Corporate-Academic Partnership in Environmental Protection Activities: Green Bank Activities with Hefei University (Hitachi Construction Machinery (China))
Hitachi Construction Machinery (China) Co., Ltd. (HCMC) is carrying out environmental awareness activities by visiting corporate housing, kindergartens, elementary schools, community organizations, and other groups. The objective is to expand its environmental protection activities by introducing the Eco-Mind of the Hitachi Group to as many people as possible. On May 6, 2017, HCMC, in conjunction with business partner Anhui HEDA Environmental Detection Services Co., Ltd. and Midori no Kai (Green Eco Club) from Hefei University, jointly conducted Green Bank activities.
The activities consisted of asking people to recycle their PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, getting university students who endorsed these activities to set up Green Bank accounts, and awarding green points based on the amount of PET bottles collected. The 112 potted plants that were given out in exchange for green points on the day of the activity were gone in an instant. Roughly 4,900 PET bottles were gathered by the several hundred students that participated in the event. These PET bottles were sold as valuable resources and the money was used to buy stationery goods. These were then donated to students in need within the community.
Through this activity students learned that reducing waste helps protect the environment and that garbage can be turned back into resources. It also helped students to understand the importance of separating their garbage. Going forward, HCMC aims to continue its volunteer activities to protect both the environment and local residents, and to create a lush, green and beautiful environment.
Green Bank—using waste to feed plants (official website for Midori no Kai, Hefei University) (Chinese only)