CTCI Rooting for Environmental Education to Students through Fun-filled Activities

— Lin Pei Yu, Manager of Recycling Management Dept., Group Resource Cycling Business

CTCI, a leading engineering company in Taiwan, has been developing its resource cycling business for 20 years. Its Group Resource Cycling Business (ECOVE Environment Corp., or "ECOVE") is the largest of its kind in Taiwan and the first to have won a contract for operating an energy-from-waste (EfW) plant in a foreign country. CTCI has created a whole new brand, ECOVE, for resource cycling services business in October 2017. Under this brand, ECOVE Environment Corp. has launched promoting environmental education to raise  awareness for environmental protection in  communities and on campuses, and create a social consciousness for renewable resources by “enhancing resource cycling efficiency”, “use of intelligent, data-driven operation system”, “active participation in national/regional agenda and policy” and “community collaboration and contribution ” to create a triple-win scenario for  business, environment and society.

Energy from Waste converts Incineration Plant into a Classroom

ECOVE’s main operation is "Energy-from-Waste (EfW)." There are 24 municipal solid waste EfW plants in Taiwan, and ECOVE has offered services to more than two-thirds of them, including full operation, overhaul service or system equipment update. Currently, ECOVE operates or provides technical service to seven EfW plants. Keeping the concept of EfW in mind, ECOVE actively participates in the certification of environmental education facilities and has designed several environmental education courses for various age groups according to the characteristics of each plant, the local culture and geographical features.

Take the Miaoli EfW Plant for example.  It's an EfW plant that combines environmental protection with renewable energy and environmental sustainability. ECOVE combined the features of this EfW plant with the mangrove forests along the Zhonggang Creek, Euploea butterflies and perching grounds of migratory birds to develop a ground for ecological education. The plant has also set up the "Green Dream Factory" navigation facilities to provide experience for teaching the operations of the EfW plant. In 2017, the  plant has participated in  “Environmental Education Promotion Evaluation” organized by the Environmental Protection Administration for the first time and won the highest rating, the“5-Star”, for environmental education venue.  

The Keelung EfW plant operated by ECOVE has also developed  “Return of Black Kites” courses, which generate interest in the public to the issues of environmental protection from the endangered “black kites” in Keelung and extends the discussion to resource recycle,  reuse and the benefits and urgency of developing renewable energy to  instill a sense  of concern for environmental protection in the minds of the public.

In addition to the above plants, several other EfW plants operated by ECOVE, including Houli, Tainan, and Southern Taiwan Science Park, have also been certified by the Environmental Protection Administration for environmental education facilities. These facilities are open to the public and school children for hands-on experience tours and environmental education.

Sowing the Seeds of Reading: Paving the Way for Children to a Future of Infinite Possibility

“Ten years to grow a tree; One-hundred years to lay the foundation of education.” CTCI appreciates the true meaning of education and advocates that every child should enjoy the same education and social resources. In 2017, the company has established the CTCI Education Foundation and has launched the “Environmental Education, Care Unlimited" event the same year on the campuses of 14 primary schools in rural areas of Miaoli, Taichung, Tainan and Keelung, along with a gift of one-year subscription to "Global Kids Monthly" and "Global Junior Monthly" magazines.

The publishers of these magazines have collaborated with ECOVE and launched a special environmental education magazine. Enthusiastic employees of ECOVE have formed a team of volunteer environmental education lecturers to host fun learning events for the children of the elementary schools that received the magazines. To make the learning events fun for the children, the volunteer lecturers designed special teaching materials with easy-to-understand illustrations and sing-along dances instilling in them love for green energy and environmental protection.

For this campaign, ECOVE contributed 65 volunteers with 299 working hours for 540 children in rural areas.  In the observation forms, many teachers have praised the knowledge and skill of the ECOVE’s volunteers and believed that  the teaching of the course content by the volunteers was equal  to that of the standard of professional environmental education lecturers. The children also recorded their appreciation on the learning sheet for the volunteer lecturers. The children’s feedback adds value to ECOVE’s corporate social responsibility action.

One Factory, One Footprint, Continuous Environmental Education

Enthused by the well-received 2017 campaign, the CTCI Education Foundation and volunteers  planned a three-year program  “One Factory, One Footprint; Continuous Environmental Education”to impart environmental education.

“One Factory and One Footprint” focuses the campaign of environmental education programs on the elementary schools where ECOVE operates its EfW plants.  A tour for 20 schools across Taiwan has been planned for 2018, and the content covers the concept of circular economy and ECOVE’s EfW technology to raise children’s awareness in the value of resources, the importance of using sustainable materials and the waste disposal processes. Meanwhile, through experiencing waste paper reuse DIY activity and learning of CTCI’s resource recycling technology, children and teachers can appreciate what circular economy is and can achieve through “repair, reuse and remanufacturing” and the concept of “every resource counts”.

With a vision on corporate and environmental sustainability, CTCI actively participates in environmental education activities to fulfill its social responsibilities. Its subsidiary, ECOVE Environment Corp., specializes in resource cycling and extends its expertise into circular economy through energy from waste (EfW), solar power, and recycling. Under the brand spirit, “Every Resource Counts”, the company continues to work with communities, schools and public offices to provide quality environmental education facilities, promote environmental protection and sustainability education. These activities have become benchmarking campaigns that highlight the uniqueness of CTCI and have brought positive influence on the society.