Honda takes a global perspective on environmental conservation and the initiatives undertaken by each of its facilities to help ensure harmonious coexistence with host communities. Through our websites, a range of pamphlets, other publications and events, we are proactively sharing information about our community initiatives.
Philanthropic Environmental Initiatives
Watershed conservation in Japan
Planting trees in Ozu Town, Kumamoto Prefecture
•Volunteer Forest Conservation Initiatives in FY2007
*1 Removing trees to promote sapling growth
*2 Thinning out forest to give trees more light and promote growth
Honda is helping conserve precious watersheds for future generations. Current and retired Honda associates are hard at work on forest conservation projects in the areas around our facilities in Japan.
•Saitama Factory has been supporting the reforestation project conducted by the Creative Conservation Club, a volunteer group, to revitalize the Tone River headwaters and upper reaches of the Minakami-Naramata Dam through financial contributions and the volunteer work of associates.
•Kumamoto Factory is engaged in a project with Ozu Town, situated on the outer rim of the Mt. Aso volcano. Under the guidance of a local forestry group, it's working to restore three hectares of devastated forest by planting trees.
•Hamamatsu Factory has been collaborating with "the Forest of the Plenteers," an NPO, to conserve the forest in the headwaters of the Tenryu River in Mizukubo Town.
•In an area under the aegis of Honda headquarters, Honda has been collaborating with Kosuge Village and OISCA International to preserve the headwaters of the Tama River in Kosuge Village.
•Suzuka Factory joined forces with local NPO Mori no Kaze (Mountain Wind) in Kameyama City, thinning the forest*2 to safeguard its vitality.
•In the Tochigi area, Honda has been working to safeguard the national forests at the headwaters of the Watarase River in Ashio Town.
The Joyful Forest Project
Tree-planting in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China
•The Joyful Forest Project: using reclaimed land
To confront rapid desertification in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, Honda is supporting the Desert Planting Volunteer Association in its Joyful Forest Project initiative, which aims to cultivate forests in the desert. Since joining the project in 2000, Honda has helped with operational planning, financial support and, through its volunteers, the actual planting. Progress continued in FY2007 with volunteer tours of service in May and September involving many current and retired Honda associates and their families. The greening of the desert is proceeding and the momentum of the initiative is growing, with Chinese officials visiting the site and local residents getting involved in cultivation projects of their own.
Nature Wagon
•FY2007 Nature Wagon Events and Participants
| Area | No. of Events | Participants (approx.) |
| Tokyo area | 52 | 4,317 |
| Suzuka | 59 | 2,932 |
| Hamamatsu | 56 | 4,421 |
| Kumamoto | 19 | 778 |
| Tochigi | 32 | 1,535 |
| Total | 218 | 13,983 |
Nature Wagon at work
Organized with the help of retired Honda associates, the Nature Wagon is an environmental education program on wheels—a van filled with natural objects from the ocean and forest. The Nature Wagon travels to elementary schools and community centers, bringing nature to the city. In FY2007 the Nature Wagon visited 218 sites near Honda facilities (in Tokyo, Saitama, Suzuka, Hamamatsu, Kumamoto and Tochigi), bringing nature to about 14,000 city kids. Crafts using logs and other natural materials are introduced, and children are encouraged to explore and discover nature for themselves. Many teachers and students enjoy the experience so much they ask for another visit. The Nature Wagon program will continue to evolve, visiting mainly elementary schools in communities that host Honda facilities.
Honda Beach Clean-Up Project
Collecting litter at the beach
As one of our community initiatives, Honda developed the Beach Cleaner, which is cleaning up the seashore. A group of current and retired associates assembled a volunteer caravan to work with municipal authorities to put the Beach Cleaner to work. The towable Beach Cleaner has a simple structure based on the functions of a rake and a sieve. As it churns up the sand, buried litter is collected for highly efficient cleaning. Light and compact, it's easy on the ecosystem.
In FY2007 the Beach Cleaner Caravan visited 19 sites in Japan, and with the help of more than 539 current and retired associates some 3,000 bags of litter* were collected. In FY2008, in response to public requests, plans are to begin lending the Beach Cleaner to municipalities where it can be operated in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
* 45-liter bags. Tires, driftwood not included.
