing so, we hope to promote the idea of a beautiful home to every employee of the Company.

In the morning of the 17th, TAYA’s corporate volunteers visited Bajia Village Community Center in Guiren District to speak with more than 60 local residents about power safety. To support TAYA Group’s active involvement in the solar energy business, this event also included an introduction to rooftop solar power system.

Mr. Yang Jincong, Chief of Bajia Village, Guiren District, said in his speech that “TAYA gave him his first job, back in the time when the factory was still located on Renhe Road. Thank you, TAYA volunteers, for reminding our residents about power safety.” he said.

The event began with the screening of “Environmental Friendly Professionals,” a documentary produced by the foundation, followed by the use of photos and video clips that gave participants a concise explanation about domestic wiring, grounding, leakage detection, and elimination of short circuit. As a support to the government’s green energy initiatives (“Million Rooftop PVs”), this event also included a description on how solar energy system works. During the seminar, participants were invited to engage actively in fun quiz, and those who answered correctly were rewarded with one of TAYA’s specially made power extension cables. Due to overwhelming response, the one-hour event ended much later than it was intended. Lastly, the event closed with TAYA’s charity club donating supplies to residents in need. Whether in northern or southern part of Taiwan, TAYA Group is indistinguishable in how it coordinates resources throughout the organization and mobilizes employees to engage in social activities and fulfill TAYA’s role as a corporate citizen.