Continuing Global Philanthropic Activities
Three Areas of Philanthropy
Mitsubishi Electric promotes philanthropic activities with an emphasis on the three categories of social welfare, global environmental preservation and scientific technological advancement.
For more information, please refer to the pages on philanthropic activities.
Employee Participation Program "Woodland Preservation Project"
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.
In the Nagoya area, we became the first company to conclude a corporate forestation agreement with Aichi Prefecture. With guidance from experts, we are moving ahead with environmental preservation activities in the Togokusan prefectural woodlands located in Nagoya City's Moriyama Ward while promoting cooperation with the local people and related organizations.
In the Kobe area, we have established a council called the "Association to Preserve the Aburai Chinju Woodlands" with a view to considering activities that bring together the authorities (the Tanba Prefectural Residents Bureau, and Shinozaki City, Hyogo Prefecture), local entities (Aburai Productive Forest Union) and Mitsubishi Electric. A tree-planting ceremony was held to commemorate the signing of the agreement on March 27.
SOCIO-ROOTS Fund
Established in 1992, the Mitsubishi Electric SOCIO-ROOTS Fund is a gift program in which the Company matches any donation made by an employee, thus doubling the goodwill of the gift. More than 1,000 employees participate in the Fund each year. As of March 2008, the Fund had attracted more than 1,000 donations, with approximately ¥500 million provided to various social welfare facilities and other programs.
In addition to social welfare facilities, we have extended the scope of our donations in recent years to include social welfare activities related to environmental protection and disaster relief. In fiscal 2008, the Mitsubishi Electric SOCIO-ROOTS Fund contributed to the Children's Forest Program in Malaysia, an activity organized by OISCA, an international NGO engaged in agricultural development and environmental protection activities, mainly in Asia and the Pacific region.
Looking ahead, Mitsubishi Electric will continue to make steady efforts to develop activities rooted in local communities while respecting employees' goodwill.
Presentation ceremony at the head office, October 2007
A visit to the "Children's Forest Program" site in Saba Province in Malaysia to take part in tree planting activities, April 2008.
Foundations
Founded in 1991, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) serves children and youth with disabilities in the United States. In 2000 Mitsubishi Electric was recognized for its support of the internship program of the American Foundation for the Blind, becoming the first Japanese company to win the prestigious Helen Keller Achievement Award.
The Mitsubishi Electric Thai Foundation, also established in 1991, grants scholarship payments to university students and conducts school lunch support programs at elementary schools.
In the United States, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation supports an internship program at Congressional offices. This gives students with disabilities the opportunity to acquire business acumen and a sense of professionalism, and some have even gone on to become actual employees.
The Mitsubishi Electric Thai Foundation and employees of local Mitsubishi Electric offices purchase fertilizer and feedstock and work with elementary school students to grow vegetables and raise livestock. The fruits of their labors are used in lunches for elementary school students who don't have the means to buy school lunches, while these activities simultaneously teach them the importance and the joys of growing and raising foodstuffs.
