Achievements in the Support of Watershed Preservation Activities in Japan

Honda supports activities to protect and grow forest watersheds.
In regions where our factories and offices are located, we support forest conservation activities, in which Honda associates participate as volunteers.
• Honda’s Saitama Factory has been supporting and participating in a reforestation project called the forest watersheds (Tone River) Revitalization Project by Volunteers. This event, which preserves and revitalizes nature through forestation, is held as an NPO activity by the CCC Creative Plant’s Gunma Project at watersheds of the Tone River and in the upper reaches of the Minakami-Naramata Dam. In fiscal 2005, Honda associates and retirees volunteered to help mow grass and thin out trees1 in June, and plant and thin out trees in October.
• The Kumamoto Factory has been conducting forest conservation activities on a mountain in Aso town, supporting the activities of the Aso Green Stock Foundation conducted at the riverhead of the Shira River. In fiscal 2005, Honda associates and retirees volunteered to participate in planting in April and mowing in September.
• The Hamamatsu Factory has been engaged in forest conservation activities on a mountain in Misakubo town, supporting the activities of Plenteer Forest, a nonprofit organization. In fiscal 2005, Honda associates and retirees volunteered to participate in planting in November.
• In the head office area, we have been engaged in activities that conserve the forest owned by Kosuge village, located in the riverhead of the Tama River, supporting the activities of OISCA. In May and October 2005, Honda associates volunteered to participate in planting activities in the area.
• The Suzuka Factory has been conducting forest conservation activities, mainly the thinning out of trees2, on a mountain in the city of Kameyama at the source of the Suzuka River, supporting the activities of Morinokaze, a nonprofit organization. In March 2005, Honda associates and retirees volunteered to help thin out trees.
• In the Tochigi area, we decided to start activities in February 2006 to conserve a state-owned forest located in Ashio town at the source of the Watarase River. In fiscal 2006, our associates and retirees will begin volunteering for forestation activities.

Korchin Desert Afforestation in China: The Joyful Forest Project

The Joyful Forest Project was started in 2000 to help prevent rapid desertification through sand-arresting afforestation in the Horchin Desert in the Autonomous Region of Mongolia in the People’s Republic of China. Since its start, Honda has been giving financial support and dispatching volunteers to the project as well as participating in the formulation of specific projects.

In fiscal 2005, volunteer forestation projects were held in July and September with many Honda associates and retirees participating. Thanks to these projects, reforestation is steadily under way on the site. Chinese government officials who visited the site to study the Joyful Forest Project have, together with local residents, started planting trees in various places in China, widening the circle of forestation activities as planned.
From February to March 2006, photo exhibitions for the Joyful Forest were held at the Honda Welcome Plaza on the first floor of the Aoyama Head Office building as well as at Honda’s Wako Building and other plants. The display showed photos of the desert before afforestation, afforestation activities by the volunteers and the gradual greening of the site as a result of these activities. We will continue to implement these projects and create photo exhibitions as part of our activities to enlighten our associates.

Nature Wagon

The Nature Wagon is a program that is designed primarily for children to help them experience and study nature. Honda holds this event in cooperation with Honda retirees. The Nature Wagon visits schools in a Honda wagon loaded with natural materials obtained from the sea and mountains. In fiscal 2005, approximately 12,000 people participated in the program held in the areas surrounding Honda’s sites (Tokyo, Saitama, Suzuka, Hamamatsu, Kumamoto, and Tochigi). Participants were given the opportunity to actually touch materials, such as wood from thinning of forest and children in particular were given the chance to improve their awareness of nature. Teachers and children participating in the program stated their desire to participate in this program again in the future. The Nature Wagon program will be implemented primarily for teachers and children of schools located in the neighborhood of Honda’s factories.

Honda Beach Clean-up Project

Honda has independently developed an easy-to-use, lightweight, and compact towable beach cleaner and formed a “beach clean-up caravan” comprising Honda associates and retirees (approximately 15 people). By the end of March 2007, the caravan will have cleaned up approximately 20 beaches in Japan, starting with Katase Beach in Kanagawa Prefecture in May 2006.
The towable beach cleaner has a simple structure based on the functions of a rake and sieve. It is easy to operate and maintain and is friendly to the ecosystem because it is lightweight and compact. In addition, by churning up the surface of the sand, the cleaner is able to collect litter buried underneath, providing highly efficient cleaning.