Kyocera Corporation today announced that the company is greatly expanding its environmentally-themed Eco-Lesson program in China part of the company's worldwide Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities to reach a target of 100 primary schools and 20,000 children in the year starting April 2011, up from 18 schools and 2,550 children in the previous year.
The Eco-Lessons, which are taught mainly at primary schools by specially-trained Kyocera Group employees, are offered to children in the hopes of planting the seeds of environmental awareness at a young age a topic which is of particular relevance in China where the importance of environmental protection is growing along with rapid economic development.
Overview of Eco-Lesson Content and History
The Eco-Lessons teach children about the major environmental issues the world faces, and incorporate original experimentation kits and toys utilizing solar cells, a fun quiz and other interactive activities so that students can immerse themselves in the learning experience. Kyocera has been offering the lessons in order to enhance children's awareness of environmental issues and interest in alternative energy, and to foster an eco-friendly perspective in the next generation.
Kyocera started the program in Japan in 2003, and as of March 2011 the lessons have been provided to over 30,000 children in Japan alone.
In April 2009, the lessons were introduced to schools in China by four Kyocera Group employees from the company subsidiary in Tianjin. In the first year of the program, the lessons were taught at 14 schools to 1,660 children concentrated in the Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Shenzhen areas.
This increased to 18 schools and 2,550 children in the second year; and now is being proactively expanded by 10 instructors to 100 schools and 20,000 students this year.
