Good Neighbors Taiwan is collaborating with National Taiwan University’s Experimental Forest Administration and Mercuries Life Insurance to plant 300 trees in Nantou County’s Sinyi Township (信義).
As part of its global climate initiative, “Earth and Us,” Good Neighbors Taiwan is inviting people and industries to help promote carbon reduction.
To aid that effort, Mercuries and the humanitarian organization are participating in the Experimental Forest’s six-year afforestation program to plant indigenous trees in Sinyi Township.
Photo courtesy of Good Neighbors Taiwan
Entertainer Masha Pan (潘君侖) has been invited to be the initiative’s ambassador.
Administration deputy director Ko Chun-han (柯淳涵) yesterday told a news conference that it has been promoting a “biodiversity credit” to encourage local firms to invest in environmental protection.
The collaboration with Good Neighbors Taiwan and Mercuries would involve planting 300 trees in a 10,000m2 area, which is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of a small car and expected to generate 40 tonnes of carbon storage in 20 years, he said.
To prevent exacerbating climate-driven natural disasters, such as wildfires, nearly 200 leaders around the world have agreed to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030, Good Neighbors secretary-general Yang Kuo-cheng (楊國正) said, adding that carbon reduction is a global challenge for which everyone must be held responsible.
Mercuries chief financial officer Chang Tsai-yuan (張財源) said the company is committed to environmental protection and many years ago implemented a policy to reduce paper use.
It also provides premium rebates for clients who walked at least 7,000 steps per day on average in the previous year to incentivize people to help reduce carbon emissions by walking and using public transportation, he said.
Asked whether companies could collaborate with Good Neighbors Taiwan under the project as part of their environmental, social and governance initiatives, Good Neighbors Taiwan senior specialist Liao Fang-pei (廖芳佩) said the organization would welcome all kinds of carbon reduction plans that companies propose.
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