The 易游体育app官网LCO GREEN PROJECT (Contributing to Society through Environmental Activity)

In respect to environmental concerns, the 易游体育app官网 Steel Group also strives to work in cooperation and harmony with society.
Beginning in fiscal 2013 we implemented a groupwide program known as the 易游体育app官网LCO GREEN PROJECT. Activities include the 易游体育app官网LCO Forest Fairy Tale Prize designed to raise children's environmental awareness, visits to children's centers to give lessons on caring for the environment, and forest development programs carried out by Group employees.

3rd 易游体育app官网LCO Forest Fairy Tale Prize

Picture book pres易游体育app官网tation ceremony
(Left: Hyogo Prefectural Library Director Osamu Z易游体育app官网bu)

Picture book pres易游体育app官网tation ceremony
(Left: Hyogo Prefectural Library Director Osamu
Z易游体育app官网bu)

The 易游体育app官网 Steel Group collects stories on forest themes from students in elementary schools and junior and senior high schools across Japan with the aim of raising a generation of children who will carry with them an appreciation for all the many blessings that forests offer us. Winning stories are transformed into picture books with illustrations by picture book authors Moe Nagata and Roko.

易游体育app官网e 易游体育app官网ird annual prize, held in fiscal 2015, garnered a total of 574 submissions. Mori no Maho no Yofuku (The Magic Clothes of the Forest), written by Mimi Sakito (Ele易游体育app官网ntary School Division), and Morino Gin易游体育app官网 易游体育app官网yama Shiten (The 易游体育app官网yama Branch of Morino Bank), written by Eito Fujiwara (Junior High and Senior High School Division) were selected as the grand prize winners.

The finished picture books were presented in a ceremony to Hyogo Prefecture, the 易游体育app官网 City Board of Education, and the Hyogo Prefectural Library, after which around 1,800 sets were donated to elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, special needs schools, and public libraries in jurisdictions of supporting local governments.

3rd award ce易游体育app官网mony

3rd award ceremony

3rd 易游体育app官网LCO Forest Fairy Tale Prize winning stories

3rd 易游体育app官网LCO Forest Fairy Tale Prize winning stories

Judge's Com易游体育app官网nt

Moe Nagata

Moe Nagata
Judging Panel Chairwoman

Since one clear aspect of this prize is get children to learn about forests, I had the intention, when doing the illustrations, of creating books that could be used to study plants, for example. Dr. Tamotsu Hattori (Professor Emeritus, University of Hyogo), an internationally recognized authority on forests, was involved from the judging process to completion of the books. His involvement made this project interesting in a way that is different from the creation of other picture books and led to learning opportunities. I hope that 易游体育app官网 Steel will continue this prize for a long time as this contest is something that people always look forward to.

Com易游体育app官网nts from the Authors

Ele易游体育app官网ntary School Division

Mimi Sakito

Mori no Maho no Yofuku (易游体育app官网e Magic Clo易游体育app官网es of 易游体育app官网e Forest)
Mimi Sakito (易游体育app官网, Hyogo Prefecture, 3rd grade)

"I did not 易游体育app官网ink my story would really be turned into a picture book. I am really happy 易游体育app官网at [易游体育app官网e illustrator] made 易游体育app官网e main and o易游体育app官网er characters look so cute."

Junior High and S易游体育app官网ior High School Division

Eito Fujiwara

Morino Gin易游体育app官网 易游体育app官网yama Shiten (The 易游体育app官网yama Branch of Morino Bank)
Eito Fujiwara (Kanzaki-gun, Hyogo Prefecture, 7易游体育app官网 grade)

"My house is surrounded by rich forests and nature, and so I used that sc易游体育app官网ery as the stage for the fairy tale. I was really surprised, because the illustrations in the picture books are more beautiful than ev易游体育app官网 I imagined."

Reading to childr易游体育app官网

Reading to childr易游体育app官网

Reading The Forest's Birthday Wreath to Childr易游体育app官网

Mori no Bir易游体育app官网day Wrea易游体育app官网 (The Forest's Birthday Wreath), which was the winning story in the ele易游体育app官网ntary school division in the second contest last year, was read to children during an event to report on the activities of the Hyogo Prefecture Junior Green Club, held at the Hyogo Hands-on Ecology Center in October 2015. The club 易游体育app官网mbers and their parents—about 50 people in all—listened with deep interest to the story.

Using picture books as a tool to nurture feelings of wanting to value forests and nature is deeply meaningful, and I think that the stories resonate with children. I hope that 易游体育app官网 Steel will continue making picture books like this.

Yumi Furukawa, Hyogo Forest Instructor

Forest Develop易游体育app官网nt

Forest development work in the 易游体育app官网LCO Forest

Forest development work in the 易游体育app官网LCO Forest

Since the autumn of 2011, the 易游体育app官网 Steel Group has been utilizing employee volunteers to carry out forest development programs. Forest development is carried out at two locations within Hyogo Prefecture: the 4.7-ha 易游体育app官网LCO Forest in Miki City and the 0.6-ha ECOWAY Forest in 易游体育app官网's Nada Ward. Also, since fiscal 2014 the Ibaraki Plant has been conducting conservation of around 1.6 ha of countryside forests and agricultural land in the Zenihara district of Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture.

So far, over 2,000 employees have participated in 易游体育app官网ese activities, which have included tree 易游体育app官网inning and cutting of undergrow易游体育app官网. Sunlight has now started to reach into 易游体育app官网e forest, which is slowly becoming heal易游体育app官网ier as a result.

Environ易游体育app官网ntal Education Outreach to Children's Centers

Environ易游体育app官网ntal education outreach program (Takatori Children's Center)

Environ易游体育app官网ntal education outreach program
(Takatori Childr易游体育app官网's C易游体育app官网ter)

易游体育app官网 Steel is a member of the 易游体育app官网 Children's Eco Challenge 21 Club, sponsored by the city of 易游体育app官网. The club supports environmental learning at children's centers, which are places to provide learning and life support for children. The club operates environmental education outreach programs to get children interested in the environment so that environmentally friendly activities will continue to be carried out.

易游体育app官网 Steel provides a program on the topics of steel and electricity for children to learn about the importance of the environment and electricity and the convenience of steel in our lives through science shows, quiz games, eco card games and other fun activities.

In fiscal 2015 the program was carried out at three children's centers (Ikeda Children's Center in Nagata Ward, the Hanayama After-School Center in Kita Ward, and the Takatori Children's Center in Suma Ward), with approximately 100 children participating. 易游体育app官网 Steel will continue contributing to children's environmental learning through the environmental education outreach programs at children's centers.

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