SEKISUI European Children’s Eco Summit

The SEKISUI Eco Summit was established in 2007 for the company’s 60th anniversary and connects our employees’ children through a very special environmental experience. Among many exciting activities, the participants develop a compelling message to the top management of SEKISUI, a declaration full of their greatest ideas that help preserving the world’s environment for their own and, of course, the next generation. The results of past summits had a huge impact and became an important part of the company’s corporate social responsibility activities. For instance, we initiated the annual Environment Week, an event for all employees of the SEKISUI Group. Every year in August, it encourages employees for one week to engage in environmental activities. We also created the Greenest Person Award to reward employees with outstanding environmental engagement, elected by all international SEKISUI employees.

At this year’s Eco Summit, 26 children with high environmental awareness from seven European countries traveled to southern Germany to get a deeper understanding of the significance of nature. During various activities like workshops, GPS tours, boat tours, and guided walks, the participants got in touch with the stunning beauty of Lake Constance and its biota. As the main partner of the SEKISUI European Children’s Eco Summit 2015, the Global Nature Fund (GNF) provided the participants with knowledge, information and educational material. On the last of three days full of nature and fun, the kids presented their ideas to SEKISUI’s top management. The proposals included smart measures like installing solar panels on company buildings, car sharing for employees and the proposal to use hybrid cars as company vehicles. Teiji Koge, President of SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD., expressed his admiration for so much creativity delivered by the young conservationists. On behalf of the whole SEKISUI Group, he committed himself to keep on collaborating with non-governmental organizations in order to drive forth the company’s environmental engagement in the future. Moreover, he gave a very special gift to the children: every participant got a brand new tablet computer packed with information about nature, environmental protection and other green topics. The purpose: supporting the children in keeping up sustainability in their everyday lives.

Highlights of Eco Summit 2015

How to produce apple juice

If you want to increase people’s awareness for nature, it’s not only about teaching biological and environmental topics. It is also about taking action: about seeing and feeling what your activities can change. And, of course, about smelling and tasting nature itself. At Eco Summit 2015, the participants had the great opportunity to produce apple juice. But not just any other apple juice, it was a totally organic one and, most importantly, the kids produced it with their own physical power. The workshop “Taste of Wilderness” started at the Palmhouse in Radolfzell. Prof. Dieter Brdiczka, representative of Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND Constance, Friends of the Earth Germany), a leading German environmental organization, talked about the local apple varieties and explained how they achieved to grow one single apple tree with five different kinds of apples. The kids were invited to harvest each variety and to taste them all. Supported by their parents and the Managing Directors Mr. Paul Koopman, Mr. Yoshikazu Tsukuda, and Mr. Yoshio Aoshima, the kids went through all stages of the production and created their very own organic product.
They combined several varieties of apples, also mixed in freshly produced pear juice, and in the end, they had 4 different sorts of apple juice. This workshop was a very special experience for everyone – the kids even considered to never drink industrial produced juices again. It wasn’t only the taste, but also the knowledge about the processed ingredients and the usage of physical power, which sensitized everyone for the characteristics of an every day product.

Event dinner at restaurant Kranz

The cultural landscape at Lake Constance does not only appear in its well preserved countryside and historical buildings, but also on the menu. At Eco Summit 2015, the participants had the opportunity to try a local specialty of the Swabian-Alemanic kitchen called “Dünnele”. Located at Liggeringen, a district of Radolfzell, restaurant “Wirtschaft zum Kranz” is loved by locals and tourists as well. With its cozy, rustic atmosphere the traditional restaurant is famous for its homemade Dünnele. The local dish is quite similar to a native of Alsace: the tarte flambée. Smaller, baked with a thicker crust, the restaurant offers Dünnele with seven different toppings for any taste: cheese, bacon, spinach, onions, pepper, garlic, and apples. “It looks like pizza” was one of the most frequently heard remarks made by the kids.

After a long exhausting day full of nature-based activities, they really enjoyed the local specialty. During the meal, they also presented the results of their workshops. By walking around from table to table, every participant learned more about the other workshops and the local environmental activities: e.g. local farming methods, producing organic apple juice or building musical instruments from all-natural materials. A pleasant evening with full and satisfied participants.

Impressions of Eco Summit 2015