Hsien-Kun Hsu, Society of Wilderness Green Seed International
In 2022, another COVID-19 wave resulted in children's PE classes once again turning into remote classes, and highly-anticipated graduation trips being postponed or cancelled. Schools also adapted graduation ceremonies into a live online format to not disappoint children.
As parents, we watched the cold computer screen at home and felt a profound sense of sadness. We also saw the disappointment on our children's faces. Once the outbreak stabilized and it was safe again to go traveling I decided to take the kids on a little trip. Since graduation is the beginning of another phase, why not let children ride the ocean waves into the next chapter of their lives!
During the pandemic, international social issues have gained greater attention and ESG has become a viral keyword. So what is ESG exactly?
ESG is an acronym for Environmental (E), Social (S) and Governance (G), which represents the need for enterprises to focus on environmental sustainability issues, including greenhouse gas emissions, reducing carbon emissions, climate change, and pollution.
A Trip to Respect the Mountains and Embrace the Sea
This group of children in the Society of Wilderness’s parent-child group all received more than 6 years of environmental education. That's why I set the theme of this trip "Respect the Mountains and Embrace the Sea." We went to the Fushan Botanical Garden to observe many plants endemic to Taiwan. We also went to Wushi Harbor to take a boat to Guishan Island (Turtle Island). By respecting the mountains - allowing children to maintain a humble attitude towards nature and experience the wonders of the forest. "Taiwan Island" was formed about 6.5 million years ago and the mountains are far older than you and I. Why not think of nature as our elders, as the mother of mankind, that is, we can understand a lot of conventions and respect. The mountains are also the traditional lands of the indigenous people and their homes and hunting grounds are the same as the concept of "home" for the Han Chinese and they take good care of their home environment. Therefore, when you enter someone's home, you should be polite, modest and respectful of the environment. When we enter someone's home or spend time with our own mothers, we do not treat it as a form of "conquest;" instead, we thank the elders for allowing you to visit their home, "thank you mountain, for allowing me to visit." With the same attitude, we respect and protect the old relics or facilities in the mountain and show the proper courtesy of being a guest.
Knowing the Sea is Embracing the Sea
The world's oceans account for about three quarters of the world's surface area. They are the world's largest life-support systems and one of the primary ecosystems. Taiwan is an island with rich marine resources and a diverse ecological environment, with about 1,576 kilometers of coastline; it is a treasure trove of biodiversity and is closely related to human survival in terms of climate regulation, resource development, transportation and fishing.
I hope that through this trip, we can endow the essence of respecting the mountains and embracing sea into everyone's heart. I hope that we can start with the attitude that everyone can do their part; we should not cut down the forests indiscriminately; we should not destroy our oceans. No matter how rugged the road ahead is, as long as we have the heart to love the earth, our efforts will pay off and the earth will become a better place!
Let's set out courageously and advance forward!
This is the future that belongs to you. ESG spirit requires all hands on deck. So let's make the businesses better and more environmentally sustainable, and let's put in our combined efforts together!
The Earth is naturally sustainable when ethics education is deeply rooted in the next generation.
