Focusing on the Environment
Mitsubishi Electric was early to start focusing on environment-related responsibilities. Back in 1960 the company started implementing manufacturing processes that consciously strived to reduce waste. Over the subsequent decades Mitsubishi Electric developed purification and recycling technologies that we not only use ourselves, but also make available to other manufacturers. For more information on Mitsubishi Electric's environmental policies, practices and products, click here.
"Satoyama" Woodland Protection Activities (Japan)
We commenced the "Woodland Preservation Project" in October 2007 in Japan. In line with the slogan "down-to-earth and sustainable," we are pursuing phased nature conservation activities in areas throughout the country, such as a forest in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, and forests owned by a cooperative in Sasayama, Hyogo Prefecture. Through participation in the development of safe regional communities, we are deepening communications with local residents.
Closer to our head office, we continue to cooperate with Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. in restoring the natural woodlands of Mount Fuji. Our President & CEO, Vice Presidents and other corporate officers are proactively involved.
Other Satoyama Activities |
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Increasing Green Areas through Tree Planting (Thailand)
Mitsubishi Elevator (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has launched a project to increase local green areas. Started in 2009 under the name "One Lift You Need, One Seed We Plant," this project attempts to increase green areas in communities around the company while accrediting customers. In the first year, 999 trees were planted along Bangna-Trad Road median near the company. This project will be ongoing; the number of trees will be based on annual units sold.
Climate Control for Endangered Hairy Nosed Wombat House (Australia)
Peter Brooks with Tyler Morton at the wombat enclosure
Mitsubishi Electric Australia supports Australian Animals Care & Education Inc. (AACE Inc), a not for profit organisation dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing wildlife that has been injured or displaced from their natural habitat.
AACE Inc is also heavily involved various in endangered species programs, such as the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat, an endangered species in Queensland with only 115 animals remaining. ACCE Inc currently has four Southern Hairy Nosed Wombats in purpose built facility in Marlborough, Queensland.
Mitsubishi Electric Australia has provided two air conditioning systems for the wombat house to ensure a constant temperature of 22 degrees Centigrade in the summer months and 24 degrees in the winter, which closely reflects the temperatures of the natural environment in wombat burrows.
Sakura Tree-planting Project (USA)
Japanese and American MEPPI employees work together to plant Sakura trees in Pittsburgh.
Mitsubishi Electric's Satoyama projects carried out in Japan aim to help restore and preserve natural areas and emphasize humanity's coexistence with nature. Now a project in the spirit of Satoyama has been launched in the United States, at a park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, through the efforts of employees from Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. (MEPPI).
Expatriate employees at MEPPI worked with the Japanese Association of Greater Pittsburgh to bring the "Pittsburgh Sakura Project" to life. In April 2009, a group of 300 Japanese and American volunteers from MEPPI and other community groups helped plant a grove of 40 Japanese cherry trees in a park near MEPPI headquarters. MEPPI volunteers are committed to caring for the trees and adding more each year, keeping the Satoyama spirit in bloom.
Tree-planting Activities in Shanghai (China)
The Mitsubishi Electric Group hosted a tree-planting event in Shanghai, with the participation of 80 members from 25 Group companies in China and Hong Kong. Through the event, Mitsubishi Electric has not only fulfilled its corporate social responsibility as a corporate member of society in China, but by cooperating with relevant people in the Shanghai area, the company also strengthened its relationship with Chinese society as well as contributed to environmental protection in the region.
Volunteer Flower-planting Activities (Japan)
Responding to a suggestion by the Ota City Philanthropic Activities Liaison Council in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, Mitsubishi Electric participated in a project to create a recreation and relaxation area for nearby residents. Some 45,000 flowering plants (moss pink) were planted in March 2008 on the grounds of a local water treatment center under construction. Blown by the region's famous cold, dry winds, students and local participants enthusiastically planted roughly 100 plants per square meter of land.
Mitsubishi Electric Outdoor Classroom in Nishiyama Park (Japan)
Mitsubishi Electric's Kyoto Works has hosted a parent-child outdoor learning program in Nishiyama Park in Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto. The program was held for the third time, and was attended by 25 participants consisting of employees of Kyoto Works and members of their families.
