Cargill launches Earth Day initiatives in China
Date: April 22, 2009
Contact: Minna Zheng, Cargill China, Email: Minna_zheng@cargill.com
Tel: 86 21 2306 0756 Fax: 86 21 2306 0606
Today, Cargill employees in 25 regions across China launch Global Earth Day volunteering initiatives to protect the earth and support sustainable development in China.
In Yangjiang, Guangdong province, volunteers are collecting water samples from the Mojiang River for analysis. Cargill Yangjiang Volunteers have been working for weeks for the initiative to protect the mother river for Yangjiang. Volunteers have been bicycling along the river to investigate sources of pollution, setting up signage for river protection alerts and conducting investigations of river-side communities on how river water impacts their daily life. A photo exhibition about the river's polluted condition will also be set up to arouse public awareness for water protection.
In Chongqing, Cargill volunteers are working with local schools to promote an environmental awareness campaign through a photo exhibition and Digital Video competition; in Inner Mongolia and Harbin, volunteers are planting trees around Cargill facilities and cleaning up lakes; in Wuhan, volunteers are hosting a community forum on environmental protection and energy-saving tips. Through such broad volunteer engagement, Cargill hopes to enhance public awareness of earth protection.
The “Cargill Green Leadership Fund” was also inaugurated in Beijing in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and The Association of Society, Entrepreneurs-Ecology (SEE) . The fund will provide advanced nonprofit management expertise and a comprehensive curriculum to increase the capacity of Chinese environmental NGOs. The training will focus on increasing their professional skills in areas such as finance, management, media cooperation and public participation. The first course will begin in May of 2009 and the target is to train up to 50 nonprofit professionals in the first year.
“We are committed to be an integral part of China to work with local government, communities and NGO partners for earth protection. I am so proud to see that our employees in China are enthusiastic volunteers in community activities.” said Norwell Coquillard, president of Cargill China. “Only with concerted efforts, can we build China into a better place to live and work for the people. No matter whether it is developing better agriculture practices with farmers or Earth day Initiatives, we are continuously looking for ways to preserve and protect the environment and support sustainable development in China”.
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About Cargill Worldwide
Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 160,000 people in 67 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com/news-center
About Cargill in China
Cargill’s presence in China can be traced back to the early 1970's. Today Cargill is proud to be an integral part of China with over 5000 employees and 34 wholly owned companies and joint ventures in China. Cargill is in a unique position to contribute its global experience and expertise to China’s principle needs of raising the incomes of its rural population and developing its countryside. By bringing our global expertise and experience to improve efficiency and add value for food and agriculture products in China, we aim to promote sustainable agriculture and a secure grain and food supply for China. For more information, visit http://www.cargill.com.cn.