Environmental Communication
SDGs Campaign for Children
From November 1 to 30, 2023, through the SDGs Campaign on the iKUMON website, Kumon students were invited to contribute their thoughts on SDGs.
The objective was to learn about the students’ perspectives on SDGs and to increase Kumon's contribution to SDGs, both inside and outside the company, by deepening the students’ thoughts and dreams. Through this campaign, we wanted to know more about what Kumon students think about SDGs, and how they might be related to our worksheets.
As a result, we received 137 responses from a wide range of students, from four to fifteen-year old students, and there were many things that we noticed and learned from each response. Here are some of the survey results.
- Have you ever heard of the term “SDGs”?
- Please select a goal among the 17 SDGs that you would like to consider or a goal that you would like to achieve with the others together.
- When you look at SDGs, is there anything that comes to mind from the worksheets you studied?
About 90% of the respondents had heard of SDGs. We found that many Kumon students, regardless of age, were aware of SDGs.
The most popular goal was Goal 14: Life Below Water. However, all of the goals received responses, indicating widespread interest in various goals among the students.
Twenty-three percent responded that they had a worksheet that came to mind. Some Kumon students gave specific worksheet numbers in Japanese and/or English programs.
Communicating in English
Since 2001, we have been conducting Global Immersion Camps (GICs) where children spend several days together communicating in English. Through multicultural exchanges with camp leaders from different countries and various programs, we enhance the children's awareness of the SDGs.
In FY2023, 21 elementary school children from various parts of Japan and 24 leaders from 23 countries and regions enjoyed communicating in English and learning about the world during a 4-day online program conducted from August 5 to 8.
On the third day, children from Vietnam joined the program and collectively discussed global issues. Among others, Mr. Amano (Yoh) from WWF Japan was invited to talk about environmental issues in Indonesia. We learned about the situation and ideas from various perspectives, including animals (orangutans), farmers (palm trees), the government, and an organization that considers the environment (WWF). The participants then discussed steps they can take now and in the future to protect the environment, such as how it relates to their own lives and what symbols they should be aware of when buying something.
Children participated in the GIC and discussed about environmental issues in Indonesia
Information Disclosure Through Environmental Reports
Since FY2013, the Kumon Group has been posting environmental reports on our website making information public about our environmental preservation activities and data (electricity usage, CO2 emissions, paper usage, and paper recycling), in addition to the Kumon Environmental Philosophy and Environmental Policy.
Environmental Education for Kumon Staff
The Kumon Group is implementing environmental education for all staff members to raise awareness and deepen understanding of the environment.
In FY2023 also e-learning for environmental education was implemented in training for new management staff. Participants learned about global environmental problems, environmental management, and environmental law.
Opportunities for sharing are increasing such as posters raising environmental awareness and environmental data being posted in offices, and environmental awareness in each company is rising each year as staff learn from one another about the environment.
Distribution of In-company Environmental Newsletter
Every quarter, the Kumon Group distributes the Kumon Green News Quarterly in Japanese and English to all Group companies.
The newsletters include quarterly environmental data by region, as well as environmental activity reports sent from each Group company to be shared worldwide.
In addition, some Group companies are distributing environmental news to their staff and other related parties. We are proactively engaged in environmental communication.
- Kumon Environmental Activities Around the World
- Environmental activities by North America, South America,
Asia and Oceania, China, Europe and Africa, and Japan
Kumon's
Environmental
Activities