While walking along a course from Komyoji Temple to Nishiyama Park, the participants observed wayside plants, collected fallen leaves, and used a magnifying glass to closely examine larvae and adult insects that pass the winter by attaching themselves to the underside of leaves. At Nishiyama Park, they made handicrafts using acorns and leaves they collected on the way, and thoroughly enjoyed their experience with nature. The program provided the children a fun-filled experience, as well as heightened their interest in the natural environment.
Onsite Environmental Education at Local Elementary Schools (Japan)
As a new undertaking in the field of local environmental protection, Mitsubishi Electric's Kamakura Works has provided onsite environmental education to 40 fifth-grade students at neighboring schools.
Kamakura Works is a main player in building the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) Ibuki, a satellite system for observing the distribution levels of such greenhouse effect gases as CO2 and methane from outer space. With the aim to promote students' interest in environmental activities, the program provided an overview of Kamakura Works (business description) and introduced environmental activities regularly practiced by all personnel of the plant, including the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) for wastewater produced in the production process. The program provided an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that simple daily efforts can make an effective contribution to achieving the targets of the Kyoto Protocol which was adopted in 1997, as well as to preserving the global environment.
As the program was successful in capturing the interest of the children, who asked many questions and took an active part in lively discussions, we hope to continue offering such programs in the local community, to promote environmental knowledge and awareness among elementary school students.
Environmental Technology (Czech Republic)
Mitsubishi Electric Automotive Czech s.r.o., a maker of automotive equipment, takes a direct interest in the City of Slany, where it resides. The company has installed equipment that breaks down 98 percent of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that arise from the silicon coating process of engine control units, and renders them into harmless carbon dioxide and water safe for release into the atmosphere.
"Satoyama" Activities in Togokusan Woodlands (Japan)
Mitsubishi Electric's Nagoya Works engages in satoyama (local woodlands) preservation activities as part of its corporate social responsibility, and has added beautification activities, forest maintenance, and nature observation/handicraft classes to its program since June 2007.
In 2008, a parent-child nature observation program was held in Togokusan¹ for the first time, with the participation of 49 members, including 15 children. Under the guidance of a forest instructor from a local forest preservation organization², the participants observed plants and tree leaves that have begun changing color, and thereafter learned how to make handicrafts using tree branches. The nature experience captured the strong interest of all participants, and especially the children.
NOTES:
1: Togokusan: A roughly 5-hectare prefectural forest in the Moriyama District in Nagoya City which serves as the center of the satoyama preservation program based on a forest development agreement signed by Nagoya Works and Aichi Prefecture.
2: Aichi Moriyama Shizen-no-kai: A local forest preservation organization which supports Nagoya Works' satoyama preservation program by providing assistance and cooperation in planning and implementing activities.
"Satoyama" Activities at Aburai Chinju Woodlands (Japan)
Mitsubishi Electric's Kobe Works launched a Social Contribution Club in December 2007 and began seeking volunteer members to take part in the club's activities. As of February 2009, 55 members have registered with the club. An average of about 20 members get together seven times a year and carry out various activities in the common forest located in the Aburai District of Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture.
The club meets with the "Aburai Group to Protect the Local Shrine Grove," a group which was jointly established by the local community, local government and Mitsubishi Electric, to discuss the status of the group's regular activities, as well as conducts forest thinning work and nature trail construction work in the effort to turn a natural forest that has been abandoned for 40 years into a children's playground. The exposure to fresh air, the therapeutic effect of the forest, and the direct interaction with the trees are proving to be precious sources of energy to all members of the club.
MV Club Environmental Volunteers (Japan)
In the Nakatsugawa District in Gifu Prefecture, Mitsubishi Electric engages in diverse volunteer activities mainly through the Mitsubishi Electric Nakatsugawa Works Volunteer Club, otherwise known as the MV Club.
The MV Club has launched a tri-annual environmental volunteer program in FY2008, in which a group of about 40 participants comprised of members of the Club, the local government, local organizations, and local residents, spend about two hours cutting grass, thinning the forest, and performing other such tasks. In conjunction with this program, the MV Club also hosts parent-child outdoor environmental learning programs and programs that teach children to play with items found in nature, to promote an awareness of the precious value of the natural environment.
With "continuity" as its keyword, the MV Club intends to continue its cooperation with local residents and organizations to beautify and attract visitors to the prefectural Nenoue-kogen Azalea Park, from inside and outside the prefecture.
